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MIT’s top research stories of 2024
MIT’s research community had another year full of scientific and technological advances in 2024. To celebrate the achievements of the past twelve months, MIT News highlights some of our most popular stories from this year. We’ve also rounded up the year’s top MIT community-related stories.
- 3-D printing with liquid metal: Researchers developed an additive manufacturing technique that can print rapidly with liquid metal, producing large-scale parts like table legs and chair frames in a matter of minutes. Their technique involves depositing molten aluminum along a predefined path into a bed of tiny glass beads. The aluminum quickly hardens into a 3D structure.
- Tamper-proof ID tags: Engineers developed a tag that can reveal with near-perfect accuracy whether an item is real or fake. The key is in the glue that sticks the tag to the item. The team uses terahertz waves to authenticate items by recognizing a unique pattern of microscopic metal particles mixed into the glue.
- Chatting with the future you: Researchers from MIT and elsewhere created a system that enables users to have an online, text-based conversation with an AI-generated simulation of their potential future self. The project is aimed at reducing anxiety and guiding young people to make better choices.
- Converting CO2 into useful products: Engineers at MIT designed a new electrode that boosts the efficiency of electrochemical reactions to turn carbon dioxide into ethylene and other products.
- Generative AI for databases: Researchers built GenSQL, a new generative AI tool that makes it easier for database users to perform complicated statistical analyses of tabular data without the need to know what is going on behind the scenes. The tool could help users make predictions, detect anomalies, guess missing values, fix errors, and more.
- Reversing autoimmune-induced hair loss: A new microneedle patch delivers immune-regulating molecules to the scalp. The treatment teaches T cells not to attack hair follicles, promoting hair regrowth and offering a promising solution for individuals affected by alopecia areata and other autoimmune skin diseases.
- Inside the LLM black box: Researchers demonstrated a technique that can be used to probe a large language model to see what it knows about new subjects. The technique showed the models use a surprisingly simple mechanism to retrieve some stored knowledge.
- Sound-suppressing silk: An interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers from MIT and elsewhere developed a silk fabric, barely thicker than a human hair, that can suppress unwanted noise and reduce noise transmission in a large room.
- Working out for your nervous system: Researchers found that when muscles work out, they help neurons to grow as well. The findings suggest that biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves.
- Finding AI’s world model lacking: Researchers found that despite its impressive output, generative AI models don’t have a coherent understanding of the world. Large language models don’t form true models of the world and its rules, and can thus fail unexpectedly on similar tasks.
MIT community in 2024: A year in review
The year 2024 saw MIT moving forward on a number of new initiatives, including the launch of President Sally Kornbluth’s signature Climate Project at MIT, as well as two other major MIT collaborative projects, one focused around human-centered disciplines and another around the life sciences. The Institute also announced free tuition for all admitted students with family incomes below $200,000; honored commitments to ensure support for diverse voices; and opened a flurry of new buildings and spaces across campus. Here are some of the top stories from around the MIT community this year.
Climate Project takes flight
In February, President Kornbluth announced the sweeping Climate Project at MIT, a major campus-wide effort to solve critical climate problems with all possible speed. The project focuses MIT’s strengths on six broad climate-related areas where progress is urgently needed, and mission directors were selected for those areas in July. “The Climate Project is a whole-of-MIT mobilization,” Kornbluth said at a liftoff event in September. “It’s designed to focus the Institute’s talent and resources so that we can achieve much more, faster, in terms of real-world impact, from mitigation to adaptation.”
MIT Collaboratives
In the fall, Kornbluth announced two additional all-Institute collaborative efforts, designed to foster and support new alliances that will take on compelling global problems. The MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) aims to bring together scholars in the humanities, arts, and social sciences with colleagues across the Institute as a way to amplify MIT’s impact on challenges like climate change, artificial intelligence, pandemics, poverty, democracy, and more. Meanwhile, the MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS) will draw on MIT’s strengths in life sciences and other fields, including AI and chemical and biological engineering, to accelerate progress in improving patient care. Additional MIT collaborative projects are expected to follow in the months ahead.
Increased financial aid
MIT announced in November that undergraduates with family income below $200,000 — a figure that applies to 80 percent of American households — can expect to attend MIT tuition-free starting next fall, thanks to newly expanded financial aid. In addition, families with income below $100,000 can expect to pay nothing at all toward the full cost of their students’ MIT education, which includes tuition as well as housing, dining, fees, and an allowance for books and personal expenses. President Kornbluth called the new cost structure, which will be paid for by MIT’s endowment, “an inter-generational gift from past MIT students to the students of today and tomorrow.”
Encouraging community dialogue
The Institute hosted a series of “Dialogues Across Difference,” guest lectures and campus conversations encouraging community members to speak openly and honestly about freedom of expression, race, meritocracy, and the intersections and potential conflicts among these issues. Invited speakers’ expertise helped cultivate civil discourse, critical thinking, and empathy among members of the community, and served as a platform for public discussions related to Standing Together Against Hate; the MIT Values Statement; the Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition; the Faculty Statement on Free Expression; and other ongoing campus initiatives and debates.
Commencement
At Commencement, biotechnology leader Noubar Afeyan PhD ’87 urged the MIT Class of 2024 to “accept impossible missions” for the betterment of the world. Afeyan is chair and co-founder of the biotechnology firm Moderna, whose groundbreaking Covid-19 vaccine has been distributed to billions of people in over 70 countries.
