Institute Professor Emeritus Robert Solow, pathbreaking economist, dies at...
MIT Institute Professor Emeritus Robert M. Solow, a groundbreaking economist whose work on technology and economic growth profoundly influenced the field, and whose ethos of engaged teaching and...
View ArticleLeveraging language to understand machines
Natural language conveys ideas, actions, information, and intent through context and syntax; further, there are volumes of it contained in databases. This makes it an excellent source of data to train...
View ArticleBridging the gap between preschool policy, practice, and research
Preschool in the United States has grown dramatically in the past several decades. From 1970 to 2018, preschool enrollment increased from 38 percent to 64 percent of eligible students. Fourteen states...
View ArticleThis nonprofit is proving that creating good jobs is good business
There’s a widely held belief that in order for places like retail stores, restaurants, and fulfillment centers to be successful, they need to squeeze everything they can out of frontline workers and...
View ArticleSoaring high, in the Army and the lab
Starting off as a junior helicopter pilot, Lt. Col. Jill Rahon deployed to Afghanistan three times. During the last one, she was an air mission commander, the pilot who is designated to interface with...
View ArticleBlueprint Labs launches a charter school research collaborative
Over the past 30 years, charter schools have emerged as a prominent yet debated public school option. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 percent of U.S. public school students...
View ArticleHow the brain responds to reward is linked to socioeconomic background
MIT neuroscientists have found that the brain’s sensitivity to rewarding experiences — a critical factor in motivation and attention — can be shaped by socioeconomic conditions.In a study of 12 to...
View ArticleRowing in the right direction
For a college student, senior Tatum Wilhelm wakes up painfully early — at 5:15 a.m., to be exact. Five days per week, by 6:20 a.m. sharp, she is already rowing on the Charles River, bursting through...
View ArticleOpening the doorway to drawing
On the first Friday in November, the students of 21A.513 (Drawing Human Experience) were greeted by two unfamiliar figures: a bespectacled monkey holding a heart-shaped message (“I’m so glad you are...
View ArticleProjects investigating Swahili, global media win SHASS Humanities Awards
Two projects — the Global Mediations Lab led by Paul Roquet and the MIT Swahili Studies Initiative led by Per Urlaub— have won Humanities Awards from the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social...
View ArticleScene at MIT: Learning ikebana during IAP
Since 1988, Hiroko Matsuyama, a master instructor of the Ohara School of Ikebana, has worked with MIT students on the basics of the ancient art of Japanese flower arrangement. Through an Independent...
View ArticleHow to avoid a “winner’s curse” for social programs
Back in the 1980s, researchers tested a job-training program called JOBSTART in 13 U.S. cities. In 12 locations, the program had a minimal benefit. But in San Jose, California, results were good: After...
View ArticleMIT researchers map the energy transition’s effects on jobs
A new analysis by MIT researchers shows the places in the U.S. where jobs are most linked to fossil fuels. The research could help policymakers better identify and support areas affected over time by a...
View ArticleReflecting on COP28 — and humanity’s progress toward meeting global climate...
With 85,000 delegates, the 2023 United Nations climate change conference, known as COP28, was the largest U.N. climate conference in history. It was held at the end of the hottest year in recorded...
View ArticleIllustrating India’s complex environmental crises
Abhijit Banerjee, the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT, and Sarnath Banerjee (no relation), an MIT Center for Art, Science, and Technology (CAST) visiting artist share a...
View ArticleFor all humankind
Can a government promote morality? How much trust should people place in their government?Such fundamental questions of political philosophy and ethics intrigue Leela Fredlund, a senior majoring in...
View ArticleAnushree Chaudhuri: Involving local communities in renewable energy planning
Anushree Chaudhuri has a history of making bold decisions. In fifth grade, she biked across her home state of California with little prior experience. In her first year at MIT, she advocated for...
View ArticleAn MIT philosopher’s call for a civil discussion on gender and sex
MIT philosopher Alex Byrne knows that within his field, he’s very much in the minority when it comes to his views on sex and gender. “As an example, I have a particular answer to the question ‘What is...
View ArticleInvestigating and preserving Quechua
Soledad Chango, a native of Ecuador and a graduate student in MIT’s Indigenous Language Initiative, began preparations for her Quechua course with a clear idea about its purpose.“Our language matters,”...
View Article3 Questions: Shaping the future of work in an age of AI
The MIT Shaping the Future of Work Initiative, co-directed by MIT professors Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, and Simon Johnson, celebrated its official launch on Jan. 22. The new initiative’s mission is...
View Article