Author Archives: jason
DMSE senior turns fish scales into biodegradable plastic
Sometimes the answers to seemingly intractable environmental problems are found in nature itself. Take the growing challenge of plastic waste. Jacqueline Prawira, a senior in the Department of Materials…
New approach could be key to faster, more energy-efficient computing and communications
The future of digital computing and communications will involve both electronics—manipulating data with electricity—and photonics, or doing the same with light. Together the two could allow exponentially more…
New system dramatically speeds the search for polymer materials
Scientists often seek new materials derived from polymers. Rather than starting a polymer search from scratch, they save time and money by blending existing polymers to achieve desired…
WISDOM project to give machines humanlike vision
The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) has launched WISDOM, a new research group developing advanced 3D-sensing technologies for use in industries from automotive to health care.
Solid-state batteries still face hurdles but the prize is huge for EVs
Professor Emeritus Donald Sadoway speaks with Forbes reporter Neil Winton about the development of solid-state batteries and the future of electric vehicles. “Yes, in 2035 the U.S. the automobile market…
The 2025 Tech Power Players in the energy sector
The Boston Globe has named Professor Yet-Ming Chiang a 2025 Tech Power Player in the energy sector—his third time on the list. A pioneer in advanced materials for…
How science communication can step up amid federal cuts
Felice Frankel, a science photographer and visual science communication specialist in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, speaks with Science Friday host Flora Lichtman about how science communicators can…
A guide to navigating AI chemistry hype
Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli, associate professor in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, weighs in on the hype surrounding AI tools in chemistry. In an interview with Chemical &…
Prolific MIT materials professor develops a clean power source for airplanes made from … table salt?
Professor Yet-Ming Chiang of MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and his colleagues have developed a sodium-air fuel cell that “packs three to four times more energy…
Breakerspace image contest showcases creativity, perseverance
The Breakerspace transformed into an art gallery on March 12, with six easels arranged in an arc to showcase arresting images—black-and-white scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of crumpled…