Graduate student Yi-Hsuan (Nemo) Hsiao and his colleagues have developed insect-sized robots to assist with artificial pollination as bee populations decline, reports Maria Simon Arboleas for Euractiv. “The tiny drones, lighter than a paperclip, can fly at speeds of up to two meters per second for more than 1,000 seconds, while performing complex maneuvers such as repeated backflips,” writes Arboleas.
USA Today reporter Dinah Voyles Pulver spotlights Research Scientist Judah Cohen’s research studying how weather systems and climate patterns are related to the increase in Arctic blasts and deep freezes this winter.
Prof. Joshua Bennett speaks with NPR host Michel Martin about his new book “The People Can Fly: American Promise, Black Prodigies, and the Greatest Miracle of All Time.” The book “weaves together folklore, history and memoir to sort through what it means to be a prodigy, especially a Black prodigy,” explains Martin. Bennett cites fatherhood and his mother’s ideals as his inspiration for the book: “In becoming a father who's raising my children in a very different context in suburban Massachusetts and not in the Bronx and in South Yonkers and having very different experiences than my parents did… I just started to think, what's the full breadth of what I've inherited around this idea of what it means to pursue an education? And that's really what inspired it.”
Senior Research Scientist Leo Anthony Celi speaks with New York Times reporter Gina Kolata about the use of AI in health care. “The real concern isn’t AI itself,” says Celi. “It’s the AI is being deployed to optimize a profoundly broken system rather than to reimagine it.”
Prof. Jim Walsh speaks with Fox News reporter Jon Scott about international relations between the United States and countries in the Middle East.
Research Scientist Judah Cohen speaks with New York Times reporter Eric Niiler about his research studying “how global warming might also be causing colder winters in the eastern United States.” Cohen says “It’s weird what’s going on now in the stratosphere. These stretching events happen every winter, but just how the pattern is stuck is really remarkable.”
Nithya Raman MCP '08 has announced her decision to run for Los Angeles Mayor, reports Jill Cowan and Shawn Hubler for The New York Times. Raman “represents a district that encompasses a diverse array of neighborhoods, including some where immigrants live in dense apartments and some in the fast-growing San Fernando Valley, where wealthy Hollywood executives live in hillside bungalows,” they write. “That diversity, Ms. Raman has said, has given her unique insight into the needs of vastly different communities in the city of nearly four million.”
Prof. Carlo Ratti speaks with Matt Fortin of NBC Boston about his work designing this year’s Olympic torch. “For us it’s very exciting to do this,” says Ratti, “because it’s a way you can actually push design beyond what you normally do.”
MIT AgeLab Research Scientist Lisa D’Ambrosio speaks with Parade reporter Chrissy Callahan about in-home and online safety tips for seniors living alone. “Don’t feel pressured to act on something or to make a decision quickly in response to a telephone call or a text message from someone you do not know personally,” explains D’Ambrosio. “Fraudsters and scammers often try to use time pressure to get people to do things or make choices they would not make if they had a little bit more time to consider their actions and choices. Talk to a family member, talk to a friend, talk to your partner – get another perspective.”
Prof. John Urschel – a former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens – joined Edgar B. Herwick III, host of GBH’s newest show, The Curiosity Desk, to talk about his love of his family, linear algebra, and football. On how he eventually chose math over football, Urschel quips: “Well, I hate to break it to you, I like math better… let me tell you, when I started my PhD at MIT, I just fell in love with the place. I fell in love with this idea of being in this environment [where] everyone loves math, everyone wants to learn. I was just constantly excited every day showing up.”
Prof. Olivier de Weck speaks with Forbes reporter Alex Knapp about the challenges and opportunities posed by building data centers in space. Data centers are “physically secure from intrusion and environmentally friendly once operational,” says de Weck. “Essentially, the three primary resources required on Earth—land, power, and cooling—are available ‘for free’ in space after the initial launch and deployment costs are covered.”
MIT President Sally Kornbluth joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan live in studio for GBH’s Boston Public Radio to discuss MIT, the pressures facing America’s research enterprise, the importance of science and more.
The torch for this year’s Winter Olympics was designed by Prof. Carlo Ratti, reports Laura Baisas for Popular Science. Dubbed “Essential,” the torch clocks in at just under 2.5 pounds, and "boasts a unique internal mechanism that can be seen through a vertical opening along its side. This means that audiences can peek inside and see the burner in action. From a design perspective, that reinforces Ratti’s desire to keep the emphasis on the flame itself and not the object.”
MIT researchers have developed a system that uses recycled plastic to 3-D print plastic trusses, reports Alex Knapp for Forbes. The trusses could "support more than 4,000 pounds—exceeding typical building standards," Knapp explains. "The bonus? This took less than an hour to manufacture."
Prof. Jim Walsh speaks with WBUR’s Here and Now host Scott Tong about U.S. global negotiations and relationships.