News Archives : 2015

Inspiring the next generation of nuclear engineers — NSE community leads “Science on Saturday”

Have you ever wondered what radiation actually is or where you can find it? It turns out that radiation is all around us and its unique properties make it useful for curing diseases, producing energy, and probing the properties of matter. ... more

Celebrating Professor Sow-Hsin Chen

On November 29, 2015 a workshop was held at MIT to honor the career and achievements of Professor Sow-Hsin Chen and celebrate his 80th birthday. The one-day workshop on “Topics in Soft Condensed Matter” featured talks by ten speakers from around the world and brought together his former collaborators, students, and other researchers in the field. ... more

Black student leaders present recommendations for a more inclusive MIT

“MIT has had a long history of specifically addressing racial bias. We have made great strides as a university, but now is the time to set the bar for the next 10 years.” — NSE junior Rasheed Auguste, co-chair of the Black Students’ Union, chair of the BSU’s political action committee. ... more

NSE’s Corney, Danagoulian participate in MISTI Global Teaching Labs

Five MIT students, including NSE Junior Daniel Corney, traveled abroad to support and empower young technology entrepreneurs in Armenia. In preparation members of the GTL Armenia pilot program attended discussions led by NSE Professor Areg Danagoulian, History Professor Lerna Ekmekcioglu, and Luys Foundation executive director Jacqueline Karaaslanian, on Armenia’s culture, history educational structure and program logistics. ... more

NSE Senior Research Engineer Minervini appointed Assistant Director of the PSFC

Senior Research Engineer and Division Head Dr. Joseph Minervini, will serve as Assistant Director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center beginning November 1, 2015. He joins PSFC leadership comprised of Professor Dennis Whyte (Director), Dr. Martin Greenwald (Deputy Director), and Dr. Richard Temkin (Associate Director). ... more

NSE’s Loureiro one of 18 new engineering faculty for 2015–2016

The School of Engineering will add an exceptionally large class of new faculty to its ranks during the 2015-16 academic year. Eighteen engineers whose skills span scholarship, invention, innovation, and teaching will contribute to new directions in research and education across the school and to a range of labs and centers across the Institute. Nuno Loureiro will join the NSE faculty as an assistant professor in January 2016; he will work with the theory group of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. ... more

NSE part of MIT’s plan for action on climate change

NSE will be a part of MIT’s multifaceted five-year plan aimed at fighting climate change which represents a new phase in the Institute’s commitment to an issue that, the plan says, “demands society’s urgent attention.” ... more

MIT team and collaborators show that metal defects can be eliminated by cyclic loading

The new finding shows small amounts of repeated stretching can eliminate crystal defects in nanoscale metal parts. It is reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in a paper co-authored by MIT’s Ming Dao and Ju Li, Subra Suresh of Carnegie Mellon, Zhiwei Shan of Xi’an Jiaotong University, and others in China and at Johns Hopkins University. They refer to the new process as “cyclic healing.” ... more

NSE alum honored at Pentagon Annual Awards Ceremony

NSE alum Daria Stafford ’00, was one of nine Department of Defense employees honored for their service, dedication, and professionalism in their roles at the DoD. ... more

NSE’s Smith wins 2015 ANS Wigner Reactor Physicist Award

NSE’s Professor Kord Smith has been selected as the 2015 recipient of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Eugene P. Wigner Reactor Physicist Award. He is cited for a career of outstanding contributions to the field of reactor physics. ... more

NSE’s Kord Smith committed to caring

Professor Kord Smith, in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, has fostered an open, encouraging environment with his students. ... more

Yildiz, Adepalli and international team decode new processes in ReRAMs

Resistive memory cells or ReRAMs for short are deemed to be the new super information-storage solution of the future. At present, two basic concepts are being pursued, which, up to now, were associated with different types of active ions. However, as reported by the researchers in the journals Nature Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials their findings suggest that it is possible to move back and forth from one concept to the other. ... Press release

