News and Blog Landing | MIT Sustainability

A study by MIT researchers shows how a common fertilizer ingredient could enable new ways to increase plants’ resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth.

MIT News Office

July 7, 2025

Study shows how a common fertilizer ingredient benefits plants

The findings could enable new ways to increase plants’ resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth.

Scientists are striving to discover new semiconductor materials that could boost the efficiency of solar cells and other electronics. The pace of innovation is bottlenecked by the speed at which researchers can manually measure important material properties, but a fully autonomous robotic system developed by MIT researchers could speed things up.

MIT News Office

July 4, 2025

Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials

Developed to analyze new semiconductors, the system could streamline the development of more powerful solar panels.

At the 2025 MIT Energy Initiative Spring Symposium, Evelyn Wang (at lectern), the MIT vice president for energy and climate, joined MITEI Director William H. Green to discuss how collaborations across campus can help solve the data center challenge.

MIT News Office

July 2, 2025

Confronting the AI/energy conundrum

The MIT Energy Initiative’s annual research symposium explores artificial intelligence as both a problem and a solution for the clean energy transition.

VAMO (Vegetal, Animal, Mineral, Other), is an ultra-lightweight, biodegradable, and transportable canopy designed to circle around a brick column in the Corderie of the Venice Arsenale — a historic space originally used to manufacture ropes for the city’s naval fleet.

MIT News Office

July 1, 2025

VAMO proposes an alternative to architectural permanence

A project at the Venice Biennale showcases biodegradable materials and structural systems using tension and compression.

Instead of building a refinery, Nth Cycle’s team has built a modular refining system — dubbed “The Oyster” — which uses electricity, chemical precipitation, and filtration to create the same metal refining chemicals as traditional methods.

MIT News Office

June 27, 2025

Nth Cycle is bringing critical metals refining to the U.S.

Co-founded by Professor Desirée Plata, the company is already producing nickel and cobalt from battery scrap in Ohio.

“There’s no better place than MIT to come up with the transformational solutions that can help shape our world,” says Evelyn Wang, who is also the Ford Professor of Engineering at the Institute.

MIT News Office

June 26, 2025

Evelyn Wang: A new energy source at MIT

MIT’s first vice president for energy and climate is working to accelerate research and development toward transformational solutions.

A mowed barrier around each project helped visitors know that areas of tall grass at No Mow sites are intentional.

MIT News Office

June 16, 2025

Students and staff work together for MIT’s first “No Mow May”

With advocacy from GSC Sustain, the No Mow May project supports pollinator habitats and provides educational opportunities.

Bryan Reimer, founder and co-director of the AVT Consortium, gives the opening remarks.

MIT News Office

June 16, 2025

Celebrating an academic-industry collaboration to advance vehicle technology

MIT Advanced Vehicle Technology Consortium marks a decade of developing data that improve understanding of how drivers use and respond to increasingly sophisticated automotive features.

Hilal Mohammadzai graduated from the MIT Emerging Talent Certificate in Computer and Data Science as part of his path to pursue a career in data science.

MIT News Office

June 13, 2025

A journey of resilience, fueled by learning

How experience with real-world problem-solving, combined with MIT Open Learning’s online resources and internship opportunities, solidified one Afghani learner’s career path.