| Science of Gels | | | | | | Weak colloidal gels are found in everything from cosmetics to building materials. Researchers have now determined how these materials transform from solutions to gels and then glassy solids (pictured above), which may help uncover additional applications. |
| China’s transition to electric vehicles By 2030, 40 percent of vehicles sold in China will be electric; MIT research finds that despite benefits, the cost to consumers and to society will be substantial. |  |
|
| Five from MIT elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2021 The prestigious honor society announces more than 250 new members. |
|
| In Compton Lecture, Kwame Anthony Appiah analyzes foundations of racism |
|
The philosopher describes racism as a tool for social control and systemic oppression. |  |
|
| How to get salt out of water: Make it self-eject Crystallizing salts can grow “legs,” then tip over and fall away, potentially helping to prevent fouling of metal surfaces, researchers find. |  |
|
| Wonder woman Emily Calandrelli SM ’13 is the aerospace engineer behind Emily’s Wonder Lab, a TV show designed to get all kinds of kids excited about science. |  |
|
| They call it a "women’s disease." She wants to redefine it // The New York Times Professor Linda Griffith is on a mission to change the conversation about endometriosis “from one of women’s pain to one of biomarkers, genetics, and molecular networks.” |
|
| Social distancing indoors may provide “false sense of security” // The Washington Post |
Professors Martin Bazant and John Bush have developed a safety guideline to limit the risk of airborne Covid-19 transmission in different indoor settings. “For airborne transmission, social distancing in indoor spaces is not enough, and may provide a false sense of security,” says Bazant. “Efficient mask use is the most effective safety measure, followed by room ventilation, then filtration,” adds Bush. |
|
| Opinion: How to navigate the postpandemic office // The New York Times Senior lecturer Robert Pozen and Alexandra Samuel explore how to create a hybrid workplace. “There is no single right way to design a hybrid workplace,” they write. “But asking the right questions can help each team shape what we call the Goldilocks plan — with not too much or too little remote work.” |
|
| Rideshares are increasing traffic jams and making them longer, study finds // Gizmodo A new study by researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) finds that “not only do rideshares increase congestion, but they also made traffic jams longer, led to a significant decline in people taking public transit, and haven’t really impacted car ownership.” |
|
| | | This past week, anyone passing by the Green Building (Building 54) after dark could view a unique call to action: a climate clock developed by MIT D-Lab featuring information about the state of our planet, and the pathway to saving it. Included on the display was a deadline, the time we have left to take decisive action to limit global average temperature increase to 1.5° C, one of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. “I am graduating in less than two months, after four years at MIT. Yet this is the best thing I have ever done at MIT,” says senior Jenning Chen, a project participant. |
| | | Since classes can’t come to the reading room these days, MIT Libraries are bringing the reading room to the class. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at what it looks like for reference staff in Distinctive Collections supporting the class 21H.343 (Making Books in the Renaissance and Today) via hover cams and Zoom. “Our class sessions allow for engagement with the books as physical items and not just their intellectual content,” says Reference Associate Mattie Clear. |
| Farewell to an Aerospace Legend | | |
| | | Astronaut Michael Collins, a veteran of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission along with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ScD ’63, died this week at age 90. Collins visited MIT several times in recent years, including in 2014 for the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ 100th anniversary, and the following year, when he spoke about his experiences with the first moon landing and about the future of space exploration. “I think NASA should be renamed NAMA,” he said. “They ought to make [Mars] their one overriding goal and destination.” Ad astra per aspera. ✨ |
|
