Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)

Students in the biological engineering capstone design class showcase their proposed solutions to food and water security challenges over Zoom.

Engineering superpowered organisms for a more sustainable world

MIT students explore algal water purifiers, programmable soil bacteria, and other biological engineering approaches to food and water security.

July 22, 2020

IdeaStream 2020 featured presentations from 19 research projects across MIT, as well as Q&A sessions with speakers via Zoom.

IdeaStream 2020 goes virtual

From machine learning to devices to Covid-19 testing, Deshpande Center projects aim to make a positive impact on the world.

June 24, 2020

An edible silk-based coating developed by MIT Assistant Professor Benedetto Marelli can preserve food longer and prevent food waste. Marelli has teamed up with other Boston-based scientists to form Cambridge Crops, a spinout company using silk technologies to extend the shelf life of all sorts of perishable foods.

MIT startup wraps food in silk for better shelf life

Cambridge Crops develops an edible, imperceptible coating that might replace plastic packaging to preserve meats and produce.

June 5, 2020

Francesca O’Hanlon of Blue Tap delivered a pitch at the Water Innovation Prize on April 22. Her team won first place with a novel water chlorinating system that makes clean water affordable and accessible for users without existing access to healthy water supplies.

MIT student leaders go virtual with global startup competitions

In the face of Covid-19, the MIT Water Club and the MIT Food and Agriculture Club take their signature innovation prizes online.

May 15, 2020

In a step toward small-scale production of ammonia fertilizer, MIT chemical engineers have devised a way to combine hydrogen and nitrogen using an electric current that generates a lithium catalyst.

Technique could enable cheaper fertilizer production

Chemical engineers take a step toward generating ammonia with small-scale, electrochemical reactors.

May 4, 2020

MIT graduate student Emily Hanhauser demonstrates a new device that may simplify the logistics of water monitoring for trace metal contaminants, particularly in resource-constrained regions.

Instrument may enable mail-in testing to detect heavy metals in water

Whisk-shaped device absorbs trace contaminants, preserves them in dry state that can be shipped to labs for analysis.

February 25, 2020

An Army Corps of Engineers flood model depicting the Ala Wai watershed after a 100-year rain event. The owner of a local design firm described the Ala Wai Flood Control Project as the largest climate impact project in Hawai's modern history.

Reducing risk, empowering resilience to disruptive global change

Workshop highlights how MIT research can guide adaptation at local, regional, and national scales.

January 23, 2020

Christopher Voigt and Eszter Majer (pictured) collaborated with chloroplast and mitochondria experts from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain, during their seed grant period, collaborations that were made possible by J-WAFS seed grants.

Making real a biotechnology dream: nitrogen-fixing cereal crops

Voigt Lab's work could eventually replace cereal crops’ need for nitrogen from chemical fertilizers.

January 10, 2020

Access to irrigation is crucial for food security, especially in arid climates like sub-Saharan Africa. Two MIT research teams working on irrigation in this region were brought together by J-WAFS to share their knowledge.

Collaborating for irrigation access solutions: Where policy and engineering meet

A J-WAFS connection brings together two MIT research teams helping to advance irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa.

December 12, 2019

If the world is to be free of hunger and malnutrition in accordance with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, actions to strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of food systems must be rapidly implemented in order to adapt to climate change. Research launched by J-WAFS seeks to map out the most strategic ways that research can be used to ensure a global transition toward food-system ...

J-WAFS zeroes in on food security as agricultural impacts of the climate crisis become more apparent

The Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab presents a new report on climate, agriculture, water, and food security — with plans for more research.

October 30, 2019

Graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate UROP students presented their research to members of the MIT community, alumni, and industry representatives at the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition.

Students present mechanical engineering projects that have global impact

At the sixth annual Mechanical Engineering Research Exhibition, graduate students and postdocs sharpen their communication and presentation skills.

October 29, 2019

Water bottles designed by architecture student Effie Jia encourage students to take up environmentally friendly habits.

First-year students encouraged to “reuse, refill, replenish”

MIT welcomed the Class of 2023 with an initiative to reduce the impact of water consumption through reusable water bottles and other sustainable habits.

September 25, 2019

Left: A water sample undergoing testing using the J-WAFS-funded water quality test kit soon to be deployed throughout Nepal. Right: Citrus trees infected with citrus greening disease are highly contagious and can wipe out whole orange groves. A J-WAFS-funded sensor could help farmers detect the disease much earlier.

J-WAFS announces 2019 Solutions Grants supporting agriculture and clean water

Projects address access to clean water in Nepal via wearable E. coli test kits, improving the resilience of commercial citrus groves, and more.

September 17, 2019

The MIT Water Club conducted a water taste test and outreach event at the Cambridge Arts River Festival.

Following the current: MIT examines water consumption sustainability

The Institute aims to update its water management practices to prepare for droughts, sea level rise, and other risks posed by the climate crisis.

August 5, 2019

PhD candidates Sahil Shah (left) and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have each received fellowships from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab for 2019-20. Their research explores possible solutions to global and local water supply challenges through new approaches to desalination.

PhD students awarded J-WAFS fellowships for water solutions

J-WAFS announces graduate fellowships for Sahil Shah and Peter Godart, both of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

June 17, 2019

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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