Energy

“I’m A Nuke”: MIT’s Rising Generation of Nuclear Engineers

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on May 14, 2013

in Energy, Engineering

Guest blogger: Peter Dunn

The phrase “young nuclear engineer” has been something of an oxymoron in recent decades, with the nuclear energy industry offering few openings for newcomers. Yet a new crop of nuclear engineers are coming out of MIT and videos themed, “I’m A Nuke,” tell some of their stories.

MIT students host the American Nuclear Society 2013 Student Conference.

MIT students host the American Nuclear Society 2013 Student Conference in April.

Newly educated engineers are vital because the engineers who entered the field in the 1960s and 1970s are retiring, and climate change concerns are sparking renewed interest in the ability to generate continuous carbon-free energy. MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) has seen a surge in applications from a diverse, dynamic group of students, many of them with strong environmental orientations.

Last month, MIT hosted the recent American Nuclear Society 2013 Student Conference, with the theme, Public Image of the Nuclear Engineer. About 630 US and international students attended the event, which was co-chaired by NSE students Nathan Gibson, Ekaterina Paranomova ‘13, and Samuel Brinton. Publicity coordinator Jake Jurewicz ’14 said the timing, about two years after the Fukushima disaster, was opportune.

“People have had time to digest Fukushima and the lessons learned; we all sat in on talks about what went wrong and what can be done to improve plants and remedy what happened,” said Jurewicz.

More broadly, he added, the conference focused on innovation, new ideas, and cultivation of the new workforce. In addition to talks and technical sessions, activities included a large poster session showcasing attendee research, career and political workshops, a job fair, tours of MIT’s fission and fusion reactors, and a three-minute pitch contest.

Brinton, who is studying nuclear waste policy, captured some of the complexity faced by his generation, saying, “my mother was raised near Three Mile Island, and my dad was an anti-nuclear weapons activist, so I wanted to address the big problems that nuclear was facing….I want to apply a scientific solution to a political problem.”

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Local Warming Project Offers Smart Heat

by Amy Marcott on April 29, 2013

in Design, Energy, Research

The Local Warming installation above the door leading to Lobby 7.

The Local Warming installation above the door leading to Lobby 7.

Walking up the steps to 77 Mass. Ave. on the evening of April 4, I encountered three strange circles above the doorway. Two were mirrored, one was glowing. At first I thought it was an elaborate hack, but it turns out it was part of an energy conservation research project called Local Warming by the Senseable City Lab.

The concept is brilliantly simple: rather than heating vast, often unoccupied (or sparsely occupied) rooms in buildings, target the people who need the heat. The local warming device is an infrared energy beam directed by a sophisticated motion sensor. To engage it, you step on a pair of footprints on a carpet, then the beam follows you around.

Rendering of how the Local Warming device works.

Says the research project’s website: “While over time there has been improved retention of pervasive heating through developments in materials and construction, we believe a fundamental shift in climate control strategy towards occupant-localized heating will achieve an order of magnitude improvement in heating efficiency.”

Watch some footage of the Local Warming project in action below.

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Alumni Ingenuity—Now in Public Restrooms!

by Amy Marcott on April 4, 2013

in Alumni Life, Design, Energy, Health

The Xlerator hand dryer.Have you noticed how hand dryers in public bathrooms have gotten more high tech lately? Super concentrated bursts of dry air that promise to work quickly and actually are noticeably faster than their predecessors? You can thank three MITers for that: Sol Aisenberg PhD ’57; George Freedman ’43; and Richard Pavelle, who was on the research staffs at MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science and Lincoln Lab.

They are three of the four scientists at Invent Resources, Inc. (IRI), a company they cofounded during their retirements to create inventions on demand. Together, the four IRI scientists have expertise in just about every scientific discipline that would be useful for invention. Their “fields of competency” list includes cryogenics, general relativity, energy conversion, plasma physics, advanced materials, novel chemical processes, and medical technology, among scores more.

Before retiring, Aisenberg led the high-tech divisions of several Fortune 500 companies and pioneered ion-assisted deposition and demonstration of hydrogen-free artificial diamond film materials.

Freedman founded and was director of Raytheon’s New Products Center. One team he led produced the world’s first samarium cobalt magnets that were stronger than those that could be measured at the National Magnet Lab at MIT and were later used in Patriot missiles and tools used in space.

Pavelle patented the credit card calculator, golf-club faces that expanded the sweet spot and are now industry standard, and an electrochemical process that reduces charging times for batteries.

And then they took on commercial hand dryers, discovering that the previous models wasted 90 percent of the energy going into them. In this case, IRI had already unsuccessfully pitched their idea for a faster hand dryer to industry leader World Dryer. But Excel Dryer of East Longmeadow, Mass., a small family owned company, hired them to create a product people would actually want to use.

IRI scientists were  shooting for 10 seconds of drying time—down from 30–40 seconds, but after three-and-a-half years of work got it down to 12, which is now the standard. Excel owner Denis Gagnon was so certain the engineering team at IRI had created a revolutionary product that he risked his life savings: he borrowed against his home and life insurance, drained his bank accounts, and took loans from friends and relatives.

The resulting product was the Xlerator, the first revamped hand dryer to hit the market. Others have since followed, like the Dyson Airblade that you stick your arms into.

According to an interview with NPR, Excel’s sales have risen more than 10 percent every year for the past decade. And there’s room for growth. Data suggest that there are 25 million public bathrooms nationwide not using automatic hand dryers, even though a basic-model Xlerator costs $400, offers 95 percent cost savings over paper towels, and has a significantly smaller carbon footprint.

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President Obama Nominates MIT Professor as Next Secretary of Energy

by Jay London on March 5, 2013

in Alumni Life, Energy, In the News, Public Service, Research

Ernest J. Moniz (left) is recognized as an honorary member of the MIT Alumni Association in 2011.

President Barack Obama has announced that he will nominate Ernest J. Moniz HM, a Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems and director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), to lead the U.S. Department of Energy.

Moniz’s research has focused on energy technology and policy, nuclear power, coal, nuclear fuel cycles, natural gas, and solar energy in a low-carbon world. If approved, he will replace Steve Chu, who announced his resignation on Feb. 1, 2013. Moniz was nominated alongside Gina McCarthy, whom Obama has tapped to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, and Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who was chosen to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

From The Boston Globe:

If confirmed, Moniz and McCarthy will be charged with making good on Obama’s pledge in his inaugural address to “respond to the threat of climate change.” That, environmentalists and others say, would mean tackling carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants and continuing to tighten vehicle emissions and efficiency standards.

An MIT faculty member since 1973, Moniz is the founding director of MITEI, which was formed in 2006 to link science, innovation, and policy and help transform global energy systems. In that time, MITEI has supported close to 800 Institute research projects.

Under Moniz’s leadership, MITEI has provided research to policymakers and conducted in-depth studies on the electric grid, natural gas, nuclear fuel, coal, and other energy-focused topics. The initiative has also bestowed more than 250 graduate fellowships, provided more than 100 research opportunities for undergraduates, and created a academic minor in energy.

Moniz’s appointment as energy secretary would not be his first position within the White House. He served as undersecretary of energy under President Clinton from 1997 to 2001 and associate director for science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1995-1997. He is a current member of President Obama’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology and the Department of Defense’s Threat Reduction Advisory Committee.

Moniz received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Boston College and his doctorate in theoretical physics from Stanford University. In 2011, in recognition of his outstanding service to MIT’s alumni community, he was elected an honorary member of the MIT Alumni Association.

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MIT Fracking Study—and More Energy News

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on December 10, 2012

in Energy

Fracking is a war cry of sorts, illuminating an environmentally dubious way to harvest natural gas for some or, for others, heralding lower-cost energy by more efficient extraction. MIT scientists have just published paper that will help the public understand the costs and benefits of shale extraction techniques—and, perhaps, how to improve them.

