| Modeling Vision | | | | | | A surprising new study suggests a visual pathway in the brain that is critical for recognizing objects may not be exclusively optimized for that task. It could be more versatile than previously thought, the researchers say. |
| Using liquid air for grid-scale energy storage New research finds liquid air energy storage could be the lowest-cost option for ensuring a continuous power supply on a future grid dominated by carbon-free but intermittent sources of electricity. |  |
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| A faster way to solve complex planning problems By eliminating redundant computations, a new data-driven method can streamline processes like scheduling trains, routing delivery drivers, or assigning airline crews. |  |
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| MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a workhorse for national security The US Air Force and MIT renew their contract for operating the federally funded R&D center, a long-standing asset for defense innovation and prototyping. |  |
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| MIT entrepreneurs explain what founders need to know now Launching a venture? Here’s advice from MIT entrepreneurs-in-residence on navigating artificial intelligence, the economy, and uncertainty. |  |
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| A chemist who tinkers with molecules’ structures By changing how atoms in a molecule are arranged relative to each other, Associate Professor Alison Wendlandt aims to create compounds with new chemical properties. |  |
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| Bringing manufacturing back to America, one fab lab at a time A collaborative network of makerspaces has spread from MIT across the country, helping communities make their own products. |  |
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| MIT study finds AI doesn’t, in fact, have values // Tech Crunch Researchers at MIT have found that AI systems do not develop “value systems” over time. |
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| In Remembrance // The Boston Globe The Boston Globe remembers James Santoro ’23; Karenna Groff ’22, MEng ’23; her father, Michael Groff, an executive MBA student at MIT’s Sloan School of Management; and three others who passed away in a plane accident earlier this week. |
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| Nanofiltration to enhance aluminum recycling from wastewater // Materials World Magazine MIT researchers developed a material that can reduce the hazardous materials produced during aluminum manufacturing. |
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| Opinion: Don’t quit the long game // Science Professor Fiona Murray and Research Affiliate Stefan Raff-Heinen underscore the importance of federal investment in university research, noting that “without sustained federal support, the country risks losing its technological edge, threatening economic competitiveness and national security.” |
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| | | The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) encourages students to think critically about the world’s social and economic challenges and to pursue human understanding, with programs spanning from economics and political science to music and literature. In this video, Mary Fuller, professor of literature and chair of the MIT faculty, speaks with MIT alumnus Peter Godart ’15, SM ’19, PhD ’21 and current undergraduate Siddhu Pachipala about how SHASS fields open the doors of perception, for students and for all. |
| | | A rainbow to end the week: Senior aeronautics and astronautics student and amateur photographer Nigel Barnett snapped this lovely image following rains over Cambridge and Boston on Tuesday, April 15. 🌈 |
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