Mechanical engineering

Water drops ejected from the surface of a Tibetan singing bowl.

MIT to host American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting

A record number of presenters from the international community will convene for the 68th annual Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Nov. 22-24.

November 19, 2015

Solar Electric Vehicle Team member Michelle Chao, an MIT junior, works on the solar array.

Sleeping under the stars in Australia

Solar Electric Vehicle Team completes the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

November 19, 2015

Wheelchair user Serafin Kangad from Mindanao, Philippines. CITE plans to conduct a wheelchair evaluation in 2016 to understand technical performance, reliability, durability, maintenance, repair, and user experience.

MIT faculty and students to lead technology evaluations in developing countries

November 9, 2015

Engineered hydrogel being pulled away from a glass surface. The material shows a property called “tough wet adhesion” comparable to tendon and bone interface. The wavy edge instability at the interface is a hallmark of strongly adhered soft material on a rigid surface.

Hydrogel superglue is 90 percent water

New “water adhesive” is tougher than natural adhesives employed by mussels and barnacles.

November 9, 2015

Harvesting more energy from photons

Quantum process increases the number of electrons produced when light strikes a metal-dielectric interface.

November 5, 2015

Joseph Minervini is assistant director and head of the Fusion Technology and Engineering division at the PSFC and senior research engineer in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Joseph Minervini appointed as assistant director of Plasma Science and Fusion Center

International expert in fusion and magnet technology succeeds Peter Catto, who had served as assistant director since 2000.

November 4, 2015

New MIT School of Engineering faculty for 2015-2016

New engineering faculty for 2015-2016

The School of Engineering welcomes 18 new faces.

October 28, 2015

Researchers found that sections of metal can be made to either promote bubbling (the two rectangles at the edges) or to inhibit bubbling (center rectangles), simply by switching the polarity of voltages applied to the metal.

Bubble, bubble, at the flick of a switch

Researchers find a way to control the bubbles of boiling water using a small electric charge.

October 26, 2015

A "Working with Partners" panel discussed unique relationships that have formed between MIT Tata Center teams and on-the-ground partners in India.

Bringing MIT and India closer together

Tata Center Annual Symposium explores many pathways for MIT research to have an impact in India and the developing world.

October 21, 2015

MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Themistoklis Sapsis

To capture a wave

Themistoklis Sapsis seeks to understand, predict, and optimize complex engineering and environmental systems under extreme uncertainty.

October 16, 2015

Artificial whisker reveals source of harbor seal’s uncanny prey-sensing ability

Study finds a whisker’s “slaloming” motion helps seals track and chase prey.

October 15, 2015

Rendering of a virus used in the MIT experiments. The light-collecting centers, called chromophores, are in red, and chromophores that just absorbed a photon of light are glowing white. After the virus is modified to adjust the spacing between the chromophores, energy can jump from one set of chromophores to the next faster and more efficiently.

Quantum physics meets genetic engineering

Researchers use engineered viruses to provide quantum-based enhancement of energy transport.

October 14, 2015

Ian Waitz addressed the 2015-2016 SuperUROP class at a Sept. 30 reception.

SuperUROP undergrad research program goes engineering-wide

Yearlong “Super” Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program expands beyond electrical engineering and computer science.

October 9, 2015

Honorable Minister Piyush Goyal (second from right), with (l-r) research scientist Santosh Shanbhogue, ministry associate Amitabh Prasad, Tata Center Director Rob Stoner, and Professor Ahmed Ghoniem.

Government of India taps MIT expertise for energy solutions

Minister Piyush Goyal meets with MIT Energy Initiative and Tata Center leadership, says of India’s electrification goals: “We will make it happen.”

October 8, 2015

Communicating engineering research at MERE showcase

Second annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition brings together community and recognizes graduate students.