Energy researchers find Obama an eager student
During a tour of MIT labs prior to his talk at Kresge Auditorium last Friday, President Barack Obama saw demonstrations of several clean-energy technologies being developed at MIT: batteries that can be self-assembled by genetically engineered viruses; long-lasting high-efficiency light bulbs; windows that can double as solar energy collectors; and structures that could provide offshore windmills with built-in power storage. The tour marked the first time a sitting president has visited MIT's laboratories to see demonstrations of ongoing research work and meet with faculty members who are conducting that research. He was escorted through the labs by MIT President Susan Hockfield and MIT Energy Initiative Director Ernest J. Moniz, and joined by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Sen. John Kerry. The five faculty members who made the presentations to the President, along with some of their students, gathered in two labs in Building 13, with posters describing their...