🎓 MIT News – May 2026
🔬 Research & Innovation
🔬 MIT Develops Technique for Shrinking Devices for Optical Computing — MIT researchers have introduced a technique called "implosion carving," capable of shrinking materials to about 1/2,000 of their original volume. This innovative method enables the design of nanotechnology devices for optical computing and could lead to advanced applications in high-speed imaging and information processing, as demonstrated in their recent paper.
👩🏫 Faculty & Alumni
👩🏫 MIT Affiliates Receive 2026 Guggenheim Fellowships — MIT Research Scientist Afreen Siddiqi, along with professors Kathleen Thelen and Vinod Vaikuntanathan, and alumna Kate Manne, are among 223 fellows awarded the 2026 Guggenheim Fellowships by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Selected from nearly 5,000 applicants for their career achievements and exceptional promise, each fellow will receive a stipend to pursue independent work across 55 disciplines.
👩🏫 MIT Faculty and Alumni Elected to National Academy of Sciences 2026 — In 2026, the National Academy of Sciences elected six MIT faculty members and 10 alumni, honoring their distinguished research contributions. Professors Bengt Holmström, Michale Fee, Gareth McKinley, Keith Nelson, Fan Wang, and Catherine Wolfram were recognized for their achievements, alongside alumni such as Christopher J. Chang and Robert J. Shiller.
🏛️ Campus Life
🏛️ MIT's Jack Carson Named 2026 Udall Scholar — Jack Carson, a second-year undergraduate majoring in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, has been named a 2026 Udall Scholar, receiving a $7,500 award. He is the third MIT student to earn this prestigious honor, recognized for his commitment to tribal policy, making him the first to win for this area.
🏛️ MIT Celebrates 25 Years of Social Entrepreneurship at IDEAS Showcase — On April 15, over 200 attendees gathered at the MIT Media Lab for the 25th annual IDEAS Social Innovation Incubator Showcase and Awards. Hosted by the Priscilla King Gray Center for Social Impact, the event highlighted the impact of the IDEAS Incubator, which has launched hundreds of social ventures in over 60 countries, featuring a keynote from alumnus Bill Thies.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology news digest for May 2026 · Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Newsroom