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PhD student Lavender Tessmer has devoted herself to several projects throughout grad school, but all share a common thread: an emphasis on fiber development and textile programming. “At MIT, my interest in textiles really explode...
Programming functional fabrics

PhD student Lavender Tessmer applies computation to create textiles that behave in novel ways.

“I want to pass on to my kids a world at least as lovely and diverse as I’ve enjoyed and, like most people, I’m worried for the future of our planet,” Rafael Jaramillo says. “Different people can and should bring differen...
“Life is short, so aim high”

Professor Rafael Jaramillo relishes the challenge of developing new, environmentally beneficial semiconductor materials.

Amplified Industries’ sensors and analytics give oil well operators real-time alerts when things go wrong, allowing them to respond to issues before they become disasters. Credit: MIT News, iStock
Shining a light on oil fields to make them more sustainable

Amplified Industries, founded by Sebastien Mannai SM ’14, PhD ’18, helps oil field operators eliminate spills and stop methane leaks.

The contribution of sulfur hexafluoride to the greenhouse effect is more than 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide; the gas is commonly used in electric power grids. A new study quantifies China’s contribution to global SF6 emission...
Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas

Global warming potential of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is more than 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide.

Professor Catherine Wolfram, an economist in the MIT Sloan School of Management, looks for ways to decarbonize global energy systems while recognizing that energy drives economic development, especially in the developing world. ...
A delicate dance

Professor of applied economics Catherine Wolfram balances global energy demands and the pressing need for decarbonization.

MIT chemical engineers have shown that by using DNA to tether a catalyst (blue circles) to an electrode, they can make the conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide much more efficient. Credit: Christine Daniloff...
Engineers find a new way to convert carbon dioxide into useful products

A catalyst tethered by DNA boosts the efficiency of the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to CO, a building block for many chemical compounds.

An MIT team is hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs — sustainable, offshore structures that are engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and othe...
Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.

A new prediction method fueled by an MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast frequency of extreme weather. Credit: iStock
MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast the frequency of extreme weather

The new approach “nudges” existing climate simulations closer to future reality.

Studying Amsterdam, MIT researchers found the optimal system for reusing construction materials has many local storage “hubs” that keep materials within a few miles of where they will be needed. The findings could hel...
Think globally, rebuild locally

In order to recycle construction materials, keep them close to home, a new study of Amsterdam suggests.