Mechanical engineering

Top row, left to right: Lydia Bourouiba, Thomas Heldt, Fikile Brushett, and Asegun Henry. Bottom row, left to right: William Oliver, Michael Short, Vivienne Sze, and Caroline Uhler.

The tenured engineers of 2020

Eight faculty members have been granted tenure in five departments across the School of Engineering.

July 24, 2020

Shutdowns in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in lowered air pollution levels around the world. Researchers at MIT, and in Germany and Singapore have found that this resulted in a significant increase in the output from solar photovoltaic installations in Delhi, normally one of the world’s smoggiest cities.

Covid-19 shutdown led to increased solar power output

As the air cleared after lockdowns, solar installations in Delhi produced 8 percent more power, study shows.

July 22, 2020

MIT's Department of Energy 2020 Early Career Research Program winners: (left to right) Ronald Fernando Garcia Ruiz, Karthish Manthiram, Phiala Shanahan, and Wim van Rees.

Four MIT faculty members receive U.S. Department of Energy early career awards

Faculty from the departments of physics, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering were selected for the 2020 Early Career Research Program.

July 15, 2020

MIT Driverless and TU Delft pose with their race car, DUT18, at Formula Student Germany 2019. The joint team placed third overall.

Racing into the future of autonomous driving

After a third-place finish at last year's Formula Student Germany, MIT Driverless team aims to compete in the $1.5 million Indy Autonomous Challenge.

July 14, 2020

During the MicroMasters completion celebration, credential holder David Fong describes how his work with the nonprofit Spur Afrika was informed by his coursework in Data, Economics, and Development Policy.

Learners today, leaders tomorrow

MITx MicroMasters Program credential holders leverage MIT-caliber education to move their industries to the cutting edge.

July 13, 2020

Research by John Lienhard and Kishor Nayar to understand how the surface tension of seawater changes with temperature and salinity has now become an international standard.

MIT research on seawater surface tension becomes international guideline

Work by Professor John Lienhard and Kishor Nayar SM ’14, PhD ’19 was recently recognized by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam.

July 9, 2020

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have designed a new silicone rubber face mask that they believe could stop viral particles as effectively as N95 masks. Unlike N95 masks, the new masks can be easily sterilized and used many times.

Engineers design a reusable, silicone rubber face mask

The prototype mask, which includes an N95 filter, can be easily sterilized and worn many times.

July 9, 2020

MIT researchers have developed a computational model that can help improve the injectability of drug-delivery microparticles and prevent clogging. Using this model, the researchers were able to achieve a sixfold increase in the percentage of microparticles they could successfully inject.

Helping drug-delivering particles squeeze through a syringe

MIT engineers are using computing modeling to prevent microparticles from clogging during injections.

July 8, 2020

A goal of the MIT 2.001 Guided Discovery Labs is for students to rediscover foundational concepts of mechanics. Instructor Michela Geri (right) guides students Omoruyi Atheka (center) and Aline Vargas as they evaluate how their intuition of torsion measures up to their experimental results.

Guided discovery in teaching structural mechanics

By emphasizing the process of discovery, instructors in course 2.001 (Mechanics and Materials I) provide engineering students a career-building foundation.

July 1, 2020

IdeaStream 2020 featured presentations from 19 research projects across MIT, as well as Q&A sessions with speakers via Zoom.

IdeaStream 2020 goes virtual

From machine learning to devices to Covid-19 testing, Deshpande Center projects aim to make a positive impact on the world.

June 24, 2020

“This is like a painless Band-Aid for internal organs,” says Xuanhe Zhao, professor in the departments of mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at MIT. “You put the adhesive on, and if for any reason you want to take it off, you can do so on demand, without pain.”

Super-strong surgical tape detaches on demand

Removable adhesive could make it easier for surgeons to close up internal wounds.

June 22, 2020

Researchers present at the MIT-Takeda launch event earlier this year.

MIT-Takeda program launches

Research projects will harness the power of artificial intelligence to positively impact human health.

June 18, 2020

“As a MechE student, I think about technical solutions to our world’s biggest problems," says Claudia Chen '20. "As a CMS student, I think about the effects and implications these technical solutions have on our society and our media ecosystems.”

Meet the MIT bilinguals: Claudia Chen '20 combines creative, humanistic, and technical fields

Recent MIT graduate will apply her dual comparative media studies and mechanical engineering degree to work in the technology industry.

June 18, 2020

A decision-making framework outlines steps for students who plan on making for their MIT-sponsored work while off campus during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to being used over the summer from programs like UROP, the framework can be used for maker communities and courses in the fall.

Building a framework for remote making

A decision-making framework and wiki for students developed by MIT Project Manus and MIT Environment, Health and Safety enables safe making from home.

June 17, 2020

3 questions with James H. Williams, Jr., professor of mechanical engineering

Two new textbooks by Williams present engineering mechanics with a blend of the modern and historical.