http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/ Headlines from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology News Office. en-us http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www/mitlogo-rss.jpg http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/ 88 31 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/thermo-0724.html MIT's cogeneration plant, which provides most of the electricity, heat and air conditioning for the campus, could get even more efficient if a team of students' project to harness surplus heat works as expected. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/thermo-0724.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gloucester-0724.html MIT staff members have been working with middle-school students in Gloucester this summer to raise their interest in science and engineering as part of a program that could be implemented in communities across the country. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gloucester-0724.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/robo-censor-0723.html A team of MIT researchers has developed a computer program capable of automatically deleting details from medical records that may identify patients, while leaving important medical information intact. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/robo-censor-0723.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bio-portugal-0723.html Researchers and students from the MIT Portugal Program hope a new biotechnology they developed will help treat patients with medical complications from abnormal protein breakdown. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bio-portugal-0723.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-southafrica-0722.html Ten graduate students from MIT recently spent three weeks in Durban, South Africa, working on a project to develop an online tool that could help municipal governments around the world adapt to a changing climate. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-southafrica-0722.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-chittick-0722.html Charles Yardley Chittick '22, who was honored this past June as the oldest MIT alumnus, died on Friday, July 18. He was 107. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-chittick-0722.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/spine-0721.html A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for spinal-cord injuries. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/spine-0721.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mutation-0721.html MIT biological engineers have developed a new imaging system that allows them to see cells that have undergone a specific mutation. The work could help scientists understand how precancerous mutations arise. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mutation-0721.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/scratch-0721.html This week, users of MIT's easy-to-learn Scratch programming language are gathering for a conference on campus to discuss the software and its uses. Designed at the MIT Media Lab, the program lets anyone create and share video games and animated stories. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/scratch-0721.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/super-conduct-0718.html MIT physicists believe they have identified a mysterious state of matter that has been linked to the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity. This state may not be a precursor to superconductivity, as has been theorized, but a competing state. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/super-conduct-0718.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/inl-mit-0717.html Under a research partnership between the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility at Idaho National Laboratory and MIT, a Colorado School of Mines nuclear materials irradiation experiment will be the first test conducted in the MIT Reactor. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/inl-mit-0717.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/touch-0717.html A team of scientists from MIT, Harvard and McGill has designed a new illusion involving the sense of touch, which is helping to glean new insights into perception and how different senses--such as touch and sight--work together. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/touch-0717.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rationing-0717.html In an effort to assess health-care organizations' cost-cutting techniques, MIT urban economist Frank Levy will study the effects of different initiatives to restrict non-necessary medical-imaging procedures on the costs and quality of care. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rationing-0717.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/dsl-0716.html Costantino "Chris" Colombo, dean of student affairs at Columbia University's two undergraduate schools since 1998, has been named MIT's dean for student life, effective Aug. 18. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/dsl-0716.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cooke-0716.html A recent MIT graduate who enrolled in the Institute at the age of 16 will complete a joint MBA and law program on full scholarship as a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke award. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cooke-0716.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/i-shoe-0716.html Your grandmother might have little in common with an astronaut, but both could benefit from a new device an MIT graduate student is designing to test balancing ability. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/i-shoe-0716.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fulbright-0715.html Four recent MIT graduates and a current PhD student have been awarded Fulbright scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year. Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement and leadership potential in their fields. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fulbright-0715.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/missing-link-0715.html Neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory found that a previously unsuspected set of genes links nature and nurture during a crucial period of brain development. The results could lead to treatments for autism and other disorders. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/missing-link-0715.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/powerhouse-0711.html An international team of researchers, led by a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, has created the most comprehensive "parts list" to date for mitochondria, a compendium that includes nearly 1,100 proteins. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/powerhouse-0711.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/climate-path-0711.html Long-term climate change policy in the United States and abroad is likely to change very slowly, warns an MIT professor who says the lack of future flexibility argues for stronger short-term goals to reduce carbon emissions. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/climate-path-0711.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/idds-adv-0710.html About 60 people from 20 nations will descend on the MIT campus next week to begin an intensive month-long process of creating technological solutions for the needs of people in the world's developing nations. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/idds-adv-0710.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solarcells-0710.html Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy—at the edges of solar panels—that could allow just that. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solarcells-0710.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-darbeloff-0709.html Alexander Vladimir d'Arbeloff '49, a visionary entrepreneur who co-founded Teradyne before becoming chairman of the MIT Corporation, died peacefully on July 8. Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-darbeloff-0709.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/inl-mit-0708.html The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility, centered at Idaho National Laboratory, and the MIT Reactor have announced a partnership designed to increase user access to national reactor irradiation and testing capability. Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/inl-mit-0708.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/drink-memory-0708.html A dietary cocktail that includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid can improve memory and learning in gerbils, according to the latest study from MIT researchers that points to a possible beverage-based treatment for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/drink-memory-0708.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanochips-0708.html MIT researchers have achieved a significant advance in nanoscale lithographic technology, used in the manufacture of computer chips and electronic devices, to make finer patterns of lines over larger areas than have been possible with other methods. Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanochips-0708.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/voyager-0707.html The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have now traveled beyond the edge of the sun's outflow of particles and radiation. Some of the data that reveals this boundary region comes from a set of magnetic field sensors developed and built at MIT back in the 1970s. Mon, 7 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/voyager-0707.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/arch-sass-0703.html Larry Sass, assistant professor of computation in the MIT Department of Architecture, is one of five architects featured in a major show this summer at the Museum of Modern Art titled "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling." Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/arch-sass-0703.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-insulation-0701.html Around the world, an estimated one billion people--mostly in rural villages and the shanty towns surrounding developing-world cities--live in houses whose roofs are nothing more than thin sheets of corrugated metal. Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-insulation-0701.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lhc-0701.html Nearly 20 years in the making, the largest particle accelerator in the world will start running in Switzerland this summer, offering scientists a glimpse of particles that have never been seen before. Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lhc-0701.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stem-cells-0701.html Cells from mice created using genetically reprogrammed cells can be triggered via drug administration to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state without the need for further direct genetic manipulation. Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stem-cells-0701.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/liskov-0630.html Barbara H. Liskov, the Associate Provost for Faculty Equity and Ford Professor of Engineering, has been named an Institute Professor, the highest honor awarded by MIT's faculty and administration. Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/liskov-0630.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/protein-binding-0630.html MIT researchers have developed a novel technique to measure the strength of the bonds between two protein molecules important in cell machinery: Gently tugging them apart with light beams. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/protein-binding-0630.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cancer-symp-0630.html Speakers from MIT and other institutions described the promise of nanotechnology to help diagnose, treat and monitor cancer at the annual symposium hosted by the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT on Friday, June 27. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cancer-symp-0630.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/quake-china-0630.html A new analysis of the setting for last month's devastating earthquake in China by a team of geoscientists at MIT shows that the quake resulted from faults with little seismic activity. Similar events in that area occur only once in every 2,000 to 10,000 years. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/quake-china-0630.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-seamans-0630.html Robert C. Seamans Jr., an MIT alumnus who was a leading NASA administrator during the Apollo program, the ninth secretary of the U.S. Air Force and the dean of MIT's School of Engineering from 1978-81, died on June 28. He was 89. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-seamans-0630.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/protein-inter-0627.html MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell's activities. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/protein-inter-0627.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mit-politics-0625.html As part of a long-standing effort to bring issues of energy, science, technology, education and innovation into the national spotlight, MIT is seeking to engage both of this year's major-party presidential campaigns in an open dialogue. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mit-politics-0625.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mars-basin-0625.html A new analysis of Mars by researchers at MIT and NASA has solved one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the solar system -- why the planet Mars has two completely different kinds of terrain, in its northern and southern hemispheres. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mars-basin-0625.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lemelson-500k-0625.html For Joseph M. DeSimone, the interface between disparate fields and concepts offers the best opportunity for innovation. For his pioneering inventions, entrepreneurship and mentorship, DeSimone has been awarded the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lemelson-500k-0625.