This origami structure, called “Green Cycles,” by Erik Demaine and his father Martin required a week of improvisation to assemble. Credit: Renwick Gallery The shape of a Pringle, mathematically ...

This article is part of a series explaining how readers can learn the skills to take part in activities that academics love doing as part of their work. Many of us could happily fold a paper crane, ...

Sara Goheen, a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, often folds placemats or straw wrappers into interesting shapes while she’s waiting at a restaurant for the food to arrive. “It’s ...