Namrata Kala is an associate professor in applied economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She studies the value of employee training and incentives, how communities adapt to environmental change and regulation, and the returns on environmental technology investment. Here, Namrata speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the importance of soft skills training, and the benefits of being a straight shooter.

Links:

• MIT Sloan School of Management
• ​​”J-PAL,” the Jameel Poverty Action Lab
• MIT Climate Project

Timestamps:

(10:07) - Communication skills and productivity

(13:14) - Building relationships to benefit climate work

(15:29) - MIT’s climate efforts

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skills

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Skylar Tibbits is a designer and computer scientist whose research focuses on self-assembling and programmable materials, and 3D and 4D printing. He is the founder of the MIT Self-Assembly Lab. Here, Skylar speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the inspiration for his lab’s projects, why design at MIT is unique, and the magic in combining the creative with the technical.

Links:

• Skylar Tibbits
• Self-Assembly Lab
• Video: Cube self-folding strand
• MIT Morningside Academy for Design
• Growing Islands

Timestamps:

(01:01) 4D printing

(06:05) Self-assembly

(07:21) Growing Islands

(13:00) Design at MIT

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-7-staying-radical-and-relevant

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Ellen Roche is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and the associate head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Her research team develops new devices and therapeutic strategies for repairing the heart and other tissues. Here, she speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about her work, the advantages of taking a nonlinear route to one’s chosen career, and the importance of saying "yes" to unexpected opportunities.

Links:

• Ellen Roche
• Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab
• Video: Patient-specific, 3D-printed, soft-robotic hearts
• Dassault Systèmes
• Institute for Medical Engineering and Science

Timestamps:

(03:35) - Potential for 3D-printing hearts

(08:14) - Hydrogels

(17:33) - On AI

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-6-healing-ailing-heart

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