UMRP News

Making agriculture more resilient to climate change

Researchers across MIT are working on ways to boost food production and help crops survive drought.

Anne Trafton | MIT News
Publication Date: November 1, 2024

 

How light can vaporize water without the need for heat

Surprising “photomolecular effect” discovered by MIT researchers could affect calculations of climate change and may lead to improved desalination and drying processes.

David L. Chandler | MIT News
Publication Date: April 23, 2024

 

Unlocking the secrets of natural materials

Professor Benedetto Marelli develops silk-based technologies with uses “from lab to fork,” including helping crops grow and preserving perishable foods.

Michaela Jarvis | MIT News correspondent
Publication Date: December 3, 2023

 

In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate without heat

A newly identified process could explain a variety of natural phenomena and enable new approaches to desalination.

David L. Chandler | MIT News
Publication Date: October 31, 2023

 

A more sustainable way to generate phosphorus

MIT chemists found a way to cut the carbon footprint of producing white phosphorus, an ingredient in many consumer products.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
Publication Date: February 21, 2023

 

“Spring-loaded” system pops phosphorus into molecular rings

An alternative to methods requiring harsh chemical conditions, the reaction offers a new route to making useful phosphorous-containing compounds.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
Publication Date: April 21, 2022

 

Engineering seeds to resist drought

A new seed-coating process could facilitate agriculture on marginal arid lands by enabling the seeds to retain any available water.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office
Publication Date: July 8, 2021

 

Why the Mediterranean is a climate change hotspot

MIT analysis uncovers the basis of the severe rainfall declines predicted by many models.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office
Publication Date: June 17, 2020

 

Chemistry bonds “quirky” researchers in hard-working Surendranath lab

Mangoes, coconuts, and imaginary lizards make using electricity to rearrange chemical bonds fun and exciting.

Kathryn O'Neill | MIT Energy Initiative
Publication Date: December 26, 2019

 

Coated seeds may enable agriculture on marginal lands

A specialized silk covering could protect seeds from salinity while also providing fertilizer-generating microbes.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office
Publication Date: November 25, 2019

 

Deploying drones to prepare for climate change

PhD student Norhan Bayomi uses drones to investigate how building construction impacts communities’ resilience to rising temperatures.

Daysia Tolentino | MIT News correspondent
Publication Date: October 4, 2019

 

Study: Climate change could pose danger for Muslim pilgrimage

When the Hajj comes in summertime, in some years it may not be safe for participants to remain outdoors.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office
Publication Date: August 22, 2019

 

Addressing Africa's sustainable development

Researchers and experts attend African Sustainable Development Conference at MIT.

Taylor De Leon | Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publication Date: October 19, 2018

 

A forum on the future of the Nile River

International workshop proposes future directions for long-standing conflict.

Stephanie M. McPherson | Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publication Date: May 4, 2018

 

Kit Cummins awarded the American Chemical Society Pauling Medal

Award presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement in chemistry in the spirit of, and in honor of, Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.

Danielle Randall | Department of Chemistry
Publication Date: June 28, 2017