Top MIT research stories of 2020
The year’s popular research stories include astronomical firsts, scientific breakthroughs, and engineering milestones addressing Covid-19 and other global problems.
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New microscope technique reveals details of droplet nucleation
The initiation of droplet and bubble formation on surfaces can now be directly imaged, allowing for design of more efficient condensers and boilers.
The poster session goes virtual
Student organizers of the seventh annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition found creative ways to replicate the poster session virtually.
Solar-powered system extracts drinkable water from “dry” air
MIT engineers have made their initial design more practical, efficient, and scalable.
MIT research on seawater surface tension becomes international guideline
Work by Professor John Lienhard and Kishor Nayar SM ’14, PhD ’19 was recently recognized by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam.
MIT student leaders go virtual with global startup competitions
In the face of Covid-19, the MIT Water Club and the MIT Food and Agriculture Club take their signature innovation prizes online.
Understanding how fluids heat or cool surfaces
Textbook formulas for describing heat flow characteristics, crucial in many industries, are oversimplified, study shows.
Simple, solar-powered water desalination
System achieves new level of efficiency in harnessing sunlight to make fresh potable water from seawater.
A new way to remove contaminants from nuclear wastewater
Method concentrates radionuclides in a small portion of a nuclear plant’s wastewater, allowing the rest to be recycled.
Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact
At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.
Eight from MIT honored in 2019 Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35
Eight postdocs and alumni are among those named to the list.
PhD students awarded J-WAFS fellowships for water solutions
J-WAFS announces graduate fellowships for Sahil Shah and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Experiments reveal the physics of evaporation
Changes in pressure, more so than temperature, strongly influence how quickly liquids turn to gas, researchers show.
Workshop explores national security repercussions of climate change
Experts assess potential global destabilization caused by climate change impacts on water supplies, land use, and migration.
Turning desalination waste into a useful resource
Process developed at MIT could turn concentrated brine into useful chemicals, making desalination more efficient.