Materials science and engineering

QS ranks MIT the world’s No. 1 university for 2017-18

Ranked at the top for the sixth straight year, the Institute also places first in 12 of 46 disciplines.

June 8, 2017

(Left to right): Kit Hickey, chief retail officer; Aman Advani, CEO; and Gihan Amarasiriwardena, chief design officer.

Hacking apparel becomes lucrative business for alumni

Clothing tinkerers innovate fashion with science-based performance dresswear and 3-D knitting.

June 7, 2017

Each year, bronze MIT medallions are forged by students in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory for new graduates of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Featured video: Making medallions

Students create bronze medallions of the MIT seal for new graduates of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

June 6, 2017

Researchers at MIT have explored the secrets behind the conch shell’s extraordinary impact resilience. The findings are reported in a new study by MIT graduate student Grace Gu (right), postdoc Mahdi Takaffoli (left), and McAfee Professor of Engineering Markus Buehler.

Conch shells spill the secret to their toughness

Three-tiered structure of these impact-resistant shells could inspire better helmets, body armor.

May 26, 2017

These pasta shapes were caused by immersing a 2-D flat film into water.

Researchers engineer shape-shifting noodles

Sheets of gelatin transform into 3-D shapes when dunked in water; could save food shipping costs.

May 24, 2017

Participants in the Metals and Minerals for the Environment initiative’s first public symposium on May 11 and 12 at MIT gathered for a group shot outside Fariborz Maseeh Hall.

Envisioning the future of metal and mineral production

MIT researchers team up with leaders from the metals and minerals industry to envision a more sustainable future.

May 24, 2017

MIT researchers are working on an implantable device that could make intraperitoneal chemotherapy more bearable. “As we entered into this project, our question was how do we get the same beneficial outcomes and reduce all the side effects?” says professor Michael Cima. Pictured is a micrograph of ovarian cancer.

Study offers guidance for targeting residual ovarian tumors

Findings support new strategy of continuous drug delivery by implantable device.

May 23, 2017

This breathable workout suit prototype has ventilating flaps that open and close in response to an athlete’s body heat and sweat. The left photo was taken before exercise when ventilation flaps are flat; after exercise, the ventilation flaps have curved.

Researchers design moisture-responsive workout suit

Ventilating flaps lined with live cells open and close in response to an athlete’s sweat.

May 19, 2017

Professor Michael Cima and his colleagues are now designing brain implants that can not only deliver electrical stimulation but also record brain activity or deliver drugs to very targeted locations.

Making brain implants smaller could prolong their lifespan

Thin fibers could be used to deliver drugs or electrical stimulation, with less damage to the brain.

May 16, 2017

Twelve National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates interns, co-sponsored by the Materials Processing Center and the Center for Materials Science and Engineering, and two AIM Photonics Academy interns will conduct research from June 15 to August 5 on the MIT campus. 2017 MIT Summer Scholars: (top row, l-r) Alejandro Aponte-Lugo, Stephanie Bauman, Lucia Brunel, Richard Canty, ...

Summer Scholars embrace engineering challenges

Diverse group seeks MIT laboratory internship experiences in materials science, photonics, energy, and biomedical applications.

May 11, 2017

For their 2017 J-WAFS Seed Grant project, MIT professors Stephen Graves and Bishwapriya Sanyal will analyze irrigation practice, supply chain design, and extension services in Senegal. Their goal is to understand how policy and market conditions influence the availability of irrigation technologies in developing countries. Seen here: Irrigated rice cultivation in the Senegal River Valley.

J-WAFS awards $1.4 million in third round of seed grant funding

Principal investigators will receive grants of up to $200,000 per year for two years, overhead free, for innovative research on food and water challenges.

May 10, 2017

“The most interesting thing about these materials is they function at temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius,” says MIT graduate student Jessica Swallow, pictured with the equipment used for testing the new materials.

High-temperature devices made from films that bend as they “breathe”

Mechanical actuators developed by MIT team expand and contract as they let oxygen in and out.

May 8, 2017

“I decided to come to MIT because it was the best place to do engineering, and I eventually settled on materials science, because I felt like it was really applicable to all sorts of fields, including medicine," MIT senior Tiffany Yeh says.

Engineer, pianist, global citizen

Senior Tiffany Yeh explores health care and poverty through working abroad, and cultivates her love of music while at home.

May 4, 2017

Top row, left to right: Stephen Bell, Sangeeta Bhatia, and Christopher Cummins. Bottom row, left to right: Esther Duflo, Klavs Jensen, and Nergis Mavalvala.

National Academy of Sciences elects six MIT professors for 2017

Bell, Bhatia, Cummins, Duflo, Jensen, and Mavalvala honored for research achievements.

May 3, 2017

“There are many thousands of combinations of materials and interfaces that we can create,” says associate professor Geoffrey Beach. “So with this wealth of material structures, rather than relying on the few materials that nature has given us, we can now design materials and their magnetic properties to exhibit the characteristics that we want.”

Geoffrey Beach: Drawn to explore magnetism

Materials researcher is working on the magnetic memory of the future.

April 24, 2017

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