Principal Investigator
Associate Prof. David Des Marais, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Fund:
Education Innovation Funds
Funding Period:
AY2026
Department/Lab/Center:
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Environmental life science is at the core of the emerging bioeconomy and, increasingly, agricultural production. Recent advancements in imaging, genomic editing, networked sensor arrays, and environmental manipulation enable unprecedented opportunities to understand the world around us and to manipulate it for the betterment of the human condition. MIT is not currently able to provide students with the mindset or toolkit to contribute to this important field. I propose to develop a new undergraduate laboratory subject to introduce students to methods of data collection, analysis, and experimental design using plants and microbes.