Francis O'Sullivan

Francis O’Sullivan

The authors work right in the heart of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI). Francis O’Sullivan SM ’04, ENG ’06, PhD ’07 is executive director of MITEI’s Energy Sustainability Challenge Program; Sergey Paltsev is MITEI’s assistant director for economic research. Their paper, “Shale gas production: potential versus actual greenhouse gas emissions,” was published in the IOP Science Environmental Research Letters in November.

A recent article, MIT: The Facts On Fracking Methane Emissions, by the Energy Collaborative outlines the findings including

“the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing emits only a fraction more methane into the air than conventional gas drilling….. The finding is important because of the ongoing energy revolution due to shale and hydraulic fracturing, and because some opponents of shale natural gas and/or fracking claim its methane emissions are dramatically higher than those that occur during conventional natural gas drilling. Not so.”

Birol

Birol

In other energy news, Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, visited MIT to present the key findings in his agency’s new World Energy Outlook. “The foundations of the global energy system are shifting substantially and rapidly,” he told the MIT audience Nov. 28. Among the disruptions he pointed out were skyrocketing oil prices, the demise of the nuclear power industry, and the rise within a decade of the US as the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world. Watch the video. Or read an MIT News interview focusing on the new report.

For more energy news from MIT, read MITEI’s Energy Futures: Autumn 2012.

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A Shade for the Earth, Tablets in Ethiopia, and More from EmTech 2012

by Jay London on October 26, 2012

in Alumni Life, Design, Economics, Energy, Engineering, Events, Health, In the News, Learning, Management, Media, Modern Geekhood, Research, Science

The EmTech Conference, MIT Technology Review’s annual gathering of researchers and leaders in emerging technologies, took place on Oct. 24-26, 2012. The conference focused on innovative ideas with potential for commercial impact, including new methods of alternative energy, technology-influenced education, and social media’s impact on data analysis.

Held at the Media Lab, the conference had a heavy Institute influence, with presentations from close to a dozen alumni, faculty, and affiliated researchers.

David Keith PhD ’91, professor of applied physics and professor of public policy at Harvard University, argued for adding one million tons of sulfuric acid to Earth’s upper atmosphere, which could shade the planet from increased global warming. Keith believes geoengineering—interventions in Earth’s climate to prevent rising temperatures—will a feasible option within the next 50 years, but political problems will arise. [Watch “Reigniting Innovation.”]

“Once you invent a new technology, you have no idea where it will go… (Geoengineering) could lead to two nuclear-armed states fighting over the thermostat.”

Andrew Fiore SM ’04

Facebook data scientist Andrew Fiore SM ’04 discussed social media’s reshaping of society, Facebook’s always-evolving news feed, and what influences Facebook users. Fiore says, in today’s society, there is minimal difference between online and offline behavior. [Watch "The Personal Implications of Big Data."]

“Online behavior is quickly becoming the behavior of humanity…Strong relationships are individually more influential, but weaker ones are collectively more influential.”

Idit Harel Caperton PhD ’88, president of the World Wide Workshop, and Nicholas Negroponte ’66, MArch ’66, founder of One Laptop Per Child, discussed technological approaches to teaching and learning. [Watch "Education and Learning."]

Negroponte described a field experiment that delivered one solar-powered tablet—filled with games, books, cartoons, and movies—to each child in two remote Ethiopian villages, without instruction. Within five minutes, the tablets were unboxed. After the first week, each child averaged 47 apps per day. After week two, the children were singing the alphabet.

“The big question is: will they learn to read? If they can, it can impact the 100 million kids who don’t go school, and impact the kids who go to school but don’t learn to read.”

Idit Harel Caperton PhD ’88

Capterton advocated for Media Lab-like thinking in public schools, including learning-by-design, and using gaming to alter student attitudes towards school.

“Every child in this country should learn English, Spanish, Chinese—and coding…When the only constant is change, we all need to become expert learners.”

