One of the things I’ve come to value deeply about the MIT community is the near-universal willingness to name a problem, measure it, design a solution, and keep iterating until it’s right. It’s an approach that has worked for a long time, and it’s one we’ll continue to rely on. As we step into the fall, we’re exploring new ways to harness the Institute’s collective power by fostering and supporting new collaborations on compelling global problems.
In September we introduced the MIT Collaboratives, developed in close consultation with deans and other faculty leaders, to make it easier for faculty to pursue their most innovative ideas, collaborate with others outside their field, and explore fresh approaches to teaching our students. The first Collaborative, launched in October, is grounded in the human-centered fields represented by our School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. The next one will focus on inspiring and delivering solutions in the life sciences and health.
We’re also hearing significant interest in developing new efforts in three other areas: quantum science and technology, new approaches to manufacturing, and new approaches to education. Working closely with faculty, we’ll determine whether these additional areas would benefit from the MIT Collaboratives structure or need a different approach.
We’ve also built on last year’s momentum in two other high-impact fields:
The Climate Project at MIT kicked off the semester with a symposium to introduce the newly named mission directors who will lead our six climate missions. I encourage you to take a look at the opening session, available via webcast, to meet the brilliant faculty leading the charge as we aim to change the planet’s climate trajectory.
We also created the MIT GenAI Impact Consortium, following on the success of last year’s GenAI week and significant interest from industry. The consortium will foster collaborations between MIT faculty and industry on pressing problems that require MIT know-how. It will provide support for visiting scientists, professional education for our industrial partners, and enhanced opportunities for our students to interact with the firms that join us in this work.
And there are many more areas where our creative community can collaborate in delivering knowledge and solutions that are worthy of MIT. I look forward to a lot more measuring, designing, solving, and iterating as we pursue our great mission together.