News

Amy Keating named head of the Department of Biology

August 15, 2022

Amy E. Keating, the Jay A. Stein Professor of Biology and a professor of biological engineering, has been named head of the Department of Biology, effective today. She succeeds Alan Grossman, the Praecis Professor of Biology at MIT, who led the department since 2014. “Professor Keating is a leading researcher in her field, employing computational […]

Reif, Zuber attend signing of CHIPS and Science bill

August 12, 2022

            President L. Rafael Reif and Vice President for Research Maria Zuber were among those on hand Tuesday when President Biden signed the “CHIPS and Science” bill into law in an upbeat ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. The act provides $52 billion in federal funding to advance the U.S. semiconductor industry […]

Passion projects prepare to launch

August 11, 2022

At the start of the sixth annual MITdesignX “Pitch Day,” Svafa Grönfeldt, the program’s faculty director, made a point of noting that many of the teams about to showcase their ventures had changed direction multiple times on their projects. “Some of you have pivoted more times than we can count,” Grönfeldt said in her welcoming […]

Noelle Wakefield, friend to the MIT community

August 10, 2022

Dr. Noelle Wakefield, Assistant Dean for Diversity Initiatives and Director of the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), was honored with the 2022 Laya Wiesner Community Award.  “Noelle believes no detail is too small when it comes to creating an inclusive community experience,” her recommenders shared. From revamping an entire program curriculum, to developing recruitment strategy, […]

Caspar Hare, Georgia Perakis named associate deans of Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing

August 10, 2022

Caspar Hare and Georgia Perakis have been appointed the new associate deans of the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative in the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. Their new roles will take effect on Sept. 1. “Infusing social and ethical aspects of computing in academic research and education is […]

Leveraging computational tools to enhance product design

August 10, 2022

As an undergraduate at MIT, Jana Saadi had to find a way to fulfill her humanities class requirements. Little did she know that her decision would heavily shape her academic career. On a whim, Saadi had joined a friend in a class offered through MIT D-Lab, a project-based program aimed at helping poor communities around […]

J-PAL expands evidence-to-policy government partnerships to fight poverty worldwide

August 9, 2022

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT has announced a significant expansion of its efforts to forge evidence-to-policy partnerships with innovative-minded governments seeking to use rigorous research to inform their social policies and programs.  These partnerships will support governments in laying the groundwork to take evidence-informed policies and programs to scale, aiming […]

MIT’s efforts to get out the vote make an impact

August 8, 2022

Students in STEM fields are historically less likely to vote than those in other areas of study. Two nonpartisan MIT groups are working to change that, and early returns suggest they’re having an impact. This spring, the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) — an initiative of the Institute for Democracy and Higher […]

3 Questions: What to expect from Covid-19 this fall

August 4, 2022

As MIT prepares for the fall — its fifth full semester since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic — the Institute is continuing to evolve from its initial stance of strong institutional responsibility for managing Covid to an approach rooted in individual responsibility. Throughout the pandemic, MIT has taken an “always be prepared to pivot” […]

3 Questions: John Durant on the new MIT Museum at Kendall Square

July 28, 2022

To the outside world, much of what goes on at MIT can seem mysterious. But the MIT Museum, whose new location is in the heart of Kendall Square, wants to change that. With a specially designed space by architects Höweler + Yoon, new exhibitions, and new public programs, this fall marks a reset for the […]