The Writers: Elizabeth Thomson

Spring 2015

The Student Experience

Alan ’73 and Terri Spoon believe students are the future of online education.

Sara Seager is searching for life beyond the solar system and says the world is ready. Photo: Len Rubenstein
Spring 2014

Searching for Life

Sara Seager—who’s searching for life beyond the solar system—says the whole world is ready. “I call it the awakening.”

Spring 2014

Investments in the Future

Jonathan Rothberg and Victoria Seaver Dean discuss philanthropic investments in basic research.

Franz-Josef Ulm: In spotting this aerial photo of a city, he made a connection between the patterns of houses and streets and the underlying molecular structure of concrete. Len Rubenstein
Winter 2014

Urban Physics

Franz-Josef Ulm’s serendipitous observation leads to research linking physics and urban planning.

Noelle Eckley Selin’s work to cut urban air pollution: Attracting attention of environmental policy makers across the world. Len Rubenstein
Winter 2014

From Pollutants to Smart Policy

Noelle Eckley Selin’s work to cut urban air pollution attracts attention of environmental policy makers across the world.

Ernest Moniz is shown before a world map depicting energy consumption from space. Photo: Len Rubenstein / World map courtesy NASA
Spring 2012

Energy for the Future

Since the creation of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) five years ago, the world’s energy landscape has changed.

Henry Jacoby at the liquified natural gas tanks in Chelsea, MA. Photo: Len Rubenstein
Spring 2012

The Future of Natural Gas

Henry Jacoby co-leads a key study on natural gas, a fuel that has become the largest U.S. energy story in decades.

John Lienhard (left) examines the energy footprint of water, while Ahmed Ghoniem (right) examines the water footprint of energy. Photo: Len Rubenstein
Spring 2012

The Energy-Water Nexus

John Lienhard examines the energy footprint of water, while Ahmed Ghoniem examines the water footprint of energy.

Left: Marc Baldo is shown with solar concentrators developed by his group. Photo: Len Rubenstein<br /> Right: Jeffrey Grossman and colleagues are developing a “rechargeable heat battery.” Photo: Richard Howard
Spring 2012

Power From Nature

Marc Baldo and Jeffrey Grossman say that if it weren’t for MIT’s Energy Initiative, they wouldn’t have federal support.