Protecting Satellites in Low Earth Orbit: An Overview of Hazards and Policy Solutions

TPP student Dansil Green contributed to this article in the August issue of MIT Science Policy Review which describes the potential dangers to satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) beyond commonly referenced orbital debris and satellite collisions.

Evaluating a Manhattan Project for climate change

The Manhattan Project mobilized the U.S. government to provide the funding, resources, and political backing needed to solve a complex problem in a short amount of time. TPPers Nirmal Bhatt and Peter Heller assess whether the Manhattan Project framework should be deployed to tackle the challenge of climate change.

Improving U.S. air quality, equitably

A new study by IDSS Interim Director Noelle Selin, TPP alum Paul Picciano, and SES alum Minghao Qiu finds that climate policy alone cannot meaningfully reduce racial/economic disparities in air pollution exposure.

Redesigning electricity rates

Through a combination of optimization and regulatory policy analysis, TPP student Graham Turk’s research focuses on how smarter electricity rates can speed up decarbonization.

Increasing the pace of energy transition

Recent TPP alum Alexa Canaan SM ’23 fused economics, data science, energy science, and energy policy into research that developed strategies for decreasing consumption and connecting more renewables to the grid.

Taking out the moon trash

Nadia Khan’s research into lunar waste management brings together systems thinking, microeconomics, geology, space systems engineering, and space law.

Frank Field named TPP Interim Director

The Senior Research Engineer, longtime TPP staff member, and MIT alum takes on the role as Noelle Selin helms IDSS for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Feet on Earth, head in the stars

These five women, including TPP alums Dava Newman SM '89, PhD '92 and Danielle Wood '04, SM '08, PhD '12, at the MIT Media Lab are advancing aerospace science and research, driven by a love of our home planet.

We need to get our space junk problem under control

Thomas G. Roberts TPP '21, a graduate research fellow at the MIT Astrodynamics, Space Robotics and Controls Laboratory and an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Aerospace Security Project, calls attention to the increasing frequency of space debris plummeting to earth in this Washington Post opinion piece.

Alumnus’ thermal battery helps industry eliminate fossil fuels

TPP alum Jordan Kearns SM ’17 and David Bierman SM ’14, PhD ’17 are commercializing a thermal battery that lets manufacturers use renewable energy around the clock.

Navigating the Energy Transition: Batteries and Policy in Emerging Economies

TPP student Mrigi Munjal’s research into sodium-ion batteries was complemented by an internship with a company aiming to accelerate the deployment of sustainable energy storage solutions in southern Africa.

MIT energy storage research highlighted in student slam competition

At the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Energy Storage Student Slam in March 2023, the third-place award went to Mrigi Munjal, a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Technology and Policy Program, for her research on unlocking industrial-scale sodium-ion batteries.

3 Questions: Meet the Tata Fellows

Three TPP students—Serena Patel, Rameen Hayat Malik, and Ethan Harrison—discuss the impact of the Tata Fellowship on their research, perspectives, and time at MIT.

Scalable, sustainable energy systems for all Africans

Forbes 30-under-30 honoree Olamide Oladeji SM ’18, AF ’20 is a TPP alum, PhD candidate, MicroMasters learner, data scientist, and entrepreneur looking to answer climate change questions with help from advances in artificial intelligence.

The cost of computer vision

Recent TPP graduate Maja Svanberg SM ’23 studies how the proliferation of AI is likely to affect market dynamics.

Q&A: Are far-reaching fires the new normal?

As Canada’s wildfires continue to be felt downwind, TPP Director Noelle Selin weighs in on what to expect in the coming months, with wildfire season underway.

Adapting communities to a changing energy industry

While researching a just transition away from fossil fuels, Yiran He’s internship with an energy non-profit provided a window to how organizations can impact the development of energy policies.

New MIT fellowship supports student research on governance innovation with Global South governments

This summer, TPP student Deepika Raman will travel to Kenya as part of a new fellowship to explore how governance innovations are making governments more transparent and accountable to citizens in regions of the world that are underrepresented in global innovation and design research.

TPP Honors 2023 Graduates

IDSS and TPP celebrated the 2023 graduates during the School of Engineering and Schwarzman College of Computing Advanced Degree Ceremony on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. TPP awarded 25 Master of Science degrees.

Six ways MIT is taking action on climate

TPP student Alexa Reese Canaan is featured in this article describing her research on household energy consumption to Massachusetts State Senator Michael J. Barrett, chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.

