Building on an enduring bond, Tuskegee University and MIT have recently deepened their connections. “There are such essential resonances between the two institutions, beyond the shared history, in terms of where they are today,” Nicholas de Monchaux says.

Engineers have created a tool to zero in on exercise’s mechanical effects on cells. “We hope to use this new platform to see whether mechanical stimulation could help guide muscle regrowth after injury or lessen the effects of aging,” Ritu Raman says.

Arthur Musah '04, MEng '05 and graduate student Philip Abel Adama spoke with WBUR about Musah’s documentary, “Brief Tender Light,” which follows the lives of five African-born MIT students “driven to study in the U.S. and create change at home.”

The Spark Photonics Foundation works to interest young people in advanced manufacturing and semiconductors. The program “gets students thinking about education and career paths they’ve never thought about before,” says co-founder Kevin McComber ’05, PhD ’11.

MIT engineers have developed soft optical fibers that block pain while moving and stretching with the body. The fibers could help with testing treatments for nerve-related pain.

Holly Metcalf, head coach for the MIT women’s openweight rowing team, spoke with GBH News about the Survivor Rowing Network, which introduces the sport of rowing to cancer survivors and is competing in the Head of the Charles Regatta.