D-Lab

“The kind of engineering that I want to do is the kind that can change people’s lives for the better,” says MIT senior Nick Schwartz.

Changing lives with heart, humor, and engineering

MIT senior and Marshall Scholar Nick Schwartz wants to solve the energy problem — and make people smile along the way.

January 3, 2018

Physician Chris Zahner at the University of Texas Medical Branch designing sensor systems in the MakerHealth Space.

How to turn clinicians into makers

Providing training and resources, MakerHealth helps nurses and doctors hack medical equipment to improve patient care.

December 19, 2017

With the right business model, solar panels and pumps could be a promising sustainable irrigation approach for smallholder farmers in India.

MIT researchers release evaluation of solar pumps for irrigation and salt mining in India

Study of solar pump technology use in India assesses technical performance and explores innovative business cases to increase user adoption.

November 13, 2017

Amy Smith is the founding director of the MIT D-Lab.

Designing for a more equitable world

D-Lab founder Amy Smith teaches MIT students to tap into the heart of international development.

October 6, 2017

Winners of the 2017 Better World Media Contest: At left, Max Freitas and his D-Lab project partner Hope Chen (pictured, with patient) developed and field tested prosthetics with Rise Legs through MIT-India. Right: Dou Dou '17 brought over 80 Israeli and Palestinian high school students together by teaching them computer science and entrepreneurship through MIT-MEET.

Tackling the world’s challenges in the field

MISTI media contest showcases MIT students working to build a better world.

October 2, 2017

Mark Brennan (left) and Prithvi Sundar are graduate students working with MIT’s Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation to better understand and evaluate the food aid supply chain.

Researchers identify opportunities to improve quality, reduce cost of global food assistance delivery

Research from MIT's CITE program leverages a procurement process to identify opportunities for improving food aid supply chains.

September 13, 2017

D-Lab Scale-Ups Fellow Chebet Lesan holds a bag of her company's innovative charcoal briquettes, which are made from recycled waste. Lesan is the founder and CEO of BrightGreen Renewable Energy, which provides affordable, clean, safe, and eco-friendly charcoal briquettes for low-income households in Kenya.

Bringing poverty-alleviating solutions to market in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda

2017 D-Lab Scale-Ups are tackling energy access, small farm irrigation, portable medical diagnostics, online education, and support for local artisans.

August 16, 2017

Evaluating approaches to agricultural development

Involving local farmers in tackling a problem can provide long-lasting benefits.

July 6, 2017

Richard Fletcher, research scientist in the MIT D-Lab

Revolutionizing global health

In more than 20 years working on wireless sensors and radio frequency identification (RFID), Richard Fletcher has produced several startups and over a dozen patents.

April 26, 2017