MIT Mechanical Engineering

08/04/2026

MechE PhD Candidate Russel Bradley co-founded and leads the development of MIT’s FrED Factory, a learning factory that makes hands-on manufacturing education accessible and replicable across universities. He presented at the MIT Mechanical Engineering Exposition (MExpo) this spring. “We want to teach students how smart works [and] how we can use data, analytics, and AI to make manufacturing better,” he says.

08/03/2026

MechE Principal Research Scientist John Liu spoke with the publication Manufacturing Dive about MIT’s Technologist Advanced Manufacturing Program (TechAMP), a 12-month-long program designed for technicians or operators to prepare for leadership roles and bridge the gap between analytical and hands-on skills. “One of the biggest aspects that we’re concerned about is that productivity across U.S. manufacturing has stagnated over the past one or two decades,” says Liu. “I want to create the nurse practitioner for manufacturing.” 📸: Getty Images, Via Manufacturing Dive

https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/mit-wants-technologists-to-be-nurse-practitioners-manufacturing-engineering/826469/

07/31/2026

Engineers in MechE Research Scientist Svetlana Boriskina’s lab have designed a recyclable elastic yarn that can be melted, spun and used again. The material is as strong and stretchy as spandex-based yarns. 📸: Felice Frankel.

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/mit-engineers-design-recyclable-elastic-yarn

07/30/2026

For nuclear to be considered as a viable clean energy source, it has to be competitively priced and economical to produce. Lauren Fortier, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is building on the experience she gained operating a nuclear plant for the Navy to solve a critical hurdle in the wider adoption of the energy source. Fortier, who also completed her master's degree at MIT, says she learned control theory from one of her co-advisors, MechE Senior Research Scientist Anuradha Annaswamy, founder and director of the Active-Adaptive Control Laboratory.

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/working-automate-nuclear-plant-operations

07/29/2026

The path to launching and growing a startup can be full of twists and turns. For a budding , gaining perspective from those who have already experienced the journey can be incredibly valuable and highly inspirational. One MechE course, 2.S977/2.S979 (Founder’s Journey: Launching and Scaling Hardware Startups), explores entrepreneurship and real-life challenges through lessons and stories shared by alumni startup founders of companies focused on building and scaling hardware technologies.

Story and full video here: https://tinyurl.com/foundersmit

07/27/2026

Design Computation and Digital Engineering (DeCoDE) Lab researchers and collaborators have developed an automated framework that helps AI models generate CAD programs more accurately and efficiently. “GIFT” is a new system that teaches vision-language models to produce accurate, computer-aided design programs that can be used to simulate and test 3D objects.

📸: Christine Daniloff, MIT; iStock

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/better-way-turn-2d-designs-3d-models-rapid-prototyping

07/24/2026

MechE undergraduate Paola Romero studies "tendon-driven under-actuated soft robots," which are robots that use flexible cables to bend and manipulate soft, compliant structures. The mechanisms mimic biological muscles, allowing devices like robotic hands and wearable exoskeletons to safely adapt shapes to grasp objects naturally. Paola presented her work at the de Florez Competition this spring, which was held this year as part of the MIT Mechanical Engineering Exposition (MExpo), a celebration of mechanical engineering innovation, competition, and hands-on learning.

07/23/2026

MIT researchers are set to contribute to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Genesis Mission, with 15 collaborative projects among those selected for funding under Genesis Phase I, DOE announced Wednesday. Faez Ahmed, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Professor, is expected to lead MIT’s part in a project led by GE Vernova Advanced Research Center titled "Framework for Optimized Rotating Blade Design Using Generative Engineering (FORGE)."

MIT researchers are set to contribute to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Genesis Mission, with 15 collaborative projects among those selected for funding under Genesis Phase I, DOE has announced.

07/22/2026

MechE Postdoctoral Associate Daniel Braconnier is the host of the new MIT Learn podcast "Why THIS Matters," which explores the intersection of policy, science, and design. Recent episodes include chats with Dr. Ben Armstrong about the importance of manufacturing in the context of innovation and competitiveness; with Dr. David Hsu about the importance of understanding the electrical grid and its role in the future of energy systems; and with Jeff Levine, FAICP, about the importance of zoning in shaping neighborhoods and the role of planners in influencing land use. Listen on your favorite podcast app!

https://why-this-matters.captivate.fm/listen

07/21/2026

MIT engineers have found a way to engineer and control the growth of blood vessels by mechanically stretching them. “The ability to program blood vessel growth with physical cues may enable reproducible and scalable fabrication of engineered tissues that can be implanted in the body to restore function after debilitating disease or injury,” explains Ritu Raman, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and the study’s co-lead author.

https://meche.mit.edu/news-media/mit-engineers-find-precise-way-grow-artificial-blood-vessels