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    3 Questions: When the student becomes the teacher

    As a master’s student in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Technology and Policy Program at MIT, Brandon Leshchinskiy’s ultimate goal is to “build AI tools to adapt to climate change and the educational tools to stop it.” As part of his graduate thesis, in collaboration with MIT Portugal and EarthDNA, both led […] More

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    Autonomous system improves environmental sampling at sea

    An autonomous robotic system invented by researchers at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) efficiently sniffs out the most scientifically interesting — but hard-to-find — sampling spots in vast, unexplored waters. Environmental scientists are often interested in gathering samples at the most interesting locations, or “maxima,” in an environment. One example could be a […] More

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    Symposium explores challenges of adapting to climate change

    In the second of six symposia on climate change to be held this academic year, seven experts from around the country tackled the topic of “challenges of climate policy.” The Oct. 29 event included three panel discussions held at MIT’s Wong Auditorium. Moderated by Richard Schmalensee, the Howard W. Johnson Professor of Management and professor […] More

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    J-WAFS zeroes in on food security as agricultural impacts of the climate crisis become more apparent

    Early this August, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued yet another in a series of grave and disquieting reports outlining the extreme challenges placed on the Earth’s systems by the climate crisis. Most IPCC reports and accompanying media coverage tend to emphasize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy and transportation sectors, along with […] More

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    Collision course: A geological mystery in the Himalayas

    According to Craig Martin, deciphering Earth’s geologic past is like an ant climbing over a car crash. “You’ve got to work out how the car crash happened, how fast the cars were going, at what angle they impacted,” explains Martin, a graduate student at MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). “You’re just […] More

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    MIT engineers develop a new way to remove carbon dioxide from air

    A new way of removing carbon dioxide from a stream of air could provide a significant tool in the battle against climate change. The new system can work on the gas at virtually any concentration level, even down to the roughly 400 parts per million currently found in the atmosphere. Most methods of removing carbon […] More

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    Enhanced nuclear energy online class aims to inform and inspire

    More than 3,000 users hailing from 137 countries signed up for the MIT Department of Nuclear Energy’s debut massive open online course (MOOC), Nuclear Energy: Science, Systems and Society, which debuted last year on MITx. Now, after roaring success, the course will be offered again in spring 2020, with key upgrades. “We had hoped there […] More

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    New process could make hydrogen peroxide available in remote places

    Hydrogen peroxide, a useful all-purpose disinfectant, is found in most medicine cabinets in the developed world. But in remote villages in developing countries, where it could play an important role in health and sanitation, it can be hard to come by. Now, a process developed at MIT could lead to a simple, inexpensive, portable device […] More