Inside new “MIT Stories” documentary series
A new short documentary series is shining the light on the people and ideas shaping the MIT community.
Produced by MIT Open Learning’s Emmy Award-winning video team, “MIT Stories” offers a look at the innovators and changemakers whose work extends far beyond campus walls. Each seven- to 10-minute film draws viewers into the passions that spark global impact and the human stories behind innovation.
The inaugural film, “Full Circle: Paula Hammond at MIT,” spotlights Institute Professor Paula Hammond ’84, PhD ’93, tracing her path from childhood in Detroit to her arrival at MIT at 16 years old — a moment that shaped the trajectory of her life’s work. The documentary follows Hammond’s evolution into a pioneering researcher in nanotechnology and ovarian cancer, and the challenges she faced along the way.
In 2015, Hammond made history as the first woman and first Black scholar to lead MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering. Since then, she has taken on other leadership roles, including vice provost for faculty and executive vice provost. She now serves as dean of the MIT School of Engineering.
“Everything Paula Hammond does is grounded in a deeply personal sense of purpose,” says Lana Scott, assistant media development director at Open Learning who produced the film with Nick Vandenberg. “As a pioneering researcher and the first woman to lead MIT’s School of Engineering, she didn’t just break barriers, she changed what leadership can look like in a field that hasn’t always made space for people like her. Her story blends curiosity, care, and conviction, turning complex science into something human, relatable, and genuinely cinematic.”
The film’s original score was composed by Vandenberg, who was inspired by a musician Hammond has long cherished.
“Before our second interview, Paula and I spoke about our shared love of jazz, including artists like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis,” says Vandenberg, a videographer and senior editor at Open Learning. “She mentioned Ramsey Lewis as a particular favorite of hers. So, as a little Easter egg for her, I wrote and recorded a composition with upright bass, drums, and organ based loosely on the sound of his early trio recordings.”
Hammond’s innovation and contributions extend beyond her lab and on-campus classes into free MIT online courses available to learners around the world.
Debuting in April, the second “MIT Stories” film spotlights the impact and legacy of the Institute’s commitment to open education. The film will be screened at a symposium on April 8, marking the 25th anniversary of MIT OpenCourseWare, which established the Institute as the first higher education institution to make educational resources freely available to learners across the world.