President Kornbluth lauded the Class of 2024 for being “a community that runs on an irrepressible combination of curiosity and creativity and drive. A community in which everyone you meet has something important to teach you. A community in which people expect excellence of themselves — and take great care of one another.”
Nobels and other top accolades
In October, Daron Acemoglu, an Institute Professor, and Simon Johnson, the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship, won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, along with James Robinson of the University of Chicago, for their work on the relationship between economic growth and political institutions. MIT Department of Biology alumnus Victor Ambros ’75, PhD ’79 also shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Gary Ruvkun, who completed his postdoctoral research at the Institute alongside Ambros in the 1980s. The two were honored for their discovery of MicroRNA. Earlier this month, the new laureates received their prizes in Stockholm during Nobel Week.
Earlier in the year, professors Nancy Kanwisher, Robert Langer, and Sara Seager were awarded prestigious Kavli Prizes, for their outstanding advances in the fields of neuroscience, nanoscience, and astrophysics, respectively.
Miguel Zenón, assistant professor of jazz, won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album of the year.
At MIT, professor of physics John Joannopoulos won this year’s Killian Award, the Institute’s highest faculty honor.
New and refreshed spaces
Quite a few new buildings opened, partially or in full, across the MIT campus this year. In the spring, the airy Tina and Hamid Moghadam Building, a new addition to the recently refurbished Green Building, was dedicated. The gleaming new MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing building also opened its doors and hosted a naming ceremony.
The new home of the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard University opened in the heart of Kendall Square in June, while the new Graduate Junction housing complex on Vassar Street opened over the summer.
And earlier this fall, the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building opened for a selection of classes and will be fully operational in February 2025.
Student honors and awards
As is often the case, MIT undergraduates earned an impressive number of prestigious awards. In 2024, exceptional students were honored with Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and Schwarzman scholarships, among many others.
For the fourth year in a row, MIT students earned all five top spots at the Putnam Mathematical Competition. And the women’s cross country team won a national championship for the first time.
Administrative transitions
A number of administrative leaders took on new roles in 2024. Ian Waitz was named vice president for research; Anantha Chandrakasan took on the new role of MIT chief innovation and strategy officer in addition to his existing role as dean of engineering; Melissa Choi was named director of MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Dimitris Bertsimas was named vice provost for open learning; Duane Boning was named vice provost for international activities; William Green was named director of the MIT Energy Initiative; Alison Badgett was named director of the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center; and Michael John Gorman was named director of the MIT Museum.
Remembering those we lost
Among MIT community members who died this year were Arvind, Hale Van Dorn Bradt, John Buttrick, Jonathan Byrnes, Jerome Connor, Owen Cote, Ralph Gakenheimer, Casey Harrington, James Harris, Ken Johnson, David Lanning, Francis Fan Lee, Mathieu Le Provost, John Little, Chasity Nunez, Elise O’Hara, Mary-Lou Pardue, Igor Paul, Edward Roberts, Peter Schiller, John Vander Sande, Bernhardt Wuensch, Richard Wiesman, and Cynthia Griffin Wolff.
In case you missed it…
Additional top stories from around the Institute in 2024 include a roundup of new books by faculty and staff, a look at unique license plates of MIT community members, our near-total view of a solar eclipse on campus, and the announcement of a roller rink in Kendall Square.
How JVC and vMix Revolutionizes Pediatric Programming at Seacrest Studios
In this article from the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, JVC’s innovative vMix solution is celebrated for its transformative impact on Seacrest Studios and their mission to create engaging programming for pediatric patients. This cutting-edge technology, paired with exceptional customer service, enables studios to streamline operations, enhance content creation, and deliver memorable experiences to children in hospitals.
Resolving Technical Challenges with Unmatched Support
Seacrest Studios in Dallas recently faced frustrating technical issues with their vMix system, experiencing daily crashes that disrupted their programming. JVC’s dedicated customer support proved invaluable, as their team tirelessly troubleshot the issues and provided immediate solutions. Jill Pocius from Seacrest Studios expressed her gratitude for JVC’s efforts, highlighting how the team even overnighted a replacement vMix computer to ensure smooth operations. This unwavering support underscores JVC’s commitment to helping Seacrest Studios fulfill their mission.
Enhancing Content Creation with vMix’s Advanced Features
At Boston Children’s Hospital, vMix’s innovative features are at the heart of engaging content creation. The system’s Google Sheets API integration allows staff to easily manage text and images, enabling quick updates and incorporating patient-made content into broadcasts. Shows like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Family Feud” now include personalized elements, such as puzzles and trivia questions created by patients. Sharing workflows via Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel has also facilitated collaboration between Seacrest Studios in different locations.
Streamlined Operations for Better Programming
vMix’s shortcuts and triggers simplify operations by reducing complex actions to single commands. This efficiency empowers studio teams to focus on creating meaningful connections with their audience rather than being bogged down by logistics. As Henry Johnston from Boston Children’s Hospital points out, these features are pivotal in delivering high-quality programming that resonates with young patients and their families.
A Grateful Partnership
The Ryan Seacrest Foundation concludes the article with a heartfelt thank-you to JVC and vMix for their innovative technology and outstanding customer care. Their partnership not only enhances programming but also helps improve the lives of pediatric patients, making every broadcast an opportunity to bring joy and positivity.
Read the full article from the Ryan Seacrest Foundation HERE
Learn more about JVC vMix Studio Switchers below:
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