The Media Lab presented its Disobedience Award to several leading figures behind the #MeToo movement, including two scientists who have helped to raise awareness about sexual harassment in the field of science, reports Meredith Wadman for Science.
The Today Show highlights Spyce, a restaurant started by four MIT alumni where “robots prep and cook the meal and a team member completes it,” explains Sheinelle Jones. “What we are automating are the tough, repetitive monotonous jobs,” says co-founder Michael Farid, “to allow people to focus on what people are really good at - customer service, creativity, the presentation of your bowl.”
Undergraduate Riley Quinn has been named the recipient of the Jerry Nason Award, reports Craig Larson for The Boston Globe. Larson explains that the award is “presented to a senior who succeeds in football against all odds,” adding that Quinn “was a four-year player at MIT, snaring three interceptions.”
Writing for Ars Technica, Megan Geuss examines a new MIT study that finds, “government and private R&D spending contributed the most to cost-per-watt declines for solar panels since 1980. This spending spurred the low-level efficiency improvements that were important for the solar industry on a technical level.”
MIT startup Rivian has announced they are planning to bring two new electric vehicles to the market in 2020: an SUV and pickup truck with four motors, reports Russ Mitchell for the Los Angeles Times.
AP reporter Tom Krisher writes that MIT startup Rivian has debuted an all-electric pickup truck and SUV. Kishner writes that Rivian's goal is to have “the top version of its R1T pickup will have more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of battery range per charge when it goes on sale in late 2020.”
CBS Boston’s Liam Martin joined students from the MIT Rocket Team as they celebrated NASA successfully landing a probe on Mars. “Just thinking that this is one step closer to humanity being able to live on Mars, it’s really exciting,” says undergraduate Dayna Erdmann.
Financial Times reporter Ed Crooks highlights a new study by MIT researchers identifying the key factors leading to the declining cost of solar power. The study highlights “the critical role played by government policy to help grow markets around the world.”
Prof. Linda Griffith speaks with Hari Sreenivasan of PBS NewsHour about her work developing a new “body on a chip” that could allow researchers to test new drugs on organ tissue. Griffith explains that the device models how different organs and cells communicate in the human body, which is “really important for things like arthritis, Alzheimer's, where you've got multiple organs involved.”
The Economist highlights how MIT researchers have developed the first plane that is powered by an ion drive and has no moving parts. “The use of an ion drive means the MIT craft contains no moving propulsion parts in the form of propellers or jet engines,” The Economist explains. “It can fly silently and without direct emissions from burning fossil fuels.”
Reporting for WBUR’s CommonHealth, Carey Goldberg highlights new classroom kits developed by MIT researchers that allow kids to learn and experiment with the building blocks of DNA. "I just think it's really important that microbiology education is accessible for everyone," says graduate student Ally Huang, "and that everyone, regardless of their resources, has access to things like this."
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab, writes that smart technologies and on-demand services could allow seniors to stay in their own homes. Coughlin notes that the freedom the connected home provides for choosing services, “is an enormous benefit not only for older adults’ wallets, but for their own sense of independence and personal control.”
Quartz reporter Lila MacLellan highlights Prof. Emeritus Edgar Schein’s book, “Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking and Not Telling.” Schein explains that he thinks there are two important factors missing from most conversations: “Curiosity, and a willingness to ask questions to which we don’t already know the answer.”
CNN reporter Helen Regan highlights a new solid-state plane developed by MIT researchers that has no moving parts and does not require fossil fuels. “The flight is a milestone in ‘ionic wind’ technology,” explains Regan, “and could pave the way for quieter and environmentally cleaner aircraft in the future.”
A Nature editorial highlights the historic breakthrough achieved by MIT researchers who developed the first plane that is propelled by ionic wind and has no moving parts. Nature writes that the plane is a “remarkable machine,” adding that “anyone who watches the machine fly can surely see glimpses of a future with cleaner and quieter aircraft.”