The Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has always placed the importance of student participation in RLE research at the core of our identity. RLE today is the second largest locus of graduate research assistants at MIT. Annually, over 250 graduate and 60 undergraduate students play integral roles in the Laboratory’s mission of discovery. The Laboratory’s investigators devote approximately $5M annually to support student stipend and tuition costs for graduate students. In addition, RLE research programs sponsor a wide range for research opportunities for undergraduates.
Our students are drawn from many academic departments and divisions. Some of the most notable achievements in RLE history were made by our students working in close collaboration with RLE faculty and staff. This student orientation distinguishes RLE from several of the other, more mission-oriented large laboratories and centers of MIT.
The role RLE plays is to provide a research environment in which students may participate and learn from the process of discovery. The academic departments and divisions with affiliated faculty in RLE are responsible for admitting students to MIT, and overseeing the progress of students in their degree programs.