Nuclear science and engineering

First row, left to right: Arvind Satyanarayan, Bryan Bryson, David Des Marais, Desiree Plata. Second row, left to right: Sili Deng, Wim van Rees, Farnaz Niroui, Julian Shun. Third row, left to right: Koroush Shirvan, Luca Carlone, Mingda Li, Phillip Isola. Fourth row, left to right: Rafael Gomez Bombarelli, Song Han, Tami Lieberman, Tim Kraska.

School of Engineering welcomes new faculty

Sixteen new professors join seven of the school’s departments.

December 8, 2017

The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Nuclear Reactor Lab celebrated the 75th anniversary of CP-1’s first human-made nuclear fission chain reaction. Pieces of reactor-grade graphite, identical to that used in MIT’s graphite exponential pile, were cut to make souvenirs for the event.

On 75th anniversary of first nuclear fission reactor, MIT stages tribute to seminal experiment

MIT’s historic graphite exponential pile has been restored as a tool for education and research.

December 4, 2017

Magnetic reconnection is a complicated phenomenon that Nuno Loureiro, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering and of physics at MIT, has been studying in detail for more than a decade. To explain the process, he gives a well-studied example: “If you watch a video of a solar flare” as it arches outward and then collapses back onto the sun’s surface, “that’s magnetic reco...

Study sheds light on turbulence in astrophysical plasmas

Theoretical analysis uncovers new mechanisms in plasma turbulence.

December 1, 2017

Physicists at MIT have designed a pocket-sized cosmic ray muon detector to track these ghostly particles.

Physicists design $100 handheld muon detector

Pocket-sized device detects charged particles in surrounding air.

November 20, 2017

“I care a lot about the staff who work here and their safety,” MIT Nuclear Reactor Superintendent Sarah Don says, “so I have to make sure we do things the right way — the safe way — 100 percent of the time."

Sarah Don: Building nuclear connections

MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory's superintendent works to give more students the opportunity to work with and learn from the reactor.

November 20, 2017

MIT course 22.033 (Nuclear Systems Design) is taught this year by Zach Hartwig, assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the inaugural holder of the John C. Hardwick Career Development Chair.

Bringing design thinking into nuclear science and engineering

Nuclear Systems Design class immerses students in the design and communications skills needed to produce innovations.

November 15, 2017

Left to right: MEET facilitators Ted Golfinopoulos, a PSFC research scientist, and graduate students Adam Kuang and Alex Tinguely spent time in Israel as part of program that provides a safe place for Israeli and Palestinian high school students to become colleagues in the study of science, technology, and entrepreneurship.

Bridging the divide with technology

Three from the Plasma Science and Fusion Center spend time with the Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow.

November 14, 2017

Clockwise from top left: Aram Harrow, Benjamin Jones, Scott Kemp, Calvin Leung, Ian Moult, Keith Nelson, Bradley Olsen, Jonathan Loren Ouellet, and Pedro Reis

Twelve from MIT honored by the American Physical Society

Prize winners span six departments in the schools of Science and Engineering.

October 31, 2017

Jerry Akinsulire’s ideal job would involve “an interplay — developing ideas on a drawing board, building something hands on, and then testing in the world,” he says. “That would be the perfect combination for me.”

Jerry Akinsulire: The making of a maker mentor

Undergraduate Olorunsola “Jerry” Akinsulire spearheads a new builder space in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

October 26, 2017

“Our technology takes plastic out of the landfill, locks it up in concrete, and also uses less cement to make the concrete, which makes fewer carbon dioxide emissions,” says assistant professor Michael Short.

MIT students fortify concrete by adding recycled plastic

Adding bits of irradiated plastic water bottles could cut cement industry’s carbon emissions.

October 25, 2017

The winning team, named A Salt Solution, won $10,000 for a prototype of a simple, low-cost hydrogel that can be incorporated into water desalination plants or placed directly into bodies of water to collect uranium. The team members are: (left to right) Jasmine Harris, Cynthia Lo, and William “Robin” Lindemann.

Hydrogel that extracts uranium from water wins MADMEC

Teams developing materials solutions for ships and buildings split second and third prizes.

October 13, 2017

The 2017 MIT recipients of the U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowships are (clockwise from top left) Peter Ahrens, Miriam Rathbun, Annie Yuan Wei, and Kevin Silmore.

Grad students earn Department of Energy computational fellowships

Ahrens, Rathbun, Silmore, and Wei are recognized for tackling complex science and engineering problems of national importance.

October 11, 2017

MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center principal research scientist Robert Granetz.

3 Questions: Robert Granetz on fusion research

MIT research scientist is exploring how machine learning can predict and prevent disruptions in reactors.

October 10, 2017

Shirley Jackson (right) answers a question from the audience at an event recounting her experiences as an MIT student and as a leader in nuclear science and higher education. MIT Professor Paula Hammond (left), head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, led the discussion.

Shirley Jackson speaks about her career and being an agent for change

Professor Paula Hammond talks with MIT Corporation life member about her experiences as an MIT student, research scientist, and university president.

September 29, 2017

“I like to say I build fancy thermometers. That’s my job,” says Alex Creely, a graduate student in nuclear science and engineering who works in the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT.

Alex Creely: Bridging the simulation vs. reality gap

Nuclear science and engineering graduate student receives Department of Energy Innovation Award for his work on plasma turbulence.