Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Accounting for uncertainty to help engineers design complex systems

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · 6d

A new framework developed by @gioele-zardini.bsky.social, PhD student Yujun Huang and colleagues could change how engineers design autonomous vehicles, commercial aircraft, or transportation networks to handle real-world unpredictability. news.mit.edu/2025/account...

MIT researchers developed a framework that can help engineers design systems that involve many interconnected parts in a way that explicitly accounts for the uncertainty in each component’s…

How South Asia Can Adapt to Extreme Heat

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · 9d

South Asia is facing record-breaking heatwaves that could put millions at risk of life-threatening conditions. In a TIME op-ed, Prof. Elfatih Eltahir calls for urgent adaptation and aggressive action to curb carbon emissions. time.com/7319322/sout...

Extreme heat waves could soon make conditions in large parts of our planet extremely dangerous.

time.com

Technique makes complex 3D printed parts more reliable

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · 12d

Prof. Josephine Carstensen and PhD student Hajin Kim-Tackowiak created a new design method that accounts for 3D printer limitations to better control materials’ performance in aerospace, medical, and other applications. news.mit.edu/2025/techniq...

MIT engineers are incorporating the limitations of 3D printers into computer designs, to better control materials’ performance. The approach helps ensure printed structures perform the way they’re…

Gioele Zardini receives 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · 23d

Ready to engineer solutions for a sustainable future? Join us Sept. 25 @ 2PM ET for a Graduate Admissions Info session to learn how you can make a global impact through advanced study and research. Ready to apply now? Our grad application portal is open. apply.mit.edu/register/?id...

People seated on steps outside, surrounded by modern buildings featuring geometric designs and colorful facades. Clear blue sky and green trees frame the scene.

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · 29d

Congrats to @gioele-zardini.bsky.social on receiving a 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award to support his research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems. #AutonomousSystems #ScalableDesign #MIT #EngineeringResearch lids.mit.edu/news-and-eve...

The award will support research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems Gioele Zardini has been named a 2025 recipient of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency…

lids.mit.edu

1 6

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Aug 18

Prof. César Terrer and Trevor Cambron SM ’25 examine plants under elevated CO2 and their impact on climate models in a new review paper published in @natclimate.nature.com
cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...

Plant nutrient strategies could reshape carbon sink predictions - cee.mit.edu

New study examines plants under elevated CO₂ and their impact on climate models Each year, plants and trees absorb roughly one-third of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) that human activities release into the…

Eco-driving measures could significantly reduce vehicle emissions

2 3

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Aug 11

A new study led by Prof. Cathy Wu and colleagues reveals that eco-driving measures, such as dynamically adjusting vehicle speeds to reduce stopping and excessive acceleration, can cut carbon emissions between 11 and 22 percent. news.mit.edu/2025/eco-dri...

Implementing co-driving techniques, like the use of intelligent speed controls to mitigate congestion at traffic lights, can significantly reduce intersection carbon dioxide emissions without…

Why animals are a critical part of forest carbon absorption

2 2

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Aug 6

Their study shows that standard compartmental mathematical models such as the SIR model can miss the mark when data from multiple outbreak waves are unknowingly combined. To address this, they created new methods that help assess potential biases.

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Aug 6

New research from Prof. Lydia Bourouiba and mentee and postdoc Naijian Shen uncovers a blind spot in how we model epidemic spread: combining data from different regions can skew estimates of contagion. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

1 1

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 31

A new study led by CEE research scientist Evan Fricke highlights the critical role seed dispersing animals play in forest carbon absorption, showing that when these animals decline, forests recover significantly less carbon—a key factor in climate change mitigation. news.mit.edu/2025/why-ani...

Following deforestation, tropical forests with healthy populations of seed-dispersing animals can absorb up to four times more carbon than similar forests with fewer seed-dispersing animals,…

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 21

Congrats to Giorgio Rizzo, postdoc in the Marelli Lab, on receiving a Kavanaugh Fellowship. This award will support his work focused on a seed coating that boosts plant growth and reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers.

📸: Jason Sparapani

dmse.mit.edu/news/three-w...

From left, Brian Roehrich, Nicholas Diaco, and Giorgio Rizzo received 2025 Kavanaugh Fellowship awards to commercialize their research. The yearlong program gives fellows time to focus on developing entrepreneurial and business-planning skills.

Extending the life of America's aging bridges with technology

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 17

Prof. John Ochsendorf is reimagining how we build and preserve America’s bridges—by looking to the past. “How do we build bridges that are cost effective, have lower environmental impact, and are also beautiful to look at?" he asks. www.wcvb.com/article/exte...

