Spotlights: Education
MIT News Office: Fuel for thought
March 5, 2012. Economist Christopher Knittel uncovers surprising facts about the cars we drive — and about the price of gas.
Scenes from undergraduate energy research
February 1, 2012. In 2011, the MIT Energy Initiative provided support to 29 undergraduate research projects, ranging from the physics of carbon dioxide migration and trapping to energy-harvesting textiles to maximizing the reversibility of lithium batteries.
Seminar challenges with systems approach to climate change
January 19, 2012. In the fall of 2010, Leah Stokes walked into Energy Systems and Climate Change Mitigation (ESD.124) on the first day the graduate seminar was offered. “The class seemed perfect for me,” says this Ph.D. student in Environmental Policy and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, “so I had to take it. I ended up loving it.” While no novice to the complex questions involved in transforming a carbon-centric world, Stokes, a 2010-2011 Siemens Energy Fellow, credits ESD.124 instructor Jessika Trancik, Assistant Professor of Engineering Systems, with “getting me thinking in a different way.”
Christopher R. Knittel named first energy faculty chair at MIT
January 5, 2012. Looking to expand MIT’s institutional capacity in key areas of energy research and education, the MIT Energy Initiative has initiated a program to create several endowed faculty chairs across the Institute. The first new chair has been filled by Christopher R. Knittel, who was named the William Barton Rogers Professor of Energy Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the spring.
Energy Education Task Force marks five-year surge in energy focused offerings
December 3, 2011. In just five years, the MIT Energy Initiative's (MITEI's) Energy Education Task Force has helped raise nearly $9 million for curriculum development, supported an explosion of energy- focused student research on campus, and - most significantly - launched the undergraduate Energy Studies Minor.
PROFILE: Kesavan Yogeswaran Harnessing power electronics to green energy 
November 16, 2011. By recent graduate Kesavan Yogeswaran's reckoning, serendipity played a key role in shaping his academic path. As a high school student, for instance, Yogeswaran had his "heart set on Stanford" but a campus preview weekend at MIT featuring Ultimate Frisbee -- one of his passions-- convinced him that the "culture felt like home." He was also taken with MIT's undergraduate research opportunities, as well as its "top-notch engineering and physics programs."
Undergraduate Energy Ingenuity: Energy poster session showcases diverse energy projects
November 1, 2011. The MIT Energy Initiative and the MIT Energy Club collaborated on an October event to showcase undergraduate student research in energy. Participating students (from freshmen to seniors) came from across MIT's departments to present their projects. They included UROPs, internship projects, class projects and independent research.
New Members of the Society of Energy Fellows
October 27, 2011. In 2011, the Society has grown to nearly 200 members representing 20 departments and spanning all five schools. Many are engaged in traditional energy fields in engineering and science; others are pursuing studies in energy economics and business, energy policy and politics, and the energy implications of urban planning and architecture.
Undergraduate Energy Research: Fueled by Team Approach
Last spring, while in the thick of problem sets and finals, Nicholas Dou '12 began gearing up for a summer of challenging research in one of MIT's innovative energy laboratories. For Dou, whose project involved testing improvements for condensers used in solar collectors, the experience proved both immersive and rewarding. Posted 30 August 2011
Alumni Energy Ambassadors Promote Energy Interest
Alumni energy ambassadors promote energy interest Under the leadership of energy ambassador Doug Spreng '65, a member of the MIT Alumni Association's Energy, Environment, and Sustainability Working Group, five other alumni energy ambassadors have been named to carry out energy, environment, and sustainability events and programs focusing on a range of compelling energy topics. Posted 04 May 2011
Energy careers are broad and booming, panelists tell MIT students and grads
Rebuilding America’s electricity grid for use with renewable energy sources, developing clean technologies and working in fast-growing energy markets abroad are just a few of the energy-related career opportunities awaiting this year’s MIT graduates, five professionals said during “Exploring Careers in Energy” on Feb. 3. Posted 31 March 2011
Diana Chien: Putting tiny microbes to work for energy and the environment
Currently working with Martin F. Polz, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Shell-MIT Energy Fellow Diana Chien investigates the bacterial genus Vibrio, which includes strains of environmentally beneficial marine microorganisms and other less friendly types. The work, which seeks to pinpoint environmental and evolutionary factors that determine characteristics of different strains, grew out of Chien’s interest in the field after she worked on an earlier project that looked at how tiny ocean phytoplankton respond to and possibly ameliorate global climate change. Posted 23 February 2011
Introducing Martina Coccia, Eni-MIT Energy Fellow
Martina Coccia is one of 52 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2010-2011. Sponsored by MITEI founding member Eni S.p.A., Coccia is using her experience in modeling and simulating geological systems to explore how underground formations could be tapped for geothermal heat and other energy-related applications. Posted 20 September 2010
MITEI Energy UROP program continues to grow (pdf)
