Water

By tuning size, illumination angle, and curvature, MIT engineers can produce brilliant colors, in patterns they can predict, in otherwise transparent droplets.

Engineers make clear droplets produce iridescent colors

Optical effect could be harnessed for light displays, litmus tests, and makeup products.

February 27, 2019

Seaside desalination plants like this typically discharge large volumes of concentrated brine back into the sea. MIT researchers have shown that instead, much of this waste could be turned into useful chemicals.

Turning desalination waste into a useful resource

Process developed at MIT could turn concentrated brine into useful chemicals, making desalination more efficient.

February 13, 2019

For tropical growing regions in Brazil and some countries in Africa, differing soil and rock compositions make for a poor match for the fertilizers that are currently on the market. J-WAFS-funded MIT researchers seek to meet this challenge with a new type of fertilizer, and call for more interdisciplinary research to help close yield gaps.

Local rocks can yield more crops

J-WAFS-funded MIT research team shows a new method of fertilizer production can better suit the needs of farms in Africa and around the globe.

February 12, 2019

Team Asteroid Atomics is developing a nuclear reactor tailored for unpiloted space missions.

Pitching transformative design

Undergraduates put their ideas on the line in a competition showcasing novel, consequential applications of nuclear science and engineering.

February 5, 2019

A new MIT study finds that over the coming decades climate change will affect the ocean’s color, intensifying its blue regions and its green ones.

Study: Much of the surface ocean will shift in color by end of 21st century

Climate-driven changes in phytoplankton communities will intensify the blue and green regions of the world’s oceans.

February 4, 2019

Professor Reinhart (left) and architecture graduate student Hellen Rose Anyango Awino discuss a class assignment on measuring thermal comfort.

Applying physics to energy-efficient building design

Christoph Reinhart is internationally known for using natural light to illuminate interiors and his lab's design tools are used by architects and urban planners worldwide.

January 16, 2019

Maryam Rashed Alshehhi is a visiting assistant professor from the United Arab Emirates.

Oil and water: Studying pressing environmental dilemmas in the Middle East

Visiting Assistant Professor Maryam Rashed Alshehhi models a region with freshwater shortages, oil spills, and frequent dust storms.

December 26, 2018

Graduate student Julia Sokol is working on making drip irrigation cheaper and more efficient at MIT’s Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab.

Improving crop yields while conserving resources

PhD student Julia Sokol is helping develop drip irrigation technologies that allow farmers to save water and energy.

December 20, 2018

In this experiment, the new steam-generating device was mounted over a basin of water, placed on a small table, and partially surrounded by a simple, transparent solar concentrator. The researchers measured the temperature of the steam produced over the course of the test day, Oct. 21, 2017.

Sun-soaking device turns water into superheated steam

High-temperature steam might be used in remote regions to cook, clean, or sterilize medical equipment.

December 11, 2018

Throughout the MIT Water Club’s November Water Summit, attendees from industry, government, and academia engaged in detailed discussions on how cities across the globe can meet water scarcity with resilience strategies.

Urban water scarcity takes center stage at MIT Water Summit

Experts gather at MIT to share insights, techniques, and strategies for building resilient urban water systems.

December 6, 2018

Throughout the MIT Joint Program’s agriculture workshop, attendees from industry, government, and academia engaged in detailed discussions with Joint Program agriculture specialists.

The future of food production amid global change

MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change workshop explores risks and opportunities for the agriculture sector.

November 20, 2018

MIT Media Lab researchers have developed a wireless system that leverages the cheap RFID tags already on hundreds of billions of products to sense potential food contamination.

Putting food-safety detection in the hands of consumers

Simple, scalable wireless system uses the RFID tags on billions of products to sense contamination.

November 14, 2018

The Infinite Cooling team accepts the $100K Diamond Winner Award at the MassChallenge Awards on Oct. 17 in Boston. Left to right: co-founder Associate Professor Kripa Varnasi, co-founder Maher Damak, co-founder Karim Khalil, and COO Derek Warnick.

MIT spinoff takes top honor at MassChallenge Awards

Infinite Cooling, a startup from the Varanasi Research Group, was a $100K Diamond Winner at the MassChallenge Awards.

October 23, 2018

A panel discusses Scaling Social Enterprises at the fourth annual Tata Center Symposium.

Translating research into impact

Fourth annual Tata Center Symposium highlights the need to invest in technologies for the developing world from a market-driven perspective.

October 17, 2018

Christopher Voigt, a professor of biological engineering, presents the latest research results for a J-WAFS-funded project that seeks to engineer cereal grains to produce their own fertilizer.

Collaboration runs through J-WAFS-funded projects

Researchers from across MIT showcase J-WAFS-funded projects tackling critical water and food systems challenges from solutions-oriented perspectives.

October 16, 2018

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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