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/language-0624.html An Amazonian language has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team. Only 300 people speak the language, all of the Piraha tribe in remote northwestern Brazil. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/language-0624.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bosch-0623.html As part of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), MIT and Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services, are forming an energy research collaboration to explore new materials and concepts for efficient energy conversion and storage systems. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bosch-0623.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/chem-solar-0620.html Ask any scientist to name Earth's most abundant source of energy, and the answer comes quickly: sunlight. In one hour, the sun strikes Earth with enough energy to power the entire planet for a year. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/chem-solar-0620.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mirna-0620.html MIT biologists have discovered that proliferating cells shift the output of their genes to evade regulation by microRNAs, tiny molecules that normally suppress tumor growth. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mirna-0620.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bernerslee-0620.html Internet pioneer Timothy Berners-Lee has been named the 3Com Founders Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bernerslee-0620.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/astrocytes-0619.html In work that solves a long-standing mystery in neuroscience, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes make noninvasive brain scans possible. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/astrocytes-0619.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/airports-0618.html The leading low-cost airlines with a preference for small, inexpensive airports are now the largest airlines in the United States and Europe, according to an MIT expert on airport design and operations. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/airports-0618.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-dish-0618.html A team led by MIT students this week successfully tested a prototype of what may be the most cost-efficient solar power system in the world--one team members believe has the potential to revolutionize global energy production. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-dish-0618.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cancer-drug-0617.html A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects, MIT researchers have found. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cancer-drug-0617.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cell-rewire-0612.html MIT researchers have figured out how bacteria ensure that they respond correctly to hundreds of incoming signals from their environment. The researchers' work also raised the possibility of engineering bacteria that can serve as chemical biosensors. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cell-rewire-0612.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mathscience-0611.html An MIT web site aimed at giving an edge to high school students and teachers has seen an "overwhelming" response since its launch six months ago, MIT President Susan Hockfield said Wednesday. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/mathscience-0611.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/zaragoza-tt0611.html An MIT-designed building featuring water walls that can be programmed to display patterns and images is being unveiled this week at the opening of the Zaragoza World Expo in Spain. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/zaragoza-tt0611.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/langer-millennium-0611.html MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has won the Millennium Technology Prize, the world's largest award for technology innovation, for his development of biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/langer-millennium-0611.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/massimpact-0610.html The MIT School of Architecture and Planning and the Boston Society of Architects this week held its second symposium uniting leading urbanists from around the world and focusing on the challenges facing the modern city in a period of global climate change. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/massimpact-0610.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/emissions-0610.html In a bid to control greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, the European Union has been operating the world's first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide. This "cap-and-trade" system has operated well, according to an MIT analysis. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/emissions-0610.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanomirrors-0609.html A new way of bending X-ray beams developed by MIT researchers could lead to greatly improved space telescopes, as well as new tools for biology and for the manufacture of semiconductor chips. Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanomirrors-0609.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-textiles-0609.html Sheila Kennedy, an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture who is now at MIT, creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings receive and distribute energy. Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-textiles-0609.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanocell-0609.html In work that could at the same time impact the delivery of drugs and explain a biological mystery, MIT engineers have created the first synthetic nanoparticles that can penetrate a cell without poking a hole in its protective membrane and killing it. Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanocell-0609.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-trunk-0606.html 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus told graduating students at MIT's 142nd Commencement exercises on Friday that they "represent the future of the world" and urged them to create businesses to help improve the world. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-trunk-0606.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-photos-0606.html A photo gallery chronicling the events of MIT's Commencement on June 6, 2008. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-photos-0606.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/corporation-new-0606.html The MIT Corporation, the Institute's board of trustees, elected 10 term members and one life member at its quarterly meeting on June 6 before the Commencement exercises. Dana G. Mead, chair of the Corporation, announced the election results. Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/corporation-new-0606.