Mechanical engineering

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

Interview: Jerome Milgram on oil spillsAs the oil spill off the Louisiana coast widens, the mechanical engineering emeritus professor discusses floating booms, containment caps and more

Joshua Jahnke, recently completed graduate studies, dies at age 29Dying from pancreatic cancer, the U.S. Navy lieutenant was determined to earn his degree.

Time names Amy Smith among ‘world’s most influential people’Founder of D-Lab cited among top 'thinkers'

New phenomenon found in internal wavesMIT team shows that waves inside oceans, air and stars are filtered and reflected by layers.

Robotic therapy helps stroke patients regain functionMIT robots can deliver high-intensity interactive physical therapy.

In the World: Better wound treatment for allA streamlined version of 'negative-pressure' wound therapy is put to the test in Haiti — and could have 'enormous potential' across the developing world.

Weighing the cellMIT biological engineers devise a way to measure, for the first time, how single cells accumulate mass.

In Profile: Missy CummingsFormer U.S. Naval fighter pilot aims to improve how humans and computers interact.

A step toward lighter batteriesResearch shows metal catalysts play important role in improving the efficiency of lithium-oxygen batteries

Charting a course toward cleaner carsMIT team recommends strategy for reducing automotive fuel use, emissions

A manufacturing renaissance for America?At an MIT forum, experts examine new ways to pursue a good old idea: making things.

Pushing droplets aroundMIT researchers find a way to make drops on a surface move in just one direction, with possible applications ranging from biology to electronics

Unraveling silks’ secretsA new analysis of the structure of silks explains the paradox at the heart of their super-strength, and may lead to even stronger synthetic materials.

Insulators made into conductorsMIT team coaxes polymers to line up, transforming them into materials that could dissipate heat.

Three from MIT win Soros Fellowships

Varanasi wins Career award from NSF

In Profile: Alex SlocumTeaching and tinkering, and teaching how to tinker, are the driving forces for longtime MIT mechanical engineer