Fueling a return journey from Mars
PhD candidate Lanie McKinney is building technology to convert the Red Planet’s atmosphere into propellant for bringing astronauts home.
Faces of MIT: Jay Wilcoxson
Combining a background in private law practice with a passion for problem-solving, Wilcoxson supports MIT’s mission and principles through his work as counsel.
“Technology is the equalizer”
Using knowledge gained from MIT’s free learning materials, an educator in rural India builds apps to reach students who can’t make it to school.
Measure by measure, studying society accurately
Naoki Egami has become a standout in political methodology, helping refine tools that give scholars durable results.
Student spotlight: Nathaniel Morgan
The senior from Atlanta is majoring in AI and decision making, serves as a leader in several campus groups, and has a soft spot for car improvement projects.
Student spotlight: Isabel Duran
The junior, an electrical engineering with computing major, stays busy with many student activities, from giving MIT tours to helping lead her sorority to collaborating with the nonprofit Engineers Without Borders.
Building foundations that last
Assistant Professor Iwnetim Abate creates space for ambitious research and sustainable growth for his graduate students.
Ila Kumar: Innovating with communities
The PhD student works to give young people an active role in shaping digital technologies that can support their own well-being.
Translating economic growth into better lives
Graduate student Lyonel Tanganco investigates how to improve public policy interventions and address challenges in nutrition, climate, and development.
Gage Coon: An Earth scientist exploring the power of microbes
The PhD student’s research on how microorganisms digest compounds in their environment could enable advances in wastewater treatment.
The game’s the thing
MIT senior Kayode Dada has a passion for designing games, and a penchant for building community.
Tackling rare genetic disorders with patient-focused science
Shannon Knight, a brain and cognitive sciences PhD candidate and McGovern Institute researcher, focuses on developing a novel gene therapy.
On the hunt for dark matter
From Broadway to MIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Science, PhD student Jessica Fry doesn’t do anything halfway. Now she’s hunting for the universe’s most elusive particle.
Using reason, again and again
Philosopher Brian Hedden studies decision-making over time — and recently chose to return to alma mater MIT, where he is now connecting ethics and computing.
Building energy security through more sustainable batteries
PhD student Hugh Smith works to develop sodium-ion batteries, whose components are more abundant and accessible than those of conventional lithium-ion technology.