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"One of the principal ways historians contribute to problem-solving work at MIT and elsewhere is by helping to identify what the real problem is in the first place," says Malick Ghachem, an MIT professor of history. "When we understand and articulate the roots and sources of a problem, we have a much better chance of actually solving it."

3 Questions: How history helps us solve today's issues

Professor Malick Ghachem discusses how historians contribute to problem-solving by identifying the roots and sources of a problem.

February 28, 2017

3Q: Maria Zuber, daughter of coal country

MIT’s vice president for research describes how growing up in eastern Pennsylvania shaped her views on climate policy.

February 27, 2017

Eight student teams pitched novel inventions at last night’s MIT Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize pitch competition. Rendever earned the $25,000 grand prize for creating a virtual-reality platform that gives the elderly the chance to explore the world virtually. The platform also provides cognitive therapy and tracks movement data to aid in early diagnosis of dementia.

Virtual-reality system for the elderly wins health care prize

Eight student teams pitched novel inventions at MIT Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize competition.

February 24, 2017

JV InvenTeam students proudly show their Super Lens invention activity.

Lemelson-MIT Program announces 42 Junior Varsity InvenTeam grants

Grants help middle and high school students develop as young inventors.

February 22, 2017

The Festival of Learning's overnight hackathon brought together diverse teams of students to address real challenges in educational technology.

Reimagining education: MIT holds its first Festival of Learning

Scholars and researchers share ideas on new ways to teach students in the 21st century.

February 21, 2017

MIT Pappalardo Fellow in physics Itamar Kimchi studies unusual behavior of electrons in transition metal oxides. Frustration of electrons in some materials at extremely low temperatures can force them to abandon their preference for classical magnetic states and instead enter unusual states of collective quantum superposition.

Motivated by the thrill of discovery

Itamar Kimchi studies the physics underlying unusual behavior of electrons in compounds such as transition metal oxides.

February 14, 2017

In an effort to get ahead of the problem of counterfeit wireless chargers, MIT researchers have built a chip that blocks attempts to wirelessly charge a device’s battery unless the charger first provides cryptographic authentication.

Secure wireless chargers

New chip would thwart the counterfeiting that plagues the market for wired device chargers.

February 9, 2017

Hock Tan '75 SM '75 (left) and Lisa Yang have made a commitment of $20 million to establish the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT's McGovern Institute.

New Center for Autism Research established at MIT’s McGovern Institute

A $20 million gift from Lisa Yang and Hock Tan ’75 SM ’75 will catalyze multidisciplinary autism research.

February 9, 2017

"Almost anyone engaged with global issues of human well-being, the distribution of resources, or the future of society is doing moral philosophy," says Kieran Setiya.

3 Questions: How philosophy can address the problem of climate change

MIT professor of philosophy Kieran Setiya explores how individuals and societies can think about and act on climate change.

February 8, 2017

Left to right: Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, Rafael Jaramillo, David Hsu, Nuno Loureiro

New faculty strengthen, broaden MIT’s energy expertise

MIT's newest faculty bring a wide array of energy interests and developments to the Institute.

February 7, 2017

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory are trying to improve automated planners by giving them the benefit of human intuition. By encoding the strategies of high-performing human planners in a machine-readable form, they were able to improve the performance of competition-winning planning algorithms by between 10 and 15 percent on a challenging set of prob...

Researchers add a splash of human intuition to planning algorithms

Incorporating strategies from skilled human planners improves automatic planners’ performance.

February 7, 2017

MIT professor of physics Senthil Todadri seeks to understand unusual metals that defy the textbook description. “We’ve been making slow but steady progress, not just I, myself, but the community as a whole, but I would really like that progress to accelerate,” he says.

Faculty highlight: Senthil Todadri

A quest to understand superconductivity leads MIT theoretical physicist Senthil Todadri to discoveries about new magnetic materials called quantum spin liquids.

February 6, 2017

MIT alumna Shana Diez is putting her two aerospace engineering degrees to work at SpaceX in California. “LA is the most exciting place in the world for aerospace innovation,” she says.

Rocket woman

An LA-area alumna is on board for the new space race.

February 6, 2017

"My own work has drawn heavily on a number of normally distant disciplines," says Richard Nielsen, MIT assistant professor of political science. "I’m convinced that ... despite the tendency for scholars to remain in our own disciplinary silos, the big breakthroughs on complex issues will come at the intersections of fields, from researchers and teams that are willing to bridge disciplinary divid...

3 Questions with Richard Nielsen: How political science helps combat terrorism

Assistant Professor Richard Nielsen explores why some Muslim clerics adopt the ideology of militant jihad while most do not.

February 3, 2017

MIT Professor Tom Leighton (left) and the late Danny Lewin SM '97 have been named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Professor Tom Leighton and Danny Lewin SM ’98 named to National Inventors Hall of Fame

Akamai founders honored for applying algorithms to solve web congestion.

February 2, 2017

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