Chemistry and chemical engineering

A life filled with firstsEllen Swallow Richards, MIT’s first female graduate and faculty member, opened the door for women in science, and founded ecology and home economics along the way.

Canned, goodMore than 100 years ago, 2 pioneering scientists figured out how to keep canned food safe.

Selection by size and substanceTechnique could produce filters that select molecules according to their chemical properties and dimensions.

Delivering a potent cancer drug with nanoparticles can lessen side effectsThe new nanoparticle, which delivers the drug in a form activated when it reaches its target, also treats tumors more effectively than the unadorned drug in mice.

Kristala Prather honored for excellence in teachingSelected to receive the School of Engineering’s Junior Bose Award.

Emeritus: On the trail of aflatoxinToxicologist Gerald Wogan has dedicated his career to understanding — and fighting — a deadly carcinogen.

Direct deliveryCancer scientists believe nanoparticles could accurately target tumors, avoiding side effects.

Fine-tuning photosynthesisMIT analysis shows how synthetic systems for capturing the sun’s energy could be made more efficient.

More than just a pretty flowerMIT chemists engineer the periwinkle plant to produce compounds that could become more effective cancer drugs.

Catching the sun’s heatStoring thermal energy in chemical form has the potential to make it indefinitely storable and transportable.

Love named one of Popular Science magazine’s 'Brilliant 10'Assistant professor honored for immunology work.

MIT undergraduate showcases work at White House science fairEvent also features 2 high-school teams that won grants from the Lemelson-MIT Program.

New nanoparticles could improve cancer treatmentParticles can deliver a combination of chemotherapy drugs directly to prostate-cancer cells.

Getting bacteria to do a plant’s jobResearchers engineer microbes for low-cost production of precursor of anticancer drug Taxol and other pharmaceuticals.

Doğutan, Nocera win award for microwave researchPostdoc, advisor recognized for significant contributions to renewable energy research

Frank talk on U.S. energy innovationMIT alumnus Steven E. Koonin, DoE under secretary for science, says economics, not technology, is the driver.

Putting carbon dioxide to good useMIT biological engineers have found a way to convert carbon-dioxide emissions to useful building materials, using genetically altered yeast.

Squeezing more production out of bacteriaMIT chemical engineers demonstrate a new way to dramatically boost bacteria’s manufacturing abilities.

Solar funnelNew antenna made of carbon nanotubes could make photovoltaic cells more efficient by concentrating solar energy.

Pushing ions through carbon nanotubesThe tiny, multitalented carbon tubes can carry single molecules, one at a time.

Solar cell, heal thyselfNew self-assembling photovoltaic technology can keep repairing itself to avoid any loss in performance.

Toward greener chemistryBreaking up phosphorus with ultraviolet light may offer a safer, simpler way to build many industrial and household chemicals.

From sponges, a potential cancer drugMIT chemists have synthesized a family of natural compounds that have shown promise in killing tumor cells.

A better way to grow stem cellsNew synthetic surfaces overcome challenges posed by existing methods for cultivating stem cells.

15 MIT students awarded DOE-funded Science Graduate FellowshipsAmong 150 students nationwide awarded fellowships in program's first year

Super-sizing a cancer drug minimizes side effectsResearchers design a new version of cisplatin that spares the kidneys, letting doctors use higher doses.

Don Sadoway on innovation in energy storage"What I Learned in 3.091 was All I Needed to Know" from Technology Day 2010

Emeritus: Engineering a new pathMIT chemical engineer Edward Merrill helped steer his field toward biomedicine.