Civil and Environmental Engineering

The researchers ran hundreds of atom-by-atom simulations of the propagation of cracks through different kinds of layered material, to see which ones were most effective at stopping the cracks from making it all the way through the material. Shown here are a variety of simulation runs showing different outcomes.

Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials

Engineers develop a rapid screening system to test fracture resistance in billions of potential materials.

May 20, 2020

A microinjection device (red) is attached to a citrus tree, providing a way of injecting pesticide or other materials directly into the plant's circulatory system.

Engineers develop precision injection system for plants

Microneedles made of silk-based material can target plant tissues for delivery of micronutrients, hormones, or genes.

April 26, 2020

A glimpse into the microscale world in the ocean: marine bacteria (green and cyan) feed on nutrients exuding from a genetically modified phytoplankton (orange). These bacteria release a substance called DMS that contributes to cloud formation.

Researchers explore ocean microbes’ role in climate effects

When they encounter nutrient oases in the marine desert, marine bacteria release a gas involved in climate regulation.

April 23, 2020

From L to R: Zuckerman Sivan, Zhao, and Youcef-Toumi join previous recipients in lifting up students in ways that have been tremendously impactful.

Faithfully supporting well-being

Ezra Zuckerman Sivan, Jinhua Zhao, and Kamal Youcef-Toumi honored as “Committed to Caring.”

April 17, 2020

This research started as part of a project started in class 2.168 (Learning Machines), which was instructed by Professor George Barbastathis (pictured).

Model quantifies the impact of quarantine measures on Covid-19’s spread

A machine learning algorithm combines data on the disease's spread with a neural network, to help predict when infections will slow down in each country.

April 16, 2020

After water, concrete is the most consumed material on Earth. Researchers in the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub study how to reduce its impact.

Explained: Cement vs. concrete — their differences, and opportunities for sustainability

Concrete is the world’s most consumed construction material. Yet there’s a lot the public doesn’t know about it or its environmental impact.

April 3, 2020

MIT Professor Markus Buehler designs new proteins with the help of artificial intelligence. He recently translated the spike protein of the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) into sound to visualize its vibrational properties, as seen here, which could help in finding ways to stop the virus. Primary colors represent the spike’s three protein chains.

Q&A: Markus Buehler on setting coronavirus and AI-inspired proteins to music

Translated into sound, SARS-CoV-2 tricks our ear in the same way the virus tricks our cells.

April 2, 2020

Researchers at the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub are studying the connections between urban layouts and hazard losses.

Discerning the texture of urban resilience

MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub researchers are investigating how the layouts, or textures, of cities influence extreme weather events.

March 30, 2020

MIT researchers have 3-D-printed soft electronically active polymers into a number of devices, including a pliable neural electrode, and (shown here) a flexible circuit.

Engineers 3D print soft, rubbery brain implants

Technique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices.

March 30, 2020

“Most manufacturing companies will keep about two weeks of inventory,” says David Simchi-Levi, who is a professor of engineering systems in the School of Engineering and in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society within the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. "That means they were able to cover demand for the first two weeks of March. After that, [given] no more supplies, ther...

Supply chain outlook: The timing of the slowdown

MIT Professor David Simchi-Levi forecast the mid-March manufacturing pause. Now he looks ahead.

March 25, 2020

“People are worried about the food supply chain,” says MIT supply chain expert Yossi Sheffi, who is the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT, a professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. “However, the U.S. food supply chain is very robust.”

Supply chain outlook: Why the situation varies by industry

MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi describes the supply chain landscape in the U.S., from food security to concerns about medical supplies.

March 25, 2020

The conductive polymer material was tested for its electrical conductivity while immersed in water to demonstrate its durability and ability to maintain adhesion.

How to get conductive gels to stick when wet

A new way of making polymers adhere to surfaces may enable better biomedical sensors and implants.

March 20, 2020

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.

Covid-19 diagnostic based on MIT technology might be tested on patient samples soon

A variety of MIT research projects could aid efforts to detect and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

March 12, 2020

Afternoon light streams into MIT’s Lobby 7.

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2020

Institute ranks second in five subject areas.

March 3, 2020

The ReACT computer and data sciences cohort gathered with MIT Open Learning faculty and staff in Amman, Jordan, in 2019.

Through ReACT, refugee learners become “CEOs of their own lives”

Computer and data science graduates learned to forge their own destinies while gaining employable skills.

February 26, 2020

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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