In the Media

MIT has been named one of the top ten universities in the world by U.S. News & World Report, writes Michael Nietzel for Forbes.

In this video, Bloomberg spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a new system that can remove carbon dioxide from the air. “From power plant emissions to open air, this new tool could prove significant in the fight against climate change,” reports Bloomberg. “It’s significantly less energy-intensive than existing methods and comes at a lower cost.”

Inside Higher Ed reporter Lindsay McKenzie writes that MIT has developed a new framework for guiding negotiations with scholarly publishers. McKenzie explains that the new framework “asserts that control of scholarship and the way in which it is distributed should reside with scholars and their institutions.”

Prof. David Rand and research scientist Erez Yoeli write for STAT about how their research has shown that providing patients with motivation and support can help ensure they adhere to the entire course of therapy for tuberculosis. The research demonstrates “what people can achieve with some carefully designed motivation and support, and it suggests the power of behavioral science for helping with that design.”

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, visiting lecturer Irving Wladawsky-Berger highlights the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future’s findings on the impact of automation on employment. The Task Force underscores, “the need to provide workers with the skills required to meet these technology and workforce challenges, especially workers without a four-year college degree who’ve disproportionately borne the brunt of automation.”

Writing for The New York Times, Susan Gubar spotlights Prof. Regina Barzilay’s quest to transform cancer care by using AI technologies to improve the detection and diagnosis of cancer. “Dr. Barzilay and her collaborators want to usher in the day when no woman is surprised by a late-stage diagnosis and when all breast cancers are curable,” writes Gubar.

Boston Globe reporter Mark Feeney spotlights the new Polaroid photography exhibit at the MIT Museum. Feeney notes that the exhibit, which explores Polaroid photography “as artistry, as innovation, as cultural state of mind,” is “techie heaven.”

Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear spotlights the story of “the Milk,” a 25-year-old carton of milk originally purchased by alumnus Justin Cave that has become a legendary relic at Random Hall. “Each year, new students moving into Random Hall are introduced to the Milk,” writes Annear. “And each year, it comes out for its birthday.”

Prof. Emeritus Woodie Flowers, “an innovative and flamboyant” professor who “championed a hands-on learning philosophy that reshaped engineering and design education,” died on Oct. 11, reports Glenn Rifkin for The New York Times. “Flowers’ “philosophy on design thinking and his learn-by-doing methods influenced not only generations of M.I.T. students,” writes Rifkin, “but also academic engineering programs around the world.”

New research by MIT engineers suggests that a bridge design developed by Leonardo da Vinci to span the Golden Horn waterway would have been structurally stable, writes David Bressan for Forbes. “The team simulated movements in the bridge's foundations like experienced during a real earthquake,” Bressan explains. The model, “deformed only slightly, demonstrating the design's stability.”

Origami sculptures created by Prof. Erik Demaine and technical instructor Martin Demaine are currently on display at the National Museum of Mathematics, reports Janet Morrissey for The New York Times. Of the inspiration for his artwork, Prof. Demaine notes that he “liked to do geometry, but needed some unsolved problems to work on to challenge me.”

Writing for Wired, Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee argues that in the decades to come, countries will be able to increase their overall production of food and other products while using fewer resources. McAfee notes that, “the two forces of capitalism and technological progress will continue their extraordinarily track record of providing for our wants and needs.”

Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes Prof. Emeritus Woodie Flowers, a “beloved and inspirational professor” known for helping to launch the FIRST Robotics Competition. “Engaging and charismatic, Dr. Flowers was as unforgettable as a professor in his famous class,” writes Marquard, “as he was in other venues as a teacher and mentor.”

Inside Higher Ed reporter Lindsay McKenzie notes that the Ad Hoc Task Force on Open Access to MIT’s Research has released its findings on how to increase the open sharing of MIT publications, data, software and educational materials. “The task force recommend that MIT ratify a set of open-access principles, create an open-access fund for monographs and work with department heads to encourage open practices across all disciplines,” writes McKenzie.

Upworthy reporter Annie Reneay spotlights the work of Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia, “an award-winning biomedical and mechanical engineer who performs cutting-edge medical research and has started multiple companies.”