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/asturias-0605.html Institute Professor Robert Langer is one of five scientists to receive a top Spanish honor, the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. Thu, 5 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/asturias-0605.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanotube-0605.html Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have built the most sensitive electronic detector yet for sensing deadly gases, a low-cost, low-energy portable device that could be carried in a pocket and used to monitor hazardous chemicals. Thu, 5 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nanotube-0605.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/katrina-towers-tt0604.html After Hurricane Katrina left its trail of destruction along the Gulf coast, MIT research affiliate Joe Davis decided to do something to memorialize the event. His idea? Build a tower that will capture electricity from lightning and throw energy back into the sky. Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/katrina-towers-tt0604.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-tibet-tt0604.html When two students visited Tibet two years ago, they kept hearing from villagers that a solar cooker that was both lightweight and strong would make a big difference to their lives. So a team of students from MIT and Tibet ended up producing exactly that. Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-tibet-tt0604.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/teacher-tests-tt0604.html Teacher certification tests may be undermining American public education by deterring higher-quality candidates from applying to teach, according to MIT labor economist Joshua Angrist and Jonathan Guryan of the University of Chicago. Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/teacher-tests-tt0604.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-adv-tt0604.html Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, will deliver the principal address at MIT's 142nd Commencement exercises at 10 a.m., Friday, June 6, in Killian Court. In all, 2,335 undergraduate and graduate students are scheduled to receive degrees. Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/comm-adv-tt0604.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/tb-cellphone-tt0604.html MIT students have come up with a possible solution for getting TB patients to take their medicine: A new testing and reporting system that is easy for patients to use and offers economic incentives such as free cell phone minutes. Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/tb-cellphone-tt0604.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/arise-0603.html Programs and policies to support early-career investigators and high-risk, high-reward research are needed to preserve U.S. leadership in science and technology, according to a report produced by a panel that included an MIT Nobel laureate. Tue, 3 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/arise-0603.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/tess-0603.html A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as part of its Small Explorer satellite program. Tue, 3 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/tess-0603.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gastric-cancer-0602.html Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed. Researchers found that chronic inflammation accelerated tumor formation in mice lacking the ability to repair DNA damage. Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gastric-cancer-0602.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bioengineering-0602.html When this year's seniors arrived at MIT four years ago, the biological engineering major did not exist. But this Friday, twenty-three MIT students will become the Institute's first graduates from the new biological engineering program. Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bioengineering-0602.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gates-0602.html Four MIT students preparing for careers in affordable energy, public health, mathematics and biotechnology have been awarded full scholarships for graduate study at the University of Cambridge, England, by the Gates Cambridge Trust. Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gates-0602.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oil-paper-0530.html A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper, that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, MIT researchers and colleagues report. Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oil-paper-0530.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-study-0529.html In a major new project that could help set the agenda for policymakers, researchers and industry leaders, a team of MIT faculty members has begun a comprehensive study of the technology and economics of harnessing the power of the sun. Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-study-0529.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/booklet-0529.html MIT senior Ali Wyne recalls how four years ago he couldn't get anyone to talk politics. But that has changed with the current presidential campaign, and now Wyne is showcasing his fellow students' new political energy in "America in the World: MIT Speaks." Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/booklet-0529.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/robot-arm-0528.html MIT researchers are systematically evaluating the effectiveness of tests given to astronauts to teach them how to control the space shuttle's robotic arm. For the first time, they'll determine how those tests relate to the training's outcome. Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/robot-arm-0528.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/imf-blanchard-0528.html MIT economist Olivier Blanchard, a macroeconomist specializing in monetary policy, global imbalances, labor-market performance and speculative bubbles, has been appointed chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/imf-blanchard-0528.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/hhmi-0527.html Five MIT faculty have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, bringing the total number of current MIT professors holding the distinction to 19. Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/hhmi-0527.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lifestyle-0522.html Marine bacteria in the wild organize into professions or lifestyle groups that partition many resources, rather than competing for them, according to MIT research that could change the way scientists approach the classification of microbes. Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lifestyle-0522.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/runway-tt0521.html Next year, Boston's Logan International Airport will become one of the first U.S. airports to deploy Runway Status Lights, a new technology originally developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory as part of the FAA's continuing program to improve runway safety. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/runway-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bluelaws-tt0521.html Repealing America's blue laws not only decreased church attendance, donations and spending, but it also led to a rise in alcohol and drug use among people who had been religious, according to a new study by economists from MIT and Notre Dame. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bluelaws-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/leveson-tt0521.html Whenever something really bad happens in this high-tech world--or whenever someone wants to make sure it doesn't--there's a good chance that someone will be calling Nancy Leveson, MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/leveson-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-wheelchairs-tt0521.html MIT students in this year's 'Wheelchair Design in Developing Countries' class split into five teams and each came up with new variations on how to help bring mobility to people whose lives could be dramatically changed by it. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-wheelchairs-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/porsche-tt0521.html With a click and a hum, the sleek Porsche 914 pulled away from the curb while onlookers watched anxiously and the passenger gazed down at a laptop plugged into the dashboard. Why the drama? The 1976 Porsche was operating on 18 high-tech batteries. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/porsche-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/csail-tt0521.html It takes surprisingly few pixels of information to be able to identify the subject of an image, a team led by an MIT researcher has found. The discovery could lead to great advances in the automated identification of online images. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/csail-tt0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/hope-horizon-0521.html As the economy appears to falter and as more Americans fear that the country is on the wrong track, the MIT News Office asked a collection of MIT researchers what they think are potentially life-altering technologies that lie just around the corner. Wed, 21 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/hope-horizon-0521.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/iran-nukes-0519.html An MIT expert on Iran's nuclear ambitions is gaining recognition for his work in developing a possible face-saving solution to the tense nuclear standoff between the United States and Iran. Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/iran-nukes-0519.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/surfaces-0516.html Having found that whether bacteria stick to surfaces depends partly on how stiff those surfaces are, MIT engineers have created ultrathin films made of polymers that could be applied to medical devices and other surfaces to control microbe accumulation. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/surfaces-0516.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fuel-cell-0516.html MIT engineers have improved the power output of one type of fuel cell by more than 50 percent through technology that could help these environmentally friendly energy storage devices find a much broader market, particularly in portable electronics. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fuel-cell-0516.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/100k-0516.html Business plans focused on harnessing clean energy and making fast, inexpensive medical diagnostic devices were big winners this week in a series of high-profile entrepreneurship competitions at MIT. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/100k-0516.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bird-beak-0515.html As Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of MIT researchers has now explained exactly how some birds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bird-beak-0515.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stem-cell-0515.html Studies at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem-cell characteristics, offering potential implications for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stem-cell-0515.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-ecuador-tt0514.html MIT student Kendra Johnson found that to improve water quality in a rural Ecuadorian village, she needed to consider economic issues in addition to technology, and so ended up devising an innovative way of using local arts to pay for the project. Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-ecuador-tt0514.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/saxe-tt0514.html How do we know what other people are thinking? How do we judge them, and what happens in our brains when we do? MIT neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe is tackling those tough questions and many others. Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/saxe-tt0514.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gulak-tt0514.html Teenager Ben Gulak got a bit of a head start on his training in mechanical engineering. As an incoming freshman at MIT, he's already been featured on the cover of Popular Science magazine for having come up with the year's top invention. Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/gulak-tt0514.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/xprize-0513.html Can a prize designed for the high-tech challenge of helping to get people into space be applied to solving down-to-Earth problems of life and death? Pose the question to a class of MIT students and two out of three give a resounding "yes." Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/xprize-0513.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/audio-game-0513.html AudiOdyssey, a new computer game that simulates a deejay laying down musical tracks, has been developed by MIT and Singaporean students to make it possible for visually impaired people to play on a level field with their sighted friends. Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/audio-game-0513.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/2007-contest-0509.html Robots designed to toss pool-noodle trees into a river of ping-pong balls ruled over competitors focused on rescuing fuzzy toy beavers in this year's 2.007 contest, "Da (yes) MIT, or Save the Baby Beavers," held on Thursday, May 8, at MIT. Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/2007-contest-0509.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/welch-0509.html For his pioneering work that has helped scientists unlock the mysteries of RNA and DNA, as well as important scientific discoveries that have opened up new fields of science, Alexander Rich had been named the 38th recipient of the Welch Award in Chemistry. Fri, 9 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/welch-0509.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bear-obesity-0507.html Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bear-obesity-0507.