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 Advanced Study (TUM-IACS).

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 at home on November 13.

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: The Basic Reproductive Number R0 in Academia” was authored by Prof. Richard C. Larson and Navid Ghaffarzadegan.

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 Sloan School faculty member) Valerie Karplus (webpage) is listed.

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 path to the position can be found on the Mass Audubon webpage: Introducing Drumlin Farm’s New Sanctuary Director!

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 in a commentary published in Nature (Drugs; Regulate ‘home brew’ opiates; Nature; V.521, pp. 281-283; 21 May 2016; doi:10.1038/521281a) See also 3 Questions: Kenneth Oye […]