Chemists have developed a way to make light-emitting molecules known as acenes more stable, so they can be tuned to produce different colors. The team built molecules that emit red, orange, yellow, green, or blue light and could be deployed in a variety of applications.

For decades, Lotte Bailyn has called for changes in how work is organized. She has argued that organizations should rethink the design of work to better accommodate employees’ personal lives and the needs of two-career and single-parent families.

A new machine-learning technique speeds up software programs for complex optimization problems with millions of potential solutions. The approach could assist with logistical challenges such as package routing, vaccine distribution, or power grid management.

“I think we need more science heroes,” documentarian Alex Rivest PhD ’11 says. “To me, the people whose stories I’m trying to tell are heroes, because they follow their passion, they see something that they can’t unsee, and then they fight for it.”

Benedetto Marelli develops silk-based technologies for helping crops grow, preserving perishable foods, and more. “Knowing that the technology can move the needle in crises such as food waste and food-related environmental impact is the highest reward of all,” he says.

Across campus, more than 100 resident peer mentors serve as guides to resources, encourage community, and give all kinds of advice. “If first-years have a question, I can point them in the right direction, even if I don’t have the answer,” says junior Kyna McGill.