Electrical engineering and electronics

Professor Eric Grimson named next chancellorCurrent head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to succeed Phillip L. Clay.

Kenneth Olsen, MIT Corporation life member emeritus, dies at 84Institute alum, computer pioneer was co-founder of Digital Equipment Corp.

New way to grow microwiresResearchers find simple, inexpensive method to produce silicon wires for sensors, batteries and solar cells.

Boning to serve as director of the MIT Masdar ProgramProfessor, associate head of EECS succeeds Moavenzadeh as head of the program.

Donald Troxel, longtime EECS professor, dies at 76Taught MIT's 6.111 course for many years

New hope for terahertzA laser that generates terahertz rays — which can detect explosives — operates at higher temperatures than some thought possible.

Five from MIT elected fellows of the American Physical Society

Collective memoryAn MIT project provides a way to preserve information in constantly changing networks, without resorting to a shared server.

How wise are crowds?By melding economics and engineering, researchers show that as social networks get larger, they usually get better at sorting fact from fiction.

Remembering Art Smith'Stabilizing force' was a counselor, advocate, friend and champion for students.

Tuning in to a new hearing mechanismFindings from MIT scientists could lead to hearing aids that mimic the ear’s ability to focus on particular frequencies.

7 win presidential early career honorsMIT has greatest number of recipients from a single institution.

Nerve-cell regeneration quest is fast trackedMicrochip technology rapidly identifies compounds for regrowing nerves, in live animals.

‘Express lanes’ for ionsBy aligning carbon nanotubes in electrodes, researchers boost performance.

Construction begins on high-performance computing centerPresident Hockfield joins Gov. Patrick and others at groundbreaking ceremony.

Four engineering students named Intel PhD fellowship recipientsMaterials science, EECS graduate students among 27 honored

5 from MIT win NIH awardsThe grants are designed to promote risky, innovative research with the potential to transform a field of study.

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

RNA offers a safer way to reprogram cellsNew technique holds promise to revert cells to an immature state that can develop into any cell type.

3 Questions: Nicholas Roy on deploying drones in U.S. skiesMIT robotics expert discusses the logistical hurdles of regulating unmanned aircraft for civilian use.

A plane that lands like a birdAn innovative control system allows a foam glider to touch down on a perch or a wire like a pet parakeet.

Fibers that can hear and singMIT researchers pass a milestone on the path to sophisticated fibers that interact with their surroundings in new ways.

An Internet 100 times as fastA new network design that avoids the need to convert optical signals into electrical ones could boost capacity while reducing power consumption.

More is lessComplex computer models can involve thousands of variables. But paradoxically, adding more variables can sometimes make them easier to work with.

Gesture-based computing on the cheapWith a single piece of inexpensive hardware — a multicolored glove — MIT researchers are making Minority Report-style interfaces more accessible.

Exposing collagen's double lifeDiscovery that the rigid structural protein can switch to a floppy shape could lead to new treatments for heart disease.