When Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003, some nematode passengers survived, leading Catharine Conley ’88 — the experiment’s PI — to examine the implications for astrobiology. It also led her to a new NASA role: planetary protection officer.

“To all the parents out there chasing dreams while nurturing little ones, keep going,” says Diana Grass, a mother of two and PhD student studying links between the nervous and immune systems. “You’re not just building your future; you’re inspiring theirs.”

Through MIT’s 2N program and the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, naval officers gain the technical skills they need to lead projects in the Navy. Being a full-time master’s student at MIT while also serving his country “is probably the best job I’ll ever have,” Adam Pressel says.

“These atoms are flowing, free of friction, for hundreds of microns,” says Richard Fletcher, whose team has viewed atoms in an exotic state. “To flow that long, without any scattering, is a type of physics you don’t normally see in ultracold atom systems.”

Via @mistiatmit on Instagram: “Say hello to the study abroad exchange students from Imperial College London, Sciences Po, ETH Zurich, Oxford University, UTokyo, and TokyoTech who were on a scavenger hunt last week around Boston!”

Saeed Miganeh’s work is helping answer important questions about designing effective programs for poverty mitigation and economic growth in African countries. “Africa is the new battleground for fighting global poverty in the 21st century,” he says.