May/June 2023

Dear members of the MIT community and friends,

Even though the academic year is over, campus is still buzzing with activity. Research groups continue their work on projects and experiments. Many classrooms are filled with participants of summer activities, including our K–12 programming. A few weeks ago, thousands of alumni, family, and friends from across the globe convened on campus to celebrate the Class of 2023 and MIT Tech Reunions.

During our second year of co-hosting the School of Engineering and Schwarzman College of Computing Advanced Degree Ceremony, it was thrilling to congratulate students on Killian Court alongside Dean Daniel Huttenlocher. We also were honored to welcome Lila Snyder SM ’96, PhD ’98, CEO of Bose, as the ceremony speaker. Lila shared some heartfelt advice from her own experiences studying mechanical engineering at MIT and encouraged graduates to be authentic, never work alone, and take more risks.

In addition to celebrating thousands of new engineering and computing graduates, this spring there was a flurry of activity for the School of Engineering. To name a few highlights, we had the distinct privilege of hosting President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, launched the MIT-Novo Nordisk Artificial Intelligence Postdoctoral Fellows Program, and announced two new department heads in the School of Engineering: John Hart in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Christopher Voigt in the Department of Biological Engineering.

In this issue of The Infinite, I’ve chosen a sampling of the latest updates from the School of Engineering – from robot competitions on campus to developing energy solutions in Mongolia. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the exciting research, classes, and happenings from this spring.

Wishing you a relaxing and restorative summer session!

Sincerely,

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Anantha P. Chandrakasan

Dean, MIT School of Engineering
Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

UNDERGRADUATE CLASS
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2.007 Forever!

Undergraduates in MIT’s mechanical engineering course, 2.007 (Design and Manufacturing I), participated in the class’s iconic final robot competition.

AVIATION RESEARCH
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Megawatt electrical motor designed by MIT engineers could help electrify aviation

MIT aeroengineers are creating a 1-megawatt electrical motor that is a stepping stone toward electrifying commercial airliners.

POSTDOC PROGRAM
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Novo Nordisk to support MIT postdocs working at the intersection of AI and life sciences

MIT-Novo Nordisk Artificial Intelligence Postdoctoral Fellows Program will support up to 10 postdocs annually over five years.

NEET STUDENTS ABROAD
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Powering the future in Mongolia

Through coursework, intercollegiate collaboration, and a site visit, MIT students fuse engineering and anthropology to propose innovative energy solutions.

EXPERT ANALYSIS
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Q&A: Are far-reaching fires the new normal?

In response to the Canadian wildfires earlier this month, MIT experts weigh in on what to expect this summer, with wildfire season underway.

INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
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Researchers develop novel AI-based estimator for manufacturing medicine

A collaborative research team from the MIT-Takeda Program combined physics and machine learning to characterize rough particle surfaces in pharmaceutical pills and powders.

AWARDS & HONORS
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Paula Hammond wins faculty’s Killian Award for 2023-24

Institute Professor Paula Hammond, who is the head of MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering, was honored for her work designing polymers and nanomaterials with wide-ranging applications in medicine and energy.

 

ANTIBIOTICS RESEARCH
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Using AI, scientists find a drug that could combat drug-resistant infections

Using an artificial intelligence algorithm, researchers at MIT and McMaster University have identified a new antibiotic that can kill a type of bacteria that is responsible for many drug-resistant infections.

VISITING DIGNITARY
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President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea visits MIT

A campus summit with the leader and his delegation centered around dialogue on biotechnology and innovation ecosystems.

AI RESEARCH
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MIT-Pillar AI Collective announces first seed grant recipients

Six teams conducting research in AI, data science, and machine learning receive funding for projects that have potential commercial applications.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT
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Staff Spotlight: Malcolm Mayfield

Malcolm Mayfield, Facilities Administrator for the Office of Innovation (iHQ), was recognized by his colleagues for his expert emergency management skills and for continually going above and beyond in his responsibilities.