Author Archives: Meghan Harrington

Faces of MIT: Melissa Smith PhD ’12

Melissa Smith PhD ’12 is an associate leader in the Advanced Materials and Microsystems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Her team, which is embedded within…

For clean ammonia, MIT engineers propose going underground

Ammonia is the most widely produced chemical in the world today, used primarily as a source for nitrogen fertilizer. Its production is also a major source of greenhouse…

DMSE’s Robert Macfarlane receives Presidential Early Career Award

Robert Macfarlane, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), has won a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).The PECASE is…

Bladder cancer treatment device nears FDA approval

A bladder cancer treatment device developed in the lab of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s Professor Michael Cima is a step closer to becoming a viable…

Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact

The excitement surrounding potential benefits of generative AI, from improving worker productivity to advancing scientific research, is hard to ignore. While the explosive growth of…

New computational chemistry techniques accelerate the prediction of molecules and materials

Back in the old days — the really old days — the task of designing materials was laborious. Investigators, over the course of 1,000-plus years, tried to make…

At MIT, Clare Grey stresses battery development to electrify the planet

“How do we produce batteries at the cost that is suitable for mass adoption globally, and how do you do this to electrify the planet?” Clare Grey asked…

MIT engineers grow “high-rise” 3D chips

The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking…

Coffee fix: MIT students decode the science behind the perfect cup

Elaine Jutamulia took a sip of coffee with a few drops of anise extract. It was her second try.  “What do you think?” asked Omar Orozco, standing at a…

Ensuring a durable transition

To fend off the worst impacts of climate change, “we have to decarbonize, and do it even faster,” said William H. Green, director of the MIT Energy Initiative…