MITEI UROP funding is provided by private donors and by members of the MIT Energy Initiative, including Founding Member BP and individual Affiliate Members with a particular interest in supporting undergraduate research. This summer, 23 undergraduate researchers worked on projects that included biofuel production, wind energy measurement, development of solar powered devices, investigation into geothermal energy, and more. Posted 19 August 2010
New design-build class weaves nature into rural Cambodian school
As part of a sustainable design class, a team of MIT students traveled to Cambodia to test some of the innovative ideas they had developed in the classroom. Posted 29 July 2010
Introducing D. Kwabena Bediako, Saudi Aramco-MIT Energy Fellow
D. Kwabena Bediako is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2009-2010. Sponsored by MITEI sustaining member Saudi Aramco, Bediako is working to exploit a little-understood chemical transformation to enable solar energy to be stored until it’s needed. Posted 30 June 2010
Luce postdoctoral fellows report on their MIT research
In separate seminars, Carolyn Seto and Bonna Newman, Clare Boothe Luce Postdoctoral Fellows in Energy, described their research on advances in monitoring underground carbon dioxide and on developing higher-efficiency solar cells. Posted 17 June 2010
Introducing Sreeja Nag, Total-MIT Energy Fellow
Sreeja Nag is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2009-10. A first-year graduate student in the MIT Technology and Policy Program (TPP), Nag is working to conserve energy on the ground and in outer space. She is sponsored by MITEI sustaining member Total, a leading gas and oil company. Posted 16 March 2010
Introducing Saaransh Gulati, EDF-MIT Energy Fellow
Saaransh Gulati is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2009-2010. Sponsored by MITEI associate member the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Gulati is working on a computational fluid dynamics model to predict and improve conditions within nuclear reactors. Posted 4 February 2010
Introducing Geoffrey J. Supran, Eni-MIT Energy Fellow
Geoffrey J. Supran is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2009-2010. Sponsored by MITEI founding member Eni, Supran is working to develop quantum dot light-emitting diodes, a technology that could slash the energy consumption and cost of solid-state lighting. Posted 10 December 2009
Introducing Kawika Pierson, BP-MIT Energy Fellow
Pierson is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies in 2009-2010. Sponsored by MITEI founding member BP, Pierson is using system dynamics to analyze the airline industry’s profit cycles. His analysis suggests that the price of jet fuel may not be the culprit behind the industry’s economic woes. Posted 27 October 2009
Introducing Karen Welling, Siemens-MIT Energy Fellow
Welling is one of 47 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by MITEI sustaining member Siemens, Welling is working to understand resource consumption in the built environment and in urban communities. Posted 1 October 2009
Announcing the new Energy Studies Minor for MIT undergraduates
Starting this fall, undergraduate students in any major at MIT can also pursue an integrative minor in Energy Studies. Posted 28 August 2009
MIT undergrads spend summer immersed in energy (pdf)
This summer, 16 undergraduate researchers were supported by MITEI members and donors to work on energy-related projects. Activities included developing organic materials for solar cells, modeling the performance of MIT’s battery electric vehicle, estimating cost curves for new natural gas sources, and more. Posted 19 August 2009
Introducing Todd Ferguson, Enel-MIT Energy Fellow
Ferguson is one of 40 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by MITEI sustaining member Enel Produzione SpA, Ferguson is creating a computer model for lithium batteries that, he hopes, will point to new ways to modify battery technology, design, and materials. Posted 17 June 2009
Introducing Tea Zakula, b_TEC-MIT Energy Fellow
Zakula is one of 40 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by b_TEC, a sustaining member, Zakula is working to make cooling in buildings more efficient by combining radiant cooling, thermal energy storage, and highly calibrated controls to run the system. Posted 10 June 2009
MIT summer courses for energy professionals
This summer, MIT Short Programs is offering ten courses relating to energy and transportation—more offerings than in any other category. Topics include solar energy, biofuels from biomass, carbon sequestration, transportation networks, design of motors and generators, and more. Posted 3 June 2009
MIT student project wins coveted EPA award
MIT students working to bring affordable, eco-friendly energy to off-the-grid areas of the world have received one of six Environmental Protection Agency grants for programs that protect the environment and are economically sustainable. Posted 22 May 2009
Welcome to MIT Earth Week 2009
This year’s MIT Earth Week—held April 21 through April 24—includes a major address by James McCarthy, chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); an Earth Day Fair; the EcoExpo/Sustainability Summit Poster Session; the MIT Sustainability Summit; and a showing of the film “Our Daily Bread.” Posted 21 April 2009
Introducing Mar Reguant-Rido, ABB-MIT Energy Fellow
Reguant-Rido is one of 40 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by ABB Research Ltd., a sustaining member, Reguant-Rido is working to develop economic models that predict the effects of factors such as international competition, costs, and plant capacity on energy-intensive industries with the goal of reducing carbon emissions. Posted 9 April 2009
Energy opportunities seen amid crisis
Speakers at MIT's fourth annual student-led Energy Conference on Saturday, March 7, emphasized the historic opportunity now open to proponents of clean energy: a global economic crisis that can be directly addressed by sweeping changes to the way we produce and use energy. Posted 12 March 2009
Introducing Andrej Lenert, Ormat-MIT Energy Fellow