Jacopo Buongiorno named Associate Head of NSE

Dennis Whyte, the head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering announced today the appointment of Professor Jacopo Buongiorno as Associate Department Head, effective immediately. ... more

NSE alum Horelik develops app to find 911 callers instantly

RapidSOS, a startup with MIT roots, is gearing up to release a one-touch 911 app that automatically sends location and preset medical data from a smartphone to dispatch centers, with aims of drastically reducing the time it takes first responders to get to a scene. ... more

NSE’s Danagoulian wins IEEE/NPSS Radiation Instrumentation Early Career Award

NSE’s Professor Areg Danagoulian has been selected for the prestigious IEEE/NPSS Radiation Instrumentation Early Career Award. He is cited for “contributions to the field of cargo security and active interrogation, in particular for the development of the Prompt Neutrons from Photofission (PNPF) technique in fissionable material detection.” ... more

Dennis Whyte named head of Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Dennis Whyte, professor of nuclear science and engineering and director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, has been named the new head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, effective September 9. He will continue to serve as director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. ... more

New analysis of textured surfaces could lead to more efficient, and less dangerous, power plants.

The boiling of water is at the heart of many industrial processes, from the operation of electric power plants to chemical processing and desalination. But the details of what happens on a hot surface as water boils have been poorly understood, so unexpected hotspots can sometimes melt expensive equipment and disable plants. ... more

NSE’s Sow-Hsin Chen wins 2015 Guinier Prize

Sow-Hsin Chen, Emeritus Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering has been awarded the 2015 Guiner Prize. The Guinier Prize, sponsored by the International Union of Crystallography (IUcr), recognizes lifetime achievement, a major breakthrough or an outstanding contribution to the field of small-angle scattering. ... more

MIT team observes unusual magnetic behavior at a material interface

A team of researchers that includes NSE graduate student Mingda Li and NSE Professor Ju Li has analyzed an exotic kind of magnetic behavior, driven by the mere proximity of two materials, using a technique called spin-polarized neutron reflectometry. ... more

Iran’s atomic czar explains how he helped seal the Iran nuclear agreement

Last February, nuclear talks between Iran and world powers were foundering. The two sides had found common ground on the deal’s broad outlines, but the devil lay in the technical details. The negotiators were struggling to agree on limits to Iran’s R&D on the centrifuges used for enriching uranium. Stymied, Iranian officials asked their top nuclear scientist to join the talks: Ali Akbar Salehi, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and NSE Alum. ... more

MIT team designs small, modular, efficient fusion plant

Advances in magnet technology have enabled researchers at MIT to propose a new design for a practical compact tokamak fusion reactor — and it’s one that might be realized in as little as a decade, they say. The era of practical fusion power, which could offer a nearly inexhaustible energy resource, may be coming near. ... more

Ju Li and team develop electrode that boosts to capacity and power of rechargeable batteries

A team of researchers at MIT and Tsinghua University in China has created an electrode made of nanoparticles with a solid shell, and a “yolk” inside that can change size again and again without affecting the shell. The innovation could drastically improve cycle life, the team says, and provide a dramatic boost in the battery’s capacity and power. ... more

NSE’s Kemp and other MIT experts on Iran nuclear deal

With the announcement of a major new nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Iran this month — subject to government approval in each country — MIT News asked several of the Institute’s experts on this vital issue to evaluate the pact and its larger implications. ... more

Professor Mujid Kazimi. 1947–2015

Mujid S. Kazimi, the TEPCO Professor of Nuclear Engineering and one of the world’s foremost educators and researchers in nuclear technology, died suddenly on Wednesday in China. ... more

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Lester honored with 2015 Special Award by the American Nuclear Society

Richard Lester, the Japan Steel Industry Professor and Head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, has received the 2015 American Nuclear Society Special Award for “demonstrating the value of nuclear energy to a wide audience”. He is recognized for playing an outstanding role in the necessary research and analysis, and in the interpretation and leadership associated with furthering the overall understanding of nuclear science and technology.

