Professor Emeritus Willard R. Johnson, political scientist who specialized in African studies, dies at 87
A pioneering Black faculty member, Johnson was also a major supporter of the anti-apartheid movement at the Institute.
Search Stories
New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses
The LIRAS technique could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials.
Generating opportunities with generative AI
Rama Ramakrishnan helps companies explore the promises and perils of large language models and other transformative AI technologies.
3 Questions: A roadmap toward circularity in the footwear industry
Coauthors of a “Footwear Manifesto” report discuss survey findings that point to industry collaboration as a path to reducing waste in shoe manufacturing.
How adults understand what kids are saying
It’s not easy to parse young children’s words, but adults’ beliefs about what children want to communicate helps make it possible, a new study finds.
Shape-shifting fiber can produce morphing fabrics
The low-cost FibeRobo, which is compatible with existing textile manufacturing techniques, could be used in adaptive performance wear or compression garments.
Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio
A new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively.
Opening pathways for future supply chain leaders
Maria Jesus Saenz of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics is dedicated to advancing future leaders, and to supporting women, in supply chain management.
To excel at engineering design, generative AI must learn to innovate, study finds
AI models that prioritize similarity falter when asked to design something completely new.
Study: Deep neural networks don’t see the world the way we do
Images that humans perceive as completely unrelated can be classified as the same by computational models.
From MIT to Burning Man: The Living Knitwork Pavilion
An interactive architectural installation combined textile arts and engineering on a desert landscape.
Organizing “spaghetti” software so it can be easily modified
The MIT spinout Silverthread helps companies transform complex codebases into modular systems that can be changed or updated without headaches.
One of MIT’s “best-kept secrets” offers an outlet for creative writing
The MIT’s Writers’ Group has helped community members channel their creative energies since 2002.
Boom, crackle, pop: Sounds of Earth’s crust
MIT scientists find the sounds beneath our feet are fingerprints of rock stability.
Improving accessibility of online graphics for blind users
Open-source software by MIT MAD Fellow Jonathan Zong and others in the MIT Visualization Group reveals online graphics’ embedded data in the user’s preferred degree of granularity.