By studying enzymes that perform evolutionarily ancient reactions, Dan Suess hopes to find solutions to global energy challenges. He’s interested in reactions that are “occurring on the microscopic scale but happening on a huge scale” around the world.

Via @mit on Instagram: “It’s good to have you home! Congrats to @mitaeroastro alumnus @astrohague SM ’00; Massachusetts’ own Suni Williams; Butch Wilmore; and Aleksandr Gorbunov on your successful mission.”

CSAIL researchers crafted a new security scheme that could allow users to run operations on encrypted data without decrypting it first. The approach could be used to protect sensitive data during cloud computation.

Researchers developed a rapid prototyping platform that lets anyone create large-scale, sturdy interactive devices using reconfigurable building blocks. “Once you finish your device, you can just plug it in and it will work,” Miana Smith says.

Engineers have devised a simplified process to convert a skin cell directly into a neuron for cell therapy. The highly efficient method could make it easier to develop treatments for spinal cord injuries or diseases that impair mobility, like ALS.

Air Force engineer and PhD student Randall Pietersen is developing a drone-based system to detect pavement damage and unexploded munitions after an airfield is attacked. “We’re still only prepared to do this on foot, and that’s where my research comes in,” he says.