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NSE team designs a new look for nuclear power

NS’s Jacopo Buongiorno, Michael Golay, and Neil Todreas are designing a floating nuclear power plant that could provide enhanced safety, easier siting, and centralized construction—and could be deployed in time to play a critical role in a low-carbon energy future.

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NSE alum Dewan is one of National Geographic’s 2015 Emerging Explorers

NSE alum Leslie Dewan is helping revolutionize the nuclear power industry by designing a safer, more efficient alternative to today's reactors.

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MIT research teams win 2015 Department of Energy NEUP awards

MIT research teams have received funding through five separate Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) and Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) grants.

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NSE alums Dewan and Rothrock elected to MIT Corporation

The MIT Corporation — the Institute’s board of trustees — elected eight term members, who will each serve for five years, during its quarterly meeting held yesterday afternoon. Corporation Chairman Robert B. Millard ’73 announced the election results; all positions are effective July 1. The eight term members are: Roger C. Altman; Leslie C. Dewan ’06, PhD ’13; Jeffrey S. Halis ’76, SM ’76; Jean Hammond SM ’86; Ray A. Rothrock SM ’78; Donald E. Shobrys ’75; Jeffrey L. Silverman ’68; and Viktor F. Vekselberg.

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Meet our 2015 Graduates!

NSE scientist Minervini and team make cancer treatment more accessible

MIT will be the lead research institution in a project to develop ironless superconducting cyclotrons, an effort that will make highly sought-after proton radiotherapy cancer treatment more available. The Institute’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) will be collaborating with ProNova Solutions, an organization focused on developing and providing proton-beam technology.

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NSE’s Richard Lester named associate provost for international activities

Richard Lester, the Japan Steel Industry Professor and currently the head of MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering , has been named associate provost for international activities, effective July 1. “In his new role, Richard will advise the administration on all matters pertaining to the Institute’s major international activities,” Provost Martin Schmidt announced. “He will have responsibility for the periodic review of our ongoing global efforts as well as for the assessment of proposed international initiatives.”

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NSE announces faculty promotions

Nuclear Science and Engineering Department Head Richard K. Lester announced four faculty promotions in the Department this spring.

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2015 NSE Awards

The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the student chapter of the American Nuclear Society hosted the annual awards dinner on on April 29, 2015. Meet the award winners.

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2015 Rising Stars in NSE

On April 15, 2015, the 2nd biennial Rising Stars in Nuclear Science and Engineering Symposium continued a conversation about two important topics: the multidisciplinary nature of the field, and the work that still needs to be done to increase the representation of women in the discipline.

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James Hansen delivers 2015 Rose Lecture in Nuclear Technology

James Hansen, a former head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies who was one of the first scientists to raise concerns about global climate change, spoke at MIT Tuesday in the biennial David J. Rose Lecture. The former NASA scientist says we need to develop all carbon-free energy sources to avoid disaster.

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NSE’s Yildiz shows ion slowdown in fuel cell material

Dislocations in oxides such as cerium dioxide, a solid electrolyte for fuel cells, turn out to have a property that is the opposite of what researchers had expected, according to a new analysis at MIT.

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NSE’s Cappellaro brings proteins into focus through diamonds

Proteins are the building blocks of all living things, and they exist in virtually unlimited varieties, most of whose highly complex structures have not yet been determined. Those structures could be key to developing new drugs or to understanding basic biological processes. ... more

How to prevent metal embrittlement

When a metal tube lines an oil well thousands of feet below the surface of the ocean, that metal had better be solid and reliable. Unfortunately, the environment in such deep wells is often rich in hydrogen, a gas that can penetrate high-tech alloys and make them brittle — making fractures and leaks more likely.

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NSE’s Derek Sutherland is one of Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 in energy

NSE alum Derek Sutherland has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the energy sector for 2015.

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NSE’s Ju Li named 2014 American Physical Society Fellow

Ju Li, Battelle Energy Alliance Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Nominated by the Division of Materials Physics, Li was cited, “[f]or seminal work on understanding the fundamental properties of ultra-strength materials and formulating the concept of elastic strain engineering.”

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