The Beaver visits Father Sky: Meet MIT’s First Nations Launch team
Earlier this year, MIT’s First Nations Launch team participated in the 2023 First Nations Launch, an international NASA-Artemis Student Challenge hosted by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium that focuses on Indigenous representation and science in aerospace engineering through rocketry. It was the first time MIT has ever competed in this challenge, now in its 15th year.
Novo Nordisk supports MIT postdocs working at the intersection of AI and life sciences
MIT’s School of Engineering and global health care company Novo Nordisk today announced the launch of a multi-year program to support postdoctoral fellows conducting research at the intersection of AI and data science with life sciences. The MIT-Novo Nordisk Artificial Intelligence Postdoctoral Fellows Program will welcome its first cohort of up to 10 postdoctoral fellows for a two-year term this fall. The program will provide up to $10 million for an annual cohort of up to 10 postdoctoral fellows for two-year terms.
Coming soon to the Infinite Corridor: A space to explore the infinitesimal
It started with a cat. A figurine kitty with a blue-green patina that indicated it was made of copper that had oxidized.
But was it? Maria Aguiar, a sophomore in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), didn’t know. So back in December, she told her mechanics class instructor about the figurine, a souvenir from a friend who had visited Greece.
Fieldwork class examines signs of climate change in Hawaii
When Joy Domingo-Kameenui spent two weeks in her native Hawaii as part of MIT class 1.091 (Traveling Research Environmental eXperiences), she was surprised to learn about the number of invasive and endangered species. “I knew about Hawaiian ecology from middle and high school but wasn’t fully aware to the extent of how invasive species and diseases have resulted in many of Hawaii’s endemic species becoming threatened,” says Domingo-Kameenui.
Using robotics to supercharge health care
Since its founding in 1998, Vecna Technologies has developed a number of ways to help hospitals care for patients. The company has produced intake systems to respond to Covid-19 patient surges, prediction systems to manage health complications in maternity wards, and telepresence robots that have allowed sick people to stay connected with friends and loved ones.
Tomás Palacios named new Director of the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL)
The Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) will now be helmed by a new director. Maria Zuber, Vice President of Research and E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, recently announced that Tomás Palacios assumed the role of Director of MTL on December 1, 2022. Palacios has served as Director of the 6-A MEng Thesis Program; Industry Officer; and Professor of Electrical Engineering within the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). He succeeds Advanced Television and Signal Processing (ATSP) Professor Hae-Seung (Harry) Lee, who has been the Director of MTL since 2019.
School of Engineering hosts Indian dignitary for visit
On Tuesday, October 4, the MIT School of Engineering hosted Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, to engage in exciting discussions about climate and sustainability, healthcare, education, and the future of technology. As part of his visit, the ambassador met with students and faculty, and toured lab facilities. His visit was part of a series to area universities in which the ambassador aimed to strengthen partnerships in education, business, and innovation.
From bridges to DNA: civil engineering across disciplines
How is DNA like a bridge? This question is not a riddle or logic game, it is a concern of Johannes Kalliauer’s doctoral thesis.
Helping cassava farmers by extending crop life
The root vegetable cassava is a major food staple in dozens of countries across the world. Drought-resistant, nutritious, and tasty, it has also become a major source of income for small-scale, rural farmers in places like West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Startup lets doctors classify skin conditions with the snap of a picture
At the age of 22, when Susan Conover wanted to get a strange-looking mole checked out, she was told it would take three months to see a dermatologist. When the mole was finally removed and biopsied, doctors determined it was cancerous. At the time, no one could be sure the cancer hadn’t spread to other parts of her body — the difference between stage 2 and stage 3 or 4 melanoma.