News & Stories

How architecture influences political activity

Could the precise architectural form of your residence influence how much you participate in politics? A new study by MIT scholars finds this to be exactly the case — at least in Accra, Ghana, where many people live in semi-communal structures known as “compound houses,” often sharing kitchens, bathrooms, and common living-room spaces, while having private […]

From technical solution to systems change: Tackling the problem of plastic waste

When Akorfa Dagadu arrived at MIT, she had a solution in mind: a mobile app to improve recycling and environmental engagement in her home country of Ghana. The project, called Ishara, aimed to make it easier for people to participate in local recycling systems while creating economic opportunities. “I grew up in what people often […]

Akorfa Dagadu named 2027 Schwarzman Scholar

MIT undergraduate Akorfa Dagadu has been named a Schwarzman Scholar and will join the program’s Class of 2026-27 scholars from 40 countries and 83 universities. This year’s 150 Schwarzman Scholars were selected for their leadership potential from a pool of over 5,800 applicants, the highest number in the Schwarzman Scholarship’s 11-year history. Schwarzman Scholars pursue […]

Quantum modeling for breakthroughs in materials science and sustainable energy

Ernest Opoku knew he wanted to become a scientist when he was a little boy. But his school in Dadease, a small town in Ghana, offered no elective science courses — so Opoku created one for himself. Even though they had neither a dedicated science classroom nor a lab, Opoku convinced his principal to bring […]

MIT D-Lab spinout provides emergency transportation during childbirth

Amama has lived in a rural region of northern Ghana all her life. In 2022, she went into labor with her first child. Women traditionally give birth at home with the help of a local birthing attendant, but Amama experienced last-minute complications, and the decision was made to go to a hospital. Unfortunately, there were […]

Screening of “Brief Tender Light” at MIT Museum

Brief Tender Light, a new documentary from Ghanaian filmmaker and MIT alumnus Arthur Musah that follows four African undergraduates through MIT will be screened at the MIT Museum on March 20 at 6 -8pm. A Q&A with the filmmaker and one of the film’s stars, Philip Abel Adama, will follow the screening. This free event […]

Baran Mensah: Savoring college life in a new country

MIT senior Baran Mensah recalls taking apart his toys as a child, curious to see how every piece worked. When his mother explained to him what an engineer was, he knew that’s what he wanted to be. Mensah wasn’t particularly familiar with the culture of MIT while growing up in Ghana. But for the last […]

Building technology that empowers city residents

Kwesi Afrifa came to MIT from his hometown of Accra, Ghana, in 2020 to pursue an interdisciplinary major in urban planning and computer science. Growing up amid the many moving parts of a large, densely populated city, he had often observed aspects of urban life that could be made more efficient. He decided to apply […]

Government’s invisible hand in developing countries

In the countryside of northern Ghana, there is not much evidence of government in action. There are few paved roads, state buildings, or law enforcement officials. It is easy to think the state lacks the resources to control much of anything in such places. “In the rural periphery of the developing world, we tend to […]

Frequent encounters build familiarity

Do better spatial networks make for better neighbors? There is evidence that they do, according to Paige Bollen, a sixth-year political science graduate student at MIT. The networks Bollen works with are not virtual but physical, part of the built environment in which we are all embedded. Her research on urban spaces suggests that the […]