Desalination device + linguistic puzzle + asteroid dirt + glass pumpkins

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] September 30, 2023 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](. Simpler Desalination #[A desalinization prototype setup, a clear rectangular box with waters, tubes, and square spring surrounded by a larger rectangular box, outside in the sun]( MIT engineers are aiming to turn seawater into drinking water with a passive device inspired by the ocean and powered by the sun. “For the first time, it is possible for water, produced by sunlight, to be even cheaper than tap water,” says Research Scientist Lenan Zhang. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Have you heard about the “whom of which” trend? An MIT student and linguistics professor spot an emerging English phrase and examine what it tells us about syntax — but questions remain. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( 3 Questions: The first asteroid sample returned to Earth Richard Binzel describes how asteroid dirt and dust delivered by OSIRIS-Rex, with help from MIT, may reveal clues to the solar system’s origins. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( New qubit circuit enables quantum operations with higher accuracy The advance brings quantum error correction a step closer to reality. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Decoding the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease By analyzing epigenomic and gene expression changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers identify cellular pathways that could become new drug targets. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Improving US air quality, equitably A study finds climate policy alone cannot meaningfully reduce racial and economic disparities in air pollution exposure. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( School of Science welcomes new faculty in 2023 Sixteen professors join the departments of Biology; Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; and Physics. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[A man is seated at an audio workstation in front of a microphone while another man leans over to assist him. Text via @‌mitlibraries: DYK: Lewis Music Library's Audio Lab is available to all MIT community members -- beginners as well as experts! The Lab has two digital audio workstations, each with multi-track audio software, digital mixer, and MIDI keyboard, and one has a podcast mic.]( [Follow @mitlibraries on Instagram→]( In the Media Can AI help doctors come up with better diagnoses // The Wall Street Journal A study by researchers from MIT and Harvard University examined the potential impact of the use of AI technologies on the field of radiology. [Full story via The Wall Street Journal→]( Immigrant Maria Telleria: From Mexico to MIT and entrepreneur // Forbes Maria Telleria ’08, SM ’10, PhD ’13 discusses her experience immigrating to the U.S. as a teenager, earning her PhD at MIT, and co-founding a company. [Full story via Forbes→]( Scientists use bacteria to turn plastic into useful substances // Newsweek Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have “genetically engineered bacteria to efficiently turn plastic waste into useful chemicals.” [Full story via Newsweek→]( Advances in eye scans and protein structure win 2023 Lasker Awards // The New York Times Professor James Fujimoto, research affiliate Eric Swanson SM ’84, and David Huang ’85, SM ’89, PhD ’93 have won a Lasker Award for their work inventing optical coherence tomography, which can “detect conditions like macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy earlier than previous methods, preventing blindness.” [Full story via The New York Times→]( Scene at MIT #[Collage of three images: Top, close-up of colorful glass pumpkins on top. Middle, image of three rows of tables with colorful glass pumpkins. Bottom:, swirly glass pumpkins, some rainbow, atop table.]( Over 1,000 precious pumpkins gleamed under the Kresge Oval tent last weekend as part of MIT’s Great Glass Pumpkin Patch, an annual fundraising event that supports unique programming at the [Glass Lab]( where individuals can learn and practice the art of glassblowing. All pumpkins sold were made by Glass Lab community members, a diverse group of current students, alumni, and professional glass artists who work in teams to create glass gourds of varied sizes, colors, and designs. [Learn more→]( Watch This #[Video still of a person’s silhouette in a slightly crouched position with one arm raised to left. On left, the text “turning movement into light” is printed. On right, glowing squiggly lines appear, mimicking the silhouette’s motion.]( “Illuminate” is an interactive art installation in which the movement of a person in space is augmented and brought to life in front of them in real time. Users can see luminescent graphics appear in a dark room as their movements are tracked by machine learning-based software. The installation provides a deeper understanding of bodily motion and was created by Chelsi Alise Cocking MS ’23, a recent graduate in media arts and sciences whose research explores using computing to enhance human creativity and expression. [Watch the video→]( Women in STEM #[Two photos showing more than a dozen orange life-sized statues of women in an MIT courtyard and in front of a glass building]( Orange 3D-printed statues of 30 distinguished women in science, technology, engineering, and math grace the MIT Open Space this week as part of the [Cambridge Science Festival](. It is part of the traveling #IfThenSheCan exhibition, which has toured the nation with the motto, “If we support a woman in STEM, then she can change the world!” Among the personalities on display are six MIT affiliates: Anjali Chadha ’23; Katy Croff Bell ’00; Cori Lathan PhD ’94, SM ’95; Assistant Professor Ritu Raman; Ciara Sivels ’13; and Yamilee Toussaint Beach ’08. The exhibition continues through Sunday. [Learn more→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [the MIT bike map](. 🚲 Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! —MIT News [Forward This Email]( [Subscribe]( [MIT Logo] 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