MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

Some democracies are struggling to ensure safe drinking water While democracies are slightly ahead of non-democracies when it comes to providing at least some water to the public, they have been falling behind when it comes to ensuring that water is clean and safe, a new study shows.

🏆 Congratulations to Eduardo Rivera, assistant director of MISTI Data Systems and managing director of MIT-Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay, on receiving the Infinite Mile Award at Thursday’s ceremony!

✨ We’re grateful for his many contributions to MISTI!

"I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students.”

🇧🇷 MIT-Brazil Program Associated Faculty Daniel Hidalgo is honored as “Committed to Caring” for graduate student mentorship.

🏆 His mentorship is recognized for combining intellectual intensity with humility, approachability, and a willingness to show up for students.

Read his spotlight here:

“I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students” MIT Associate Professor Daniel Hidalgo, a political scientist who studies elections, democracy, and political behavior in Latin America, is honored as “Committed to Caring” for graduate student mentorship.

Olivia Honeycutt ’26 combined her studies in computation and cognition and linguistics to conduct research on two MISTI trips!

🇿🇦 In South Africa, she explored connections between language processing and brain function, contributing to research that supports efforts to improve literacy across the country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 She also studied sociolinguistics in Edinburgh, Scotland!

“MIT’s approach to linguistics centers words and approaches its study like a math problem, while sociolinguistics includes important cultural context."

Improving understanding with language When she was a child, MIT senior Olivia Honeycutt would spend summers on her grandparents’ farm in rural Alabama outside Birmingham. The practical and cultural differences between farm and city life became more pronounced by comparison. “Life and the way we lived it slowed down on the farm,” s...

🇯🇵 Hiromu Nagahara, Mitsui Career Development Professor of History and associated faculty of the MIT-Japan Program, is among the six recipients of the James A. (’48) and Ruth Levitan Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2026!

Read here → https://shass.mit.edu/six-mit-shass-educators-receive-2026-levitan-teaching-awards/

🏆 Congratulations to our MISTI Excellence Award winners, who were honored at the Student Awards Convocation!

🌎 Harley Carroll ’26 and Ellie Bultena ’26 received the 2026 Suzanne Berger Award for Future Global Leaders. Z Chen, SM ’26 and Alaysia Stone ’26 received the 2026 MISTI Ambassador Award.

✨ We are so proud of our MISTI students and all they have accomplished!

AI and Propaganda: Nothing Is True, and Everything Is Generated AI and Propaganda: Nothing Is True, and Everything Is Generated | Wednesday, April 29, 2026A public conversation with Peter Pomerantsev, British-Ukrainian au...

The MIT-MENA Program hosted the inaugural MENA Futures talk on March 10, featuring 2025–2026 Wilhelm Fellow Dafna Rand, former USAID Mission Directors Leslie Reed and Sean Jones, as well as MIT faculty and researchers. The discussion focused on the future of US technology-enabled development approaches in Egypt and Jordan.

The MENA Futures talk series brings together expertise across research, technology, policy, and practice to create new pathways for MIT engagement with the region.

Learn more here: https://cis.mit.edu/news/rethinking-us-technology-enhanced-development-egypt-and-jordan

MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences MIT International Science & Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

🇪🇸 Join MIT-Spain on May 14 at 10:00 AM in MIT E40-496 for From Science to Life: Transforming Human Reproduction with Dr. Carlos Simon, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Valencia.

☕️ Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuNkwEH80b88GVhRE8Ni4Gm8m1NM5613xM5D3uaeS9AUKswA/viewform

✨ Congrats to Eduardo Rivera, assistant director of MISTI Data Systems and managing director of MIT-Chile 🇨🇱, Peru 🇵🇪, Argentina 🇦🇷, and Uruguay 🇺🇾, for winning an Infinite Mile Award!

🏆 The Infinite Mile Award recognizes individuals or teams who have made extraordinary contributions within their organizations to help the Institute carry out its mission.

🇧🇷 Congrats to Rosabelli Coelho, lead of Latin America and managing director of MIT-Brazil Program and MIT-Amazonia, for winning the People Helping People award by MIT Federal Credit Union!

✨ Read more at https://cis.mit.edu/news/coelho-wins-people-helping-people-award