ENGINEERING IN ACTION
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Crowdsourcing data on road quality and excess fuel consumption
America has over 4 million miles of roads and, as one might expect, monitoring them can be a monumental task. To collect high-quality data on the conditions of their roads, departments of transportation (DOTs) can expect to spend $200 per mile for state-of-the-art laser profilers. For cities and states, these costs are prohibitive and […] -
Navigating beneath the Arctic ice
There is a lot of activity beneath the vast, lonely expanses of ice and snow in the Arctic. Climate change has dramatically altered the layer of ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean. Areas of water that used to be covered by a solid ice pack are now covered by thin layers only 3 […] -
Talking outside the tower
Walking into MIT can feel like entering a foreign country — one with a number for every building and an unwieldy acronym for every organization. Deeper conversations are even more opaque, as fields and sub-fields command their own complex scientific argot. But if the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that bridging the gap […] -
Sustainable solutions at home and abroad
Arnav Patel is a self-described sustainability enthusiast. Working on solutions related to climate change has been a central thread woven throughout his time at MIT. As a first-year student, he was initially drawn to mechanical engineering because he wanted to keep his options open. -
Healing with hydrogels
In November, mechanical engineering PhD candidate Hyunwoo Yuk earned the top prize at the Collegiate Inventors Competition hosted by the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame. Yuk was named the graduate winner for his invention SanaHeal, a bioadhesive tape that can easily bind to tissues or organs. The tape could one day be used in place of […]
IN THE NEWS
Tackling air pollution in India and the developing world
PhD student Sidhant Pai works on atmospheric chemistry models that may help policymakers improve air quality in their region. go
“Just ask questions and go for it!”
Senior Zaina Moussa’s path toward a career as a physician-scientist has included embracing her different cultures and varied interests. goASK AN ENGINEER
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How do I get into MIT?
It should be less about getting in and more about getting it right — cultivate the interests and work on the projects you love anyway…
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Can we track the whereabouts of our dog using a passive microchip?
Yes, but you need to keep him on a very special leash.
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Why can’t fusion energy solve the global energy crisis?
Fusion energy may one day turn a pickup-truck-full of seawater into enough electricity to power Boston for a year, but not yet…
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Why doesn’t a plain, white piece of paper reflect light, but a mirror does?
Almost everything reflects light — it’s how it reflects it that makes a difference…
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How does a random group of molecules form a thinking, breathing human?
Let’s focus on the first half of the question. Answer: networking…
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Are cell phone conversations stored somewhere and are they retrievable?
Yes — every time you leave someone a voicemail. But your last pizza delivery order? Probably not…