In the Media

New York Times reporter Annabel Keenan highlights the “Remembering the Future” exhibit at the MIT Museum, a sculptural installation created by Janet Echelman that uses “climate data from the last ice age to the present, as well as projected future environments, to create a geometric design.” Echelman worked with MIT faculty, including Prof. Raffaele Ferrari and Prof. Caitlin Mueller, to bring the project to life. Mueller explains that she developed a “high-fidelity digital twin of the sculpture generated through our computational simulation that you can orbit and pan through to get perspectives that you can’t see physically in the space.” 

Prof. Peter Shor speaks with Katia Moskvitch and her nine-year-old son Kai of The Quantum Kid about how quantum technologies could be applied to developing climate change and sustainability solutions. Shor explains that quantum computers can be used for “simulating quantum mechanics, which would really help immensely in designing new materials, and new materials could be very useful for solving the climate crisis.” 

Vertical Semiconductor, an MIT spinoff, is working to “commercialize chip technology that can deliver electricity to artificial intelligence servers more efficiently,” reports Stephen Nellis for Reuters. “We do believe we offer a compelling next-generation solution that is not just a couple of percentage points here and there, but actually a step-wise transformation,” says Cynthia Liao MBA '24.

Writing for Bloomberg, Prof. Carlo Ratti explores how street configuration and design can help reduce traffic speeds. “In studies we have conducted at our Senseable City Lab, we found that the posted speed limits often have little effect on how fast people drive,” writes Ratti. “Instead, the policies that work involve the design of the street itself.” 

A new study by researchers at MIT suggests that “the biggest and most computationally intensive AI models may soon offer diminishing returns compared to smaller models,” reports Will Knight for Wired. “By mapping scaling laws against continued improvements in model efficiency, the researchers found that it could become harder to wring leaps in performance from giant models whereas efficiency gains could make models running on more modest hardware increasingly capable over the next decade.” 

MIT has ranked among the top 5 universities in the United States according to a new survey by WalletHub, reports Jasmien Laws for Newsweek. 

Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray spotlights how Reekon Tools, a company co-founded by Christian Reed '14, is focused on reimagining construction tools by integrating new technologies to provide a more efficient and accurate user experience. “Reekon’s tape measures include digital memory, Bluetooth wireless networking, and a laser for exact alignment,” explains Bray. “They can relay their measurements to another Reekon device, which ensures that pieces of wood or metal are cut to exactly the right length.”

Graduate student Chung-Tao (Josh) Chou speaks with Tech Briefs reporter Andrew Corselli about his work developing a magnetic transistor that could lead to more energy-efficient circuits. “People have known about magnets for thousands of years, but there are very limited ways to incorporate magnetism into electronics,” says Chou. “We have shown a new way to efficiently utilize magnetism that opens up a lot of possibilities for future applications and research.”

Researchers at MIT have developed a new method that can predict how plasma will behave in a tokamak reactor given a set of initial conditions, reports Gayoung Lee for Gizmodo. The findings “may have lowered one of the major barriers to achieving large-scale nuclear fusion,” explains Lee. 

Prof. Charles Harvey speaks with Newsweek reporter Jasmine Laws about the Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s Tap Water Database which has revealed that 29 states have one or more water utilities with levels of “arsenic higher than the EPA’s maximum containment level.” Harvey shares: "I’m not surprised that this many water utilities would need to treat their water for arsenic, but I am surprised that this many fail to do so.” 

MIT will offer free undergraduate tuition for students with a family income below $200,000, reports Frances Klemm for Boston.com. “In addition to free tuition, students with household incomes below $100,000 may also receive financial support for supplies housing, dining, an allowance for books, and other personal expenses.” 

Using molecular evidence buried in rocks, researchers at MIT suggest that some of the Earth’s first living creatures are ancestors of the modern sea sponge, reports Ashley Fike for Vice. “The discovery suggests the earliest animals were simple, filter-feeding organisms that slowly cleaned the seas while the rest of the evolution was still figuring itself out,” says Fike. “These early sponges likely had no skeletons, nerves, or eyes – just porous bodies that absorbed water and nutrients. Yet they paved the way for everything that came next, from insects to mammals to us.” 

MIT has been named the No. 2 university in the world for 2026 in the Times Higher Education World University rankings, reports Patrick Jack for Times Higher Education. 

MIT has been ranked the No. 1 university in the United States for 2026 in Times Higher Education’s latest rankings. The rankings highlight US universities that “excel in teaching, research, and global influence,” Times Higher Education explains. 

Researchers at MIT have developed electron-conducting carbon concrete, a new kind of cement “that can store and release electricity like batteries,” reports Matthew Burgos for Design Boom. “MIT’s concrete battery shows a future where the material can be embedded into roads or parking areas to charge electric vehicles directly, or for off-grid homes that do not need external power,” Burgos explains.