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2016 MIT D-Lab Scale-Ups fellow Heather Beem (second from right) co-founded the Practical Education Network (PEN) while pursuing her PhD in mechanical engineering at MIT. PEN is currently based in Ghana.

D-Lab Scale-Ups awards four fellowships totaling $80,000 to social entrepreneurs

Fellows work on low-cost microgrids, prosthetics made from cane, hands-on STEM education in Ghana, and a rechargeable headlamp for rural Indian farmers.

July 25, 2016

Using data to inform the connections between technology and policy

MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society research from the Technology and Policy Program highlights multidisciplinary approaches to data-driven policies.

July 22, 2016

A woman and her son, who live in Chellur, India, walk home with the reverse-osmosis-treated water she bought at Chellur’s community desalination plant.

The quest for clean water

MIT researchers design a solar-powered desalination device for rural India.

July 18, 2016

“We don’t necessarily want [air traffic controllers] to spend the bandwidth on processing 40 pieces of information. Instead, we can tell them the three top choices,” says Hamsa Balakrishnan, associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT and a member of MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Ready for takeoff

Hamsa Balakrishnan develops algorithms to reduce airport congestion.

July 15, 2016

“Beijing Studio” celebrates 30 years

MIT–Tsinghua collaboration grapples with urban issues in China.

July 14, 2016

Romulus Capital, a venture capital seed firm, controls $150 million in funds and other assets, having just raised a new fund of $75 million in June. Now the firm plans to fund 20 new startups, adding to its existing portfolio of 30 startups, many of which are MIT spinouts.

Building a foundation for tech startups

Launched in an MIT dorm room, alum’s venture capital firm now controls $150 million in assets.

July 14, 2016

“The idea is one simple technology can have this huge impact on someone's well-being. But today there are a lot of technologies out there such as solar lanterns or water filters, and there's no way to systematically evaluate what works and what doesn't work on the ground,” says Cauam Cardoso, a PhD student in international economic development at MIT.

Seeking simple solutions with huge impacts

PhD student Cauam Cardoso assesses technologies that aim to help the world’s poor.

July 8, 2016

The LINC Conference brought more than 250 of the world’s leading educators, technology entrepreneurs, and digital learning experts to discuss digital inclusion and online learning.

LINC Conference addresses the changing face of education

Over 250 leading educators, technology entrepreneurs, and digital learning experts convene at MIT.

July 7, 2016

Roadside dumps like this one in Muzaffarnagar, India are the result of insufficient collection and treatment services.

Making India's waste streams sustainable

MIT researchers are developing a decision-support tool to help cities in India sustainably manage the societal and environmental impacts of their waste.

June 24, 2016