breaking news

Live Updates: Trump emerges victorious in 2024 presidential election

This is a live page and will be continuously updated as new developments concerning the 2024 presidential election are reported.

News

MIT’s endowment rises 4.8% to $24.6 billion in 2024 fiscal year

MIT’s endowment rises 4.8% to $24.6 billion in 2024 fiscal year with philanthropic contributions rising 8.3% and MIT’s overall net assets climbing to $33.6 billion for a 4.3% jump

weather

Cooling down as October comes to a close

The weather is cooling down from our warm streak but continues to be pretty amiable into this weekend. The trees are starting to turn, and the leaves are starting to fall, make sure to get outside while you still can and enjoy that autumn beauty! A walk along the Charles River esplanade is the perfect opportunity to see some fall foliage close to home. Additionally, make sure to check out Halloween events coming up on campus and partake in the fun!

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A memorial display on Kresge Oval put up by MIT Israel Alliance commemorates anniversary of October 7th attack on Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 8. Kate Lu–The Tech
News

The Coalition for Palestine continues regular protests as numerous arrests made

The Coalition for Palestine remains adamant in its messaging of severing ties between the Institute and Israeli entities involved in the conflict.

News

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard lays off 87 employees

In an Oct 10 email to members of the Broad Institute community, Todd Golub, the Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced the layoff of 87 employees, 75 of whom were part of the Data Sciences Platform and IT departments.

News

Institute Jewish, Israeli community hold October 7 memorial service and display

"It was really important that the display would not be political,” Bechhofer said. “[The memorial] would just focus on themes of human suffering, crisis, and then resilience and rebuilding.”

News

Nobel Week at the Institute

Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson PhD ’89, and James A. Robinson shared the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2024 "for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity." Their work traces increased prosperity in nations today back to having more inclusive institutions during the colonial period. Acemoglu is an Institute Professor in the Department of Economics. Johnson received his PhD in Economics at MIT in 1989 and is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Sloan School of Management.

Sports

Previewing November for MIT Fall Sports

MIT’s Fall athletic teams are preparing for the home stretch of their seasons as the semester nears its end. Many teams are vying for postseason spots, while others are longing for the relief of the offseason. If you have not been keeping track of teams this fall, here is a recap of how they’ve been doing (as of the time of publication):

Sports

Women’s Club Soccer Closes Season with Doubleheader Split

The MIT Women’s Club Soccer team wrapped up their 2024 regular season with a 0-3 loss to Harvard and a 8-0 win against Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) on Saturday.

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Corinne De La Mora (44) on the field against UMaine’s club team on October 5th Photo Courtesy of Matthew Barnett
Sports

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SPORTS BLITZ

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The blank of the Vol. 144 Issue 17 crossword, R&R. Manaal Mohammed–The Tech
theater review

Leopoldstadt Invites Memory

Leopoldstadt leaves the viewer with the heaviness of the Shoah, inviting the audience to engage with the imperatives of historical memory, critically needed as genocide unfolds in Palestine.

Arts

Nassim, as performed by LaWhore Vagistan: A Drag Queen’s Compulsory Vulnerability

Each night, a different performer takes the stage without reading the script beforehand.

Arts

Fantasies through piano: Emanuel Ax opens the Celebrity Series of Boston

With the eighty-eight black and white keys of a piano at his fingertips, Ax strung together soft and powerful melodies that resembled dreams and unrestrained imagination.

Arts

Mahler’s Eighth echos through Symphony Hall with grandiosity

This performance of the rarely-played symphony was spectacular, and will certainly be remembered as a highlight of the 2024-2025 season.

concert review

The organ takes center stage at Symphony Hall

The BSO concert on Saturday, October 12, was special for its focus on the organ, a keyboard instrument known for its resonant, high-range sounds.

an ellie for your thoughts

For Your Thoughts: American Healthcare

Each time I make a visit to a hospital, I am austerely reminded, no niceties spared, that our glorious nation’s top-of-the-line medical system is in complete and utter shambles.

advice

On Freshman Fall: Fears and the Firehose

Auntie Matter provides advice to a freshman facing the fall firehose.

Science

Fireside Chat with Dan Riccio: Former Apple Executive Shares Reflections on his Journey

Riccio: “I always wanted to be the first person to get there in the morning and the last person to be there at night. When anything came up, I wouldn't wait… It’s just how I was.”

three questions

Minding the Brain: Professor Mehrdad Jazayeri on brain models research, the HHMI award, and the growth of neuroscience

Mehrdad Jazayeri, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, has recently been named an HHMI Investigator for his research on the mind-brain connection. Having immigrated from Iran and pursued his academic journey at NYU and the University of Washington, Jazayeri's research at MIT combines cognitive science, neuroscience, and machine learning to connect the biological mechanisms of the brain to the computational capacities of the mind.

Science

Meet Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean of Engineering

Chandrakasan: “I was rejected by MIT. I remember being on a call with the MIT graduate office. I was emotional about the rejection—I think I cried—but they were very kind and gave me good advice and valuable support even then.”

Arts

Vibrant flavors abound at Life Alive

Editor-in-chief’s note: This is a sponsored review by Life Alive Organic Cafe.

News

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Oct 28. Second quarter Physical Education and Wellness classes begin.

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Sunny and warm this weekend!

End of Sunny & Warm Summer Weather Weather

The lovely weather of the start to cool approaches an end this weekend, with the first precipitation of the school year projected for the end of the week through the weekend. Plan accordingly for the career fair, as you might need to wait in a light rain shower to get...

Opinion

Research for human rights abuses: how MIT breaks its own rules 

Admin had to be dragged to the negotiation table, and when confronted with the atrocities and their power to stand against them, they equivocated about the “nuance” of the situation.

Lockheed Leaves The Career Fair: Reflections on the Power of Principled Dissent

It is exceedingly clear that MIT weaponizes a facade of neutrality to defend its bottom line. We reject MIT’s presentation of itself as an unbiased arbitrator between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine voices because it is simply untrue.

Rebuttal of Anti-Israel Claims (Part 2)

This is a continuation of my rebuttal of anti-Israel claims from a previous issue of The Tech.

Campus Life
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things that changed my brain chemistry this summer

I Saw a Stranger on the Street Today

I long to be next to the strangers that could have been my entire world. But there’s a reason we’re strangers, now. A reason that when I look into their eyes, I don’t see anything but distance. A reason why our orbits drifted apart.

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MIT’s Excellent Sheep

Science

Decoding the Dogma: Dr. Gene-Wei Li on quantitative analysis of the genome and being named an HHMI Investigator

The Tech sat down with Dr. Gene-Wei Li to talk about working at MIT and his research at the forefront of computational biology.

Growing to greatness: Professor Mary Gehring on plant epigenetics and becoming an HHMI Investigator

Prof. Mary Gehring, a core member of the Whitehead Institute and a professor of biology, explores how epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation influence gene regulation in plants. Her lab’s work, using the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, stands at the frontiers of plant biology research.

Prof. Steven Flavell on researching neural circuits in C. elegans and being named an HHMI Investigator

C. elegans is a little roundworm, about a millimeter long and barely visible to the naked eye. And it only has 302 brain cells.