Advocating for science budget and policy

Mahmoud Ramadan TPP ’23, a member of MIT’s Science Policy Initiative Executive Board, organized a trip to Capitol Hill to advocate for continued and increased federal support for scientific research. The delegation included TPP students Nirmal Bhatt, Amy Huynh, and Graham Turk.

Sentiment amplification in social media

Philipp Zimmer TPP '23 connects the dots between his humanitarian work in Uganda and his research into social media’s varying impacts on different societies and regimes.

Steel trap

Kali Benavides TPP ’23 explores the role of hydrogen and carbon capture in decarbonizing heavy industry processes like making steel.

Infusing Science into Public Policymaking

“You want to make sure that science enters the conversation — every big decision, every big policy action,” says TPP alum Tina Bahadori ’84, SM ’88.

Study: Shutting down nuclear power could increase air pollution

If reactors are retired, polluting energy sources that fill the gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths, researchers including TPP Director Noelle Selin and TPP alum Guillaume Chossière SM ’17, PD ’20, PhD ’21 estimate.

The importance of sustainable space exploration in the 21st century

Assistant Professor and TPP alum Danielle Wood discusses the future of space sustainability. “I hope that humans pause and note that the actions we’re taking now and in the next 10 years really are going to be decisive in the relationship between humans and our planet, and humans and other locations, like the moon,” says Wood.

Pushing product development into the future

TPP alum Bruce Cameron’s research interests include technology strategy, system architecture, and the management of product platforms.

Aligning decision-making processes with democratic values

Manon Revel TPP ’19, who works at the intersection of computational social choice and political theory, hopes to uncover ways to improve governance in AI systems, democracies, and corporate environments.

Deploying AI models at scale

Vivienne Zhang’s research on data quality when predicting wind power output, plus an internship in machine learning operations, leads her to join Nvidia’s Deep Learning team.

Investigating prison responses to Covid-19

Research by first-year undergraduate Maanas Sharma ’26 on Covid in prisons began at the MIT Policy Hackathon, which he first attended as a junior in high school.

Human behavior and digital privacy

Recent TPP graduate Kevin Paeth SM ’23, who researches human computer interaction, says his internship in AI policy reinforced a core TPP lesson: “the overwhelming importance of successful communication between technical and non-technical audiences.”

Improving health outcomes by targeting climate and air pollution simultaneously

A team including TPP director Noelle Selin has developed a new modeling approach that could enable decision-makers to reduce hazardous emissions and improve public health through combined climate and air-quality policies.

Blowing in benefits

Tweaking US wind energy strategy could quadruple the positive impact on public health, a new study from TPP director Noelle Selin finds.

TPP alum Olamide Oladeji celebrated in Forbes 30 Under 30

Oladeji SM '18 and Izunna Okonkwo '16 cofounded Pastel with Abuzar Royesh to provide offline-enabled software tools for small businesses.

Translating law to code

TPP student Sukhi Gulati, who studies internet policy and policy compliant software, interned during the summer of 2022 as a technologist with the Center for Democracy & Technology.

MIT Energy Night 2022

Over 500 people gathered to explore and discuss the latest research and entrepreneurship in the climate and energy space at MIT Energy Night. Nicole Shi TPP ’23, Peter Heller TPP ’24, Michael Giovanniello TPP ’24 were part of the organizing team.

Wind power is bringing Americans real health benefits

MIT study co-authored by TPP Director Noelle Selin and SES alum Minghao Qiu (PhD ’21) finds increased usage of wind power improves air quality in U.S., however only a third of the health benefits are being seen in disadvantaged communities.

A healthy wind

A new MIT study by TPP Director Noelle Selin, SES alum Minghao Qiu PhD ’21, and Corwin Zigler finds that the health benefits associated with wind power could more than quadruple if operators prioritized turning down output from the most polluting fossil-fuel-based power plants when energy from wind is available.

A breakthrough on “loss and damage,” but also disappointment, at UN climate conference

Delegates from MIT including current TPP students Serena Patel and Youssef Shaker attended COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where international climate negotiations went down to the wire.

Championing a clean grid

Aaron Schwartz’s TPP research on energy, economics, and policy helped prepare him for a new role in clean energy advocacy.

TPP Alum Danielle Wood on Space Tech

TPP alum Danielle Wood, director of the Space Enabled research group at the Media Lab, discusses space technology and sustainability at the “Bloomberg New Economy Forum.”

