The chemical propulsion systems that got us to the moon just won’t work for the longer journey to Mars. NSE grad student Taylor Hampson is modeling an engine that heats propellant using nuclear energy, producing thrust that could reduce travel times to the Red Planet.
New nanoparticles coated with molecular sensors may enable paper-strip tests for many types of cancer. “We’re focused on ultra-sensitive detection in diseases like the early stages of cancer, or early on in recurrence after surgery,” Sangeeta Bhatia says.
A new MIT program will help train military leaders for the AI age, equipping naval officers with skills needed to solve the military’s hardest problems. It’s part of the MIT Naval Construction and Engineering program, marking its 125th year in 2026.
In its roundup of the biggest tech breakthroughs of 2025, Forbes spotlighted MIT engineers’ development of magnetic transistors, calling it a “discovery [that] could enable faster and more energy-efficient semiconductors.”
Nuno Loureiro, a professor of nuclear science and engineering and of physics, has died at 47. “In the face of this shocking loss, our hearts go out to his wife and their family and to his many devoted students, friends and colleagues,” President Kornbluth said.
In a world without MIT, radar wouldn’t have been available to help win World War II. We might not have email, CT scans, time-release drugs, photolithography, or GPS. And we’d lose over 30,000 companies, employing millions of people. Can you imagine?
Since its founding, MIT has been key to helping American science and innovation lead the world. Discoveries that begin here generate jobs and power the economy — and what we create today builds a better tomorrow for all of us.