School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

2017 Phi Beta Kappa Society inductees (l-r) Abdullah Alsalloum, Rachel Osmundsen, and Nagisa Taxifar show off their certificates of membership.

High (achieving) society

The MIT chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society inducts 74 distinguished graduates of the Class of 2017.

September 15, 2017

"I’ve been fortunate to have great graduate students from the day I got here, and I’m very proud of how they’ve done," Vipin Narang says.

Making sense of nuclear threats

MIT political scientist Vipin Narang explains the strategies of new nuclear powers.

September 11, 2017

“I’ve heard or have been a part of concerts in Kresge for 37 years," said composer Jamshied Sharifi '83, "and that night tops them all.”

Imagination off the charts

New documentary chronicles Jacob Collier's collaborations at MIT.

September 6, 2017

Of the new building MIT President L. Rafael Reif says, "Like the main group buildings at the heart of campus, W97 embodies and encourages MIT’s signature openness, flexibility, and boldness."

MIT Theater Arts: The next act

Performing arts building ushers in a new era of theater at the Institute.

September 5, 2017

David Autor (left), a professor economics, and Asu Ozdaglar, a professor of electrical engineering, discuss 6-14: Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science. The new major is designed to train students to become the unseen game-makers behind virtual markets.

Two sciences tie the knot

A new major combining computer science and economics will prepare students for designing the virtual marketplaces of the future.

September 4, 2017

Justin Reich is director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and assistant professor in Comparative Media Studies/Writing.

Increasing equity through educational technology

Assistant Professor Justin Reich looks to transform educational settings by equipping teachers with the technology tools they need to best serve all students.

August 30, 2017

MIT Professor Evan Lieberman, the Total Chair on Contemporary Africa, has created the Department of Political Science's first online course through MITx.

Political science debuts on MITx

New online course takes a deep dive into democracy in Africa.

August 25, 2017

MIT students, students from the University of Venice, and faculty members from both institutions pose in front of Venice's experimental floodgates as part of a collaborative summer workshop.

Saving Venice, MIT-style

MISTI interns and MIT faculty tackle rising sea level challenges at Italian research camp this summer.

August 23, 2017

Tuesday night, at the inaugural Play Labs demo event, 13 startups presented products they’ve developed in the accelerator. Afterward, the crowd was treated to live demonstrations of the technologies.

Demo day showcases serious innovation in “playful” tech

Play Labs startups include virtual pets, nausea-reducing virtual reality games, and augmented-reality paintballing.

August 17, 2017

Members of the Buyukozturk group pose on the skydeck of the Engineering Building of Bogazici University, in Istanbul. Left to right: Murat Uzun, Justin Chen, MIT Professor Oral Buyukozturk, Hao Sun, and Steven Palkovic. The group traveled to Turkey to present their research as part of a collaborative workshop.

Using energy-based designs to enhance earthquake hazard resistance

International workshop funded by new MISTI Global Seed Fund showcases the potential of energy-based structural analysis and sensing.

August 10, 2017

Investigating the dynamics of war and peace

Erik Sand brings a perspective shaped by eight years of service in the U.S. Navy to his doctoral studies.

August 7, 2017

Senreve's signature handbags are sold online only, allowing the company to offer a wider array of colors than brick-and-mortar competitors.

How to court millennial shoppers? Lose the logo

Alumna Wendy Wen '09 co-founded an online handbag company to create a new generation of luxury for savvy younger shoppers.

August 1, 2017

Twenty high school girls from around the country participated in this year’s Women’s Technology Program (WTP), a four-week program that gives girls hands-on engineering experience in the lab and classroom. Pictured here, this summer’s WTP class takes a tour of the Pappalardo Lab.

Closing the gender gap in mechanical engineering

Women make up 49.5 percent of MIT’s undergraduates in mechanical engineering, due to department’s proactive approach, study finds.

July 31, 2017

Left to right: LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Media Lab Director Joi Ito joined Disobedience Award finalists Phyllis Young and LaDonna Brave Bull Allard; Betina Kaplan and Lorgia García-Peña; and James Hansen; along with winners Marc Edwards and Mona Hanna-Attisha.

Defiance: Disobedience for the good of all

MIT Media Lab summer event explores responsible dissent, embodied in its new Disobedience Award.

July 25, 2017

Tracy Robyn Slatyer, the Jerrold R. Zacharias CD Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, receives her award from Dennis Freeman, dean for undergraduate education.

Second annual MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Awards recipients selected

Faculty and instructors recognized for improving classroom instruction and student engagement through innovative uses of digital technology.