Policy Hackathon produces new solutions for technology policy challenges

The 2022 MIT Policy Hackathon explored policy solutions to sociotechnical challenges focused on post-pandemic efforts to build a better society, with challenges in cybersecurity, environmental justice, and city planning.

Coordinating climate and air-quality policies to improve public health

New tool pinpoints policy combinations that maximize health benefits. “This tool can help integrate the siloed sustainability issues of air pollution and climate action,” says the study’s lead author William Atkinson TPP '22.

Shaping the laws that influence technology development

Rui-Jie Yew TPP '23 researches at the intersection of computation, law, and ethics, exploring regulatory incentives for addressing harm caused by emerging algorithmic technologies.

Energy equity

Allie Shepard ’19, TPP ’23 interned in the New York City Mayor’s Office, where she got a firsthand view of the opportunities for climate change mitigation policy at the city level.

Going the extra mile

Farri Gaba TPP ’22 hopes to leverage his experience researching last-mile drone delivery to help solve sociotechnical challenges in sustainable transportation and logistics.

Protecting space infrastructure

Systems engineer, Space Force Lieutenant, and recent TPP alum Jonathan Novak wants to make sure that satellites are designed to be resilient against solar weather.

MIT is creating a digital twin of the Earth to help model climate change

Associate Provost Richard Lester and TPP Director Noelle Selin discuss MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges.

TPP selects Emily Caragay ’22 (EECS) and Whitney Zhang ’21 (Economics) as Presidential Fellows

Fellows conduct policy research and travel to Washington, DC to talk to national policymakers and leading experts.

TPP Honors 2022 Graduates

IDSS and TPP celebrated the 2022 graduates in-person during the inaugural School of Engineering and Schwarzman College of Computing Advanced Degree Ceremony on Thursday, May 26, 2022. TPP awarded 32 Master of Science degrees.

Expanding energy access in rural Lesotho

TPP alum Matt Orosz MNG '03, SM '06, PhD '12, PD '13 founded OnePower a company that builds networks of minigrids powered by solar energy to bring electricity to rural regions of Lesotho.

More energy storage is needed to support wind and solar power, MIT study finds

The authors of the report estimated that the costs of transforming power grids in the Northeast, Southeast, and Texas will range between 21 percent and 36 percent higher than if nothing was done to promote storage-backed renewable energy. TPP alumni Drake Hernandez '21 and Cathy Wang '21 contributed to the The Future of Energy Storage: An Interdisciplinary MIT Study.

MIT Climate “Plug-In” highlights first year of progress on MIT’s climate plan

TPP Director Noelle Selin hopes that initial progress will highlight the worldwide effort to address the climate challenge. TPP student Joy Jackson is optimistic that there are many avenues for research to make its way into policy.

What choices does the world need to make to keep global warming below 2 C?

Using a unique modeling strategy, MIT Joint Program researchers including Dr. Jennifer Morris TPP '09 find several possible patterns of energy and technology development under a specified long-term climate target or economic outcome.

Absent legislative victory, the President can still meet U.S. climate goals

Activating a Clean Air Act provision could deliver major climate, health and economic benefits, says new study co-authored by TPP director Noelle Selin and TPP student Paul Picciano.

Computing our climate future

To put global climate modeling at the fingertips of local decision-makers, some scientists, including TPP Director Noelle Selin, think it’s time to rethink the system from scratch.

MIT announces five flagship projects in first-ever Climate Grand Challenges competition

TPP Director Noelle Selin co-leads a project that leverages advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science to improve the accuracy and utility of climate models.

Pandemic mood: Much worse than a bad Monday

TPP student Nicolas Guetta-Jeanrenaud is part of a team of researchers led by TPP Faculty Advisor Siqi Zheng who are measuring how the pandemic affects public sentiment.

Can the data speak for itself?

Jisoo Hong’s (TPP '23) research on language and scientific controversy brings together linguistic anthropology and machine learning.

Yiran He (TPP ’23) Uses Research to Fight for Energy Justice

First-year TPP student and Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) research assistant, Yiran He, plugs into projects like Here & Real which engages with U.S. regions facing particular economic risks in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

MIT’s first hybrid Policy Hackathon yields strong collaborations and results

Teams proposed policy solutions to challenges in health care and COVID-19, internet policy and cybersecurity, housing and city planning, transportation, and environmental justice.

