Industrial processes that use heat to purify a mixture’s components account for roughly 10 percent of the energy use in the U.S. Zachary Smith is developing highly efficient filters that do the job at room temperature, reducing costs and environmental impact.

More puzzles, less sleep: The annual three-day MIT Mystery Hunt, a tradition since 1981, returns to campus on January 17. Here’s how last year’s puzzle marathon played out.

To help design large structures, Zane Schemmer writes algorithms that optimize function, minimize carbon footprint, and produce a manufacturable result. The goal is “to make it easier to take our designs out of the computer and create them in real life,” he says.

Via @mitsailingpavilion on Instagram: “Just because it’s winter doesn't mean we will stop posting sunset pics! Work is underway to be ready for the next season - lots of boats means lots of projects!”

CSAIL researchers’ new AI model produces human-like vocal imitations of everyday sounds. Like a sketch of a visual scene, “our method captures the abstract, non-phono-realistic ways humans express the sounds they hear,” Kartik Chandra says.

Ariel White explores how previously incarcerated people and others on the margins of U.S. politics might participate more fully in our democracy. Although they tend to be left out of discussions on voting, “I think there is a much broader story to be told here,” she says.