Technology and society

“When people are consuming news on social media, their inclination to share that news with others interferes with their ability to assess its accuracy, according to a new study co-authored by MIT researchers.”

Our itch to share helps spread Covid-19 misinformation

Study finds social media sharing affects news judgment, but a quick exercise reduces the problem.

July 9, 2020

A new challenge launched by MIT App Inventor — a web-based, visual-programming environment that allows children to develop applications for smartphones and tablets — encourages kids and adults to build mobile technologies that could be used to help stem the spread of Covid-19, aid local communities, and provide moral support to people around the world. This image includes four screenshots from...

Empowering kids to address Covid-19 through coding

MIT App Inventor Challenge allows children to create apps that tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

July 9, 2020

MIT economist David Autor has produced a new study showing that Blacks and Hispanics are particularly affected by the decline in middle-class urban jobs in recent decades.

The urban job escalator has stopped moving

Study shows cities have stopped providing middle-class work in recent decades — especially for Black and Latino workers.

July 8, 2020

The Lifestyle Leaders panel met over Zoom to discuss creativity and life during Covid-19.

Remote panel of “oldest old” finds virtual life amid pandemic

Moving online, AgeLab research and outreach program for individuals 85 and older reveals surprising outcomes and extends MIT’s reach.

July 7, 2020

A virtual "datathon" organized by MIT to bring fresh insights to the Covid-19 pandemic drew 300 participants and 44 mentors from around the world. Here, mentors who volunteered to judge the final projects meet on Zoom to select the top 10 projects.

What is the Covid-19 data tsunami telling policymakers?

A global team of researchers searches for insights during a weeklong virtual “datathon.”

July 1, 2020

Rapid Reviews: COVID-19 (RR:C19) is an open access, rapid-review overlay journal that will accelerate peer review of Covid-19-related research.

The MIT Press and UC Berkeley launch Rapid Reviews: COVID-19

The new open access, rapid-review overlay journal aims to combat misinformation in Covid-19 research.

June 29, 2020

Left to right: MIT associate professors Eden Medina of science, technology, and society and Sarah Williams of technology and urban planning. Medina is particularly well-versed in the social, historical, and ethical aspects of computing, and Williams brings expertise as a practicing data scientist. Their multi-layered course, Data and Society, is designed to train practitioners who know how to use ...

The social life of data

New Data and Society course engages students in the ethics and societal implications of data.

June 8, 2020

We’re approaching the limit of how small transistors can get. As a result, over the past decade researchers have been working to find other ways to improve performance so that the computer industry can continue to innovate.

If transistors can’t get smaller, then coders have to get smarter

MIT CSAIL researchers say improving computing technology after Moore's Law will require more efficient software, new algorithms, and specialized hardware.

June 5, 2020

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed and spoke at Virtual Solve at MIT.

Solve at MIT builds partnerships to tackle complex challenges during Covid-19 crisis

Event convened attendees from around the world to discuss impacts of the pandemic and advance solutions to pressing global problems.

May 27, 2020

“When I was looking for a university," says MIT senior Talia Khan, "I wanted one with access to top-quality music teachers and top-quality science. Here, we have the same quality of music education as conservatories, and you also have the rest of the MIT education.”

Meet the MIT bilinguals: Dual materials science and music major Talia Khan

Fulbright Fellowship recipient encourages more musicologists and scientists to do interdisciplinary work with one another.

May 26, 2020

Microsoft President Brad Smith’s conversation with MIT Professor Daniela Rus on May 14 spanned a wide range of topics, from the challenges of Covid-19 to the security of online voting. The event was held as part of MIT’s “Hot Topics in Computing” series.

Microsoft President Brad Smith talks data, Covid-19, and a potential “digital 9/11”

Smith spoke with CSAIL Director Daniela Rus as part of a special series co-presented by the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing.

May 21, 2020

MIT News recently spoke with three leaders of MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future. Left to right: co-chair David A. Mindell, professor of aeronautics and astronautics, the Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT; executive director Elisabeth Beck Reynolds PhD ‘10, who is also executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center; and co-chair David ...

The changing world of work

MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future responds to rapid changes brought by the pandemic.

May 18, 2020

Researchers with the IDSS Covid-19 Collaboration (Isolat) are designing a control model for testing and isolating members of communities like MIT’s to reduce Covid-19 infection.

A data-driven response to a pandemic

Isolat, a volunteer collaboration organized by the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, informs coronavirus policy by analyzing data associated with the pandemic.

May 15, 2020

Left to right: David Sabatini, Kerry Emanuel, and Peter Shor, 2020 recipients of BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Awards

Kerry Emanuel, David Sabatini, and Peter Shor receive BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge awards

Laureates recognized for contributions to climate change, biomedicine, and quantum cryptography.

May 8, 2020

“The foundation for teaching ethics at MIT is for students to have a sense of proximity to social and ethical issues,” says Milo Phillips-Brown, a postdoc in philosophy. “The idea of having this class be so student-driven is that this allows them to come to ethics on their own terms; they follow what’s important to them and develop an inner motivation to be involved.”

Infusing ethics into experiential learning

In a new undergraduate course, students explore the ethical dimensions of their experiences.