Energy hackers give a glimpse of a postpandemic future

Current TPP students Kailin Graham and Youssef Shaker among organizers of the 2021 MIT EnergyHack.

MIT collaborates with Biogen on three-year, $7 million initiative to address climate, health, and equity

TPP Director Noelle Eckley Selin is one of the principals in a new collaboration with Biogen to accelerate the science and action on climate change to improve human health.

Satellites Can Spy a Menace in West Africa: Invasive Flowers

Sometimes flowers can be the villain. Water hyacinths, with their seemingly harmless violet petals and lush green leaves, have invaded tropical parts of Central Africa, including Benin. TPP alum Danielle Wood uses space technology as part of the solution.

Director of TPP selected to co-chair Climate Nucleus

Noelle Selin will co-chair the Climate Nucleus, a new committee charged with implementing MIT’s climate action plan.

MIT Policy Hackathon 2021: Connecting Through Challenges

MIT Policy Hackathon is a 48-hour hackathon convened by students from MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society and the MIT Technology and Policy Program that aims to address some of today’s most relevant societal challenges while fostering an interdisciplinary spirit.

Science and policy in practice

MIT students Disha Trivedi and Ty Christoff-Tempesta both have TPP-funded internships this summer at the Massachusetts State House.

Exactly what I was looking for

Karan Bhuwalka, recent TPP alumnus, reflects on TPP’s interdisciplinary approach and bringing data science, manufacturing, and social issues together in his research on the materials that make up electric vehicles.

Farewell to Ed Ballo

As he sets off on retirement, longtime TPP staff member Ed Ballo reflects on the journey that brought him to TPP – and on where his journey goes from here.

Redesigning space travel for women

Space suits that fit women are just a first step to a more inclusive space sector. TPP alum Emily Calandrelli is optimistic that with inclusion will come bold new ideas.

Fly me to the moon

Graduating TPP student Becca Browder is taking her research on commercial spaceports to a new job at SpaceX – and has worked for years to get an MIT experiment on the moon.

MIT IDEAS celebrates 20 years of social innovation at MIT

Thandolwethu Dlamini, a TPP graduate student, founded The Knowledge Institute, which earned a $20,000 grant at the 20th annual MIT IDEAS Social Innovation Awards.

MIT unveils a new action plan to tackle the climate crisis

“The proposed new Sustainability Policy Hub, coordinated by TPP, will help MIT students and researchers engage with decision makers on topics that directly affect people and their well-being today and in the future,” says Noelle Selin, director of TPP.

Sam Brinton saves the world

A champion for LGBTQ rights, Brinton got dual masters in nuclear engineering and TPP so they could “save the world from nuclear waste.” 

Wonder woman

Emily Calandrelli, SM ’13 and TPP alumna, is the aerospace engineer behind Emily’s Wonder Lab, a new TV show designed to get all kinds of kids excited about science.

Negative emissions, positive economy

Jennifer Morris, TPP alumnus and current research scientist at the MIT Joint Program and MIT Energy Initiative, is the co-author on a study of how bioenergy with carbon capture and storage could help stabilize the climate without breaking the bank.

Danielle Wood Co-Authors Article in Science of the Total Environment Journal

Professor and TPP alumnus Danielle Wood and a team of collaborators from NASA, East Carolina University, Ghana Statistical Service and the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute published a new study on the scope of vegetation loss in Ghana due to mining.

Powering the energy transition with better storage

A paper from TPP alumni researchers Nestor Sepulveda, Jesse Jenkins and Aurora Edington evaluates the role and value of long-duration energy storage technologies in securing a carbon-free electric grid.

2021 MacVicar Faculty Fellows named

This year’s Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellows include TPP research advisor and Faculty Advisory Network member Elsa Olivetti.

Team Space Enabled Featured on Xploration Outer Space TV Show

The Space Enabled research group will be featured on the educational television show called "Xploration Outer Space" hosted by TPP Alum Emily Calandrelli.

Startup empowers women to improve access to safe drinking water

Saha Global, co-founded by TPP Alumna Kate Cincotta, helps Ghanaian women start profitable water treatment businesses to serve their communities.

‘Mercury Stories: Understanding Sustainability through a Volatile Element’

In the new book "Mercury Stories," TPP Director Noelle Eckley Selin and Henrik Selin examine sustainability through analyzing human interactions with mercury over thousands of years.

