MIT GEAR Lab

K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center

GEAR Center characterizes the unique technical and socioeconomic constraints of emerging markets, then combines these insights with engineering science and product design to create high-performance, low-cost, globally-relevant technologies.

Our technologies aim to have a positive impact on the world and elucidate novel scientific & engineering knowledge.

The GEAR Center is directed by Professor Amos Winter in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

News

Nature Water publication on solar-powered desalination control featured in MIT News

Jonathan Bessette, a GEAR Center PhD candidate, Shane Pratt, a GEAR Center staff engineer, and GEAR Center Prof Amos Winter have recently published their work on controlling solar-powered electrodialysis desalination in Nature Water. Their innovation enables desalination to operate primarily on solar power without expensive energy storage. MIT News featured the work in an article written by Jennifer Chu:

“The majority of the population actually lives far enough from the coast, that seawater desalination could never reach them. They consequently rely heavily on groundwater, especially in remote, low-income regions. And unfortunately, this groundwater is becoming more and more saline due to climate change,” says Jonathan Bessette, MIT PhD student in mechanical engineering. “This technology could bring sustainable, affordable clean water to underreached places around the world.”

The full article is available here. The Nature Water publication is available on our Publications page.

Jon Bessette with the experimental desalination system at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF) in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Photo credit: Shane Pratt

Global by Design by Prof Amos Winter and Prof Vijay Govindarajan Available for Pre-Order

A new book by GEAR Center Prof Amos Winter and Dartmouth School of Business Prof Vijay Govindarajan is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

The book will combine the experience of Winter and Govindarajan to deliver a practical approach to solving wicked problems facing the world and capturing the economic opportunities presented by emerging markets.

The book will fully release on July 15, 2025 and is currently available for preorder on Amazon.

GEAR Lab Students and Staff Present their Work at ASME IDETC/CIE Conference

Seven papers were presented by GEAR Lab members at this years ASME IDETC/CIE conference in Washington D.C. this August. Paper topics included design of drip irrigation systems and emitters, prosthetic feet, energy recovery devices for reverse osmosis systems, tractors for remote communities, zero-emission trucks, and recycling of automotive shredder residue.

GEAR Center Attendees at the conference. Pictured (front to back, left to right) are Amber Velez, Tova Kleiner, Emily Welsh, Autumn Geil, Collin Goldbach, Ben Weizer, ZhiYi Liang, and alumni Georgia Van de Zande.

Prof Amos Winter Profiled by Esses Magazine

Esses Magazine profiled GEAR Center PI Amos Winter in an article linking his love of motorsports and his work as an educator. From the article written by Amy Carleton:

As a professor, Winter teaches students to be resourceful innovators, while also stressing the need for them to be responsible community partners and user advocates. And as an educator, he resolutely dispels the adage, “those who can’t do, teach,” because his hands-on experience is what compels student buy-in.

The full article is available at https://www.essesmag.com/articles/amos-winter