Electrical engineering and electronics

Lucas Papademos ’70, SM ’72, PhD ’78 named prime minister of Greece

Charging toward better neural implantsResearchers improve the efficiency of devices that stimulate damaged nerves, reducing potential side effects.

Connecting neurons to fix the brainNew technology helps scientists discover drugs to strengthen synapses.

Abelson named SIGCSE award winner

Mimicking cells with transistorsAnalog — rather than digital — circuits could enable models of biological systems that are more efficient, more accurate and easier to build.

Palacios wins PECASE awardAmong 94 young researchers from across the country honored

‘I speak MISTI’MIT program sends students abroad for experiences tailor-made for their academic and professional interests.

Increasing fuel efficiency with a smartphoneA network of dashboard-mounted phones can collect data on traffic lights and tell drivers how to avoid inefficient stopping and starting.

Fink named RLE directorSucceeds Shapiro to lead one of the Institute’s oldest interdepartmental labs

Milestone for MIT Press’s bestsellerWhat began as lecture notes for an MIT computer-science class has become the standard text in the field, selling half a million copies in 20 years.

Portable, super-high-resolution 3-D imagingA simple new imaging system could help manufacturers inspect their products, forensics experts identify weapons and doctors identify cancers.

The too-smart-for-its-own-good gridNew technologies intended to boost reliance on renewable energy could destabilize the power grid if they’re not matched with careful pricing policies.

Computer learns language by playing gamesBy basing its strategies on the text of a manual, a computer infers the meanings of words without human supervision.

While you’re up, print me a solar cellNew MIT-developed materials make it possible to produce photovoltaic cells on paper or fabric, nearly as simply as printing a document.

Improving recommendation systemsResearchers believe that comparing products, rather than rating them on an absolute scale, will lead to algorithms that better predict customers’ preferences.

The future of chip manufacturingMIT researchers show how to make e-beam lithography, commonly used to prototype computer chips, more practical as a mass-production technique.

The math of the Rubik’s cubeNew research establishes the relationship between the number of squares in a Rubik’s-cube-type puzzle and the maximum number of moves required to solve it.

MIT faculty selected to attend NAE's Frontiers of EngineeringTwo from CEE and one from EECS to participate in symposium for young engineering innovators.

Layer upon layerMethod holds promise for making two- or three-tier graphene films that could be used for new electronic devices.

Agarwal named CSAIL directorSucceeds Zue to lead the Institute’s largest interdisciplinary lab

Chandrakasan named head of electrical engineering and computer scienceSucceeds Grimson as leader of MIT's largest academic department

Protecting medical implants from attackA new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users.

Honing household helpersMIT computer scientists work toward improving robots’ ability to plan and perform complex actions, domestically and elsewhere.

What makes an image memorable?Hint: We tend to remember pictures of people much better than wide open spaces.

Spinning new materials in a threadNew technique could enable creation of a variety of fiber-based electronic and photonic devices.