Faculty

President Sally Kornbluth and more than 170 other college presidents have co-signed a letter drafted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities “condemning “undue government intrusion” into campus affairs,” writes Hilary Burns for The Boston Globe. “Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation,” the statement reads. “Because of these freedoms, American institutions of higher learning are essential to American prosperity and serve as productive partners with government in promoting the common good.”

Prof. David Schmittlein, the longest serving dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management who was known for his role expanding Sloan’s international reach, has died at the age of 69, reports Bryan Marquard for The Boston Globe. Schmittlein “led initiatives introducing several new degree programs, redesigning the academic program portfolio while maintaining the MBA as the flagship degree, and diversifying executive offerings,” writes Marquard. 

24M, an MIT startup, has been named to Fast Company’s list of the most innovative companies in the energy space for 2025, reports Alex Pasternack. The company “has been developing a portfolio of battery technologies designed to make batteries that are safer, cheaper, cleaner, and longer-lasting,” explains Pasternack. “Its technologies include a semisolid electrode for conventional and novel battery chemistries, which gives the battery more energy density and requires fewer materials, and a unique separator that monitors the cell and helps prevent the aberrations that cause shorts and fires.” 

Prof. Seth Lloyd speaks with Fast Company reporter Sam Becker about quantum computing firm D-Wave and their recent work successfully simulating “the properties of magnetic materials.” Lloyd explains: “The D-Wave result shows the promise of quantum annealers for exploring exotic quantum effects in a wide variety of systems.” 

Prof. Jonathan Gruber speaks with GBH All Things Considered news anchor Judie Yuill to address recession concerns. “I think the important takeaway I have is that the real risks for our nation are not really short term, they’re long term,” explains Gruber. “We are a knowledge, investment and innovation-based economy. That’s what made America great for 80 years. The base of that innovation — the base of this knowledge economy — is our world-leading universities. If we start cutting them, we’re going to pay a long-run price in terms of our ability to grow as a nation.”

Prof. Behnaz Farahi speaks with GBH’s The Culture Show host Jared Bowen about her new eye-catching work “Gaze to the Stars,” an exhibit that will transform the MIT Dome into a living canvas, showcasing video projections of eyes gazing at the stars, as part of the Artfinity art festival. “We are very excited about the possibility of bringing the community at MIT together and the question was how the community, MIT and beyond, can get the sense of community, the sense of unity, the sense of connectedness,” says Farahi on the inspiration behind her work.

Ariel Ekblaw, principal investigator for the “To the Moon to Stay” mission and a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, speaks with Chaiel Schaffel of WBZ News Radio about the three payloads MIT engineers built for a recent mission to the moon. Of the AstroAnt rover that Ekblaw and her team developed for spacecraft assembly and external servicing, she explains: "What we want to do in the future is send hundreds or thousands that will crawl on the outside of space stations, maybe crawl on the outside of a lunar habitat, and do the inspections that would be really risky for humans to do."

Researchers at MIT have sent three payloads into space, including the AstroAnt, a small robotic device developed to help monitor spaceship conditions, reports Kenneth Chang for The New York Times. The AstroAnt rover is about the size of a “Hot Wheels” toy car and can measure a lunar rover’s temperature and communicate via a wireless Bluetooth connection. “MIT researchers envision that swarms of AstroAnts could be used to perform various tasks in space,” Chang explains. 

Orlando Sentinel reporter Richard Tribou spotlights the AstroAnt, a small robotic device developed by MIT researchers to monitor spaceship conditions during lunar missions. The device can wheel around the roof of a lunar rover “to take temperature readings and monitor its operation.”  

MIT researchers developed a small robotic rover called the AstroAnt and a depth-mapping camera for use in monitoring spaceship conditions during space missions, reports Richard Luscombe for The Guardian. The AstroAnt is designed to “eventually assist in diagnostic and repair tasks for spacecraft during lunar missions,” explains Luscombe.

Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray spotlights how MIT researchers developed a thumb-sized rover and a depth-mapping camera, technologies that will be used on a mission to the south pole of the Moon. The mini rover, dubbed AstroAnt, could one day be used to “patrol the exteriors of lunar probes, satellites, or space stations. Some might use cameras to spot meteorite damage, while others could apply sealants to prevent air or fuel leaks.”

Writing for Forbes, Paula Schneider, CEO of Susan G. Komen, highlights Prof. Regina Barzilay’s research using AI to detect breast cancer. “Using her own mammograms in her research at MIT, Dr. Barzilay demonstrated how AI could have detected her breast cancer much earlier, potentially improving her prognosis,” writes Schneider. “Studies show that incorporating AI into mammogram analysis boosts cancer detection rates by 20%, without increasing false positives. This is a significant leap forward, as early detection is key to a better chance at positive outcomes and survival.” 

USA Today reporter Eric Lagatta spotlights how MIT engineers and scientists are sending three payloads into space, on a course set for the Moon’s south polar region. The payload includes a mini, thumb-sized rover dubbed “AstroAnt” that the MIT researchers designed to help monitor the larger space vehicle. “AstroAnt is designed to inspect external surfaces of spacecraft, and will also collect thermal data and measurements while the rover explores,” writes Lagatta. 

Prof. Richard Binzel discusses how the risk posed by asteroid 2024 YR4 has now been significantly reduced based off new information gathered on the asteroid’s trajectory, reports Ashley Strickland for CNN. The rapid de-escalation in risk is thanks to the “unsung, meticulous work by astronomers” who conducted a steady stream of follow-up observations of the space rock using telescopes across the globe,” Binzel explains. “I’m pleasantly surprised that we could reduce the probability numbers so quickly.” 

Prof. Richard Binzel speaks with Bloomberg reporter F.D. Flam about tracking asteroid 2024 YR4. “It might seem like things are getting more dangerous or more scary, but what's really happening is we're making ourselves more and more secure,” says Binzel.