Environment

Photos illustrate how the tiny droplets produced by a mesh barrier prevent plants from being pummeled by the larger droplets from either rainfall or the spraying of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The smaller droplets in the image at right have little effect on the plant, while the droplets at left batter its leaves heavily.

New approach makes sprayed droplets hit and stick to their targets

Using a simple mesh screen may allow farmers to dramatically reduce the amount of pesticides they spray.

August 28, 2018

Krithika Ramchander (left), a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Andrea Karin Beck, a PhD candidate in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, have each received fellowships from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS) for 2018-2019. Their research explores solutions to global and local water supply challenges using engineering and q...

Krithika Ramchander and Andrea Beck awarded J-WAFS fellowships for water solutions

Graduate students receive J-WAFS fellowships to support research focused on improving water access for rural as well as urban communities.

August 9, 2018

Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga and his book, "The Mobile Workshop: The Tsetse Fly and African Knowledge Production" (MIT Press)

How Africans developed scientific knowledge of the deadly tsetse fly

New book by MIT Associate Professor Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga explores science in action in Africa.

August 2, 2018

Meeting Turkey’s Paris Agreement emissions commitment will require a dramatic shift to low-carbon energy sources, such as this solar farm in Kastamonu, Turkey.

The price of the pledge

MIT researchers examine Turkey to assess the impact of 2015 Paris climate commitments on a national economy.

July 30, 2018

Bergquist was attracted to MIT for her doctoral studies because it integrated the study of environmental problems with urban studies, but also placed a strong emphasis on political science.

Environmental regulation in a polarized culture

Doctoral student Parrish Bergquist investigates how politics affects environmental decision-making.

July 24, 2018

Pictured, a rendering of a river system in Oregon.

Study finds climate determines shapes of river basins

Results may help identify ancient climates on Earth or other planets.

July 17, 2018

Julie Newman, Ph.D., Director of the MIT Office of Sustainability.

3Q: Julie Newman on MIT’s pioneering solar purchase

MIT’s sustainability director describes how 2016 effort has inspired Boston and other cities.

July 16, 2018

A rendering of Los Angeles depicts green space and wetlands as envisioned by the MIT team.

A solution for urban storm flooding

Engineered green spaces can capture and purify stormwater while delivering ecosystem and recreational benefits, MIT researchers report.

July 12, 2018

Michele Bustamante, a postdoc in the MIT Materials Systems Laboratory, won a Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship for her research analyzing supply risks and cost dynamics for key metals in high technology.

Where economics and materials science meet

Postdoc Michele Bustamante wins Congressional Fellowship for her research analyzing supply risks and cost dynamics for key metals in high technology.

July 11, 2018

An MIT team performing fundamental studies of systems for cooling and dehumidifying indoor spaces includes (l-r): Professor Leslie Norford, graduate students Tianyi Chen and Omar Labban, and Professor John Lienhard. Chen and Labban began the work when they teamed up for an assignment in an advanced energy conversion class taught by Professor Ahmed Ghoniem (not pictured).

Cooling buildings worldwide

Analysis points the way to energy-efficient systems that take a location-specific approach to cooling and dehumidifying places where people live and work.

July 11, 2018

Based on measurements taken at more than 100,000 wells around the country, the MIT researchers identified these locations, indicated by green dots, that have a combination of a severe shortage of freshwater, and a large reserve of brackish groundwater that could potentially be desalinated and used.

Study finds potential in brackish groundwater desalination

Water-starved areas could find new sources by desalinating water that’s much less salty than seawater.

July 4, 2018

Repellency of different liquids on polyester fabric coated with H1F7Ma-co-DVB: soy sauce (black drop), coffee (brown drop), HCl acid (top left transparent drop), NaOH (bottom right transparent drop) and water (remaining transparent drops).

Let it rain! New coatings make natural fabrics waterproof

MIT-developed process could offer nontoxic alternative to environmentally harmful chemicals.

June 29, 2018

An MIT study estimates the impact of a trade war between the U.S. and the rest of world when the U.S. alone does not comply with the Paris Agreement. The aim of such a trade war would be to compel the U.S. to meet its Paris pledge.

What is the likely outcome of a trade war between the U.S. and the rest of the world?

Study highlights economic losses for participating countries.

June 26, 2018

Roughly 60 percent of the global population lives in Asia, often with limited access to water.

Study: Climate action can limit Asia’s growing water shortages

Following the Paris accord could reduce risk of severe water-access problems, researchers find.

June 19, 2018

Clouds of pollution float into the sky from two smoke stacks

Checking China’s pollution, by satellite

Study finds reduction in sulfur emissions from power plants.

June 18, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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