Bionics Researchers Develop Technologies to Ease Pain and Transcend Human Limitations
Professor of media arts and sciences Hugh Herr SM ’93 and graduate student Christopher Shallal are working on next-generation biomimetic limbs
Spring 2023
On a campus full of people not known for standing still, “movement” manifests itself in many ways across MIT—from biomechanics and predictive modeling to collective action and economic mobility to transportation and quantum spin. No matter their area of focus, our faculty, students, and staff will always find a way to drive things forward.
Professor of media arts and sciences Hugh Herr SM ’93 and graduate student Christopher Shallal are working on next-generation biomimetic limbs
Chemistry professor and 2022 MacArthur Fellow opens a door “into a real field that has real potential”
Associate professor of political science Mai Hassan examines contentious politics and collective action in autocratic regimes—and the barriers to democratization that follow
Platform merges public, private, and academic spheres to help shape the future of transportation
Aspiring geologist follows passion as Poitras Scholar at MIT
Led by urban studies professor Sarah Williams MCP ’05, the lab visualizes data on the movements of people—and moves audiences in the process
PhD student is designing and building a sustainable care and delivery model in Sierra Leone
AeroAstro PhD student hopes to formulate and eventually lead a robotic mission to the outer solar system
Organic chemist designs molecules from the atoms up, with the goal of synthesizing useful substances faster and more efficiently
Alumna Lisa T. Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94 lends her name to Building 12
Math program mentoring helps high schoolers advance in research
Companies supported by the entrepreneurship program are making a splash
Named professorship and significant discretionary funds are “gifts of confidence”
Mechanical engineering PhD student looks at geophysical systems of land, air, and water to track ocean acidification
Entrepreneur-DJ pushes boundaries in technology, art
Research draws on simulated robots to illuminate movement—knowledge that might someday help people come back from injury
Assistant Professor Nidhi Seethapathi seeks to understand why we move the way we do
Mechanical engineering professor Harry Asada works on tools that may be able to help elderly people retain their independence
Characteristics of motion in dance can illuminate what it means to be efficient or fatigued in other domains
Funded by delta v, digital service is designed to help African migrants to the US overcome banking obstacles
Founder of Mobile Pixels credits MIT with giving him the skills to launch his company and thrive through the pandemic
Economists offer insights and interventions for health care, education, and work
MIT faculty and students target innovations for the developing world
Class in the Daniel J. Riccio Graduate Engineering Leadership Program asks students to look inward to lead outward
Q&A with Julie Lucas, Vice President for Resource Development
Faculty leaders of the interdisciplinary Morningside Academy for Design discuss how the Academy will elevate design at MIT and beyond
Students see the benefits of adding a creative skillset to their repertoire