Turning science into stories
The World at MIT: Daron Acemoglu
World-class
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Without human understanding, there is no understanding. We are home to scholars and artists doing transformative work in fields vital to addressing the world’s most important challenges. Our faculty develop the values, vision, and ethical compass of tomorrow’s leaders.
Our faculty are among the world’s leading experts in their fields. Here you’ll find a selection of recent publications from SHASS scholars.
3 Questions: On humanizing scientists
In the new book “The Shape of Wonder,” co-author Alan Lightman, professor of the practice in Comparative Media Studies/Writing, prolific MIT author and physicist, examines the working lives, contributions, and idealism of researchers. “While humanizing scientists in the book, we show how critical thinking works in science,” he says.
Why countries trade with each other while fighting
Mariya Grinberg’s new book, “Trade in War,” examines the curious phenomenon of economic trade during military conflict. “There is a lot of variation in which products get traded, and in which wars, and there are differences in how long trade lasts into a war. But it does happen,” Grinberg says.
Many MIT undergraduates major or minor in a SHASS discipline, often paired with studies in STEM. Class of 2025 graduates share how a multidisciplinary education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
Kaelyn Dunnell
Literature major
Nuclear Science and Engineering major
“Literature reminds me to be alive. I love that it’s interdisciplinary, that it’s diverse, and that it’s widened my mind in ways I didn’t know existed.”
Maggie Huili Yao
Computer Science and Engineering major
Mathematics minor
Science, Technology, and Society minor
“As most of my research work is in applied machine learning, STS has taught me how to think critically about how we design these and evaluate these algorithms with their broader implications in society.”
Music & Theater Arts gives students the opportunity to explore these disciplines as artistic practices and as cultural, intellectual, and personal avenues of inquiry and discovery.
Music and technology intertwined
Graduate program in music technology and computation brings new dimension to interdisciplinary offerings.
Digital instruments for musical togetherness
Engineering graduate student Joseph Ntaimo ’23 took music classes, played in the MIT Symphony Orchestra, and became a respected DJ on campus, routinely mixing pop songs with lesser-known international genres.
Broadening student minds
If you want to make the world a better place, you need to understand how it works. SHASS plays an essential role at MIT, ensuring our students have a deep understanding of the human implications of the world’s biggest challenges.
Latest news from SHASS
Our work has broad impact at MIT and across the globe. Read the latest about new ideas coming out of SHASS.
Ray Kurzweil ’70 reinforces his optimism in tech progress
Receiving the Robert A. Muh award, the technologist and author heralded a bright future for AI, breakthroughs in longevity, and more.
3 Questions: Addressing the world’s most pressing challenges
Mihaela Papa discusses the BRICS Lab, her role at the Center for International Studies, and the center’s ongoing ambition to tackle the world’s most complex challenges in new and creative ways.
An adaptable evaluation of justice and interest groups
Bruno Perreau’s latest book, “Spheres of Injustice,” updates classic thought about rights and legal standing in a complex society.
In the media
Nobel prizes this year offer three cheers for slow science
Mangrum’s comical computation
Can Trump end this impossibly cruel practice?
Zen and the art of midlife maintenance
SHASS videos
Graduate student spotlight: PhD candidate Angie Jo
