Mechanical engineering

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.

Varanasi receives DARPA Young Faculty AwardFunding will support research on nano-engineered surfaces for heat management that could make all sorts of systems work more efficiently

Silicon can be made to melt in reverseMaterial that shows melting while cooling might someday lead to applications in solar cells and other devices

In the World: Breath of lifeLow-cost portable ventilator could be a lifesaver for people in remote locations and for hospitals in the developing world.

Wong named STLE fellow

Ain Sonin, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, dies at age 72

Thin films show surprising reactivityMIT findings of high oxygen activity in thin-film materials might someday lead to greatly increased power production from future fuel cells

Enhancing the power of batteriesMIT team finds that using carbon nanotubes in a lithium battery can dramatically improve its energy capacity.

A new use for goldEngineers turn a drawback — the stickiness of gold nanoparticles — into an advantage.

Obama intends to nominate Suresh as next NSF directorThe MIT engineering dean would lead the independent federal agency that supports science and engineering research.

Now hear this3-D imaging technology could lead to hearing aids that fit — and thus function — better than current models.

Making Progress in Product DesignHow a mashup of disciplines builds genius — and really cool stuff