Meet the research scientists behind MITEI’s Electric Power Systems Center

Team brings diverse backgrounds and expertise, including students from the Technology and Policy program and alumni Karen Tapia-Ahumada, to address challenges for the clean energy transition.

Three IDSS Faculty Awarded Promotions

IDSS is delighted to share that three core faculty members have been promoted to the rank of full professor, effective July 1, 2021, including Noelle Selin, the Director of TPP and Jessika Trancik, a member of the Faculty Advisory Network.

The Abuse and Misogynoir Playbook

IDSS Fellow Kate Turner, TPP alum Danielle Wood, and Catherine D'Ignazio (MIT DUSP) have written a new playbook addressing the racial and gendered oppression that Black women face in the AI ethics field.

Locating and staffing disaster recovery centers

TPP alum Julia Moline's award-winning research encourages the adoption of data‐driven decision‐making in disaster response.

Boosting the efficiency of carbon capture and conversion systems

TPP alum Sami Khan's new design could speed reaction rates in electrochemical systems for pulling carbon out of power plant emissions.

Access to energy, education, and experience in Africa

“My technical skills alone were not enough in the development of solutions to complex problems such as lack of electricity,” says Thandolwethu Zwelakhe “Shakes” Dlamini of his journey to TPP. “A broader understanding of policy, economic, and regulatory frameworks is essential.”

Preparing for the next pandemic

TPP student and former US Army medical officer Molly McGuigan models PPE need for healthcare facilities from hospitals to dentist offices.

Dava Newman named director of MIT Media Lab

A TPP alum and former TPP director, visionary astronautics researcher, explorer, and expert on human adaptation to space, Dava Newman will help write the next chapter of the Institute’s world-renowned research center.

Understanding how people make sense of information in the information age

TPP alum Manon Revel, now a student in LIDS and SES, has been investigating how advertising in online publications affects trust in journalism.

Data for good

The fourth MIT Policy Hackathon, hosted virtually and focusing on equity, brought together policy and data science expertise to deliver solutions to challenges from environmental justice to Covid-19.

Bringing down mercury

TPP director Noelle Selin explores mercury's toxic history and informs policy-makers "how they can better manage mercury and evaluate how effective their strategies are."

The future of the energy workforce

TPP student Sade Nabahe is applying insights from her internship as an energy workforce policy fellow in the U.S. Senate to developing region-specific decarbonization plans with labor stakeholders.

Biogen sponsors TPP’s Research to Policy Engagement Initiative

The biotech company joins TPP and IDSS as a new partner, and will support a Biogen Fellow to inform climate policy that improves public health outcomes.

A New Deal for employment, energy, and the environment

TPP students and alumni contribute working papers to the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research's 'Roosevelt Project,' which aims to chart a path to decarbonization that minimizes impact on labor and the economy.

‘Emily’s Wonder Lab’ teaches kids about science

TPP alum Emily Calandrelli's Netflix show gets kids interested in everything from tornados to static electricity.

Antiracism in technology and policy design

Media Lab researcher Kate Turner explores how critical race theory can influence science — and how science can inform policy — as an IDSS Research to Policy Engagement Initiative Fellow.

Alumni profile: Ivan Rudnick, 2020 Best Thesis winner

Ivan Rudnick’s research, which earned him TPP’s Best Thesis Award for 2020, offers insights into designing energy policies that could help India achieve its decarbonization goals.

The value of batteries as power grids integrate more renewable energy

A new study from TPP/IDSS alumni Nestor Sepulveda and Jesse Jenkins finds that the economic value of battery storage increases as variable renewable sources supply more electricity.

TPP honors 2020 graduates

IDSS and TPP celebrated 2020 graduates virtually with remarks from faculty, students, and staff. TPP awarded 17 Master of Science degrees.

Black engineers see both pride and exclusion in the return of human spaceflight

MIT professor and TPP alum Danielle Wood is changing aerospace research to address racial inequity in space exploration.

The next generation of energy leaders

"The focus on systems thinking that was being employed in TPP and at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) has been very important in shaping my thinking around the biggest challenges in climate and energy." MITei profiles Addison Stark (TPP '10).

Isolat: a data-driven response to a pandemic

Isolat, a volunteer collaboration organized by IDSS, informs coronavirus policy at MIT and beyond by combining rigorous data analysis with expertise in using science to impact policy making.

Capitol Hill’s COVID-19 response: a TPP alum’s inside perspective

Systems engineer Sarah Rovito (TPP '16) is a Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow who was working on issues like AI and 5G when the pandemic hit — now it's all-hands-on-deck to address the coronavirus.

