Blockchain Lab

15.217 & MAS S68 Blockchain Lab

Blockchain Lab will not be offered in Spring 2022. 

Blockchain Lab (BC-Lab), a part of the Working Group Program, brings host companies and students together to work on real world projects that use blockchain technology, digital currency research, and many other new and evolving technologies.

This Action Learning course allows students to gain real life experience working in the industry and allows host companies to gather fresh insights and perspectives from passionate students.

The goal of BC-Lab is to spur meaningful research and create innovative collaboration opportunities between students and industry experts in a safe learning environment.

Diving Into Blockchain Technology

Project topics focus on blockchain technology and research efforts of the Digital Currency Initiative (DCI), such as Bitcoin development and CBDC design and deployment. For a full list of past projects, including the final report, please visit the Working Groups site. 

• Success factors for a blockchain consortium
• Nexus of price discovery between Bitcoin Spot and derivative markets
• Blockchain-based KYC system for SME customers
• Privacy concerns with CBDC
• Causes of the March 2020 Bitcoin market crash
• CBDC flowback impact

The Class

BC-Lab is designed to involve students in the latest blockchain developments as companies research and prototype technology – and attempt to integrate it into viable business models.

With faculty guidance, students work on teams that typically bring together a mix of technical and business skills.  These groups work with companies on hand-picked projects.

Final deliverables are tailored to what makes sense for each project, but may include executive-level presentations, papers, open-source prototypes, and protocols. The course faculty and DCI technical advisors will mentor the teams throughout the process and supervise development of the work product, but teams take responsibility for all aspects of the interaction with companies.

The BC-Lab course is a product of a partnership between the DCI, MIT Sloan, other units at MIT, and leading companies across industries. This lab sets a high bar, building on the DCI’s relationships through students’ personal development and professional learning during the semester.

Interested in Enrolling?

Students can bid for 15.217 Blockchain Lab during the spring semester bidding period, starting in early December. All graduate and undergraduate students from MIT are eligible to take this course. Students from Harvard and Wellesley are also invited to cross-register for the course. Please see the course timeline below. 

Benefits of Becoming a Host Organization

BC-Lab delivers meaningful impact to host organizations. Some of the benefits of working with MIT students include:

• An opportunity to gather fresh insights and perspectives from technical and business-savvy students
• The discovery of implementable solutions to blockchain challenges through research, analysis, and knowledge sharing
• Innovative collaboration opportunities between students and industry experts

Host Commitment

In order to host a student team, companies must:

• Introduce projects to students and work with them to define the scope
• Meet with students on a weekly or biweekly basis to discuss project status and connect the teams with other stakeholders as needed
• View themselves as a partner in a student learning environment

• Provide opportunity for students to present their final deliverables to multiple stakeholders

Interested in Becoming a Host?

Contact the DCI team at MITBlockchainLabs@media.mit.edu in order to learn more about becoming a host.