Chemistry and chemical engineering

Jasmina Aganovic '09 speaks with MSNBC reporter Daniela Pierre-Bravo about her mission to transform the beauty industry by creating more sustainable products through her startup Arcaea. “The way that I’ve always viewed this industry is that it touches almost every single human being on this planet every single day,” says Aganovic. The beauty industry also, “plays such an important emotional role in our day-to-day lives in terms of self-expression and self-care, the ability to escape when things are a little bit tough, those like little small indulgences.”

Martin LaMonica writes for The Boston Globe about how MIT researchers are creating a commercial prototype of a carbon capture device. Graduate student Aly Eltayeb explains that carbon capture could be useful in cutting carbon emissions, “especially if you can do something with that CO2 and stop treating it as a waste — and treat it as a valuable product.”

In a piece for The Boston Globe, Meredith Goldstein writes that Institute Professor Robert Langer received a Kyoto Prize at a ceremony in Japan for his work with tissue engineering. 

New York Times reporter Colin Nickerson writes about Professor Linn Hobbs’ research into whether the ancient Egyptians used a synthetic material to build the Great Pyramids. "It could be they used less sweat and more smarts," Hobbs told The New York Times.

Writing for Forbes, Neil Kane writes about new technology developed by MIT researchers that allows for solar energy to be captured when the sun is shining and stored for later use.

Writing for The Boston Globe, Kevin Hartnett reports on how MIT researchers have developed a new technique to help curb counterfeiting. The researchers have designed nanoparticles that can be used to determine the authenticity of items.

“Scientists have developed a new microscopic barcode that can be embedded into currency, credit cards, and industrial packaging,” writes Wired reporter Helen Shen of a new development from MIT researchers that allows nanoparticles to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit goods. 

Atlantic reporter Todd Woody writes about how MIT researchers have developed a way to store solar energy in molecules. The energy inside the molecules can be stored forever and endlessly re-used so that solar power can be accessed even when the sun is not shining, Woody explains. 

MIT researchers have developed a technique that allows nanocrystals to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit goods, reports Wired reporter Liat Clark. The research could have applications in the sale of luxury goods and electronics, as well as vaccine quality control.

Boston.com reporter Matt Rocheleau reports on how Professor Jeffrey Grossman and postdoctoral associate Timothy Kucharski have developed a new material that can produce solar power for times when the sun is not shining.

Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, spotlights Professor Alice Ting and her work developing a new technique that can, “produce a detailed molecular fingerprint of every compartment of a cell.”

The Guardian reports on new MIT research that shows that adding carbon nanotubes to plants can enhance the natural photosynthesis process. The bionic plants could be used to harvest sunlight or detect environmental pollutants.

Writing for USA Today, Karen Weintraub reports on Professor Michael Strano’s work to give plants the ability to serve as sensors, antennae and power plants thanks to carbon nanotubes embedded inside the plant.

“Researchers at MIT are giving plants super powers by placing tiny carbon nanotubes deep within their cells,” writes Deborah Netburn in a Los Angeles Times piece on bionic plants developed by MIT researchers.

Alan Neuhasuser reporting for U.S. News & World Report examines how MIT researchers have embedded carbon nanotubes in plants, helping them collect more sunlight. The bionic plants could be used to detect explosives, chemical weapons and more, Neuhasuser reports.