A spray-on coating to keep power lines standing through an ice storm may not be the obvious fix for winter outages ' but it's exactly the kind of innovation that happens when MIT students tackle a sustainability challenge. 'The big threat to the power line network is winter icing that causes huge amounts of downed lines every year,' says Trevor Bormann, a graduate student in MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) and member of MITten, the winning team in the 2025 MADMEC innovation contest. Fixing those outages is hugely carbon-intensive, requiring diesel-powered equipment, replacement materials, and added energy use. And as households switch to electric heat pumps, the stakes of a prolonged outage rise. To address the challenge, the team developed a specialized polymer coating that repels water and can be sprayed onto aluminum power lines. The coating contains nanofillers ' particles hundreds of times smaller than a human hair ' that give the surface a texture that makes water bead and drip off....

Working in restaurants is physically, mentally and emotionally taxing and often thankless work. So it was wonderful to see so many hardworking friends in the Philadelphia dining industry recognized at the Michelin Guide's 2025 Northeast Cities Ceremony in Philadelphia on Nov. 18, 2025. Three Philadelphia restaurants each received a star: Provenance, Friday Saturday Sunday and Her Place Supper Club. In addition, 10 other food destinations received a Bib Gourmand for providing 'exceptionally good food at moderate prices,' and 21 received Michelin-Recommended status. Pietramala was the sole winner of a green star for sustainability. As a classically trained chef, culinary educator and author of the textbook 'Culinary Improvisation,' which teaches culinary creativity, I've been following the Michelin developments in Philadelphia closely. I am also a contributor to The Infatuation Philly, whose mission is to bring you honest and trustworthy opinions about where to eat. I spend a good amount of time experiencing and reviewing restaurants....

The acquisition will be financed through Brookfield Capital Partners with $480m in equity, including a $170m commitment from Brookfield Business Partners. The deal strengthens Brookfield's long-running private equity strategy of backing industrial and manufacturing companies that can scale globally. The firm has invested in Chemelex, Clarios, and GrafTech across two decades of industrial buyouts. Fosber, founded in 1978 and based in Lucca, designs high-speed corrugating machines and supplies maintenance, spare parts, and digital monitoring services to packaging producers worldwide. It operates in Italy, the US, and China. Dongfang first invested in Fosber in 2013 before acquiring full ownership in 2017. Anuj Ranjan, CEO of Brookfield's private equity group, said the transaction reflects the firm's strategy of investing in European industrial leaders with global operations. Fosber recently announced a partnership with Fujifilm Integrated Inkjet Solutions to enhance print quality and sustainability in the corrugated packaging sector....

Advancements in battery innovation are transforming both mobility and energy systems alike, according to Kurt Kelty, vice president of battery, propulsion, and sustainability at General Motors (GM). At the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) Fall Colloquium, Kelty explored how GM is bringing next-generation battery technologies from lab to commercialization, driving American battery innovation forward. The colloquium is part of the ongoing MITEI Presents: Advancing the Energy Transition speaker series. At GM, Kelty's team is primarily focused on three things: first, improving affordability to get more electric vehicles (EVs) on the road. 'How do you drive down the cost'' Kelty asked the audience. 'It's the batteries. The batteries make up about 30 percent of the cost of the vehicle.' Second, his team strives to improve battery performance, including charging speed and energy density. Third, they are working on localizing the supply chain. 'We've got to build up our resilience and our independence here in North America, so we're not relying on materials coming from China,' Kelty explained....