The paths to net zero

Michael Davidson, Jesse Jenkins, and Valerie Karplus — TPP and IDSS alumni — explore how technology and policy can help save the planet from climate change.

Our internet isn’t ready for coronavirus

Many people are having to work and learn from home. Residential broadband networks might not be able to keep up, says TPP alum Josephine Wolff.

TPP Student Profile: Gabe Bann

Gabe Bann’s passions for data science and social justice led him to TPP, where he studies inequality in disaster vulnerability.

Low-cost “smart” diaper can notify caregiver when it’s wet

MIT researchers including Pankhuri Sen, a TPP alum and research assistant in MIT’s AutoID Laboratory, have developed a “smart” diaper embedded with a moisture sensor that can alert a caregiver when a diaper is wet.

MIT researchers identify security vulnerabilities in voting app

MIT researchers including TPP alum Michael Specter have uncovered security vulnerabilities in a mobile voting application that was used during the 2018 midterm elections in West Virginia.

A college for the computing age

TPP, along with the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), is officially a part of the new Schwarzman College of Computing.

MIT’s 2019 Presidential Fellow: Anoushka Bose

Each year, TPP nominates one MIT undergrad to be a presidential fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. This year’s nominee is Anoushka Bose, a double major in political science and physics focusing on nuclear policy and security.

On the ground in China to provide clean water

TPP alum Charlene Ren wrote the business proposal for MyH2O during her first semester at MIT. Now the NGO works to connect rural Chinese villages with clean drinking water.

Cutting mercury emissions in China

New research from TPP alum Kathleen Mulvaney and TPP director Noelle Selin shows how climate and air pollution policies can work together to maximize the reduction of mercury emissions.

Zeroing in on decarbonization

TPP alum Nestor Sepulveda uses 'a unique computational framework blending optimization and data science, operations research, and policy methodologies' to describe potential pathways to combat climate change.

MITEI’s 2019 Annual Research Conference highlights “energy at scale” and engagement as levers of decarbonization

TPP students and alumni joined faculty, students, and research staff from MIT and beyond to discuss the urgency of the climate crisis, collaborating on decarbonization, and the role of policy in combatting global temperature rise.

Cybersecurity Experts Are Leaving the Federal Government. That’s a Problem.

The departures leave critical infrastructure, elections, data, and networks vulnerable, argues TPP alum and Tufts professor Josephine Wolff.

Tracking emissions in China

New research from TPP alum and MIT Sloan professor Valerie Karplus evaluates the impact of new air pollution standards on sulfur dioxide emissions by coal-burning power plants in China.

TPP alum Ian Schneider first to complete SES PhD

Ian Schneider's successful defense of his dissertation 'Market Design Opportunities for an Evolving Power System' marks the first defense for the Social & Engineering Systems doctoral program.

Trust and identity online: 3 questions with TPP student Maryam Shahid

Maryam Shahid’s undergraduate computer science thesis on online ads led her to cybersecurity policy and TPP.

Technology and Policy Program launches Research to Policy Engagement Initiative

The new initiative supports efforts to inform policy with scientific research and will build community among researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders.

Renewable energy and carbon pricing policies

TPP director Noelle Eckley Selin and Emil Dimanchev (TPP ’18) used linked economic and air pollution models to show how the cost of renewable energy policies that reduce air pollution can be more than offset by health care savings.

Majority of anti-vaccine ads on Facebook were funded by two groups

Research from IDSS alum David Broniatowski (TPP '06, ES '10) shows that 54 percent of the anti-vaccine ads on Facebook were funded by a group headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a California-based organization.

Valerie Karplus receives Clean Energy Education & Empowerment award

Karplus (TPP '08, ES '11), an assistant professor at MIT Sloan and "expert on China’s energy system," was recognized by the the U.S. Department of Energy for her leadership and achievements in clean energy education.

Sustainability Rating For Space Could Help Keep Junk Out Of The Sky

Space should be treated like a world heritage site argues Danielle Wood (TPP '08), who leads the Space Enabled Research Group at the M.I.T. Media Lab.

MIT report provides guidance on climate-related financial disclosures

Erik Landry (TPP '18), now a research associate at MIT, is lead author on a report that makes recommendations which could help companies deliver more useful disclosures to investors on the risks they face due to climate change.

