MIT group releases re-shoring report
The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation announced today that it has released a report, “U.S Re-shoring: A Turning Point,” based on the results of its 2012 U.S. re-shoring survey.In total, 340...
View ArticleA cooler way to protect silicon surfaces
Silicon, the material of high-tech devices from computer chips to solar cells, requires a surface coating before use in these applications. The coating “passivates” the material, tying up loose atomic...
View ArticleMIT report identifies keys to new American innovation
What kinds of industrial production can bring innovation to the American economy? An intensive, long-term study by a group of MIT scholars suggests that a renewed commitment to research and development...
View ArticleHow to predict the progress of technology
Researchers at MIT and the Santa Fe Institute have found that some widely used formulas for predicting how rapidly technology will advance — notably, Moore’s Law and Wright’s Law — offer superior...
View ArticleResearch update: A new model accurately predicts three-dimensional sand flow
A typical storage silo can hold several thousand tons of corn, seed, sawdust and other granular material. These particles funnel down through a hopper, or chute, into freight cars, which haul the...
View ArticleLiving in a material world
A new report by researchers at MIT and elsewhere finds that the global manufacturing sector has made great strides in energy efficiency: The manufacturing of materials such as steel, cement, paper and...
View ArticleAt MIT, Gov. Deval Patrick highlights clean-energy achievements
In an Earth Day address at MIT in 2008, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick outlined an ambitious set of goals that he said could achieve significant reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions and create...
View ArticleThe case for optimism about a renewable energy future
Professor Eric Martinot, the senior research director with the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, told students and faculty at a seminar on April 18 that renewables have become...
View ArticleHow to make factory conditions better
April’s factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,000 people, has renewed public debate over working conditions in the developing world: How can dangerous and debilitating factory work...
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One order of steel; hold the greenhouse gases
Anyone who has seen pictures of the giant, red-hot cauldrons in which steel is made — fed by vast amounts of carbon, and belching flame and smoke — would not be surprised to learn that steelmaking is...
View ArticleFootwear’s (carbon) footprint
A typical pair of running shoes generates 30 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to keeping a 100-watt light bulb on for one week, according to a new MIT-led lifecycle assessment. But what’s...
View ArticleCrash-testing lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are lightweight, fully rechargeable, and can pack a lot of energy into a small volume — making them attractive as power sources for hybrid and electric vehicles. However, there’s...
View ArticleNanoparticles, made to order — inside and out
A new coating technology developed at MIT, combined with a novel nanoparticle-manufacturing technology developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, may offer scientists a way to...
View ArticleMIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation releases risk report
The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation has released a report in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), titled, “Making the right risk decisions to strengthen operations performance,” based...
View ArticleProfessor emeritus Rodney Brooks refines the sequel to iRobot
Professor emeritus Rodney Brooks gained fame in the 1990s for co-founding iRobot, an MIT spinoff that brought the world the Roomba and other innovative, helpful robots. He’s since moved on to robots...
View ArticleMIT professor Erik Brynjolfsson to deliver keynote at big data conference
The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation today announced that MIT professor Erik Brynjolfsson, director of the MIT Center for Digital Business, will deliver the keynote address at the Forum’s...
View ArticleBringing the law to the factory
The recent factory collapse in Bangladesh has renewed attention to the global issue of workplace standards. In many countries, similar problems have arisen from a lack of enforcement for existing laws...
View ArticleSolar-cell manufacturing costs: innovation could level the field
It’s widely believed that China is the world’s dominant manufacturer of solar panels because of its low labor costs and strong government support. But a new study by researchers at MIT and the U.S....
View ArticleESD alumna honored by the World Economic Forum
Erica Fuchs (ESD PhD '06, TPP SM '03, DMSE SB '99) has been named a "Top 40 under 40 Young Scientist" by the World Economic Forum and the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues. An associate...
View Article3 Questions: Suzanne Berger on converting innovation into growth
Since 2011, MIT faculty from several disciplines have collaborated on a unique research project, Production in the Innovation Economy (PIE); the aim is to see how U.S. strengths in innovation can be...
View ArticleReif to co-chair renewed US manufacturing partnership
At the invitation of President Barack Obama, MIT President L. Rafael Reif will co-chair the administration’s renewed Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), dubbed AMP 2.0, the White House announced...
View ArticleAchieving an innovation nation
The U.S. economy retains myriad sources of innovative capacity — but not enough of the innovations occurring in America today reach the marketplace, according to a major two-year MIT study presented at...
View ArticleProcter & Gamble joins MIT Forum Technology Advisory Board
The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation announced today that Procter & Gamble, a global manufacturer of consumer products such as Gillette and Tide, has become a strategic sponsor of the...
View ArticlePolarized labor market leaving more employees in service jobs
The widening chasm in the U.S. job market has brought many workers a long-term shift to low-skill service jobs, according to a study co-authored by an MIT economist. The research, presented in a paper...
View ArticleHidden risk in supply chains
A new MIT study on supply-chain risk shows no correlation between the total amount a manufacturer spends with a supplier and the profit loss it would incur if that supply were suddenly interrupted....
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