The conference also honored this year’s TR35—Technology Review’s selection of the top 35 innovators under age 35. This year’s list includes Ken Endo PhD ’12, Abraham Flaxman ’00, Drew Houston ’05, Shishir Mehrotra ’00, and Baile Zhang PhD ’09, plus six MIT-related faculty, post-docs, and researchers.

View more information and videos—which includes presentations from Media Lab Director Joi Ito, edX President Anant Agarwal, and Ken Morse ’68—at EmTech 2012.

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[Video]: Stephen Colbert vs. Professor Donald Sadoway

by Amy Marcott on October 24, 2012

in Classroom, Energy, Engineering, Learning, Science

Professor Donald Sadoway

In case you missed it, here’s Professor Donald Sadoway’s Monday-night appearance on The Colbert Report, where he discussed his liquid metal battery, an invention he thinks could help bring about world peace.

Sadoway holds his own against Colbert, who manages to reference unappetizing grilled-cheese sandwiches, an Exxon Mobil hitman, and Goo Gone in the short segment.

Check below for more Slice coverage of Professor Sadoway.

The Colbert Report

Related

April 20, 2012: MIT Nets Five of Time’s Influential People

April 10, 2012: Liquid Metal Battery: Sadoway TED Talk Offers the Missing Energy Link

Dec. 10, 2010: Standing Room Only for Sadoway’s Last Toast by Professor Winston

Dec. 8, 2010: [Video]—Sadoway’s last 3.091 lecture

Oct. 11, 2009: Sadoway the Magnificent

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Eleven with MIT Ties Make TR’s Prestigious List

by Amy Marcott on August 24, 2012

in Alumni Life, Energy, Engineering, Health, In the News, Media, Research

TR 35 Innovators Under 35

Ken Endo

Ken Endo PhD '12.

Technology Review recently named its 35 Innovators Under 35, a list that honors some of the most compelling young minds working in their fields who have, as TR says, “the greatest potential to transform the world.” And nearly a third of these have connections to MIT.

Winners are chosen from six categories: communications, energy, web, biomedicine, computing, and materials.

Abraham Flaxman

Abraham Flaxman '00.

To select them, TR collected nominations then consulted 20 judges comprising distinguished university professors and industry leaders, many of whom have been honored on the TR100 or TR35 lists in the past.

MIT Alumni

Ken Endo PhD ’12: Adding spring to robotic limbs by doing away with some of the motors

Abraham Flaxman ’00: Combining different types of data in new ways in order to track and slow the spread of disease in developing countries

Drew Houston

Drew Houston '05.

Drew Houston ’05: Hiding all the complexities of remote file storage behind a small blue (Drop)box

Shishir Mehrotra ’00: Turning Web video phenomenon YouTube into a profitable business by making ads optional

Baile Zhang PhD ’09: Crafting a new type of invisibility cloak made from a common material that can work with larger objects

Shishir Mehrotra

Shishir Mehrotra '00.

Profs, Post-Docs, and Researchers

Mircea Dincă (assistant professor of chemistry): Using sponges to improve and store alternative fuels

Rana el Kaliouby (Media Lab scientist): Teaching devices to tell a frown from a smile

Bryan Laulicht (post-doc at the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science): Finding an adhesive that protects vulnerable skin

Baile Zhang

Baile Zhang PhD '09.

Bozhi Tian (former post-doc): Developing artificial tissue that can monitor and improve health down to the level of individual cells

Andreas Velten (former Media Lab post-doc): Spotting tiny problems with help from an ultrafast camera

Zheng Wang (former research scientist at MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics): Slowing light to help chips cope with optical data

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Power to the Powerless

by Jay London on August 3, 2012

in Alumni Life, Energy, In the News, Modern Geekhood, Public Service, Research

The ReadySet Solar Kit

Most vacation packing ends the same way: Cell phone…check. iPod…check. iPad…check. Wait…the chargers!

