MIT AeroAstro

Ammonia could be a nearly carbon-free maritime fuel, but without new emissions regulations, its impact on air quality could significantly impact human health. A new study from an interdisciplinary team of MIT researchers, including AeroAstro’s Florian Allroggen, indicates that with stronger regulations and cleaner engine technology, the switch to ammonia could lead to about 66,000 fewer premature deaths than currently caused by maritime shipping emissions, with far less impact on global warming. Read more on MIT News: https://ow.ly/w9hW50SBK40

I had an incredible opportunity to conduct research in zero-g! My experiment tested the performance of insulin pumps in the spaceflight-like conditions of microgravity. As an AstroAccess Ambassador, I’m grateful to be able to share this work with the #T1D community and beyond. Together, we’re taking another step towards making space accessible for all.

Announcing the winners of the MIT ARCLab Prize for AI Innovation in Space: congratulations to David Baldsiefen of Team Hawaii2024! Baldsiefen will be awarded $10,000 and is invited to join the ARCLab team to present at a poster session at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference in Hawaii this fall. The competition asked contestants to harness AI to characterize satellites’ patterns of life (PoLs) using purely passively collected information. 126 teams used machine learning to create algorithms to label and time-stamp the behavioral modes of GEO satellites over a six-month period, competing for accuracy and efficiency. Two additional top-ranking teams are also invited to join the ARCLab team at the conference. Read more on MIT News: https://ow.ly/790h50SBJV4

This year’s MIT Summer Reading List features Prof. Nancy Leveson’s An Introduction to System Safety Engineering. In our ever more complicated systems landscape, safety has never been more important. Prof. Leveson covers the history of safety engineering; explores risk, ethics, legal frameworks, and policy implications; and explains why accidents happen and how to mitigate risks in modern, software-intensive systems. Check it out this summer from MIT Press, and explore the full summer reading list: https://ow.ly/mbre50Syiks

We are excited to welcome Masha Folk to our department as Charles Stark Draper Career Development Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics! Prof. Folk is an expert in turbomachinery, heat transfer and combustion technology for sustainable aviation, and joins the Gas Turbine Laboratory (GTL).

Prof. Luca Carlone is one of 11 faculty members in the MIT School of Engineering to be granted tenure this year. Congratulations, Professor! https://ow.ly/muL850StLmT

Earlier this year, a geomagnetic storm brought the aurora borealis into view across the country – but had hazardous consequences for the world’s rapidly growing population of satellites. Discover Magazine looks at new research from ARCLab's Prof. Richard Linares and William Parker about the impacts of solar storms on satellites in low earth orbit. Read more: https://ow.ly/JGqP50Ss1Lc Photo credit: Shreya Sharma

Congratulations to Prof. Danielle Wood on being selected to this year's Just Tech Fellowship cohort! As part of this two-year fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, Prof. Wood will lead projects that apply satellite Earth Observation technology for environmental management in cooperation with leaders from Africa and Native American Tribes. Learn more about the fellowship and the full cohort: https://ow.ly/JXJm50St4CC

Congratulations to Suxin Hu Hu and Carol Niemi on receiving MIT School of Engineering Infinite Mile and Ellen J. Mandigo awards! These awards recognize employees who have made extraordinary contributions to help the Institute carry out its mission, and we are so fortunate to have both of you bring your work and expertise to our department.

This May, the annual Unified Engineering (16.01-16.04) Flight Competition saw ups, downs, loops, and dives—and Team Eight won the day with the best-performing RC airplane that achieved a balance between payload and speed. Congratulations to Suchitha Channapatna, Dashiell DeStefano, Sammy Krem, and Annika Vaidyanathan! Unified Engineering is considered a rite of passage for Course 16 sophomores. This year’s course was instructed by Prof. Adrian Lozano-Duran and TA’d by Julian Powers (CTG). Prof. Mark Drela piloted each of the planes during the competition. https://ow.ly/KLmv50Snkly