Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS)

Photos show a solar installation from 1988 (left) and a present-day version. Though the basic underlying technology is the same, a variety of factors have contributed to a hundredfold decline in costs. Now, researchers have identified the relative importance of these different factors.

Explaining the plummeting cost of solar power

Researchers uncover the factors that have caused photovoltaic module costs to drop by 99 percent.

November 20, 2018

“The college is our way of building a powerful framework and environment for research and collaborations that involve computing and that are occurring across disciplines," says School of Engineering Dean Anantha P. Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Bridge to the future of engineering

The School of Engineering’s faculty leadership weigh in on what the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing will mean for their students and faculty.

November 11, 2018

The Campus Sustainability Incubator Fund is supporting new projects exploring on-site renewable energy storage systems and prototyping carbon-neutral cooling systems.

Office of Sustainability names 2018 grant winners

Campus sustainability incubator grants provide funding for innovative projects that bring together faculty, staff, and students and use MIT as a test bed for innovation.

November 2, 2018

Once mercury is emitted from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants, among other sources, the gas can drift through the atmosphere for up to a year before settling into lakes and oceans.

Study: Impact of mercury-controlling policies shrinks with every five-year delay

Toxin will accumulate in the environment, particularly in remote regions, as countries delay implementing emissions controls.

November 1, 2018

The new model measures distances between words with similar meanings in “word embeddings,” and then aligns the words in both embeddings that are most closely correlated by relative distances, meaning they’re most likely to be direct translations of one another.

Model paves way for faster, more efficient translations of more languages

New system may open up the world’s roughly 7,000 spoken languages to computer-based translation.

October 30, 2018

The first MPP2030 conference was held in Lisbon earlier this month.

MIT Portugal collaboration enters new phase

MPP2030 is focused on education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

October 26, 2018

MIT student Amy Umaretiya helped kick off the HUBweek Policy Hackathon after months of planning.

HUBweek Policy Hackathon delivers local solutions

Citizens and data scientists produce actionable recommendations for high-priority Boston-area issues at Institute for Data, Systems, and Society student-run event.

October 22, 2018

School of Engineering third quarter 2018 awards

Faculty members recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the last quarter.

October 19, 2018

MIT and HUBweek showcase ideas and innovators making the future

Institute throws open its doors for the Greater Boston area’s fourth annual celebration of innovation.

October 1, 2018

3Q: David Simchi-Levi on advancing global retail operations through analytics and machine learning

David Simchi-Levi discusses insights from recent research in collaboration with some of the world's largest retailers.

September 27, 2018

New MIT research shows that, unless steady, continuous carbon-free sources of electricity are included in the mix, costs of decarbonizing the electrical system could be prohibitive and end up derailing attempts to mitigate the most severe effects of global climate change.

Study: Adding power choices reduces cost and risk of carbon-free electricity

To curb greenhouse gas emissions, nations, states, and cities should aim for a mix of fuel-saving, flexible, and highly reliable sources.

September 6, 2018

Noelle Selin’s interdisciplinary research addresses both the science and policy of air pollution, climate change, and hazardous substances.

Noelle Selin named director of the MIT Technology and Policy Program

Selin will spearhead the master's program for students whose research addresses societal challenges at the intersection of technology and policy.

August 24, 2018

“Science is a way to connect with people around the world. There are no national boundaries; it's like a more unified network of people working on problems and discussing them,” says Associate Professor Jessika Trancik.

Shaping technology’s future

With data-informed models, Jessika Trancik seeks ways to coax progress toward sustainable energy systems.

August 15, 2018

Hammer family gift to support doctoral fellowships in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

Gift to IDSS honors Michael Hammer, influential business leader, engineer, educator, MIT faculty member, and MIT alumnus.

August 3, 2018

School of Engineering second quarter 2018 awards