UMass and MIT are testing out a cold spray technique to restore local bridges.

www.wcvb.com

How Can Regional Models Advance Climate Science? | Quanta Magazine

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 15

Prof. Elfatih Eltahir joins The Joy of Why podcast to explain why we need more local and social data, like disease spread and population growth, to better predict and address climate-related challenges. www.quantamagazine.org/how-can-regi...

Elfatih Eltahir explains why we need more local and social data, like disease spread and population growth, to better predict and address climate-related challenges.

www.quantamagazine.org

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 14

Prof. Saurabh Amin has received a 2025 MIT Energy Initiative Seed Fund to develop DecarbAI—an AI-powered tool using LLMs and ML to help plan clean energy grids as data center electricity demand surges. energy.mit.edu/news/mit-ene...

MIT Energy Initiative funds seven early-stage energy research projects

This spring, the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to support seven novel energy research projects as part of its Seed Fund program. Each project will receive…

energy.mit.edu

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 10

Congrats to postdoc Maya Anjur-Dietrich on receiving a Career Award at the Scientific Interface from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. This honor supports early-career researchers at the intersection of biology and the physical, computational & mathematical sciences. www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann...

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 8

A study from the Marelli Lab shows how a common fertilizer ingredient could enable new ways to increase plants’ resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth. news.mit.edu/2025/study-s...

Study shows how a common fertilizer ingredient benefits plants

MIT researchers found fertilizer additives called lanthanides can increase plant resilience to UV stress and enhance seedling growth. Until now, little has been known about how these rare earth…

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

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 3

Nth Cycle, co-founded by Prof. Desirée Plata, is advancing critical metals refining in the U.S. by producing nickel and cobalt from battery scrap in Ohio. news.mit.edu/2025/nth-cyc...

Nth Cycle, co-founded by MIT Associate Professor Desirée Plata, aims to recover critical metals from industrial waste and ores using a patented technology known as electro-extraction.

CEE graduate student Ernie Lee awarded Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study - cee.mit.edu

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jul 2

A new study by @mancusosci.bsky.social and @contaminatedsci.bsky.social shows that intraspecies microbial conflict can block new strains from settling in. If we want long-lasting probiotics, we must account for battles within species, not just between them. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1 2 2

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 25

Congratulations to Prof. David Simchi-Levi on being awarded the Harold Larnder Prize from the Canadian Operational Research Society. The award recognizes an individual who has achieved international distinction in operational research.

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 24

Congrats to Ernie Lee on being awarded a Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study. This award will support Lee’s research exploring the impacts of spatial heterogeneity and seasonal variations on the salt marsh wave attenuation performances.

Graduate student Ernie (In Him) Lee has been awarded the prestigious Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study from the Croucher Foundation in Hong Kong. This award provides financial support for…

“Each of us holds a piece of the solution”

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 23

Community members gathered with Vice President for Energy and Climate Evelyn Wang to explore the Climate Project at MIT, make connections, and exchange ideas. news.mit.edu/2025/each-of...

Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff turned out on May 6 for a community gathering hosted by Evelyn Wang, vice president for energy and climate, to learn about the Climate Project at MIT, make…

Unpacking the bias of large language models

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 20

In a new study, researchers in IDSS, LIDS, EECS and CEE collaborate to discover the root cause of a type of bias in LLMs, paving the way for more accurate and reliable AI systems. news.mit.edu/2025/unpacki...

MIT researchers discovered the underlying cause of position bias, a phenomenon that causes large language models to overemphasize the beginning or end of a document or conversation, while neglecting…

MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate students awarded U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship - cee.mit.edu

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 18

Isabella Stewart and Skylar Gering were named 2025 DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellows! 🎉 Their research, on AI-driven materials design and offshore wind modeling, uses high-performance computing to tackle complex environmental challenges. cee.mit.edu/mit-civil-an...

Isabella Stewart and Skylar Gering were among thirty students selected for the 2025 U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) program. The fellowship supports…

CEE announces new leadership for Parsons and Pierce Laboratories - cee.mit.edu

MIT CEE @mitcee.bsky.social · Jun 17

We are pleased to announce new leadership for our two research laboratories. Effective July 1, Prof. John Ochsendorf will serve as the Director of the Pierce Laboratory, and Prof. Desirée Plata as Director of the Parsons Laboratory. cee.mit.edu/cee-announce...

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at MIT has announced new leadership appointments for its two research laboratories. Effective July 1, Professor John Ochsendorf, will serve…