News and Blog Landing | MIT Sustainability

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright ’85 visited the MIT campus on Sept. 29. Wright earned a BS in mechanical engineering and spent two and a half years pursuing graduate studies in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science before leaving to become an entrepreneur in the energy industry.

MIT News Office

October 3, 2025

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright ’85 visits MIT

Panel discussions focused on innovation in many forms of energy, then a tour of campus featured student research.

An electron-conducting carbon concrete (ec³)-based arch structure integrates supercapacitor electrodes for dual functionality. The prototype demonstrates both structural load bearing and the ability to power an LED, with the light’s intensity varying under applied load, highlighting the potential for real-time structural health monitoring via the supercapacitor.

MIT News Office

October 1, 2025

Concrete “battery” developed at MIT now packs 10 times the power

Improved carbon-cement supercapacitors could turn the concrete around us into massive energy storage systems.

“The intellectual seeds sown by Open Learning resources such as MIT OpenCourseWare have flourished within me, shaping my identity as a physicist and affirming my deep belief in the transformative power of knowledge shared freely, without barriers,” says Mostafa Fawzy, who has been using MIT's open educational resources since he was in high school.

MIT News Office

October 1, 2025

MIT OpenCourseWare is “a living testament to the nobility of open, unbounded learning”

For physicist Mostafa Fawzy, MIT Open Learning’s OpenCourseWare was a steadfast companion through countless study sessions.

“Our center was founded in response to rising geopolitical tensions and the urgent need for policy rooted in rigorous, evidence-based research,” says Mihaela Papa. “Today, as in our early years, the center brings together exceptional researchers with the ambition to address the world’s most pressing challenges in new and creative ways.”

MIT News Office

September 30, 2025

3 Questions: Addressing the world’s most pressing challenges

Mihaela Papa discusses the BRICS Lab, her role at the Center for International Studies, and the center's ongoing ambition to tackle the world's most complex challenges in new and creative ways.

“We are on a path where the effects of climate change won’t be fully known until it is too late to do anything about it,” says Jennifer Turliuk MBA ’25, who is working to help policymakers, scientists, and enterprises consider the multifaceted costs and benefits of generative AI. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to innovate and make AI systems less carbon-intense.”

MIT News Office

September 30, 2025

Responding to the climate impact of generative AI

Explosive growth of AI data centers is expected to increase greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers are now seeking solutions to reduce these environmental harms.

Marcelo Coelho (left) and the Geolectric Lantern

MIT News Office

September 29, 2025

A beacon of light

A lantern created in the Design Intelligence Lab creates sustainable alternatives for consumer electronics.

Collaboration between researchers at MIT and the Idaho National Laboratory has led to new fuels, next-generation reactor designs, and progress toward the first reactor in space.

MIT News Office

September 23, 2025

MIT’s work with Idaho National Laboratory advances America’s nuclear industry

The collaboration has led to new fuels and a variety of other projects to enable clean, safe nuclear energy.

David Whelihan has traveled to the Arctic over the past few years to test prototype low-cost sensor nodes designed to monitor loss in Arctic sea ice extent and thickness.

MIT News Office

September 17, 2025

Q&A: On the challenges of operating in the Arctic

How does one access and conduct research in one of the world’s harshest and most demanding environments? Lincoln Laboratory undersea systems engineer David Whelihan explains.

MIT News Office

September 17, 2025

Q&A: David Whelihan on the challenges of operating in the Arctic

How do you access and conduct research in one of the world's harshest and most demanding environments?