Mechanical engineering

The big picture on energy lossMIT system, tested in Cambridge, gives comprehensive view of energy inefficiency across large areas.

Frank McClintock, professor emeritus, alumnus, dies at 90

In the World: Turning old oil into new mileageBrazilian waste pickers gain an inexpensive way to fuel their vehicles using leftover cooking oil.

Going head to headMechanical-engineering competition set the stage for a variety of competitive classes and events at MIT and elsewhere.

Three MIT engineers named to the National Academy of EngineeringSeveral alumni also elected among 68 new members announced today

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

Hidden in plain sightA new approach to invisibility cloaking gets much closer to the science-fiction version, using simple and inexpensive materials.

Electrifying transportation: Devil is in the detailsMIT symposium finds electric vehicle technology capabilities are way ahead of policy and infrastructure needs.

Research update: How to tame hammering dropletsMIT research uncovers new process relating to the way drops of water spread after striking a surface.

A new approach to bladder-disease treatmentImplanted device can release slow, steady dose of medicine over extended period, removing the need for repeated procedures.

Frost-free planes: back to the drawing boardResearch from MIT and GE demonstrates that a proposed passive solution for preventing ice on wings won’t work — but suggests an alternative.

Emeritus: John HeywoodHe literally wrote the book on the internal combustion engine — and says rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated.

Five from MIT elected fellows of the American Physical Society

Undergrads bring energy education to GhanaGhanaian high school students share alternative energy ideas with rural village.

Test kitchen, MIT-styleStudents in this year’s product-engineering class serve up food-related innovations.

Understanding shape-shifting polymersMIT analysis should enable easier design for biomedical uses of plastic materials that have a shape memory.

Predicting ocean motions and underwater soundsMIT research could help ocean science, naval operations and the control and location of underwater vehicles.

The surprising physics of cats’ drinkingA new study reveals that even the way cats lap up liquid displays the perfect balance for which they’re known.

Evelyn Wang receives Air Force Young Investigator Award43 researchers share $16.5 million in grants.

Gail Kendall’s gift transforms historic labThe Rohsenow Kendall Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory completes a total renovation

In the World: Drinking water, from sunshineMIT team designs solar-powered portable desalination system to use in disaster zones and remote regions.

MIT cyclists best overall at 2010 Collegiate National Track ChampionshipsFor third consecutive year, team wins Division II Omnium.

Roger Kamm elected to the Institute of MedicineOne of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine

CEE researchers collaborate with Nobel Prize winnerTeam explains tearing mechanism of the triangular-shaped ribbons of graphene

Galileo revisited: How ribbons rollIn a twist on a classic experiment, MIT researchers discover how flexible cylinders behave when rolling down a slope.

Supercomputing on a cell phoneFor complex problems whose form can be anticipated but whose particulars can’t, new software can offer approximate solutions in seconds.

James Keck, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, dies at 86Worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos

All charged upAbility to recharge rapidly could make electric cars more acceptable to consumers, says MIT student team

Why saliva forms beads on a stringResearchers’ solution to longstanding mystery could enable better inkjet printing and drug-dispensing systems.