Students

Dana Doyle, senior director of the MITx/MicroMasters Program, speaks with Inside Higher Ed reporter Joshua Kim about her role at MIT and the impact of online learning. “The employment landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades,” says Doyle. “Generally speaking, you used to be able to follow a rather linear path from college to a consistent career, maybe even at one company. This is not the typical case anymore, and lifelong learning has been playing catch-up to match the times of people needing to have flexibility in their goals and ways to achieve them. Lifelong learning supported by nondegree/certificate opportunities is essential for people to stay current, explore other avenues and have the opportunity to grow as individuals. The nondegree space is mandatory for these times.” 

Writing for The Hill, Prof. Fiona Murray and Sloan Lecturer Gene Keselman underscore the importance of investment in U.S. universities, noting that the “traditional contributions of universities — advancing knowledge through research and patents — remain fundamental to America’s economic and national security dynamism.” An MIT program called Proto Ventures is building on this tradition, by turning “breakthroughs made in tech labs into real-world solutions that can help all Americans.” They note that: “By bridging the gap between groundbreaking research and tangible outcomes, universities can address their critics, strengthen the nation and focus on their highest purpose: advancing human progress through knowledge and innovation,” they write. 

Chronicle joins students from the Combat Robotics Club and First Nations Launch team to get a firsthand look at how MIT student apply the “theory they are learning in class to thrilling real-world tests.” Jim Bales - associate director of the MIT Edgerton Center, which hosts both clubs - explains that, “ at the Edgerton Center our ethos is people learn by trying and doing, so our job is to give our students those opportunities.” 

The Smoot Standard, a new neighborhood café, restaurant and bar has opened in Cambridge’s Central Square, reports Kara Baskin for The Boston Globe. “The name is an homage to Ollie Smoot, MIT ‘62, whose body was famously used to measure the Harvard Bridge in 1958 (which is 364.4 smoots),” explains Baskin. 

Ariel Ekblaw, principal investigator for the “To the Moon to Stay” mission and a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, speaks with Chaiel Schaffel of WBZ News Radio about the three payloads MIT engineers built for a recent mission to the moon. Of the AstroAnt rover that Ekblaw and her team developed for spacecraft assembly and external servicing, she explains: "What we want to do in the future is send hundreds or thousands that will crawl on the outside of space stations, maybe crawl on the outside of a lunar habitat, and do the inspections that would be really risky for humans to do."

Researchers at MIT have sent three payloads into space, including the AstroAnt, a small robotic device developed to help monitor spaceship conditions, reports Kenneth Chang for The New York Times. The AstroAnt rover is about the size of a “Hot Wheels” toy car and can measure a lunar rover’s temperature and communicate via a wireless Bluetooth connection. “MIT researchers envision that swarms of AstroAnts could be used to perform various tasks in space,” Chang explains. 

Orlando Sentinel reporter Richard Tribou spotlights the AstroAnt, a small robotic device developed by MIT researchers to monitor spaceship conditions during lunar missions. The device can wheel around the roof of a lunar rover “to take temperature readings and monitor its operation.”  

MIT researchers developed a small robotic rover called the AstroAnt and a depth-mapping camera for use in monitoring spaceship conditions during space missions, reports Richard Luscombe for The Guardian. The AstroAnt is designed to “eventually assist in diagnostic and repair tasks for spacecraft during lunar missions,” explains Luscombe.

Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray spotlights how MIT researchers developed a thumb-sized rover and a depth-mapping camera, technologies that will be used on a mission to the south pole of the Moon. The mini rover, dubbed AstroAnt, could one day be used to “patrol the exteriors of lunar probes, satellites, or space stations. Some might use cameras to spot meteorite damage, while others could apply sealants to prevent air or fuel leaks.”

The Today Show highlights how MIT has secured the top spot in The Princeton Review’s annual survey of the most desirable colleges in the country. 

MIT has been named the No. 1 most desirable college in the country according to a survey conducted by The Princeton Review, reports Jessica Dickler for CNBC. "MIT also offers generous aid packages,” explains Dickler. “Last year, the median annual cost paid by an MIT undergraduate receiving financial aid was $12,938, according to the school. Among the Class of 2024, 87% graduated debt-free.”

American Society of Mechanical Engineers reporter Cathy Cecere spotlights Ashley Lederman, a senior studying mechanical engineering who plays midfield and defense for the MIT field hockey team. Lederman relates how being an athlete has helped her learn to manage her time “meticulously.” Cecere writes: “Juggling practice, games, and travel led Lederman to use what time and energy she does have to be productive and disciplined especially during field hockey season. She explained this includes knowing when to seek out support from her teammates.” Lederman explains: “I know I have a support system to lean on.” 

Bloomberg reporter Robb Mandelbaum spotlights how the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship has developed a new AI JetPack to help students accelerate the entrepreneurial process. “Our mission at the Trust Center is to advance the field of innovation-driven entrepreneurship everywhere,” Paul Cheek, executive director of the Martin Trust Center. “We can’t do it with intuition or by throwing stuff against the wall. We have to practice entrepreneurship in a rigorous, systematic way that increases the odds of success.”

After suffering a concussion during her sophomore year, senior Emiko Pope, a mechanical engineering major and midfielder on the MIT women's soccer team, was inspired to study the effectiveness of concussion headbands, reports Cathy Cecere for Mechanical Engineering Magazine. “After collecting data simulating concussions and testing multiple concussion headbands, my data revealed that certain concussion headbands can reduce the force of direct impact by up to 80 percent,” says Pope.

USA Today reporter Eric Lagatta spotlights how MIT engineers and scientists are sending three payloads into space, on a course set for the Moon’s south polar region. The payload includes a mini, thumb-sized rover dubbed “AstroAnt” that the MIT researchers designed to help monitor the larger space vehicle. “AstroAnt is designed to inspect external surfaces of spacecraft, and will also collect thermal data and measurements while the rover explores,” writes Lagatta.