MIT in Wisconsin

A woman smiles at the camera in front of a colorful diamond-patterned wall hanging.

Following the questions where they lead

Bailey Flanigan, an assistant professor at MIT who grew up on a Wisconsin farm, is now developing computational methods to help democracy thrive.

Stylized illustration of the Kepler space telescope observing three textured exoplanets in blue, gray, and red against a dark swirling background, representing the telescope's final observations.

A telescope’s last view

Physicists at MIT and the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered the last three planets the Kepler Space Telescope observed before running out of fuel.

A researcher leans over the railing of a boat and aims a large telephoto camera lens toward the water, with snow-capped mountains and rocky coastline visible in the background.

Creating connection with science communication

At MIT, Sophie Hartley SM ’24, who grew up in Wisconsin, honed a passion for communicating the importance of natural resources and land management.

Side-by-side scientific diagrams of two protein dimer structures showing labeled alpha-helical bundles in blue and orange with green ligand molecules and pink ion markers, with zoomed insets highlighting key binding residues

Protein structure offers clues to drug-resistance mechanism

MIT and University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemists mapped the structure of a bacterial drug-resistance pump, opening a path to restoring antibiotic efficacy.

Two MIT researchers wearing safety glasses work together at a lab bench, with one carefully probing stacked sandstone rock samples while the other observes closely, surrounded by lab equipment and tools.

Fusing science and culture through metalsmithing

Rhea Vedro, who grew up in Wisconsin, teaches MIT students the history and power of metalsmithing through soldering, casting, and etching.

Four-panel composite showing the AI-optimized design process for an underwater glider, from a wireframe mesh model and two 3D rendered hull shapes to underwater pool testing of the final white manta ray-inspired vehicle.

AI shapes autonomous underwater “gliders”

Researchers at MIT and the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed an AI pipeline that generates underwater glider shapes inspired by marine animals.

Illustrated diagram of a clean energy landscape featuring wind turbines, a hydroelectric dam, solar panels, a nuclear power plant, and a fossil fuel facility side by side under a blue sky.

Making clean energy investments more successful

Researchers from MIT and the University of Wisconsin-Madison wrote on how forecasting tools can help steer limited resources toward promising technologies.