Advancing Human Understanding
MIT SHASS: Celebrating 75 Years
Meet the Professor: Jacob Moscona
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.
AI is transforming society in profound ways. We’re at the forefront of exploring the economic, political, and ethical implications of this technology.
Seeing sounds
Mariano Salcedo SB ’25, SM ’26, an alumnus of MIT’s undergraduate artificial intelligence and decision making program and music technology and computation graduate program, is designing an AI to visualize and express music and other sounds. “I want users to feel movement and explore sounds and their impact more fully,” he says.
A data-driven approach to making better choices
In the new economics course 14.163 (Algorithms and Behavioral Science), students investigate the deployment of machine-learning tools and their potential to understand people, reduce bias, and improve society.
Our faculty are among the world’s leading experts in their fields. Here you’ll find a selection of recent publications from SHASS scholars.
Stories from the steel mills: A model for sharing workers’ histories
MIT anthropologist and section head Chris Walley developed a project for people in Southeast Chicago to tell their histories — an approach any community can adopt. “People tend to experience history in their day-to-day lives not through books written by experts, but by telling stories around family objects and photos,” Walley says.
The next generation’s guide to the new space economy
David Mindell, an MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics and in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, worked with students in course 16.445J/STS.468J (Entrepreneurship in Aerospace and Mobility Systems) to produce the report “Entrepreneurship in Aerospace,” which provides comprehensive insight into what it actually takes to build an aerospace venture today, and makes predictions about what is needed in the near future.
MIT graduates share how their SHASS education prepared them to take on the world’s greatest challenges.
Meicen Sun PhD ’22
Political Science
“SHASS provided the crucial resources and flexibility needed to investigate how we can approach the social sciences from the perspective of information science.”
Ankita Reddy ’19
Anthropology (Course 21A)
Biology (Course 7)
“My classes, discussions, and connections fostered through SHASS taught me the value of deep listening, priming me to ask difficult questions about technological solutions (and to have the courage to do so).”
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.
Discovering the value of humanistic inquiry
Students in MIT’s Concourse program delve deeply into the human condition, debate challenging questions, and learn to develop judgment about issues that can’t be quantified.
Climate Action Learning Lab bridges research and policy for effective climate solutions
J-PAL North America’s Learning Lab supported a second cohort of U.S. government and nonprofit organizations in building and using rigorous evidence to advance effective decarbonization and adaptation strategies.
The effects of an “algorithmic monoculture” depend on the details
In a study focusing on hiring decisions, MIT researchers found the use of a single algorithm by many firms could benefit job seekers in certain situations.