Technology and society

“Groovy Science,” from the University of Chicago Press, was co-edited by David Kaiser (pictured), head of MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society.

Groovy science, man!

Q&A: David Kaiser on our debt to science’s countercultural turn.

June 29, 2016

A collision event display, generated by the ATLAS experiment

Music of the (data) spheres

A new MIT project taps into particle collisions to generate music and forge harmony between science and art.

June 28, 2016

“Most people want to live in in a world where cars will minimize casualties,” says Iyad Rahwan, an associate professor in the MIT Media Lab and co-author of a new paper outlining the study. “But everybody wants their own car to protect them at all costs.”

Driverless cars: Who gets protected?

Study shows inconsistent public opinion on safety of driverless cars.

June 23, 2016

CoalMap is an online tool that allows users explore the potential effects of various market factors on the cost-competitiveness of coal versus renewable energy.

Mapping coal’s decline and renewables' rise

CoalMap online tool shows what policy regulations and technological advancements can do for the cost-competitiveness of solar and wind energy.

June 22, 2016

Irrigated plains of the Punjab province in Pakistan, viewed from a Mughal tower in Sheikhpura District

A smart water grid for the Indus Basin

Architect and MIT Professor James Wescoat promotes institutional capacity building to manage a critical resource.

June 16, 2016

Andrea Campbell (left), head of the MIT Department of Political Science and the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science, and Valerie Karplus, assistant professor of global economics and management, take part in a panel discussion at the Technology and Policy Program 40th anniversary event.

Technology and Policy Program celebrates 40 years

Special event marks four decades of TPP and looks to the future of technology and policy.

June 9, 2016

The Lincoln Laboratory Cross-Language Search Engine team includes (left to right) Elizabeth Salesky, Jennifer Williams, Jennifer Drexler, and Michael Coury.

Finding relevant data in a sea of languages

A cross-language search engine enables English monolingual analysts to find foreign language documents relevant to their investigations.

May 27, 2016

The Venice Architecture Biennale, held every two years at the sprawling Arsenale (above) and Giardini grounds on the city’s eastern tip, opens this weekend. This year’s focus on architecture’s ability to address global challenges — including numerous installations and projects from MIT faculty, students, and alumni — may indicate a paradigm shift for architecture, participants say.

MIT at the Venice Biennale

On a global stage, MIT helps steer architecture toward solving worldwide challenges.

May 27, 2016

Center for Advanced Visual Studies Special Collection materials, courtesy of the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology

Program in Art, Culture and Technology receives National Endowment for the Arts grant

Funding supports the development of a “virtual museum” from an archive of experimental works.

May 23, 2016

“If you ask MIT economists and policy experts what we should do about climate change, chances are they will tell you: Put a price on carbon emissions,” Maria Zuber said.

MIT joins Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition

Led by World Bank and IMF, coalition seeks to price emissions to tackle climate change.

May 20, 2016

“[W]hen you send location data as a secondary piece of information, it is extremely simple for people with very little technical knowledge to find out where you work or live,” Ilaria Liccardi says.

We know where you live

From location data alone, even low-tech snoopers can identify Twitter users’ homes, workplaces.

May 17, 2016

“The kinds of technologies that people are building today are much more connected to how people interact in social aspects of our culture. Technology and humanity are now deeply interlinked," says Eran Egozy, engineer, musician, new media pioneer, and MIT professor of the practice in music technology.

Sharing a passion for music and interactive technology

Harmonix co-founder Eran Egozy returns to MIT as professor of the practice in music technology.

May 4, 2016

QualiT, an app launched as part of a collaboration between MIT and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), allows riders of the Silver Line to rate their bus trips.

Crowdsourcing the Silver Line commute

New app from MIT researchers gathers rider feedback to improve Boston bus service.

May 3, 2016

MIT outlines progress on its five-year climate action plan

Progress report underscores strong collaboration across campus to address climate change.

April 27, 2016

Conceptual view of future suburban fabric

A new lens on suburbia

Center for Advanced Urbanism conference explores the suburbs’ sustainable future.