Hello to EECS alumni far and wide,
As we embark upon a new year, I’m taking a moment to reflect on a 2023 that feels as though it sped by in a matter of minutes. As always, the department’s year was filled with exciting innovations, lively discussions and new opportunities; but the new year offers us a moment of stillness and calm in which we can take stock.
Looking through this newsletter detailing the tremendous accomplishments of our community, I am filled with hope and pride. Our students, faculty, and alumni are constantly making new discoveries; rethinking old assumptions; and working hard to make their world a better place. I am reminded of how truly lucky we are to share this time together–no matter how fleeting it feels. I wish you all a peaceful and wonderful new year.
–Asu Ozdaglar
Department Head, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
MathWorks Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Deputy Dean of Academics, MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing
At MIT and nationwide, less than a quarter of doctoral candidates in electrical engineering and computer science are women. If current trends hold, we will not reach gender parity this century.
The Thriving Stars program in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is on a mission to change that.
Feature Story
10 Years Later: SuperUROP Scholars Look Back
A decade after the founding of the undergraduate research program, its alumni reflect on the unexpected gifts of their experiences.
Departmental News
GW6 Annual Research Summit 2023
The half-day summit welcomed all students and faculty members affiliated with EECS and showcased the contributions of women.
EECS Alliance Roundup: 2023
Founded in 2019, The EECS Alliance program connects industry leading companies with EECS students for internships, post graduate employment, networking, and collaborations. In 2023, it has grown to include over 30 organizations that have either joined the Alliance or participate in its flagship program, 6A.
Education Initiatives
“Principles of Power Electronics” meets a milestone
The second edition of the classic textbook greatly expands upon the first, a reflection of the increased stature and importance of power electronics to a whole new generation of electrical and computer engineers.
Research
Device offers long-distance, low-power underwater communication
MIT researchers have demonstrated the first system for ultra-low-power underwater networking and communication, which can transmit signals across kilometer-scale distances.
Celebrating five years of MIT.nano
MIT.nano now contains nearly 170 tools and instruments serving more than 1,200 trained researchers. These individuals come from over 300 principal investigator labs, representing more than 50 MIT departments, labs, and centers. The facility also serves external users from industry, other academic institutions, and over 130 startup and multinational companies.
New method uses crowdsourced feedback to help train robots
“Our work proposes a way to scale robot learning by crowdsourcing the design of reward function and by making it possible for nonexperts to provide useful feedback,” says Pulkit Agrawal.
Faculty Spotlight
Marzyeh Ghassemi Finds the Right Guiding Star
EECS professor is glad to have crossed academic paths with computer science and AI faculty Peter Szolovits. The feeling is mutual.
Faculty Awards
Four from MIT awarded National Medals of Technology, Science
“Anything is possible if we put our mind to it, and with you all, you’ve got incredible minds,” President Biden told the honorees. “You’ve saved people’s lives, you’ve changed the way we look at the world, and you made it better. I don’t know that we can ask for anything more.”
Twelve with MIT ties elected to the National Academy of Medicine for 2023
Regina Barzilay, School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health, was elected for the development of machine learning tools that have been transformational for breast cancer screening and risk assessment.
Student Spotlight & Awards
Student Spotlight: Isabella Pedraza Piñeros
Pedraza Piñeros is a first-year MEng student in the Department of EECS; she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering in the spring of 2023.
MIT’s Justin Yu wins Classic Tetris World Championship
On Oct. 15, the junior became the top classic Tetris player in the world. Before you ask, he’s not great at packing suitcases for trips.
Alumni in Action
Is This MIT Alum’s Startup the Best Shot at Building a Viable Quantum Computer?
“If I ever write a memoir, I think I’ll call it All the Right Decisions for All the Wrong Reasons,” says Bharath Kannan SM ’18, PhD ’22, cofounder and CEO of Atlantic Quantum, a Cambridge-based startup working to build a scalable quantum computer.
Farewell
Frederick Hennie III, dedicated architect of MIT EECS, dies at 90.
The professor emeritus served as Executive Officer of the Department from 1976-2001.
Judy Hoyt, a pioneer in semiconductor research, is remembered.
She was first to demonstrate the incorporation of lattice strain as a means to enhance performance in scaled silicon devices.
Keep in Touch
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