Disconcerting climate change | MIT News

Shreyaa Raghavan's trip to solve some of the most difficult challenges in the world began with a simple love for the puzzles. In high school, her ability to solve problems naturally led her to computer science. Through his participation in an entrepreneurship and leadership program, he created applications and reached the semifinals of the global competition of the program twice.

His first successes made a computer career seemed an obvious choice, but Raghavan says that an important interest in competition left it torn.

“Computer Science triggers that part of my puzzle brain and problem solving,” says Raghavan '24, a member of Accenture and a doctoral candidate at the MIT Data, Systems and Society Institute. “But although I always felt that building mobile applications was a small fun hobby, it didn't seem to directly solve social challenges.”

His perspective changed when, as undergraduate of MIT, Raghavan participated in an Undergraduate Research opportunity in the photovoltaic research laboratory, now known as the Laboratory of Accelerated Materials for Sustainability. There, he discovered how computational techniques such as automatic learning could optimize materials for solar panels, a direct application of their skills to mitigate climate change.

“This laboratory had a very diverse group of people, some of a computer environment, some of a chemistry environment, some who were Hardcore engineers. They all communicated effectively and worked towards a unified objective, building better renewable energy systems, ”says Raghavan. “I opened my eyes to the fact that I could use very technical tools that I enjoy building and finding satisfaction in helping to solve the main climatic challenges.”

With an eye on applying automatic learning and optimization to energy and weather, Raghavan joined the Cathy Wu laboratory when he began his doctorate in 2023. The laboratory focuses on building more sustainable transport systems, a field that resonated With Raghavan due to its universal impact and its universal impact its huge role in climate change: transport represents approximately 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

“If we had to launch all the intelligent systems that we are exploring to transport networks, how much could we reduce emissions?” She asks, summarizing a central question of her investigation.

WU, associated professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, emphasizes the value of Raghavan's work.

“Transport is a critical element of both the economy and climate change, so potential transport changes should be carefully studied,” says Wu. “Shreyaa's research in smart congestion management is important because a data -based approach is needed to add rigor to the broader research that supports sustainability.”

Raghavan's contributions have been recognized with Accenture Fellowship, an cornerstone of the MIT-Saccenture convergence initiative for industry and technology.

As Accenture Fellow, it is exploring the potential impact of technologies to avoid stop and GO traffic and their emissions, using systems such as autonomous network vehicles and digital speed limits that vary according to traffic conditions, solutions that could advance in the Discarking in the transport section at a relatively low cost and in the short term.

Raghavan says that he appreciates the Accenture scholarship not only for the support he provides, but also because he demonstrates the participation of the industry in sustainable transport solutions.

“It is important for the transport field, and also the energy and the climate as a whole, synnergify with all the different stakeholders,” she says. “I think it is important that the industry participates in this issue of incorporating smarter transport systems to decarbonize transport.”

Raghavan also received a scholarship that supports his investigation from the Department of Transportation of the United States.

“I think it is really exciting that there is interest on the policy of the Department of Transportation and the industry side with Accenture,” she says.

Raghavan believes that addressing climate change requires collaboration in all disciplines. “I think that with climate change, no industry or field will resolve it on its own. Each field really has to be and trying to make a difference, ”she says. “I don't think there is any silver cane solution for this problem. It will take many different solutions from different people, different angles, different disciplines. “

With that in mind, Raghavan has been very active at the MIT Energy and Climate Club since he joined about three years ago, which, “was a really great way to meet many people who worked towards the same goal, what same climatic objectives, the same passions, but from completely different angles. “

This year, Raghavan is in the community and education team, which works to build the community in the MIT that is working on climatic and energy problems. As part of that work, Raghavan is launching a tutoring program for university students, combining them with postgraduate students who help university students to develop ideas on how they can work in the climate using their unique experience.

“I was not up to use my computer and weather computer skills,” says Raghavan, “so I really want to give other students a clear way or a clear feeling of how they can get involved.”

Raghavan has embraced his study area even in terms of where he likes to think.

“I love working in trains, by buses, in airplanes,” she says. “It is very fun to be in transit and work in transport problems.”

Anticipating a trip to New York to visit a cousin, is not afraid of the long train trip.

“I know I'm going to do some of my best jobs during those hours,” she says. “Four hours there. Four hours ago. “