A mighty material + exploring digital dollars + energy-saving materials

MIT Weekly February 5, 2022 Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.  Want a daily dose of MIT in your inbox? [Subscribe to the MIT Daily](. A Mighty Material # MIT chemical engineers have created a material that is stronger than steel, as light as plastic, and easily manufactured. It could be used as a durable coating for car parts or cell phones, or even as a building material for bridges or other structures. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines How Omicron escapes from antibodies A computational study shows that dozens of mutations help the virus’ spike protein evade antibodies that target SARS-CoV-2. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( MIT experts test technical research for a hypothetical central bank digital currency Collaboration with Federal Reserve Bank of Boston yields progress in understanding how a digital currency might be developed in the future. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( 3 Questions: A “third place” between home and office Associate Professor Jinhua Zhao explores how remote workers have been seeking new types of workspaces, with implications for business and transit. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Fast-tracking the search for energy-efficient materials Doctoral candidate Nina Andrejević combines spectroscopy and machine learning techniques to identify novel and valuable properties in matter. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( The art of bonsai, according to an engineer Julian Adams ’64 went from studying radar technology and selling cars to running Adams Bonsai, a nursery he calls “a hobby gone berserk.” [Full story via Slice of MIT→]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT # [Tweet via @MichelDeGraff→]( In the Media MIT startup gets more backing for smarter electric scooters // The Boston Globe Assaf Biderman, associate director of the MIT SENSEable City Lab, discusses MIT startup Superpedestrian, a transportation robotics company whose electric scooters are available in over 60 cities across the world. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( These 3D-printed objects have scannable barcodes that you can’t see // Popular Science Scientists from MIT and Facebook have created a new object-tagging system called InfraredTags. [Full story via Popular Science→]( How the global chip shortage is boosting US manufacturing // CNET An MIT white paper underscores the importance of regaining U.S. innovation leadership in the area of semiconductor manufacturing. [Full story via CNET→]( Opinion: The IRS should stop using facial recognition // The Atlantic “No biometric technologies should be adopted by the government to police access to services or benefits,” writes Joy Buolamwini, a Media Lab researcher who recently completed her PhD. [Full story via The Atlantic→]( Robert C. Hayden, prolific author of books about Black history, dies at 84 // The Boston Globe Author and historian Robert C. Hayden, a former MIT postdoc and staff member who “wanted people to learn about everyone who contributed to Black history, not just the celebrated figures,” died on Jan. 23. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( [“] Be careful what you wish for. —Professor Barry Posen, who recently contracted Covid-19, cautioning against letting your coronavirus guard down to “get it over with” as the virus continues to spread [Full story via MIT Medical→]( Watch This # To mark Black History Month, we look back on the history of the [MIT Black Students’ Union]( (BSU), founded in 1968 to provide students with a forum for community and advocacy that continues today. In this video from 2011, MIT Corporation Life Member Shirley Ann Jackson ’68, PhD ’73 and former MIT President Paul Gray ’54, SM ’55, ScD ’60 describe the founding of the BSU and its effects on MIT’s campus and beyond. [Watch the video]( | [Learn more via MIT News]( Record Holder # David Rush ’07 is an author, speaker, electrical engineer, and STEM advocate who also holds over 200 Guinness World Records. According to Rush, in 2021 he accomplished his goal of completing a new world record every week — feats including stacking soaps, swiftly setting up a chessboard, and juggling while running blindfolded (as seen above). “I’m excited and hopefully making a difference in students’ lives and giving them a tangible example. ... Anyone can do amazing things if they set their minds to it,” he says. [Full story via Newsweek→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [Lunar New Year around the world](. 🧧 Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! —MIT News Office [Forward This Email]( [Subscribe]( [MIT Logo] Massachusetts Institute of Technology This email was sent to {EMAIL} because of your affiliation with MIT, or because you signed up for our newsletters. [subscribe]( [update preferences]( [unsubscribe]( [view in browser]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( MIT News Office · 77 Massachusetts Avenue · Cambridge, MA 02139 · USA