Technology and society

“We believe that AI plays a key role now, and in the future development of the region, if it’s used in the right way,” says Omar Costilla Reyes, one of four MIT graduate students working to help Latin America adopt artificial intelligence technologies. Pictured here (left to right) are Costilla Reyes, Emilia Simison, Pedro Antonio Colon-Hernandez, and Guillermo Bernal.

Students push to speed up artificial intelligence adoption in Latin America

To help the region catch up, students organize summit to bring Latin policymakers and researchers to MIT.

November 19, 2019

The TalkingPoints multilingual family engagement platform allows educators to communicate directly with English and non-English speaking parents through two-way messaging. J-PAL North America, TalkingPoints, and the BIP Lab are partnering to rigorously evaluate whether the innovative intervention increases parental engagement and children’s executive function.

New research partnership evaluates innovation in family engagement

Randomized evaluation of the TalkingPoints multilingual family engagement platform will assess the intervention's impact on student achievement.

November 19, 2019

Jaleesa Trapp shakes things up in the classroom and in computing

The PhD student and former high school teacher aims to study the ways young people of color interact with technology.

November 14, 2019

Kate Brown is a professor in MIT's Program in Science, Technology, and Society.

Historian of the hinterlands

In overlooked spots on the map, MIT Professor Kate Brown examines the turbulence of the modern world.

November 12, 2019

Prathima Muniyappa (with camera) and other class members examining a student demo. In studying various ambiguous images and works, students discover how emotional content and prior experiences contribute to what we think we see.

The technology of enchantment

In a new anthropology and studio art course, MIT students investigate the human dimensions of interacting with technologies.

November 7, 2019

MIT and Toyota researchers have designed a new model that weighs various uncertainties and risks to help autonomous vehicles determine when it’s safe to merge into traffic at intersections with objects obstructing views, such as buildings blocking the line of sight.

Better autonomous “reasoning” at tricky intersections

Model alerts driverless cars when it’s safest to merge into traffic at intersections with obstructed views.

November 4, 2019

During an MIT Professional Education Radical Innovation course in Abuja, Nigeria, acting head of service of the federation Folasade Yemi-Esan declared the era of bureaucracy is over and civil servants must embrace new innovations for better service delivery. During an MIT Professional Education Radical Innovation course in Abuja, Nigeria, acting head of service of the federation Folasade Yemi-Esan...

Homegrown help: Seeding a culture of innovation in Nigeria

MIT Professional Education delivers Radical Innovation course to help civil servants modernize government and promote economic development.

October 31, 2019

MIT engineers have developed a system for autonomous vehicles that senses tiny changes in shadows on the ground to determine if there’s a moving object coming around the corner, such as when another car is approaching from behind a pillar in a parking garage.

Helping autonomous vehicles see around corners

By sensing tiny changes in shadows, a new system identifies approaching objects that may cause a collision.

October 27, 2019

Two career seekers work in the Center for Work Education and Employment’s (CWEE) computer lab with a digital literacy instructor. CWEE is one of four organizations to partner with the Work of the Future Initiative to design an evaluation of their program.

J-PAL North America announces first partners through Work of the Future Innovation Competition

Partners will work with J-PAL North America to develop randomized evaluations addressing today’s rapidly shifting labor market.

October 25, 2019

MIT researchers have developed a trajectory-planning model that helps drones fly more safely at high speeds through previously unexplored areas, which could aid search-and-rescue missions through dense forests.

System prevents speedy drones from crashing in unfamiliar areas

Drones can fly at high speeds to a destination while keeping safe “backup” plans if things go awry.

October 25, 2019

MIT Press to develop a sustainable framework for open access monographs

$850,000 grant from Arcadia will allow exploration of alternatives to the traditional market-based business model for professional and scholarly monographs.

October 7, 2019

The MIT.nano Immersion Lab will provide an array of software and hardware for NCSOFT seed grant recipients and other researchers at MIT who are investigating augmented reality, virtual reality, and the display and analysis of spatially related data.

MIT.nano awards inaugural NCSOFT seed grants for gaming technologies

Five software and hardware projects will launch the MIT.nano Immersion Lab Gaming Program.

September 30, 2019

Trevor Henderson in the record library at WMBR, MIT’s student radio station.

Using math to blend musical notes seamlessly

Algorithm enables one audio signal to glide into another, recreating the “portamento” effect of some musical instruments.

September 27, 2019

Robert Rains MS ’19 earned his master's degree in supply chain management from MIT, despite his limited time and challenging location, by first earning an MITx MicroMasters credential online.

Learning from MIT, learning from the field

Robert Rains MS ’19 earned his master’s without putting his important work — improving safety and quality of life for struggling communities in Africa — on hold.

September 26, 2019

Solstice works with solar developers to fund large, remote solar farms that communities can invest in.

Helping lower-income households reap the benefits of solar energy

Solstice makes community solar projects more accessible for people unable to invest in rooftop panels.