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October 7, 2023
Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
 
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New Nobel Laureate
Collage of three images: Left: Moungi Bawendi stands at the front of a classroom facing several rows of MIT students. Right: Moungi Bawendi sits on a sofa in his living room, looking at laptop in front of him on a coffee table and speaking into a cell phone. His wife, Rachel Zimmerman, sits in the background taking his photo on her cellphone. Bottom: Portrait of Moungi Bawendi with blurry trees in background.
    
On Wednesday, Moungi Bawendi, the Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry at MIT, won a share of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on quantum dots. “The atmosphere at MIT is really what allowed me to explore other fields of science, which has been key to the advances I’ve been able to make,” Bawendi said following the announcement.
Top Headlines
Photos: Moungi Bawendi’s first day as a Nobel laureate
A look at how the MIT professor spent his day after learning he had won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
MIT Heat Island
New tools are available to help reduce the energy that AI models devour
Amid the race to make AI bigger and better, Lincoln Laboratory is developing ways to reduce power, train efficiently, and make energy use transparent.
MIT Heat Island
A reciprocal relationship with the land in Hawaiʻi
Through community-based research with organizations that work to “hoʻomomona hou i ka ʻāina,” or “restore that which feeds back to abundance,” PhD student Aja Grande has embarked on a healing journey of her own.
MIT Heat Island
Why learning to say no is a most important lesson
“Seek opportunities that are right for you,” says recent Legatum Foundry Fellow Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro.
MIT Heat Island
One scientist’s journey from the Middle East to MIT
Through his leadership and vision, McGovern Institute postdoc Ubadah Sabbagh aims to improve the scientific process in the US and abroad.
MIT Heat Island
#ThisisMIT
Moungi Bawendi holds a bottle of champagne as crowd cheers and claps. Text via @DanedeQuilettes: Congrats Moungi! I know that the Nobel Prize doesn’t factor in teaching and mentorship, but he is someone that does it all. So many of us have benefited from his thoughtful skepticism, creative problem solving, and guidance throughout the years. Cheers!
In the Media
Trio wins Nobel Prize in chemistry for work on quantum dots, used in electronics and medical imaging // Associated Press
Professor Moungi Bawendi was selected as one of three recipients of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the discovery and development of quantum dots.
Scientists say they’ve found the secret to cheap desalination // The Hill
MIT researchers developed a solar-powered desalination device that “could last several years and generate water at a rate and price that is less expensive than tap water.”
Evelyn Fox Keller, who turned a feminist lens on science, dies at 87 // The New York Times
Professor Emerita Evelyn Fox Keller, who was known for her work as a “theoretical physicist, a mathematical biologist and, beginning in the late 1970s, a feminist theorist who explored the way gender pervades and distorts scientific inquiry,” has died.
Cambridge Science Festival features pop-up #IfThenSheCan exhibit // WBZ News Radio
The #IfThenSheCan Exhibit at this year’s Cambridge Science Festival featured 30 3D-printed orange statues of women in science, technology, engineering, and math, six of whom are MIT affiliates.
Did You Know?
“M-I-T” logo with the “I” appearing inside a dreamcatcher, which includes a weblike weaving inside a hoop with four feathers hanging off
To mark Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 9, we spotlight MIT AISES, the Institute’s chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. Open to all Institute affiliates, MIT AISES aims to preserve and promote Indigenous culture, advocate for native rights and causes, and offer support to Indigenous MIT community members. In addition to organizing campus events, members of the organization participate in the annual AISES National Conference, which this year takes place in Spokane, Washington Oct. 19-21.
Listen
Microphone graphic in circle emblem has text “Sloanies Talking with Sloanies” above it. The MIT Sloan logo is at bottom.
In a recent episode of the Sloanies Talking with Sloanies podcast from the MIT Sloan School of Management, host Christopher Reichert SM ’04 speaks with Shawna Young MBA ’15. They discuss how an early interest in science led Young to opportunities in high school teaching, nonprofits, and MIT, which set her on a path toward improving access to advanced learning opportunities for children of color. They also discuss Young’s time at MIT Sloan, and the challenges of navigating parenting while furthering her career.
Listen to the episode
“
It’s a cauldron of innovation at all levels of science.
—Professor Moungi Bawendi, faculty member in the Department of Chemistry since 1990, speaking of MIT during his Nobel Prize press conference
This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by the joys of getting up early to watch Nobel news. 🐶

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