Massachusetts Institute of Technology Spectrum Winter 2018 PLUS INTRODUCING THE MIT INTELLIGENCE QUEST P. 3 5 PATHWAYS POLICY President’s Letter Ernest J. Moniz poses with a student following his delivery of the fall 2017 Compton Lecture at MIT. Now the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems emeritus and special advisor to the MIT President, Moniz served as US Secretary of Energy from 2013 to 2017. In that role, he placed energy science and technology innovation at the center of the global response to climate change and negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement alongside the Secretary of State. Moniz joined MIT’s faculty in 1973 and was founding director of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI). Under his leadership, MITEI began producing its series of in-depth studies providing technically grounded analysis to energy leaders and policy makers on topics such as nuclear power, coal, the electric grid, and natural gas. From Research PHOTO: JAKE BELCHER Winter 2018 to Policy MIT Spectrum connects friends When engineers describe how an idea becomes a product, we say that it moves from and supporters of the Massachusetts “lab to market.” It’s a clean, concise way to capture what in reality can be a messy, Institute of Technology to MIT’s vision, arduous, and unpredictable path to success. impact, and exceptional community. Melissa Nobles, Kenan Sahin Dean of MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social SPECIAL SECTION Contact Us Sciences, and former head of our Department of Political Science, sees a compelling 617.324.7 7 19 Wide Angle Pathways to Policy Breakthroughs and Insights parallel in the work of MIT’s social scientists whose ideas move from “research
[email protected] to policy.” As social scientists conduct research to inform policy, they iterate.