Mechanical engineering

“This is a great class of new NAE members who are affiliated with MIT,” says Ian A. Waitz, dean of the School of Engineering and the Jerome C. Hunsaker Professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Eight MIT faculty elected to the National Academy of Engineering

New members have made advances in artificial skin, wireless communications, nanotechnology, hydrology, and cancer treatment.

February 10, 2017

Hock Tan '75 SM '75 (left) and Lisa Yang have made a commitment of $20 million to establish the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT's McGovern Institute.

New Center for Autism Research established at MIT’s McGovern Institute

A $20 million gift from Lisa Yang and Hock Tan ’75 SM ’75 will catalyze multidisciplinary autism research.

February 9, 2017

“The challenge is to design devices that can be made for a much lower cost, but that are still as robust and functional as those in the developed world,” senior Matthew Cavuto says.

Matthew Cavuto: Getting a leg up on engineering

MIT senior will use Marshall Scholarship to work on devices that enhance mobility for the disabled.

February 9, 2017

“Hydrogels are soft, wet, biocompatible, and can form more friendly interfaces with human organs,” says Xuanhe Zhao, associate professor of mechanical engineering and civil and environmental engineering at MIT.

Transparent, gel-based robots can catch and release live fish

Made from hydrogel, robots may one day assist in surgical operations, evade underwater detection.

February 1, 2017

J. Cressica Brazier, a graduate student in the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, displays a tool she’s developing to provide users with feedback on their personal energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Research assistants at energy’s cutting edge

MIT graduate students in energy fields gain skills and advance knowledge while helping to move toward a low-carbon future.

January 31, 2017

Dawn Wendell, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering, helps a student during the motor debugging class in 6.A01 (Mens et Manus: Building on the Science Core).

Adding hands-on practice to science and engineering classes

A new advising seminar incorporates making and other types of hands-on learning to enhance first-year required courses.

January 30, 2017

Kevin Kung, a Tata Fellow and PhD candidate in biological engineering, feeds rice husks into the torrefaction reactor in his lab at MIT. A thermochemical process will convert the biomass to a more energy-dense form, making it easier to transport and use as fuel.

Tapping the hidden value of farm waste

MIT researchers are developing mobile torrefaction technology that can convert biomass into clean-burning fuel, unlocking potential income for farmers.

January 25, 2017

Artist's rendering of the MIT Hyperloop pod

Featured video: MIT Hyperloop

MIT is one of 30 student teams testing high-speed concept pods as part of a SpaceX Hyperloop competition.

January 25, 2017

MIT Assistant Professor Amos Winter (right, blue shirt) and Tish Scolnik ’10 were inspired to build a more rugged wheelchair after visits to Tanzania.

Building the mountain bike of wheelchairs

An MIT professor helped turn a class project into a mass-produced product that is helping people in developing countries.

January 23, 2017

MIT grad student Maher Damak (left) and professor of chemistry Moungi Bawendi

Two from MIT honored at World Technology Awards

PhD candidate Maher Damak and Professor Moungi Bawendi recognized for advances in engineering and chemistry.

January 20, 2017

“If you really understand the phenomena, you can reduce it to a few nondimensional parameters,” MIT mechanical engineer Kripa Varanasi says. That collapses the complexity into manageable formulas and phase diagrams, “and then we can design new processes, new products, and zero-tradeoff solutions.” That approach, he says, has been “at the heart of the companies we’ve started.”

Kripa Varanasi: Innovating at interfaces

MIT engineer’s research on surfaces is improving everything from power plants to ketchup bottles.

January 19, 2017

“The whole goal of my life is to fix all the people problems. I sincerely think that the biggest problems we have are how we deal with each other, and how we treat each other. [We need to be] promoting empathy and understanding, and technology is an enormous power to influence that in a good way,” senior Garrett Parrish says.

Creating “big, beautiful things”

Senior Garrett Parrish combines art and technology, with dramatic effects.

January 13, 2017

Taking a break and making connections

MIT Senior Jahnavi Kalpathy shares her story of taking a leave of absence.

January 11, 2017

Kevin Patrick Simon (left) sets solar panels in place with villagers at a pilot site in Jharkhand, India. Simon, an MIT PhD candidate in mechanical engineering, is studying solar irrigation.

How engineering students are seeking to solve major food and water security problems

Students with a common passion for food and water security share their research at the MIT Water and Food Security Symposium.

January 9, 2017

New research shows that when metal oxide (flat array of atoms at bottom) is used as a catalyst for splitting water molecules, some of the oxygen produced comes out of the metal oxide itself, not just from the surrounding water. This was proved by first using water with a heavier isotope of oxygen (oxygen 18, shown in white), and later switching to ordinary water (made with oxygen 16, shown in red)...

Study: Some catalysts contribute their own oxygen for reactions

Finding may help researchers fine-tune metal-oxide catalysts to enhance energy storage technology.