MIT Tech Connection
An MIT Alumni Association Publication
April 2020
MIT Alums Bring Expertise to the Global Coronavirus Conversation
To help the public make sense of the novel coronavirus, media outlets are turning to MIT-educated experts in fields ranging from epidemiology to economics.
MIT Leadership Updates Community on Covid-19 Responses
As the MIT community adjusts to this unique period of separation and disruption, the Institute’s top leaders held an online “town hall,” joined by 7,000 members of the MIT community. Read a summary or watch the webcast.
Bluetooth Signals Could Help Covid-19 Contact Tracing
A new system uses short-range Bluetooth signals emitted from people’s smartphones, offering a way to preserve privacy while notifying people who may have been in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19. Read more.
MIT-Based Team Works on Open-Source, Low-Cost Ventilator
Clinical and design considerations will be published online, with the goal to support rapid scale-up of device production to alleviate hospital shortages. Read more.
MIT-Affiliated Companies Take On Covid-19
From developing therapeutics for coronavirus infections to vaccine trials, companies with MIT ties are working to address aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more.
MIT Initiates Mass Manufacture of Disposable Face Shields for Covid-19 Response
A team from MIT has designed disposable face shields that can be mass-produced quickly to address hospitals’ needs nationwide. Read more.
An Experimental Peptide Could Block Covid-19
MIT chemists are testing a protein fragment that may inhibit coronaviruses’ ability to enter human lung cells. Read more.
MIT Innovation Initiative Aggregates Community Efforts
The MIT community has been activated to fight the pandemic—check out the Covid-19 Rapid Innovation Dashboard to learn more.
Offer Advice on the MIT Alumni Advisors Hub
MIT students need your professional advice—especially now. Join the Advisors Hub, an online platform that facilitates career conversations between students and alumni, and alumni with one another, including resume feedback and practice interviews.
Add the FFO Series to Your Watch List
Take a deep dive into the Alumni Association’s trove of Faculty Forum Online videos, featuring compelling interviews with MIT faculty and alumni on their areas of research.
Ways Help the MIT Community in Response to Covid-19
In response to the Covid-19 emergency, which generated an outpouring of concern from MIT alumni and friends around the world, the Institute has created several ways for people to contribute support, including the Covid-19 Emergency Fund, the Covid-19 Research Fund, and the Student Life, Wellness and Support Fund.
Nader Fotouhi PhD ’88: A Quest for New TB Treatments
As chief scientific officer at nonprofit TB Alliance, Fotouhi is helping to establish a strong foundation of tuberculosis drug candidates. Read more.
Laura Han ’10: From Spidey to Dragons, Breathing Life into Animated Characters
If you’re looking for something to watch while social distancing, check out the handiwork of Han in such movies as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Abominable, and The Croods 2. Read more.
Building and Reconnecting MIT in Minecraft
Despite being far from campus because of the pandemic, some students are engineering a creative way to stay connected. Read more.
About Tech Connection
Tech Connection, a monthly digest for alumni and friends of MIT published by the MIT Alumni Association, is available in HTML and online. Please email mitalum@mit.edu to subscribe.
Please email comments to TechConnection@mit.edu.
Want to get more involved? Read Volunteer View.
Catch fast-breaking Institute news on the Slice of MIT blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram pages and connect with other alumni by joining the LinkedIn group.