Alumni Profile: Josephine Wolff

Josephine Wolff (TPP ’12) is the Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Policy at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She researches cybersecurity policy and cyber-insurance, and is the author of “You'll see this message when it is too late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches."

Danielle Wood inducted into International Academy of Astronautics

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) elected Danielle Wood (TPP '08) as a Corresponding Member for Engineering Sciences. Wood holds a joint appointment at MIT with the Program in Media Arts & Sciences and the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics.

Using machine learning to hunt down cybercriminals

TPP alum Cecilia Testart, now a grad student at MIT CSAIL, is part of a team that's building a model to identify “serial hijackers” of internet IP addresses.

Experts urge “full speed ahead” on climate action

An MIT climate change symposium panel chaired by TPP director and IDSS/EAPS professor Noelle Selin described the state of knowledge in climate science and stressed the urgent need for action.

Alumni in Academia: Energy and Climate

Four TPP alumni bring their energy and climate expertise to universities across the country as new assistant professors.

Electricity in the developing world: 3 questions with TPP student Grégoire Jacquot

“The flexibility of the curriculum has allowed me to take classes in a range of topics from business and law to finance and power sector regulation.”

Internship Q&A: Energy Policy on Capitol Hill

TPP student Tomas Wesley-Green’s summer as an intern with the Assistant Speaker of the House gave him a clearer view of decarbonization policies.

Shift to renewable electricity a win-win for U.S. states

Research from TPP alum Emil Dimanchev and TPP director Noelle Selin finds health savings from cleaner air would more than pay for the cost of implementing renewable energy policies.

Lowering emissions without breaking the bank

New research from TPP alum Arun Singh provides a look at how India could meet its climate targets while maintaining economic growth.

Health effects of China’s climate policy extend across Pacific

New research from IDSS/EAPS professor and TPP director Noelle Selin shows that China's pledge to peak carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 could result in fewer premature deaths in the U.S.

TPP celebrates the class of 2019

Congratulations to all 38 TPP students who graduated in 2019!

MIT Policy Hackathon connects data-driven problem solvers

Interdisciplinary teams propose creative policy solutions that address societal challenges at a unique event run by students from TPP and IDSS.

Designing water infrastructure for climate uncertainty

A research team that includes TPP and IDSS alum Sarah Fletcher and TPP alum Megan Lickley has developed a flexible planning framework that evaluates approaches that add water storage capacity incrementally if the climate becomes warmer and drier.

Manon Revel presents research on fake news

Revel joined other MIT students to present research using computational tools at a celebration for the new Schwarzman College of Computing.

Student profile: Julia Milton

A dual TPP/AeroAstro student, Julia's research focuses on developing sensors and metrics for remote telehealth systems -- helpful in remote regions, essential for astronauts in space.

Casey Evans named to Aviation Week’s “20 Twenties” of 2019

TPP student Casey Evans is one of three at MIT recognized for her academic performance, civic contributions, and research.

TPP and MIT well represented at COP24

Sruthi Davuluri, Anthony Fratto Oyler, and Erik Landry represented MIT and TPP at COP24.

Two TPP Alumni Named to Forbes 30 Under 30

Sebastien Boyer and Xiaoyuan (Charlene) Ren are among the 31 MIT alumni named to the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 list.

Study: Impact of mercury-controlling policies shrinks with every five-year delay

A new study by TPP director Noelle Selin finds that the longer countries wait to reduce mercury emissions, the less effective any emissions-reducing policies will be when they are eventually implemented.

HUBweek Policy Hackathon delivers solutions to local challenges

Citizens and data scientists produce actionable recommendations for high-priority Boston-area issues at an IDSS student-run event during Boston's annual ideas festival.

Student insight on the “Future of Nuclear Energy” study

Current TPP student, Amy Umaretiya, joined other student researchers in Washington to lend their voices and ideas for exploring nuclear energy’s potential to address climate change.

Study: Emissions from most diesel cars in Europe greatly exceed laboratory testing levels

Guillaume Chossiere, TPP 17, co-author on paper

Study: Adding power choices reduces cost and risk of carbon-free electricity

Research from TPP Alumni- Nestor Sepulveda, Fernando de Sisternes, Jesse Jenkins TPP.

How many people can China feed?

Tiziana Smith, TPP15, studies links between water availability and crop yields in the world’s most populous country.

