Mechanical engineering

A new way to remove ice buildup without power or chemicals

Passive solar-powered system could prevent freezing on airplanes, wind turbines, powerlines, and other surfaces.

August 31, 2018

Professor Shih-Ying Lee enjoyed participating in the MIT Sailing Club. This photo was taken in 1942.

Shih-Ying Lee, longtime mechanical engineering professor, inventor, and entrepreneur, dies at 100

Retired MIT professor specialized in measurement and instrumentation, held 20 patents, and launched two companies.

August 30, 2018

3-D-printed colloidal crystals viewed under a light microscope.

MIT researchers 3-D print colloidal crystals

Technique could be used to scale-up self-assembled materials for use as optical sensors, color displays, and light-guided electronics.

August 30, 2018

Results have just been published from a years-long project trying to quantify just how urban-based solar installations are affected by hazes, which tend to be concentrated in dense cities.

Air pollution can put a dent in solar power

Study finds lost revenue can be millions of dollars annually, suggests ways to quantify haze-related reductions in solar panel output.

August 28, 2018

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

MIT SEVT solar vehicle placed 5th at the American Solar Challenge.

Sun-powered car shines in American Solar Challenge

MIT Solar Electrical Vehicle Team takes 5th place in nine-day challenge, which traversed the Oregon Trail from Omaha, Nebraska to Bend, Oregon.

August 27, 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

Ibn Khaldun fellow Thamraa Al-Shahrani has spent the past year working in MIT’s Photovoltaics Research Laboratory to improve the stability of perovskite solar cells.

Meet the women shaping science and engineering in Saudi Arabia

Through the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship for Saudi Arabian Women, postdoctoral scientists and engineers develop their professional skills during a one-year stay at MIT.

August 5, 2018

Advanced Fiber workshop participants compare the differences between weft knit and warp knit for sweater construction at FIT in New York City. Pictured (clockwise from left) are Veronica Apsan, Melanie Wong, Jesse Doherty, Erika Anderson, Sebastian Pattinson, David Merchan, and Calvin Zhong.

Inventing future fabrics

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America workshop challenges pioneering MIT and FIT students to conceive new ideas.

July 31, 2018

Pierre Lermusiaux (left), professor of mechanical engineering and ocean science and engineering, will serve as MechE's associate department head for operations. Rohit Karnik (right), associate professor of mechanical engineering, will serve as MechE's associate department head for education.

Department of Mechanical Engineering announces new leadership team

Newly appointed department head Evelyn Wang names Pierre Lermusiaux and Rohit Karnik as associate department heads.

July 27, 2018

A proof-of-concept MIT prototype of a sun-powered device extracts drinking water from the desert air in Tempe, Arizona.

Featured video: Pulling drinking water out of thin air

Powered only by solar energy, a new device developed at MIT could provide relief to regions where water is scare.

July 23, 2018

School of Engineering second quarter 2018 awards

Faculty members recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the last quarter.

July 17, 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

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson SM ’89, EE ’89, ENG ’89 is the senior four-star admiral leading the U.S. Navy. He outlined the challenges ahead for the Navy and invited solutions during an MIT symposium in honor of one of his mentors, Alan Oppenheim, an MIT Ford Professor of Engineering.

Ties with MIT run deep for the US Navy’s top officer

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson SM ’89, EE ’89, ENG ’89 poses global challenges to academe.

July 6, 2018

At left, different patterns of slices through a thin metal foil, are made by a focused ion beam. These patterns cause the metal to fold up into predetermined shapes, which can be used for such purposes as modifying a beam of light.

Kirigami-inspired technique manipulates light at the nanoscale

Folding and cutting thin metal films could enable microchip-based 3-D optical devices.