In the U.S., charging electronic devices is an afterthought. So imagine an environment where great distances need to be travelled just to charge a cellphone.

In many parts of Africa, access to reliable power is particularly challenging.  A startup company with MIT roots, Fenix International, is hoping solar power can help remedy that problem.

Fenix’s product, the ReadySet Solar Kit, uses renewable energy to power up to 10 cellphones or provide lighting for over 30 hours on a full charge. In additional to solar power, the system allows charging from other non-carbon sources including bicycle generators and micro-wind turbines.

The company’s COO is Brian Warshawsky SM ’98, and an anonymous MIT alumnus provided part of Fenix’s initial funding.

After spending five years in iPod operations at Apple, Warshawsky joined the One Laptop Per Child initiative. His team investigated off-grid power options, ultimately settling on pull-cord generation.

“We were not able to commercialize the pull-chord technology,” he says. “But we realized that there are a huge number of people with cellphones living off the grid who badly need access to electricity.”

Members of that group helped form Fenix. They switched their focus to smart battery technology, such as solar power, and focused on ease of use.

“Most existing systems required installation by a trained technician, and regular servicing.” Warshawsky said. “We realized that to reach the scale needed to begin addressing the problem, we needed to create a device that was very easy to install and operate.”

Initial development began in 2009 when the San Francisco-based company conducted a series of field studies in Uganda. The product was commercialized in December 2011 through a partnership with MTN Uganda, a branch of Africa’s largest mobile telecom.  More than 2,000 kits have been distributed in Uganda, including one to a Ugandan woman who is operating a micro-utility business that allows community members to charge electronic devices.

“People are going to great lengths to keep their phones charged,” Warshawsky says. “As people have more ready access to power, they’ll use their cell phones more. It’s better for the community and for the telecom.”

Warshawsky hopes the solar kits can eventually help replace kerosene lamps, which are dangerous and expensive to operate. Fenix is also determining whether a U.S. market exists for the product.

The company’s Kickstarter campaign, which ends August 10, has far exceeded its $20,000 goal. It’s new objective is $100,000, which would allow Fenix to open a second African office in Rwanda.

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MIT Nets Five of Time’s Influential People

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on April 20, 2012

in Economics, Energy, In the News

Time magazine’s annual list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” is a heady group—and five MIT folks are sharing this stage with the likes of President Barack Obama, Comedy Channel commentor Stephen Colbert, and investment guru Warren Buffet. Here’s the list:

Mario Draghi PhD ’77 – The head of the European Central Bank has a formidable task in troubled economics times—stabilizing prices and protecting European savers. Time praises affable manner, razor-sharp mind, and negotiation skills.

Sal Khan is MIT's 2012 Commencement speaker.

Sal Khan is MIT's 2012 Commencement speaker.

Sal Khan ’98, MEng ’98 – This educational pioneer first made videos to help his cousin understand algebra. Fast forward a few years and, voila, Khan Academy offers more than 3,000 short videos on math, science, and more that have been viewed more than 100 million times for free on YouTube. Watch Khan June 8 when he delivers MIT’s Commencement address (free webcast)

Andrew Lo – Time compares Lo to a mind meld between Adam Smith and Charles Darwin. The Sloan professor thinks markets are less like rule-based physics and more like messy biological systems. He has developed mathematical ways to track the organic fluctuations and understand how markets work and manage risk.

Benjamin Netanyahu ’75, SM ’76 – The prime minister of Israel is praised as a strong, determined leader who has excelled as a soldier, diplomat, and economic reformer. Times says he also deserves credit for drawing attention to the threat Iran poses to Israel, to America, and to the world.

Donald Sadoway – The MIT professor of materials chemistry’s recent TED talk on developing Liquid Metal Batteries is wildly popular. In addition to a love of teaching with colored chalk, Sadoway describes work on a grid-scale battery, which uses molten salt and liquid metal, that will enable sustainable energy sources.

Read the full list.

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