Best Paper & Best Invention Awards
Each year, the Laboratory recognizes a paper accepted for publication in a major journal and an invention awarded a patent or technology disclosure. The papers are chosen for their technical depth and original thinking, and the inventions are selected for their ingenuity and impact on a real-world problem.
2024 Best Paper Award Recipient
3D Printing of Composite Radiation Shielding for Broad Spectrum Protection of Electronic Systems, written by Avery M. Rosh‐Gorsky, Austin Coon, Devon Beck, Richard P. D'Onofrio, Quinn Binney, Isaiah Queen, Dr. Andrea O. Barney, Robert J. Longton, Dr. Ashley C. Long, Dr. Pascale M. Gouker, Keri A. Ledford, Dr. Melissa A. Smith, and Dr. Bradley P. Duncan, with co-authors Ethan Cascio (Massachusetts General Hospital) and Ksenofon Konomi (University of Massachusetts Lowell), and published in Advanced Materials, vol. 36, no. 33, 2024.
2024 Best Invention Award Recipient
High-Density Fiber-Optic Packaging for Cryogenic Applications, invented by Dr. William J. Nowak Jr., Dr. John D. Cummings Jr., Dr. P. Ben Dixon, Ryan P. Murphy, and Dr. David J. Starling.
Past Recipients
Best Paper Award
2023
A Wide-Area Deep Ocean Floor Mapping System: Design and Sea Tests, written by Paul S. Ryu, David D. Brown, Kevin D. Arsenault, Dr. Byung Gu Cho, and Dr. Andrew I. March, with co-authors Dr. Wael H. Ali, Dr. Aaron Charous, and Prof. Pierre F.J. Lermusiaux, all of MIT, and published in Geomatics, vol. 3, no. 1, 2023, pp. 290–311.
2022
Adversary Safety by Construction in a Language of Cryptographic Protocols, written by Dr. Timothy M. Braje, Dr. Martine M. Kalke, Alice R. Lee (Technische Universität Wien), Andrew Wagner (Northeastern University), Benjamin Kaiser (Princeton University), Daniel Park (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Dr. Robert K. Cunningham (University of Pittsburgh), and Prof. Adam Chlipala (MIT), and published in Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE 35th Computer Security Foundations Symposium, August 2022.
2021
Cavity-enhanced microwave readout of a solid-state spin sensor, written by Erik R. Eisenach, Dr. John F. Barry, Dr. Michael O’Keeffe, Dr. Jennifer M. Schloss, Dr. Matthew H. Steinecker, MIT Prof. Dirk R. Englund, and Dr. Danielle A. Braje, and published in Nature Communications, Volume 12, March 2021.
2020
Operation of an Optical Atomic Clock with a Brillouin Laser Subsystem, written by William Loh, Jules Stuart, David Reens, Colin Bruzewicz, Danielle Braje, John Chiaverini, Paul Juodawlkis, Jeremy Sage, and Robert McConnell, and published in Nature, Volume 588, December 2020.
Best Invention Award
2023
Engineered Substrates for Rapid Advanced Imaging Sensor Development, invented by Dr. Kevin K. Ryu, Dr. Brian F. Aull, Joseph S. Ciampi, Renee D. Lambert, Dr. Christopher W. Leitz, K. Alexander McIntosh, Steven Rabe, Dr. Daniel R. Schuette, and David Volfson.
2022
System and Technique for Influence Estimation on Social Media Networks Using Causal Inference, invented by Dr. Steven T. Smith, Dr. Edward K. Kao, Dr. Danelle C. Shah, and Dr. Olga Simek. The team also includes co-inventor Professor Donald Rubin from Harvard University.
Stretchable Knitted Cell Scaffolds, invented by Dr. Steven R. Gillmer, Erin Doran, Emily Holtzman, and Ariel M. Sandberg. The team also includes co-inventor Professor Ming Guo from MIT.
2021
AI-Guided Ultrasound Intervention Device (AI-GUIDE), invented by Dr. Laura J. Brattain; Dr. Lars A. Gjesteby; Matthew R. Johnson; Dr. Brian A. Telfer; Nancy D. DeLosa; Joshua S. Werblin; Dr. Theodore Pierce, MD; and Dr. Anthony Samir, MD
Ferrimagnetic Oscillator Magnetometer, invented by Dr. John F. Barry, Reed A. Irion, Dr. Daniel K. Freeman, Dr. Matthew H. Steinecker, Jessica J. Kedziora, and Dr. Danielle A. Braje
2020
Electrospray Device and Fabrication Methods, invented by Melissa Smith, Donna-Ruth Yost, Noah Siegel, Daniel Freeman, and Paulo Lozano