School of Engineering second quarter 2018 awards

Faculty members recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the last quarter.

First class excels in “hybrid” master’s program

Experimental degree combining online MicroMasters and residential learning sees great success.

3Q: Julie Newman on MIT’s pioneering solar purchase

MIT’s sustainability director describes how 2016 effort has inspired Boston and other cities.

Rebecca Masterson appointed AeroAstro principal research scientist

Mechanical engineer and instrument scientist on NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is the first female principal research scientist in the department's history.

Taylor Perron named EAPS associate department head

Expert in landscape evolution will build upon the work of outgoing associate department head Tim Grove, supporting the EAPS education mission.

Kristala Prather: Advancing energy-efficient biochemistry

Associate professor of chemical engineering talks about the future of biochemistry and the next generation of scientists and engineers.

MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab collaborated with Swiss designer Christoph Guberan on a collection of 4D-printed “functional inflatable lamps, vases, and vessels,” which are now for sale at a New York gallery. “Rather than setting out to create a preconceived set of products, the resulting works were organically formed as an extension of the research process itself,” writes Aileen Kwun for Fast Company.

MIT graduate student Jonny Sun has illustrated a new book by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The book, “Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me & You,” is a collection of “short, uplifting poems that [Miranda] regularly posts on social media early and late in the day,” writes Kevin Slane for Boston.com.

Gigi Levy Weiss writes for Forbes about the importance of social change in tech education. Highlighting MEET (Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow), an MIT-supported non-profit that connects and empowers Palestinian and Israeli students, Weiss notes that alumni of the program “have gone on to study, work and lead in the global tech industry, as well as in NGOs and government roles.”

Sound waves reveal diamond cache deep in Earth’s interior

Study finds 1–2 percent of Earth’s oldest mantle rocks are made from diamond.

A solution for urban storm flooding

Engineered green spaces can capture and purify stormwater while delivering ecosystem and recreational benefits, MIT researchers report.

New study again proves Einstein right

Most thorough test to date finds no Lorentz violation in high-energy neutrinos.

A new way to measure women’s and girls’ empowerment in impact evaluations

Guide developed by J-PAL aims to improve women’s and girls’ empowerment worldwide and reduce bias and other gender-based inequalities.