Developing countries

Kevin Kung, a Tata Fellow and PhD candidate in biological engineering, feeds rice husks into the torrefaction reactor in his lab at MIT. A thermochemical process will convert the biomass to a more energy-dense form, making it easier to transport and use as fuel.

Tapping the hidden value of farm waste

MIT researchers are developing mobile torrefaction technology that can convert biomass into clean-burning fuel, unlocking potential income for farmers.

January 25, 2017

MIT Assistant Professor Amos Winter (right, blue shirt) and Tish Scolnik ’10 were inspired to build a more rugged wheelchair after visits to Tanzania.

Building the mountain bike of wheelchairs

An MIT professor helped turn a class project into a mass-produced product that is helping people in developing countries.

January 23, 2017

“MIT has not only provided a very valuable classroom experience, but also given me all these other tools in research, technology innovations, and social entrepreneurship that I can take and [use to] help people in developing countries,” says Jiwon Park, a chemistry major, global traveler, and accomplished pianist.

Jiwon Park: Reaching out to the world

MIT senior leads diverse projects to help women and students in developing countries.

January 23, 2017

Researchers are systematically exploring a variety of alternative packaging materials and containers to see which work best, and most cost-effectively, at reducing losses in food aid. Pictured are food aid bags in a Texas warehouse.

Reducing spoilage in food aid shipments

Large-scale tests compare damage from insects and moisture using a variety of containers.

January 6, 2017

A new study estimates that, since 2008, access to mobile-money services — which allow users to store and exchange monetary values via mobile phone — increased daily per capita consumption levels of 194,000, or roughly 2 percent, of Kenyan households, lifting them out of extreme poverty (living on less than $1.25 per day).

Study: Mobile-money services lift Kenyans out of poverty

Greater access to services raises daily spending, especially among female-headed households.

December 8, 2016

MAX, a fledgling Nigerian startup, is trying to solve the problem of so-called “last-mile delivery” in cities where many people don’t have an address. Company co-founder Adetayo Bamiduro MBA ’15 will tell MAX’s story to a London audience at an upcoming MIT conference on entrepreneurship and finance in the developing world.

In London, extending MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

Five events build connections between industry, startups, governments, faculty members, and financiers.

December 5, 2016

The TechCon conference, hosted by MIT and USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network from Nov. 10 - 12, convened researchers and innovators to collaborate on solving global issues.

At TechCon, science-based solutions for world issues

Innovators and researchers tackle global issues through actionable research and collaboration.

November 15, 2016

Ruo-Qian Wang (left) worked with engineers at Jain Irrigation Systems in Jalgaon, India, to understand the design requirements for high-efficiency irrigation technology.

Re-engineering the sprinkler

New MIT research on the flow of water in flexible tubes could make irrigation technology more sustainable and cost-effective.

November 9, 2016

“I was lucky enough to discover MIT and my passion for engineering through MITES. I want to show students how great it is here and that yes, you can truly find paradise,” says senior Sade Nabahe.

Seeing solutions through, across continents

When a plan to improve stoves in Peru met unexpected challenges, MIT senior Sade Nabahe rose to meet them.

October 26, 2016

“If there's any place that I can do the weird stuff that I like to do, it would be in academia, and it would be at MIT,” says PhD student Lily Bui. “I'm not quite satisfied with being pigeonholed into one role, and I think that's just going to stay the case for the rest of my life.”

Harnessing the power of citizens

PhD student Lily Bui works with communities around the world to gather data from the bottom up.

October 12, 2016

A new study of rural India shows that modest levels of medical training can improve the quality of health care furnished by informal health care providers. The study was co-authored by Abhijit Banerjee, the Ford International Professor of Economics at MIT and a co-author of the study, pictured here on the right during a visit to India.

Provider, improve thyself

Study shows unlicensed health care practitioners in India improve with modest training.

October 6, 2016

Partho Sengupta (center) was one of more than 30 invited guests at the Tata Center Symposium.

Tata Center Symposium seeks collaboration for a better world

October 4, 2016

Brenna Schneider, second from right, the founder and CEO of apparel maker 99Degrees Custom. The firm was a grand-prize champion at MIT’s first Inclusive Innovation Competition, on September 27, 2016.

Innovation for everyone

Four firms take top prizes in MIT's new Inclusive Innovation Competition.

September 28, 2016

From engineer to urban planner

Grad student Billy Ndengeyingoma helps improve affordable-housing design in Africa.

September 25, 2016

Solve at HUBweek offers local showcase, global springboard for solutions to society’s challenges

Innovators from many sectors to tackle issues involving the digital economy, education, and more.

September 16, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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