Instagram Story Save

Feathers give birds their dazzling colors. They repel water, trap heat, and even muffle sound—letting owls hunt in near silence.
How? It all comes down to structure.

In Birds Up Close, @MIT materials engineer and lifelong birder Lorna J. Gibson takes a microscopic look at feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and flight to reveal how birds do what they do—from hovering in place to flying hundreds of miles without tiring.

Published by @mitpress and out now, the book is written for anyone curious about birds—no engineering background required. (Though there’s plenty to dig into if you want it.)

“I wasn’t writing it for engineers; I was writing it for birders—people who are curious about natural history.”

The third image here shows a feather under a scanning electron microscope, revealing the intricate structures that give feathers their remarkable properties.

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

Feathers give birds their dazzling colors. They repel water, trap heat, and even muffle sound—letting owls hunt in near silence.
How? It all comes down to structure.

In Birds Up Close, @MIT materials engineer and lifelong birder Lorna J. Gibson takes a microscopic look at feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and flight to reveal how birds do what they do—from hovering in place to flying hundreds of miles without tiring.

Published by @mitpress and out now, the book is written for anyone curious about birds—no engineering background required. (Though there’s plenty to dig into if you want it.)

“I wasn’t writing it for engineers; I was writing it for birders—people who are curious about natural history.”

The third image here shows a feather under a scanning electron microscope, revealing the intricate structures that give feathers their remarkable properties.

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

Feathers give birds their dazzling colors. They repel water, trap heat, and even muffle sound—letting owls hunt in near silence.
How? It all comes down to structure.

In Birds Up Close, @MIT materials engineer and lifelong birder Lorna J. Gibson takes a microscopic look at feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and flight to reveal how birds do what they do—from hovering in place to flying hundreds of miles without tiring.

Published by @mitpress and out now, the book is written for anyone curious about birds—no engineering background required. (Though there’s plenty to dig into if you want it.)

“I wasn’t writing it for engineers; I was writing it for birders—people who are curious about natural history.”

The third image here shows a feather under a scanning electron microscope, revealing the intricate structures that give feathers their remarkable properties.

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

🦜 What makes bird feathers certain colors?

It's not just for looks. The colors depend on the structure of feathers at the microscopic level, which can lead to amazing blues and iridescent effects.

Lorna J. Gibson, professor emerita of @mitmeche and @mitdsme, shares more about the structural details that determine feather colors in the first Open Seminar on MIT Learn.

🔗 Watch the full seminar at the link in our bio!

#StructuralBiology #MaterialScience #MechanicalEngineering #FYP #Ornithology

In this demo of work by the Wallin Group at @MIT (Nature Communications), a soft rubber-like material called a PIG gel is exposed to light.

The illuminated regions switch from insulating to conductive, and as the light moves, new electrical pathways form—causing LEDs to light up one by one.

A striking example of how light can “write” circuits into soft materials.

@ucirvine’s Joe Patterson led an MSE Seminar on April 21, discussing how peptide-based supramolecular materials use energy to build and rearrange themselves, maintaining constantly changing “out of equilibrium” states.

📸 Jason Sparapani

@ucirvine’s Joe Patterson led an MSE Seminar on April 21, discussing how peptide-based supramolecular materials use energy to build and rearrange themselves, maintaining constantly changing “out of equilibrium” states.

📸 Jason Sparapani

@ucirvine’s Joe Patterson led an MSE Seminar on April 21, discussing how peptide-based supramolecular materials use energy to build and rearrange themselves, maintaining constantly changing “out of equilibrium” states.

📸 Jason Sparapani

@ucirvine’s Joe Patterson led an MSE Seminar on April 21, discussing how peptide-based supramolecular materials use energy to build and rearrange themselves, maintaining constantly changing “out of equilibrium” states.

📸 Jason Sparapani

@ucirvine’s Joe Patterson led an MSE Seminar on April 21, discussing how peptide-based supramolecular materials use energy to build and rearrange themselves, maintaining constantly changing “out of equilibrium” states.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Alumnus Tom Davis ’84 SM ’85 recalls a “soul-crushing” first exam at @MIT—scoring 49 out of 100 in 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry)—and how an unexpected comment from a TA pushed him to improve.

