MIT Materials Research Laboratory Newsletter

January, 2018

About MRL

Summer Scholars deadline

Mechanical engineering graduate student Caroline Wagner, right, leads a tour of Ribbeck Lab for 2017 Summer Scholars,

Applications due Feb. 16, 2018

Interns will select their own projects from MIT faculty presentations given during the first few days of the program. Last year’s group, for example, participated in a diverse group of materials science, photonics, energy, and biomedical projects.

Prof. Lionel Kimerling teaches an AIM Photonics Academy session.

Winter Photonics Academy

More than 60 people gathered at MIT on Jan. 16, 2018, for three days of lectures and design labs on integrated photonics. The technology is still emerging, and companies are looking for outside training to fill in the gaps they are unable to fill by themselves.

STAT features Prof. Ribbeck

Boston Globe-affiliated health and science news report STAT featured Associate Professor Katharina Ribbeck’s work on mucus with an article and video on its website on January 17, 2018.

Video, Hyacinth Empinado/STAT

In Other News

A drawing illustrates the unusual topological landscape around a pair of features known as exceptional points (red dots), showing the emergence of a Fermi arc (pink line at center), and exotic polarization contours that form a Mobius-strip-like texture

New exotic phenomena seen in photonic crystals

Researchers in the emerging field of neuromorphic computing have attempted to design computer chips that work like the human brain. Unlike binary, on-off computing, the elements of a brain-on-a-chip would work in an analog fashion.

Engineers design artificial synapse for “brain-on-a-chip” hardware

MIT researchers, looking for ways to turn heat into electricity, find efficient possibilities in certain topological materials.

Turning heat into electricity

A type of battery first invented nearly five decades ago could catapult to the forefront of energy storage technologies, thanks to a new finding by researchers at MIT and other institutions. Illustration modified from an original image by Felice Fr

A new approach

to rechargeable batteries

First row, from left Stephen Bell, Timothy Cronin, Nikta Fakhri, Robert Griffin. Second row, l-r, Jacqueline Hewitt, William Minicozzi, Aaron Pixton, Gabriela Schlau-Cohen. Third row, l-r, Alexander Shalek, Scott Sheffield, Susan Solomon, Stefani Spranger.

12 School of Science faculty members appointed to named professorships

Event Calendar

Make Your Mark on MIT.nano! with Prof. Vladimir Bulovic, Professor of Engineering, MacVicar Fellow: Wed., Jan. 31, 2018: MIT 9-255,10:30am-2:30pm; Thurs., Feb. 1, 2018: MIT 34-401,10:30am-2:30pm; Fri., Feb. 2, 2018: MIT 34-401,10:30am-2:30pm. Advance sign-up requested.

Special Chez Pierre seminar: “Tunable Berry Phase and Berry Curvature Effects in 2D and 3D Materials,” Long Ju, Cornell University, Duboc Room, 4-331, 12-1pm, Thurs., Feb. 1, 2018.

Special Chez Pierre seminar: "Spectroscopy of bulk and ultrathin NbSe2 with van-der-Waals tunnel junctions," Hadar Steinberg, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Duboc Room, 4-331, 12-1pm, Mon., Feb. 5, 2018.

MITei Seminar: “Three transportation revolutions: Steering sharing, automation, and electrification toward the public interest,” Dan Sperling, Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, MIT E51-315, 12-1pm, Tues., Feb. 6, 2018. Advance sign-up requested.

MIT Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM) Seminar: Prof. Meredith Silberstein, Cornell University, MIT 56-114, 3:30-4:45pm, Wed., Feb. 7, 2018.

BetterMIT Innovation Week, Feb. 12–19, 2018.

46th James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award Lecture, Richard Schrock, MIT Huntington Hall. 10-250, 4-5pm, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.

2018 MIT Startup Workshop – The Future of Energy Innovation, MIT ILP, Bldg E90, 1 Main St., 12th floor, Cambridge, 8:30-11:30am, March 1, 2018. Registration required.

Join the MRL Collegium

We invite your company to become a member of the MRL Industry Collegium. As a member, your company will receive:

premium access to member only briefing materials and information via our website
periodic publications and research activity highlights
invitations to workshops, conferences and symposia
support for research staff visits on-campus
facilitation of corporate meetings and events
customized interactions with MIT students

T o join the collegium contact:

Mark Beals

Associate Director, MRL

617-253-2129

mbeals@mit.edu

77 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-253-5179

mit-mrl@mit.edu

https://mrl.mit.edu