Magical Bob
As a child, Institute Professor Robert S. Langer was captivated by the “magic” of the chemical reactions in a toy chemistry set. Decades later, he continues to be enchanted by the potential of chemical engineering. He is the most cited engineer in the world, and shows no signs of slowing down, despite four decades of ground-breaking work in drug delivery and polymer research.
3Q: Daron Acemoglu on Technology and the Future of Work
K. Daron Acemoglu, the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT, is a leading thinker on the labor market implications of artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and new technologies. His innovative work challenges the way people think about how these technologies intersect with the world of work. In 2005, he won the John Bates Clark Medal, an honor shared by a number of Nobel Prize recipients and luminaries in the field of economics.
Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone
This month is Independent Activities Period (IAP) at MIT, a four-week period when students, faculty, staff, and alumni organize and engage in all kinds of inventive and wacky sessions that range from relaxing to rigorous.
No Bounds to How Much We Can Think
MIT senior and native of Cameroon, Pelkins Ajanoh, believes “in the future where [his] great grandkids are going to be surprised that there was a day when Africa was known to be a poor continent.” As president of the MIT African Students Association, Ajanoh teaches the MIT community about the culture and history of Africa and shares his hope for a brighter future for his home continent.
Putting Projects at the Forefront
Rose Wang loves to work on projects — especially ones that exceed the bounds of her declared majors, economics and computer science. She thrives on do-it-yourself design solutions. Her latest involves making an aerodynamic drone. “We’ll see how that goes,” she says.
Building 31 Powers Back Up
A $52 million renovation of the 90-year-old Building 31 on MIT’s campus has transformed the space into a gleaming home for research in autonomy, turbomachinery, energy storage, and transportation. The three-year project added nearly 7,000 square feet of new space and doubled Building 31's capacity for faculty, students, and researchers.
Summering in Kendall Square
While some students use the summer break to kick back and relax, Safa Jebri, a rising junior at MIT, is hard at work making wearable robotics at Myomo—a medical device company—in Kendall Square in Cambridge.
This is Engineering at MIT
The School of Engineering at MIT has a long and rich history with no shortage of success stories. These successes, however, are often preceded by failures, and countless trials and errors. Always, though, a sense of perseverance seems to permeate the culture of the school.
Taking The Engine for a Test Drive
Innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs worldwide are waiting on news of the first companies chosen to be part of The Engine. Founded by MIT, The Engine is a combination of long-term investment, resources, and services for founders working on “tough tech” that prioritizes high-impact solutions to big problems over early profits. This summer a group of MIT students got a taste of what it’s like to be inside The Engine’s space in Central Square, near the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They may not be members of The Engine’s first cohort of startups, but they still had a chance to warm up the space, so to speak, for those chosen.
Karate is for Everyone
Vazrik Chiloyan, an instructor for the MIT Shotokan Karate Club, developed a love for karate nearly a decade ago. Since then, Chiloyan, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, has earned a second-degree black belt. Shotokan karate, he says, is one of the most beautiful things he has ever studied.