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/design-main-tt0507.html From hosting the show to advising behind the scenes, members of the MIT community have played an important role in developing and implementing the popular PBS series Design Squad, which recently won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/design-main-tt0507.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-cambodia-tt0507.html Alan Lightman, MIT physicist and writer, and his wife, Jeanne, made a pact a decade or so ago to turn their energies toward humanitarian pursuits. The latest of their efforts is a dream come true for residents of a small Cambodian village -- a new mosque. Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-cambodia-tt0507.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/autor-tt0507.html Do standardized tests that some employers require of job applicants serve as a barrier to equal employment? A pioneering study co-authored by an MIT economist shows that screening helps productivity without hindering minority hiring. Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/autor-tt0507.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-dish-0506.html For a project that could be on the very cutting edge of renewable energy, this one is decidedly low tech--and that's the point. A team of students is assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system built from simple, inexpensive materials. Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-dish-0506.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/media-directors-0506.html MIT Media Lab Director Frank Moss today announced the appointment of two associate directors: Hiroshi Ishii and Andrew Lippman, both long-term, prominent researchers at the Lab. Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/media-directors-0506.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/picower-gift-0506.html Restoring memories by flashing brain cells with lasers and dissecting the genetic basis for language learning are among the projects at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT to be funded with a new $4 million gift from The Picower Foundation. Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/picower-gift-0506.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fuel-0506.html It is possible to slash fuel use by all vehicles on U.S. roads to pre-2000 levels within a few decades, but doing so would require immediate action on several challenging fronts, according to a new analysis by MIT researchers. Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fuel-0506.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/real-estate-0506.html Despite signs of a widening disconnect between buyers and sellers, transaction sale prices of U.S. commercial property owned by institutional investors rose 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to an MIT index. Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/real-estate-0506.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/trachea-0505.html MIT tissue engineers have successfully healed airway injuries in rabbits using a novel cellular technique. This approach could lead to new treatments for human tracheal injuries such as smoke inhalation, as well as for other parts of the body Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/trachea-0505.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/econ-childcare-0502.html Universal day care, the recurring dream of working parents everywhere, benefits adults economically but may affect young children's well being, according to an MIT economist's study of a highly subsidized childcare program in Quebec. Fri, 2 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/econ-childcare-0502.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stomach-0501.html Prompt treatment of a microbe that causes stomach ulcers and other ailments can reverse damage to the lining of the stomach and ultimately prevent one of the most lethal forms of cancer from developing there, MIT researchers have concluded. Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/stomach-0501.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/birdsongs-0501.html In work that offers insights into how birds--and perhaps people--learn new behaviors, MIT scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures. Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/birdsongs-0501.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-peru-tt0430.html Students and faculty from MIT's CityScope class visited a small Peruvian town over spring break to learn about the earthquake-stricken city's needs and how they might help restore water supplies, health-care and a sense of community. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-peru-tt0430.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bingaman-0429.html Boosting Washington's "anemic and unreliable support for basic science and engineering enterprise" is a critical step toward a viable energy future, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., told an MIT audience on Friday, April 25. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bingaman-0429.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nas-0429.html Seven MIT faculty members are among the 72 newly elected members and 18 foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nas-0429.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/earth-water-0428.html Professor Dara Entekhabi will lead the science team designing a NASA satellite mission to collect global soil moisture measurements to improve weather, flood and drought forecasts and predictions of agricultural productivity and climate change. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/earth-water-0428.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/academy-0428.html Eight MIT faculty members are among the 212 new fellows recently elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent policy research centers. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/academy-0428.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rnai-0427.html A team of researchers from MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has developed safe and effective methods to perform RNA interference, a therapy that holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases including cancer and hepatitis. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rnai-0427.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/heparin-0423.html An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/heparin-0423.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/patrick-0423.html Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told an enthusiastic crowd at MIT on Tuesday that clean energy has the potential to bring about an economic bonanza for the commonwealth at the same time that it improves the planet's well-being. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/patrick-0423.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lemelson-sustainability-0423.html Dr. Martin Fisher is transforming the lives of poor African farmers through a combination of technological invention and business development. For his work, Fisher has been named the 2008 recipient of the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lemelson-sustainability-0423.