Innovative projects explore ways to deal with extreme heat
Low-cost personal cooling and emissions-free air conditioning among ideas studied with MIT’s Climate Project seed funding.
Department
Materials Science and Engineering
NSF renews support for MIT-led AI and physics institute, expanding a new model for discovery
IAIFI enters its second phase with increased funding, broader ambitions, and a growing community at the frontier of AI and fundamental physics.
MIT chemists design impact-resistant plastics
Introducing weaker bonds into polystyrene and rubber helps these materials dissipate energy, making them more resistant to destructive forces.
MIT researchers develop a low-cost technique to get lithium out of rocks
The low-temperature process could unlock cleaner lithium from America’s abundant hard rock while minimizing waste.
Learning to teach, learning to discover
MIT senior Nik Sandu bridges scientific research with a strong commitment to teaching and community.
Steel developed at MIT is key to Formula One, Baja 1000, and MIT Motorsports
Ferrium C61 was designed with the aid of computers in a field pioneered at the Institute.
Big strides in cancer detection and treatment from the tiniest technologies
The MIT Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine looks back at 10 years of turning big ideas about nanotechnology into transformative advances for cancer patients.
Researchers “reprogram” materials by quickly rearranging their atoms
A new method for precisely moving columns of individual atoms within a material could give rise to exotic quantum properties.
Solving hard problems in soft electronics
Camille Cunin PhD ’26 is transforming rigid circuitry into stretchable, signal-amplifying devices built for real-world biomedical use.
MIT School of Engineering faculty receive awards in winter 2026
Faculty members and researchers were honored in recognition of their scholarship, service, and overall excellence.
The hidden structure behind a widely used class of materials
Relaxor ferroelectrics have been used in electronics and sensors for decades, but the source of their unique properties was a mystery until now.
An engineer’s guide to birds
In her new book, “Birds Up Close,” MIT materials engineer Lorna Gibson explores feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and flight, and the mechanics behind birds’ extraordinary abilities.
Light-activated gel could impact wearables, soft robotics, and more
New MIT work advances the growing field of ionotronics, in which data are transferred through ions, potentially providing a bridge between electronics and biological tissue.
Geothermal energy turns red hot
MIT Energy Initiative symposium maps a path to tap the planet’s heat-rich rocks for clean power at scale.
MIT faculty, alumni receive 2025-26 American Physical Society honors
Two faculty and six additional alumni win top APS awards and prizes; four faculty and 12 additional alumni named APS Fellows.