Study: Health benefits will offset cost of China’s climate policy

TPP Connections- Noelle Selin, Valerie Karplus, and Katie Mulvaney

2018 IDEAS Winners

Anna Waldman-Brown, TPP18, and the rest of the PreserveAir Team were among the 10 winning teams in the 2018 IDEAS Global Challenge Competition

Using data science to improve public policy

MIT Policy Hackathon, run by students within MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, seeks interdisciplinary solutions to societal challenges.

Noelle Selin awarded Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship

Noelle Selin, Associate Professor, IDSS and EAPS; and Associate Director, Technology and Policy Program, has been awarded a Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship at the Technical University of Munich Institute for […]

Second annual Women in Data Science conference showcases research, explores challenges

Co-hosted by MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, WiDS Cambridge brings together students, academic leaders, and industry partners.

Emil Dimantchev, TPP18, helping Mexico design effective climate policy

MIT researchers are working with the Mexican government on carbon pricing options to meet the country’s climate goals under the Paris Agreement.

Noelle Selin, TPP Associate Director: Tracing toxins around the world

Atmospheric chemist takes on pollutants and the global treaties written to control them.

Danielle Wood, TPP ’08, joins Media Lab Faculty

Case study suggests new approach to urban water supply

Sarah Fletcher, PhD candidate in IDSS and TPP alum, is the lead author of a paper that suggests an alternate approach to water planning.

TPP alum, Sarah Fletcher (far right) received a new graduate fellowship and a TMP Graduate Consortium Best Presentation award.

MIT Technology and Policy Program’s Best Thesis for 2017

maps out a clean energy future for India

Tenure Announcements

Noelle Selin and Jessika Trancik, both of IDSS, have been promoted to associate professor with tenure.

Clean power planning

Study led by Jennifer Morris (TPP & Engineering Systems PhD alum) details why it’s prudent to invest in carbon-free electricity now.

Michael Davidson wins a best poster award in AAAS Student Poster Competition

Michael Davidson (TPP ’14 and engineering systems PhD candidate) received a best poster award in the social sciences category. The poster highlights hidden costs in China’s coal plant upgrade.

Study: Volkswagen’s excess emissions will lead to 1,200 premature deaths in Europe

TPP student Guillaume Chossière co-authored a paper that examines the health impact of 2.6 million cars installed with "defeat devices," sold in Germany under Volkswagen Group’s brands VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat.

Anna Waldman-Brown, TPP ’18, awarded Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship

TPP student has been selected to be part of the 2017 Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship program.

Rethinking How We Get Around

Paul Kishimoto, TPP12 and current IDSS PhD student, probes the future of transportation in China.

TPP Student, Alix de Monts de Savasse, Named Schwarzman Scholar

TPP student Alix de Monts selected as a Schwarzman Scholar and will pursue a year of study and leadership training at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Michael Davidson (TPP ’14) and Arun Singh (TPP ’17) Join MIT Contingent at COP22

Graduate students Arun Singh and Michael Davidson came to Marrakech to advance their international climate research and keep abreast of real-time developments in climate policy.

Steve Connors, TPP Alum and MITEI Researcher, Dies

Steve Connors, a friend and graduate of the Technology and Policy Program (’89) as well as an accomplished researcher in alternative energy here at MIT in the Energy Initiative, died […]

TPP Alum Yi Xue’s Work With R. C. Larson’s Research Team Profiled

Research from doi:10.1002/sres.2210 into the dynamics of the academic job market is profiled in the New York Times. The paper, “Too Many PhD Graduates or Too Few Academic Job Openings: […]

TPP Celebrates 40 Years with Special Event

TPP celebrated forty years with an event on May 20, bringing together TPP alumni and others from academia, government, and industry.

TPP Alum Valerie Karplus Profiled at Poets & Quants

Poets & Quants, a C-Change Media blog devoted to covering graduate business education, recently posted its 2016 profiles of the “Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors,” and TPP alum (and […]

TPP Alum Renata Pomponi Profiled in Boston Globe Magazine

TPP alumna Renata Pomponi (TPP ’95) was profiled in the September 13, 2015 Boston Globe Magazine; “Renata Pomponi went from the boardroom to Drumlin Farm.”  A more detailed discussion of her […]

TPP Prof. Ken Oye and Colleagues On Regulating the Synthetic Biology of Alkaloid Production

ESD.103 instructor Kenneth Oye, with Chap Lawson and Tania Bubela, challenge the synthetic biology community to devise flexible responses to the evolving capabilities of the field to produce problematic compounds […]