Lenert is one of 40 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by Ormat Technologies Inc. of Reno, Nevada, an associate member, Lenert is working to improve methods of solar thermal power generation. Posted 26 February 2009
Introducing Yulia M. Agramakova, Chevron-MIT Energy Fellow
Agramakova is one of 39 MIT Energy Fellows supported by MITEI's member companies. Sponsored by Chevron USA, an MITEI sustaining member, Agramakova is interested in combining existing techniques and methods to develop energy-efficient ways to tap into groundwater in regions where water is scarce. Posted 12 February 2009
Going green saves MIT green
MIT students, faculty, and staff are working hard to put improvements in energy efficiency into practice on their campus. Those efforts are the focus of Energy Futures Week, an annual set of events coordinated by the MIT Energy Initiative to educate, inspire, and engage the MIT community in all things energy. Posted 22 January 2009
The nitty-gritty of energy
College courses focused on energy have been proliferating in recentyears, at MIT and elsewhere. But one new class here approaches the subject in a very different way. Posted 11 December 2008
Energy Night 2008: MIT Museum glows with promise of future energy
More than 1,200 people showed up to learn about the latest developments, and the most promising new research efforts, in creating new energy technologies and improving the established ones. Posted 25 November 2008
Introducing Andrew Horning, BP-MIT Energy Fellow
Andrew Horning is one of 39 MIT Energy Fellows now being supported by MITEI’s member companies. Sponsored by BP, an MITEI founding member, Horning is interested in “understanding how we might harness solar energy or design devices that make energy the way plants do.” Posted 23 October 2008
MITEI holds inaugural MIT Energy Fellows Symposium
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla's "black swan" energy startup philosophy, the future of energy alternatives, and the risks of uncurbed global climate change were among the topics discussed at the September 22 symposium. Posted 14 October 2008
MITEI launches Society of Energy Fellows at MIT
In late August, the MIT Energy Initiative announced the first class of MIT Energy Fellows. Sponsored by the industry partners in the Initiative, these 39 graduate students are the inaugural members of the Society of Energy Fellows at MIT, an organization within MITEI established to foster a network of students dedicated to meeting the world's future energy needs. Posted 2 October 2008
Introducing Bonnie Lam, Eni-MIT Energy Fellow
Bonnie Lam arrived at MIT in September along with 38 other MIT Energy Fellows-graduate students supported by MITEI's member companies. With support from Eni, an Italian energy company and MITEI founding member, Lam will be collaborating with MIT's Sub-Threshold Circuits Group in efforts to reduce the energy consumed by computers and other electronic devices. Posted 27 August 2008
MIT students create low-cost solar cooker/heater
SolSource Tibet, a team of students from MIT and Qinghai Normal University in Tibet's Amdo region, has created this lightweight, low-cost solar cooker and heater. The device could have an incredible impact on a huge population of rural Tibetans and communities in the Himalayan region. Posted 25 July 2008
New MIT Energy Club co-presidents:
Making a difference, starting now
Amy Fazen and Lara Pierpoint, the recently appointed co-presidents of the MIT Energy Club, are on a mission to reach out and touch students, young women scientists, alumni, and others who want to do something about the energy crisis and climate change. Posted 26 June 2008
MIT prototype solar dish passes first tests
A team led by MIT students has just completed and successfully tested a prototype of what may be the most cost-efficient solar power system in the world &mdash one they think has the potential to revolutionize energy production in both industrialized and developing countries around the world. Posted 19 June 2008
Harnessing sunlight on the cheap
A team of MIT students has spent the last few months assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system built from simple, inexpensive materials. Posted 27 May 2008
MIT's advanced all-electric Porsche
Using high-tech batteries, technical know-how, and lots of persistence, MIT students have converted a Porsche 914 into an electric vehicle. Posted 9 April 2008
MITEI presents Energy Education Blitz
MIT professors gave a crash course on upcoming spring classes across MIT departments. Topics ranged from energy conversion and building technology to climate change, sustainable business, and the philosophical history of energy. Posted 31 January 2008
Pedal-powered laptop
MIT students have come up with a way to recharge your laptop without plugging it in. In a class project, they designed and built an exercise bicycle that uses “pedaling power” to charge a laptop computer. Posted 19 September 2007
Kabcenell Foundation awards MITEI $1 million for new curricula
A $1 million gift from the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation is giving the MIT Energy Initiative's Energy Education Task Force a big boost in its ability to develop new curricula and strengthen existing programs. Posted 13 July 2007
The winds of change: MIT aims sky-high to reduce emissions
A 12-foot diameter wind turbine on MIT's 29-story Eastgate tower would help make a dent in MIT's electric bill, offset CO2 emissions and serve as an educational resource for future student projects related to energy and wind. A team of undergraduates provides the lowdown on aiming for energy up high. Posted 11 June 2007
Fresh air: MIT campus education campaign pays off
Scientific equipment called fume hoods—widely used in industry, hospitals and universities—are big energy users. An MIT student's review of fume hood use in one building led to a laboratory education campaign resulting in significant savings and a chance to improve MIT's energy and carbon footprint. Posted 23 May 2007
