Agriculture

A new special subject, 1.S992 (Agricultural Microbial Ecology) from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, took a group of undergraduate students to Israel over MIT’s Independent Activities Period to learn cutting-edge techniques used to study microbial communities.

A microbial approach to agriculture

A new special subject, Agricultural Microbial Ecology, takes students to Israel.

February 14, 2018

Maps depict the close correlation of crop production, rainfall and temperature in the U.S. Midwest in the last half of the 20th century. In this map, the number of bushels of corn produced are shown in shades of green.

Intensive agriculture influences U.S. regional summer climate, study finds

An increase in corn and soybean production in the Midwest may have led to cooler, wetter summers there.

February 13, 2018

In the continuous-flow liquid-liquid separator developed by MIT spinout Zaiput Flow Technologies, liquid mix (blue and pink) is pumped through a feed tube to a porous polymer membrane (dotted line). One liquid (pink) is drawn to the surface of the membrane, while the other (blue) is repelled. An internal mechanical pressure controller maintains a slight pressure differential between the two sides ...

Drug manufacturing that’s out of this world

Continuous-flow chemistry device used for drug production could find use in long-duration space missions.

January 5, 2018

A Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research study has revealed how an enzyme first isolated in bacteria and introduced into plants such as corn and soybeans in the 1990s can sometimes act imprecisely, and how it can be successfully re-engineered to be more precise.

Revealing an imperfect actor in plant biotechnology

Whitehead Institute researchers detect the chemical mistakes of a common herbicide-resistance enzyme, then successfully re-engineer it for enhanced precision.

November 29, 2017

With the right business model, solar panels and pumps could be a promising sustainable irrigation approach for smallholder farmers in India.

MIT researchers release evaluation of solar pumps for irrigation and salt mining in India

Study of solar pump technology use in India assesses technical performance and explores innovative business cases to increase user adoption.

November 13, 2017

Artist's impression of the sensor comprised of conductive ink printed across a stoma with two micropillars.

Sensors applied to plant leaves warn of water shortage

Electronic circuits reveal when a plant begins to experience drought conditions.

November 8, 2017

Institute Professor Sallie "Penny" Chisholm presents her research on Prochlorococcus to the CEE community — including alumni — at the CEE New Research Reception.

Research for global needs, present and future

New Research Reception gives alumni and the community an inside look at research and initiatives in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

November 7, 2017

PhD student Britt Huhmann measures arsenic in rice paddy soil using a field kit in Faridpur, Bangladesh.

There's something in the water

MIT field study shows that arsenic in groundwater reduces rice yields in Bangladesh.

October 20, 2017

D-Lab Scale-Ups Fellow Chebet Lesan holds a bag of her company's innovative charcoal briquettes, which are made from recycled waste. Lesan is the founder and CEO of BrightGreen Renewable Energy, which provides affordable, clean, safe, and eco-friendly charcoal briquettes for low-income households in Kenya.

Bringing poverty-alleviating solutions to market in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda

2017 D-Lab Scale-Ups are tackling energy access, small farm irrigation, portable medical diagnostics, online education, and support for local artisans.

August 16, 2017