Biology has long been used in agriculture, medicine, and materials. The 21st century has brought increased investment in biology as a potential tool for humanity's collective advancement, giving rise to what experts are calling the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy uses renewable biological resources to produce energy, food, health products, and materials. A new undergraduate MIT course, STS.059 (The Bioeconomy and Society), is modeling a holistic approach to instruction in the nuances of bioeconomy. The course was offered for the first time in fall 2025, taught jointly by Mark Bathe a professor of biological engineering, and Robin Wolfe Scheffler, an associate professor of science, technology, and society. 'As an historian, I sought an opportunity to bring the abstract, past facets of the bioeconomy into a modern, measurable, and concrete light,' Scheffler says, while Bathe notes that co-teaching 'is a great way to connect educators across disciplines and work out some of the biggest cross-disciplinary challenges related to the bioeconomy.'...

James J. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and faculty co-lead of the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, is embarking on a multidisciplinary research project that applies synthetic biology and generative artificial intelligence to the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research project is sponsored by Jameel Research, part of the Abdul Latif Jameel International network. The initial three-year, $3 million research project in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and Institute of Medical Engineering and Science focuses on developing and validating programmable antibacterials against key pathogens. AMR ' driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics ' has accelerated the rise of drug-resistant infections, while the development of new antibacterial tools has slowed. The impact is felt worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where limited diagnostic infrastructure causes delays or ineffective treatment....

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has announced T. Alan Hatton, MIT's Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering Practice, Post-Tenure, as the recipient of the 2026 Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, recognizing his transformative leadership of the Institute's David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice. The award citation highlights his efforts to advance 'an immersive, industry-integrated educational model that has produced thousands of engineering leaders, strengthening U.S. technological competitiveness and workforce readiness.' The Gordon Prize recognizes 'new modalities and experiments in education that develop effective engineering leaders.' The prize is awarded annually and carries a $500,000 cash award, half granted to the recipient and the remainder granted to their institution to support the recognized innovation. 'As engineering challenges become more complex and interdisciplinary, education must evolve alongside them,' says Paula Hammond, Institute Professor and dean of the School of Engineering. 'Under Alan's leadership, the Practice School has demonstrated how rigorous academics, real industrial problems, and student responsibility can be woven together into an educational experience that is both powerful and adaptable. His work offers a compelling blueprint for the future of engineering education.'...

In the pursuit of solutions to complex global challenges including disease, energy demands, and climate change, scientific researchers, including at MIT, have turned to artificial intelligence, and to quantitative analysis and modeling, to design and construct engineered cells with novel properties. The engineered cells can be programmed to become new therapeutics ' battling, and perhaps eradicating, diseases. James J. Collins is one of the founders of the field of synthetic biology, and is also a leading researcher in systems biology, the interdisciplinary approach that uses mathematical analysis and modeling of complex systems to better understand biological systems. His research has led to the development of new classes of diagnostics and therapeutics, including in the detection and treatment of pathogens like Ebola, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science and professor of biological engineering at MIT, is a core faculty member of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), the director of the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health, as well as an institute member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and core founding faculty at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard....