MIT was named one of the top three colleges in the country on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of the best colleges, reports Felicia Gans for The Boston Globe. Gans notes that, “MIT was also ranked first for best engineering programs.”
Amy Fitzgerald, outreach program coordinator for the Edgerton Center, speaks with New York Times reporter Jane Levere about the Ad Council’s new “She Can STEM” campaign aimed at girls ages 11 to 15. Fitzgerald says the message “could have a big effect,” adding that it’s vital the campaign shows “mechanical engineers, aviation engineers, women who get their hands dirty…Girls, especially, do not have an idea of the range of possibilities.”
MIT researchers have found that a role-playing game can motivate people to address climate change, reports James Rainey for NBC News. Prof. John Sterman explains that the game helps people to “discover the urgency of this issue for themselves and to be motivated to get out and to create the grassroots support that is needed to make a change.”
In an effort to promote transparency and knowledge sharing, HUBweek 2018 will feature a semi-permanent glass structure showcasing new innovations being developed around the region, reports Cynthia Fernandez for The Boston Globe.
Prof. Neri Oxman, the recipient of the Design Innovation Medal at the London Design Festival, speaks with Financial Times reporter Annalisa Quinn about her work, which melds art and science. The “imbalance between innovations achieved in fields such as synthetic biology and the primitive state of digital fabrication in product and architectural design shaped my ambition,” Oxman shares with Quinn.
Katie Rae, CEO and managing partner of The Engine, speaks with Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang about tough tech and why The Engine is committed to fostering startups focused on the world’s biggest problems. Rae explains that The Engine invests in companies that often “need time to be nurtured, time to work out technical risk, but the results can be transformational to the world.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Neanda Salvaterra writes about a new MITEI study showing how nuclear power can help reduce carbon emissions. Nuclear power, says MITEI Director Robert Armstrong, “has been demonstrated historically as capable of delivering energy on demand over decades with zero carbon footprint so it’s an option we need to keep in our quiver.”
A study co-authored by MIT researchers finds that robots can develop prejudices against other robots not working on their team, writes John Biggs for TechCrunch. The researchers also found that, like humans, prejudices were reduced when there were “more distinct subpopulations being present within a population.”
In an article for Wired, Prof. Joi Ito writes that our educational system needs to be more inclusive of different learning styles. “We need to revamp our notion of ‘education’ and shake loose the ordered and linear metrics of the society of the past,” Ito declares.
MIT startup Skydio has launched a platform that allows users to create custom software that can be applied to the company’s autonomous drone, reports Nick Statt for The Verge. The platform will let “app makers and drone enthusiasts develop custom software that takes advantage of the device’s bevy of cameras and sensors, as well as its sophisticated computer vision software and machine learning algorithms.”
Fox News reporters Kevin Tracy and Christopher Howard highlight how MIT alumna Laila Shabir created a summer camp aimed at inspiring girls interesting in playing and creating video games. “It’s like teaching someone how to paint,” Shabir explains. “You know once you teach them how to paint they can express themselves through that medium. That’s exactly what we’re doing at camp.”
Times Higher Education reporter Ellie Bothwell writes that MIT has placed second in this year’s Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings. Bothwell notes that MIT improved its score on all four metrics used to determine this year’s rankings, including resources, engagement, student outcomes and environment.
Axios reporter Ben Geman writes that MIT researchers have found the most effective way to reduce emissions from electricity sources is to use a mix of renewable and other low-carbon tech options. “It’s not about specific technologies. It’s about those key roles that we need filled on the low-carbon team,” explains study co-author Jesse Jenkins.
Fast Company reporter Adele Peters highlights how MIT researchers have developed a robot that can swim through pipes and identify leaks. Peters writes that alumnus You Wu estimates that “if half of the leaks in the world could be found and fixed, that would recover enough water to support 1 billion people.”
A report co-authored by Prof. Charles Stewart calls for fundamental changes to the U.S. voting system to help ensure security, reports the Associated Press. Stewart noted that funds appropriated by Congress earlier this year to help states improve election security are a "down payment" on what’s needed to update the current voting system.