Awards | Bioelectronics at MIT

New research center focused on brain-body relationship established at MIT

Wed, 25 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The inextricable link between our brains and our bodies has been gaining increasing recognition among researchers and clinicians over recent years. Studies have shown that the brain-body pathway is bidirectional — meaning that our mental state can influence our physical health and vice versa. But exactly how the two interact is less clear.

A new research center at MIT, funded by a $38 million gift to the McGovern Institute for Brain Research from philanthropist K. Lisa Yang, aims to unlock this mystery by creating and applying novel tools to explore the multidirectional, multilevel interplay between the brain and other body organ systems. This gift expands Yang’s exceptional philanthropic support of human health and basic science research at MIT over the past five years.

“Lisa Yang’s visionary gift enables MIT scientists and engineers to pioneer revolutionary technologies and undertake rigorous investigations into the brain’s complex relationship with other organ systems,” says MIT President L. Rafael Reif. “Lisa’s tremendous generosity empowers MIT scientists to make pivotal breakthroughs in brain and biomedical research and, collectively, improve human health on a grand scale.”

The K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center will be directed by Polina Anikeeva, professor of materials science and engineering and brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and an associate investigator at the McGovern Institute. The center will harness the power of MIT’s collaborative, interdisciplinary life sciences research and engineering community to focus on complex conditions and diseases affecting both the body and brain, with a goal of unearthing knowledge of biological mechanisms that will lead to promising therapeutic options.

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Pioneer Award 2021

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Polina Anikeeva of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering won the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award on Oct. 6.

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MacVicar Fellows 2020

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to Polina, who was named a 2020 MacVicar Fellow.

The MacVicar Fellowships are MIT’s highest teaching award, recognizing creativity and excellence in undergraduate education. The program was named after Margaret MacVicar, the first dean for undergraduate education and founder of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Nominations are made by departments and include letters of support from colleagues, students, and alumni. Fellows are appointed to 10-year terms in which they receive $10,000 per year of discretionary funds.

Professor Anikeeva is richly deserving of this honor; she is dedicated to Course 3 students, and they recognize how she believes in them, encourages them, and pushes them to do the best job possible. Students call her classes “incredibly hard” but fun and exciting at the same time. She is “the consummate scientist, splitting her time evenly between honing her craft, sharing knowledge with students and colleagues, and mentoring aspiring researchers,” wrote one. Other nomination letters recount Anikeeva’s passion and devotion to her work and students. Professor Anikeeva champions her students in faculty and committee meetings as well, advocating for their issues and best interests.

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Digital Learning Awards

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Seven MIT educators, including DMSE lecturer Jessica Sandland and Professor Polina Anikeeva, have received awards this year for their significant digital learning innovations and their contributions to teaching and learning at MIT and around the world.

Professor Anikeeva and Jessica Sandland were both awarded the MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs (massive open online courses), which is given to educators who have developed MOOCs that share the best of MIT knowledge with learners around the world. They received this award for teaching 3.024x (Electronic, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials). The course was praised for its global impact and the way it enhanced the residential experience.

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Vilcek Prize

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Polina Anikeeva has been awarded a 2018 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. Awarded annually by the Vilcek Foundation, the $50,000 prizes recognize younger immigrants who have demonstrated exceptional promise early in their careers.

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