Jennifer Chu

Jennifer Chu covers mechanical engineering, mathematics, physics, aeronautics, astronautics, and earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences as a writer for the MIT News Office.

Wed, 12/04/2019 - 12:02
Tiny Magnetic Beads Could Help to Quickly Detect PathogensFindings point to faster way to find bacteria in food, water, and clinical samples
Tue, 09/05/2023 - 12:03
Getting blood test results can take anywhere from a day to a week, depending on what a test is targeting. The same goes for tests of water pollution and food contamination. And in most cases, the wait time has to do with time-consuming steps in…
Coloring Outside the LinesMathias Kolle’s color-changing materials take inspiration from butterflies and mollusks
Wed, 08/16/2023 - 12:01
For Mathias Kolle, the wings of a butterfly are a window into a better material world. The insect’s iridescence is a result of “structural color” rather than pigments or dyes: A single wing is layered with hundreds of thousands of microscopic scales…
Engineers Invent Vertical, Full-Color Microscopic LEDsStacking LEDs could enable fully immersive VR displays and higher-resolution screens
Thu, 02/23/2023 - 12:00
(MIT: Cambridge, MA) -- Take apart your laptop screen and at its heart you’ll find a plate patterned with pixels of red, green, and blue LEDs, arranged end to end like a meticulous Lite-Brite display. When electrically powered, the LEDs together can…
MIT Engineers Grow ‘Perfect’ Atom-Thin Materials on Industrial Silicon WafersTechnique could lead to next-generation transistors based on materials other than silicon
Mon, 02/06/2023 - 12:01
(MIT: Cambridge, MA) -- True to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on a microchip has doubled every year since the 1960s. But this trajectory is predicted to plateau soon because silicon—the backbone of modern transistors—loses its electrical…
With New Heat Treatment, 3D-Printed Metals Can Withstand Extreme ConditionsTechnique may enable energy-efficient 3D printing of blades for gas turbines or jet engines
Tue, 11/29/2022 - 12:00
(MIT: Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- A new MIT-developed heat treatment transforms the microscopic structure of 3D-printed metals, making the materials stronger and more resilient in extreme thermal environments. The technique could make it possible…
Stickers That Can See Inside the BodyStamp-sized ultrasound adhesives produce clear images of heart, lungs, and other internal organs
Wed, 08/17/2022 - 12:01
Ultrasound imaging is a safe and noninvasive window into the body’s workings, providing clinicians with live images of a patient’s internal organs. To capture these images, trained technicians manipulate ultrasound wands and probes to direct sound…
Engineers Print Soft, Rubbery Brain ImplantsTechnique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices
Thu, 04/30/2020 - 12:02
The brain is one of our most vulnerable organs, as soft as the softest tofu. Brain implants, on the other hand, are typically made from metal and other rigid materials that, over time, can cause inflammation and the buildup of scar tissue. MIT…
Engineers Mix and Match Materials to Make New Stretchy ElectronicsNext-generation devices made with new “peel and stack” method may include electronic chips worn on the skin
Wed, 02/26/2020 - 12:01
First published Feb. 5, 2020, on MIT News. At the heart of any electronic device is a cold, hard computer chip, covered in a miniature city of transistors and other semiconducting elements. Because computer chips are rigid, the electronic devices…
A New Approach to Making Airplane Parts, Minus the Massive InfrastructureCarbon nanotube film produces aerospace-grade composites with no need for huge ovens or autoclaves

Thu, 02/20/2020 - 12:03
A modern airplane’s fuselage is made from multiple sheets of different composite materials, like so many layers in a phyllo-dough pastry. Once these layers are stacked and molded into the shape of a fuselage, the structures are wheeled into…
Flexible Yet Sturdy Robot Is Designed to ‘Grow’ Like a PlantIts extendable appendage can meander through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads
Wed, 12/04/2019 - 12:02
In today’s factories and warehouses, it’s not uncommon to see robots whizzing about, shuttling items or tools from one station to another. For the most part, robots navigate pretty easily across open layouts. But they have a much harder time winding…