“He had a big smile on his face, and he said something to the effect of, ‘I expect to see you double your score on the next quiz!’” Davis recalls. “At this remove, I’m comfortable saying he was not mocking me. He was encouraging.”

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

📸 Photo illustration by Gretchen Neff Lambert

Kirk Kolenbrander, DMSE lecturer and instructor for 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), spoke at the Engineering@MIT event during Campus Preview Weekend. He introduced prospective MIT first-years to materials science and engineering and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning.

Faculty and lecturers across the School of Engineering showcased their majors, with Dean Paula Hammond also speaking about the school more broadly.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Kirk Kolenbrander, DMSE lecturer and instructor for 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), spoke at the Engineering@MIT event during Campus Preview Weekend. He introduced prospective MIT first-years to materials science and engineering and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning.

Faculty and lecturers across the School of Engineering showcased their majors, with Dean Paula Hammond also speaking about the school more broadly.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Kirk Kolenbrander, DMSE lecturer and instructor for 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), spoke at the Engineering@MIT event during Campus Preview Weekend. He introduced prospective MIT first-years to materials science and engineering and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning.

Faculty and lecturers across the School of Engineering showcased their majors, with Dean Paula Hammond also speaking about the school more broadly.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Kirk Kolenbrander, DMSE lecturer and instructor for 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), spoke at the Engineering@MIT event during Campus Preview Weekend. He introduced prospective MIT first-years to materials science and engineering and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning.

Faculty and lecturers across the School of Engineering showcased their majors, with Dean Paula Hammond also speaking about the school more broadly.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Kirk Kolenbrander, DMSE lecturer and instructor for 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), spoke at the Engineering@MIT event during Campus Preview Weekend. He introduced prospective MIT first-years to materials science and engineering and emphasized the importance of hands-on learning.

Faculty and lecturers across the School of Engineering showcased their majors, with Dean Paula Hammond also speaking about the school more broadly.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

At the CPW Expo on April 17, DMSE faculty, staff, and students met prospective @MIT first-years and introduced materials science and engineering as a field of study and career path.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Students in Frances Ross’s 3.001 (Science and Engineering of Materials) put a recent lesson on cement into practice Tuesday in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory (the forge and foundry), mixing and pouring it into molds to harden into various forms.

📸 Jason Sparapani

Another strong year for materials at @MIT.

U.S. News and World Report has again ranked MIT’s graduate engineering program first in the nation, with materials engineering among six top-placed disciplines. The Institute has held the No. 1 spot since 1990, when the magazine first ranked such programs.

QS World University Rankings has also placed MIT in the No. 1 spot in 12 subject areas for 2026, including materials science. MIT has been ranked as the world's top university by QS for 14 straight years.

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

📸 Gretchen Ertl

Another strong year for materials at @MIT.

U.S. News and World Report has again ranked MIT’s graduate engineering program first in the nation, with materials engineering among six top-placed disciplines. The Institute has held the No. 1 spot since 1990, when the magazine first ranked such programs.

QS World University Rankings has also placed MIT in the No. 1 spot in 12 subject areas for 2026, including materials science. MIT has been ranked as the world's top university by QS for 14 straight years.

Read more at the News & Highlights link in our bio

📸 Gretchen Ertl

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE’s Shaymus Hudson, with @mtarkanian and @rheavedro, pours molten bronze into molds in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory—the forge and foundry.

Wax carvings of MIT seals are baked out first, and the bronze fills the empty molds, forming medallions for every DMSE graduate at Commencement.

DMSE alum Ye Ji Kim PhD ’25 has been named a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow.

She will develop noninvasive tools to monitor and control neural circuits in the gut-brain axis, exploring new ways to treat psychiatric, neurological, and metabolic conditions without surgery or implants.

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students.

Twenty-six accepted applicants visited @MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

📸 Jason Sparapani