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/chesonis-0422.html Promising to transform solar power from a "boutique" option to a mainstream energy solution, MIT and the Chesonis Family Foundation today launched a "solar revolution" with the aim of making solar energy America's primary carbon-free fuel. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/chesonis-0422.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/poverty-edwards-0418.html The global problems of climate change, population growth and severe poverty are so enormous that no one country can solve them alone, John Edwards told attendees at a student-organized conference on global poverty at MIT. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/poverty-edwards-0418.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/soldiers-0418.html Soldiers working in sunny but remote areas, in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, might get a new boost of power for their electronic devices thanks to an innovative design for backpack-mounted solar cells designed by MIT students. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/soldiers-0418.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/emanuel-paper-0417.html Hurricanes in some areas, including the North Atlantic, are likely to become more intense as a result of global warming even though the number of such storms worldwide may decline, according to a new study by MIT researchers. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/emanuel-paper-0417.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/race-adv-0417.html "What's the Use of Race?"--a conference exploring whether race and ethnicity can be used as analytic categories in law, medicine and government without calcifying the very divisions that research in these fields is supposed to erase--will be held April 25-26 at MIT. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/race-adv-0417.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cell-divide-0417.html Proteins that control cell division play a far more nuanced role than researchers previously thought in the process that gives rise to reproductive cells, according to new MIT research. The work could explain why errors occcur so often during this process. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/cell-divide-0417.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-lorenz-0416.html Edward Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist who tried to explain why it is so hard to make good weather forecasts and wound up unleashing a scientific revolution called chaos theory, died April 16 of cancer at his home in Cambridge. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/obit-lorenz-0416.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/climate-media-tt0416.html The slow, incremental unfolding of the evidence for global climate change is one reason it has been such a difficult subject for journalists to cover, and for the scientists who try to explain it, said panelists at a recent conference at MIT. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/climate-media-tt0416.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-abudhabi-tt0416.html Abu Dhabi is taking the long view, planning for a future beyond oil. The most dramatic piece of the emirate's plans is its creation of a whole new city from scratch, centered on an institute of technology modeled after, and created in collaboration with, MIT. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/itw-abudhabi-tt0416.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/poverty-tt0416.html Former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards will be among the speakers at an MIT conference April 18-20 involving more than 1,000 students from around the country dedicated to fighting the problems of extreme poverty in the world. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/poverty-tt0416.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/harbison-0415.html The Boston Symphony Orchestra will present the world premiere of "Symphony No. 5" by MIT Institute Professor, Pulitzer Prize winner and composer John Harbison on April 17 and 18 at Symphony Hall. James Levine will conduct. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/harbison-0415.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fraunhofer-0414.html MIT and Fraunhofer, a German research organization, have signed an agreement to establish a research center in Massachusetts focused on significantly reducing the cost of solar energy over the next five years. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/fraunhofer-0414.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/jacks-0414.html Tyler E. Jacks, director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, has been named president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/jacks-0414.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/pandemic-0411.html The widespread assumption that pandemic influenza is an exceptionally deadly form of seasonal, or nonpandemic, flu is hard to support, according to a new MIT study in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/pandemic-0411.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rome-prize-0411.html MIT professor Keeril Makan, a musician and composer acclaimed for his technique of layering recorded and live sounds, has been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome for 2008-2009. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/rome-prize-0411.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bp-mit-0410.html A corporation-wide focus on safe, reliable operations has brought BP, one of the world's largest energy companies, to MIT for the new Operations Academy, designed to enhance the culture of continuous improvement. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/bp-mit-0410.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lab-on-chip-0410.html An MIT team has improved upon its landmark technology reported last year in which the researchers used a fingernail-sized lab on a chip to image, perform surgery on and sort tiny worms to study nerve regeneration. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/lab-on-chip-0410.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nexi-0409.html A new experimental robot from the MIT Media Lab can slant its eyebrows in anger, or raise them in surprise, and show a wide assortment of facial expressions to communicate with people in human-centric terms. Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/nexi-0409.html http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/patrick-0409.html In a speech Wednesday at MIT to business and government leaders, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick unveiled a plan to pump $3.8 billion into the state's economy as a safeguard against worsening economic conditions. Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/patrick-0409.html