News & Stories

From gas to solar, bringing meaningful change to Nigeria’s energy systems

Growing up, Awele Uwagwu’s view of energy was deeply influenced by the oil and gas industry. He was born and raised in Port Harcourt, a city on the southern coast of Nigeria, and his hometown shaped his initial interest in understanding the role of energy in our lives. “I basically grew up in a city […]

When masks reveal

A Covid-19 mask is typically seen as a form of protection. But what if our masks became opportunities for exposure — the physical expression of our thoughts, preoccupations, and the way we relate to the turbulence of the outside world? That was the challenge faced by MIT undergraduate students assigned to design a mask that […]

Mastering online learning to level up

A number of pervasive myths surround online learning: that it’s isolating, that the quality of instruction is innately lower than in an in-person classroom, or that it’s only for those who can’t succeed in traditional educational settings. Abigael Bamgboye, an accomplished and highly self-motivated university graduate who just completed the MITx MicroMasters Data and Economic […]

MIT students and alumni “hack” Hong Kong Kowloon East

The year 2020 was undoubtedly a challenge for everyone. The pandemic generated vast negative impacts on the world on a physical, psychological, and emotional level: mobility was restricted; socialization was limited; economic and industrial progress were put on hold. Many industries and small independent business have suffered, and academia and research have also experienced many […]

Solv[ED] inspires young people to become global problem-solvers

On May 3, during its annual flagship event Solve at MIT, MIT Solve launched a new program called Solv[ED], geared toward young innovators to help them become problem solvers and learn about social entrepreneurship. Starting in June, Solv[ED] will feature a variety of workshops and learning sessions and provide resources that are designed to support […]

Global Languages announces new HASS concentration in Korean

Students at MIT will now be able to take their Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences concentration in Korean. The new concentration extends the options for Asian languages at MIT, which also include Japanese and Mandarin. In response to long-term student demand and the growing importance of international activities in Korea, MIT Global Languages identified Korean […]

Ice melts on US-Sudan relations, providing new opportunities

It was over 27 years in the making. When the White House removed Sudan from the “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list in December 2020, ZAHARA for Education was ready. ZAHARA was founded by MIT technology and policy master’s student Ilham Ali and Harvard University alumna Sahar Omer to expand educational opportunities between Sudan and the […]

An ocean apart, shared engineering projects catalyze a love of STEM

A pendulum wave is a series of weights, each suspended by a string a little longer than the last. The weights swing in a wave, like a snake slithering through grass. It’s a work of kinetic art and a demonstration of trigonometry, and it can also be a magic wand for catalyzing interest in physics. […]

Sparking studies and conversations in Spain

“Meeting with the students [virtually] to discuss the challenges I had prepared was so inspiring because I saw the interest in science sparking during our conversations,” reflects Erick Eguia, a junior studying brain and cognitive sciences. Eguia had the unique experience of taking part in a longstanding MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program […]

Expanding MIT’s global reach in the professional world

MIT Professional Education, housed under the School of Engineering, is the arm of MIT that provides access to MIT knowledge and expertise to thousands of professionals around the world via education programs designed for them. Bhaskar Pant, executive director of MIT Professional Education, says he didn’t consciously set out to bring more diversity to the […]