Researchers at MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital are developing a new technique to convert images from MRI scans into physical models of the human heart, writes Lindsay Kalter for The Boston Herald. “This can definitely impact clinical practice in terms of helping surgeons plan more efficiently,” explains graduate student Danielle Pace.
New York Times reporter Eve Kahn writes about how Jana Dambrogio, a conservator at the MIT Libraries, is researching how letter writers kept their correspondence sealed and private, a process she refers to as “letterlocking.” “This is such a brand-new field of study,” Dambrogio relates.
“Researchers from MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital say they’ve come up with a better, faster way to build heart models,” writes Barb Darrow for Fortune. The team has devised a method for 3-D printing model hearts from MRI scans that takes three to four hours compared to the 10 hours typically required using current methods.
Graduate student Eric Arndt discusses his research on the bombardier beetle’s ability to produce a boiling-hot stream of liquid on the PBS program SciTech Now. “Insects, as it turns out, are very good material scientists,” explains Arndt. “Just studying these fundamental systems has the possibility of opening up all kinds of doors in all kinds of industries.”
MIT has been ranked the number one university in the world by QS World University Rankings, reports Naina Bhardwaj for The Huffington Post. Bhardwaj writes that, “MIT is at the technological forefront.”
QS World University Rankings has named MIT the top university in the world, reports Aftab Ali for The Independent. Ali writes that MIT “has taken the top spot again for the fourth year running.”
BostInno reporter Dylan Martin writes about how MIT and BU have formed a new partnership to provide students with a source of legal advice on technology and business issues. “BU law students will provide free legal advice and representation to MIT and BU students who either want to start their own business or are already involved with a startup.”
Writing for The Boston Globe, Kevin Hartnett explores the work of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, an MIT graduate widely regarded as one of the most influential yacht designers. Hartnett writes that in a sense, Herreshoff was the “Bill Belichick of yacht design, seeing possibilities within the existing rules that others didn’t.”
Prof. Max Tegmark speaks with David Pogue of Scientific American about his views on the future of artificial intelligence. “AI also has enormous upsides…if we get it right. Let's not just drift into this like a sailboat without its sail up properly. Let's chart our course, carefully planned,” Tegmark says.
Bourree Lam reports for The Atlantic on an interactive map of U.S. counties produced using Prof. Amy Glasmeier’s Living Wage Calculator. “Glasmeier says that firms can use it to estimate how to pay their employees fairly,” writes Lam.
Boston.com reporter Allison Pohle writes about how stigmas against mental illness are fading on college campuses, highlighting the work of MIT’s Active Minds group, a student-led initiative aimed at raising awareness of mental health.
In an Atlantic article about how Zappos has implemented a system of self-governance, Jerry Useem speaks with Prof. Thomas Malone about how falling information costs allow for different organizational structures. “There comes a time when it’s economically feasible to bring information to all points, so in some sense, everyone can know everything,” says Malone.
In a Financial Times article about the need for investment in sanitation services, Sarah Murray highlights Sanergy, an MIT spinoff that franchises toilets to local micro entrepreneurs. Murray writes that, “Sanergy’s model provides work and improves sanitation.”
Ana Swanson reports for The Washington Post on an interactive map created by Prof. Amy Glasmeier that displays the gap between minimum wages and living wages across the U.S. The map shows that the East Coast “is one of the most challenging places for minimum-wage workers to make ends meet.”
Using their “Living Wage Calculator,” Prof. Amy Glasmeier’s team has created a map of the communities in the U.S. that have the widest gaps between living wages and minimum wages, reports Rob Wile for The Huffington Post.