Monthly Archives (January 2016)


"...our alumni company founders voice a great fondness for both the MIT and RLE cultures... They have clearly carried that spirit with them when they left RLE and went on to build new enterprises in the same style that they had so much enjoyed here in RLE."

—Jonathan Allen
Sixth Director of RLE

Scaffold shape gets nerve cells into the groove
Posted January 28, 2016 at 10:02 am
New chip fabrication approach
Posted January 27, 2016 at 4:50 pm
This diagram demonstrates the simplified results that can be obtained by using quantum analysis on enormous, complex sets of data. Shown here are the connections between different regions of the brain in a control subject (left) and a subject under the influence of the psychedelic compound psilocybin (right). This demonstrates a dramatic increase in connectivity, which explains some of the drug’s effects (such as “hearing” colors or “seeing” smells). Such an analysis, involving billions of brain cells, would be too complex for conventional techniques, but could be handled easily by the new quantum approach, the researchers say. Courtesy of the researchers
A new quantum approach to big data
Posted January 25, 2016 at 6:00 pm
On the top row are two images of a nanomesh bilayer of PDMS cylinders in which the top layer is perpendicular to the complex orientation of the bottom layer. The bottom images show well-ordered nanomesh patterns of PDMS cylinders. The images on the right show zoomed-in views of the images on the left. Courtesy of the researchers
Self-stacking nanogrids
Posted January 22, 2016 at 6:03 pm
Adalsteinsson to be inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite
Posted January 22, 2016 at 6:02 pm
For both his master’s and his doctoral theses, Michael Watts (pictured) developed a photonic circuit that could align the polarizations of light traveling through an optical chip. Photo: Bryce Vickmark
Local boy makes good
Posted January 19, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Tailoring high-temperature radiation and the resurrection of the incandescent source (Nature Nanotechnology)
Posted January 11, 2016 at 4:00 pm
A proof-of-concept device built by MIT researchers demonstrates the principle of a two-stage process to make incandescent bulbs more efficient. This device already achieves efficiency comparable to some compact fluorescent and LED bulbs. Courtesy of the researchers
A nanophotonic comeback for incandescent bulbs?
Posted January 11, 2016 at 4:00 pm
The layer-by-layer solar thermal fuel polymer film comprises three distinct layers (4 to 5 microns in thickness for each). Cross-linking after each layer enables building up films of tunable thickness. Courtesy of the researchers
A new way to store solar heat
Posted January 7, 2016 at 8:00 pm
Ritchie Chen
Grad students honored for their research at Materials Research Society meeting
Posted January 5, 2016 at 2:39 pm