News & Stories

Bridging the information gap in solar energy

Just 30 seconds into their walk to the town center of Kitale, in Kenya, where they would later conduct a focus group about locally available solar energy options, Elise Harrington and her research partner came across a vendor selling a counterfeit solar lantern. Because they had been studying these very products, they knew immediately it […]

The intersection of technology and war

Pursuing big questions is part of the MIT ethos, says Fiona Cunningham PhD ’19. “Walking through the Infinite Corridor, you can see what people are doing in this space. There is such dedication across the Institute to solving big problems. There is dedication to doing the best work, without hubris, and often without a break. […]

Lowering emissions without breaking the bank

India’s economy is booming, driving up electric power consumption to unprecedented levels. The nation’s installed electricity capacity, which increased fivefold in the past three decades, is expected to triple over the next 20 years. At the same time, India has committed to limiting its carbon dioxide emissions growth; its Paris Agreement climate pledge is to […]

Health effects of China’s climate policy extend across Pacific

Improved air quality can be a major bonus of climate mitigation policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By cutting air pollution levels in the country where emissions are produced, such policies can avoid significant numbers of premature deaths. But other nations downwind from the host country may also benefit. A new MIT study in […]

Cornerstone donation sparks bright future for MISTI MIT-Israel program

In the first major step toward solidifying a future for the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) MIT-Israel program, Arthur J. Samberg ’62 has made a $1 million donation. This extraordinary gift is a foundational move in making sure the program — a critical bridge between MIT and Israel for over a decade — will […]

The (evolving) art of war

In 1969, the Soviet Union moved troops and military equipment to its border with China, escalating tensions between the communist Cold War powers. In response, China created a new military strategy of “active defense” to repel an invading force near the border. There was just one catch: China did not actually implement its new strategy […]

Commerce and coercion

Growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, Kacie Miura says she felt removed from issues roiling the mainland U.S. and the rest of the world. “We were insulated in our own bubble and I wasn’t that interested in domestic or international politics,” says the fifth-year doctoral candidate. But while serving a two-year Peace Corps […]

MIT receives $30 million to help address energy challenges in Egypt

MIT is the recipient of a $30 million award from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced this week at a two-day ceremony in Cairo. The award will support MIT over the next five years in developing a Center of Excellence in Energy at Ain Shams University, Mansoura University, and Aswan University, in Egypt. […]

Combining artificial intelligence with their passions

Computational thinking will be the mark of an MIT education when the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing opens this fall, and glimpses of what’s to come were on display during the final reception of a three-day celebration of the college Feb. 26-28. In a tent filled with electronic screens, students and postdocs took turns explaining […]

In China, a link between happiness and air quality

For many years, China has been struggling to tackle high pollution levels that are crippling its major cities. Indeed, a recent study by researchers at Chinese Hong Kong University has found that air pollution in the country causes an average of 1.1 million premature deaths each year and costs its economy $38 billion. Now researchers […]