“We are swinging to fossil fuels in ways that couldn't have been imagined a few years ago,” says Professor Michael Greenstone in this New York Times piece by Eduardo Porter. Greenstone argues that fossil fuel innovation has undermined efforts to expand carbon-free energy sources.
Tom Ashbrook of NPR speaks with Professor Emeritus Lotte Bailyn about how the U.S. lags behind other countries in maternity leave policies. Bailyn argues that the U.S. lacks the kind of support required to help people raise children.
The New York Times cites a paper by MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning on placemaking, a term for people’s efforts to shape their environment to improve social interaction and quality of life. The paper finds that these efforts help participants develop new social bonds with one another.
Yasmeen Taleb reports for The Boston Globe on a crowd-funding effort by students from MIT and other institutions intending to send a time capsule to Mars by 2017. The project, which would use satellites to deliver photos, clips, and messages to the red planet, marks the first student-led interplanetary mission.
Steve Lohr of The New York Times writes about the Sociometric Solutions, a startup out of the Media Lab that creates technology for monitoring employees in the workplace. Workers must opt in to have their data collected, which is then used to increase office efficiency.
Steve Annear writes for Boston Magazine about FOLD, a platform created by Media Lab researchers Kevin Hu and Alexis Hope designed to add elements that enhance news story narratives. FOLD is designed to keep readers on the same page, eliminating the hassle of needing to visit additional sites for information.
David Snzondy writes for GizMag about new materials created by a team that included Professor Nick Fang. These “metamaterials,” which are lightweight and can withstand weights 160,000 times their own, could have applications for the construction of aircraft and other vehicles.
Kris Anderson reports for WHDH on MindRider, a bike helmet developed by a team at MIT that monitors the rider’s stress levels while also tracking location. "By mapping your community, you can really grow the safety and your own ridership in your town," said project leader Arlene Ducao.
Jeffrey Brown of the PBS News Hour speaks with Professor Craig Wilder about the recent $40 million settlement received by five black and Latino men wrongly convicted of rape and assault in New York City 25 years ago.
Liz Stinson reports for Wired on a project by the Senseable City Lab that aims to reduce wasted energy by using localized beams of heat. The system uses a WiFi-enabled tracking system and can sense when a person is present.
Dr. Keith Isaacson of Newton-Wellesley Hospital discusses the hospital’s collaboration with MIT on gynepathology research with Andrea Timpano of Boston Magazine. Isaacson, with MIT researchers, developed a smartphone app that helps endometriosis patients monitor their condition.
“Based on the current rates of success in creating new drugs for Alzheimer's disease, it could take 260 years until the next one is approved,” writes The Boston Globe’s Carolyn Johnson on the rationale for why Professor Andrew Lo is proposing a new, portfolio-based approach to Alzheimer's research.
Carolyn Johnson writes for The Boston Globe that Professor Robert Langer has been awarded the $500,000 Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology, which honors significant scientific, cultural, or spiritual leaders. Langer is best known for his pioneering contributions to the field of tissue engineering.
Robin Young of WBUR speaks with Professor Jim Walsh about the crisis unfolding in Iraq ahead of President Obama’s address. Walsh predicts that Obama will attempt to find a middle course between those calling for intervention and those hoping to keep the U.S. from being involved further in Iraq.
Professor Barry Posen argues against involvement in the current crisis in Iraq while speaking with Tom Ashbrook, host of NPR’s On Point. “[T]his argument that it’s going to be an easy and convenient base for a terrorist enterprise is challengeable on many fronts,” says Posen.