Chris Baraniuk of New Scientist writes that Prof. Neri Oxman has designed a 3-D printed wearable technology inspired by the human gastrointestinal tract. “Oxman is experimenting with the idea of futuristic wearables that can do useful things such as produce consumables or give off scents,” writes Baraniuk.
Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick writes that a team of MIT engineers has won top prize in a competition designed to spur innovation in desalination technologies for a solar-powered system they developed. “The system, when fully operational, can supply the basic water needs of a village of between 2,000 and 5,000 people,” Warrick explains.
In an article for BetaBoston, Janelle Nanos writes about Jana, an MIT startup that allows mobile phone users in developing countries to access the Internet for free. “We’re empowering people with connectivity and we’re not limiting how they’re using that connectivity,” explains Jana founder and MIT alumnus Nathan Eagle.
Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick writes that a team of MIT engineers has won the Desal Prize for a solar-powered desalination system they developed. “The system, when fully operational, can supply the basic water needs of a village of between 2,000 and 5,000 people,” Warrick explains.
Jane Farver, former director of the MIT List Visual Arts Center, died on April 29. Farver, who led the List for 12 years, brought about “an increase in the commissioning of major public artworks across campus.”
Professor Richard Schmalensee speaks with Ben Johnson of Marketplace about a new report by the MIT Energy Initiative on the state of solar technology. “Federal R&D policy needs to look toward transformative new technologies not just marginal improvements on the stuff we have today,” says Schmalensee.
Prof. Alexander Rich, a noted biophysicist known for his work investigating the structure of DNA and RNA, died on April 27, writes Denise Gellene for The New York Times. “I can think of no one else who has made as many major contributions to all facets of modern molecular biology,” said University of Maryland Prof. Robert C. Gallo.
A new MITEI report outlines actions the U.S. government could take to facilitate large-scale deployment of solar energy, reports Yeganeh Torbati for Reuters. "Ideally ... rather than subsidize investment, we would subsidize production," says Francis O’Sullivan, an author of the report.
Boston.com reporter Dialynn Dwyer writes about how graduate student Steven Keating “fought his cancer with curiosity.” Dwyer explains that Keating “gathered his health data in order to understand the science behind what his body was going through” and even filmed his brain surgery.
Ann Neumann, formerly of the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., has been appointed director of galleries and exhibitions at the MIT Museum, according to the Cambridge Chronicle. “I’m excited to take a position that is at the epicenter of so much scientific research,” said Neumann.
Sindya Bhanoo writes for The New York Times that MIT researchers have discovered how the bombardier beetle produces blasts of a hot, lethal toxin to fend off predators. “The beetle has a really complicated explosion system that’s all connected together,” explains Prof. Christine Ortiz.
The Boston Globe spotlights how the MIT Edgerton Center provides students opportunities for hands-on learning. “I’ve soldered solar cells, analyzed the aerodynamics of the body, learned how to weld — you figure out how to overcome obstacles you never encounter on the theoretical side,” says graduate student Kathleen Alexander of her work at the center.
MIT researchers have figured out how the bombardier beetle can fire off chemicals when threatened, writes Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman. Feltman explains that the researchers used “high-speed x-ray imaging” to examine the beetle’s defense mechanisms in action.
Ami Albernaz reports for The Boston Globe on a new study co-authored by Prof. John Gabrieli that finds that income disparity affects brain development in children. “The findings add a biological perspective on what it means to come from a lower socioeconomic background,” says Gabrieli.
Chana Schoenberger of The Wall Street Journal speaks with Visiting Professor Lily Fang about her research that indicates that male analysts have an easier time getting ahead on Wall Street than female analysts. “It wasn’t that men do better or women do better, but rather that the influence of connections on their outcomes is different,” says Fang.