The languages of science and faith
You don’t use the Bible to learn about any quantitative theory, England explained, “because that’s not the language that it’s speaking.” However, it understands scientific reasoning, and it’s interested in the human experience, and how we as ordinary people understand what is alive and not alive.
Welcome to CPW, Class of 2023!
“I feel like something that makes MIT stand out is that it has a relaxed atmosphere. Other schools feel more strict about ‘this is a liberal arts college; this is the science; this is the engineering college.’ Everything is mixed together and there’s more flexibility to choose what you want to do. It also has that relaxed vibe where no one judges you!”
Dan Huttenlocher named College of Computing dean
There was “a lot of fluidity” in the mid to late 1800s about what the engineering disciplines were, Huttenlocher said. “We’re about to enter a very similar time period of figuring out what computing is and what the different disciplines are.”
Michael Bloomberg to speak at commencement
Michael Bloomberg, entrepreneur, billionaire, and former New York City mayor, will speak at MIT’s commencement ceremony June 7, 2019.
Martin, Jiang on accessibility, student autonomy, and mental health
Current UA Vice President Alexa Martin '19 and UA Secretary Kathryn Jiang '20 are running as a pair for UA President and Vice President, respectively.
Fusion energy within fifteen-year reach, MIT says
“This is an important historical moment: Advances in superconducting magnets have put fusion energy potentially within reach, offering the prospect of a safe, carbon-free energy future,” President L. Rafael Reif told MIT News.
BSU kicks off 50th anniversary celebration
In its 50th anniversary year, the BSU wants to “celebrate the black students at MIT and their importance [both inside and outside] the Institute.”
MIT releases findings on relation to slavery, founder William Barton Rogers was a slaveholder
Green found that 11 of the 18 racialized images within the first 30 years of The Tech and the first 15 years of Technique depicted black people as waiters, even though research has shown that black people during that time period in Boston had a variety of occupations.
MIT announces consensual relationships policy
The new policy broadly bans any consensual sexual or romantic relationship between MIT faculty, staff, graduate student, or undergraduate student when one party holds authority over the other.
18 things to do this IAP
Welcome back to campus! Figuring out what to do with yourself at MIT can be hard when you don’t have a schedule, set by classes and UROPs, to regulate your life. Here are some suggestions on how to spend your time this IAP.
Papers disappear, Tech Exec responds
No one joins The Tech because they are bored and looking for a way to kill time; no one at MIT adds an activity to their busy schedules under those conditions. We do it because we have a profound desire to serve the community, present and future, with and accurate, fair, and holistic records of the days we spend at the Institute. This week, nearly half our distribution was taken Friday, and this undermines The Tech’s mission of making timely news easily accessible to the MIT community.
‘I swear I don’t love the drama’
Let’s get one thing out of the way: it doesn’t matter to me whether this album is good. It’s a Taylor Swift album. It’s immaculately produced pop.
LIGO makes its first observation of colliding neutron stars
Scientists announced Monday the first detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two neutron stars. Light from the collision was simultaneously observed by telescopes all around the world.
Alison Krauss brings bluegrass to Boston
I am not religious, but when I heard this music, I could understand a little better how it feels for those who are. When Krauss’s voice rises on the line “In your love, I find release/ A haven from my unbelief,” it’s like you can feel a presence wrapping around you.
MIT will fight for Dreamers in face of DACA repeal
In an op-ed in The Boston Globe, President L. Rafael Reif called the repeal of DACA a “mistake” and called on Congress to protect young immigrants allowed to remain in the country under DACA, called Dreamers.
Scientists observe gravitational waves — again!
The waves resulted from the merger of two black holes, and their discovery has added to our knowledge of both black holes and general relativity.
Faculty approves new rules on half-term subjects
The aim of the new rules is to standardize expectations for these subjects and prevent confusion among students and faculty.
Error in voting system disrupts UA elections
Voting for class council and UA president and vice president was supposed to begin yesterday morning, but an error in the online voting system has thus far prevented voters from casting their ballots.
At DataRescue, students collaborate to protect vital government data
DataRescue Boston at MIT, a day-long hackathon focused on preserving federal data at risk of manipulation or removal by the Trump administration, took place Saturday in Walker Memorial.
Hundreds gather in Lobby 7 before Copley protest
Several hundred MIT community members met in Lobby 7 Sunday before participating in a larger protest in Copley Square against the ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Facilities will preserve hacker murals in Building 9
MIT Facilities will protect hacker murals in the sub-basement of Building 9, and DSL plans to capture high-resolution photos of the murals to post online.
MIT signs agreement to redevelop 14 acres in Kendall Square
MIT and the U.S. General Services Administration finalized a $750 million agreement on Wednesday that will give the Institute access to a 14-acre parcel of land near Kendall Square. In exchange, MIT will construct a federal building on the land.
Climate justice, student activism discussed at climate change forum
More than 250 members of the MIT community filled Morss Hall Thursday to attend Climate Change: Ethics in Action, a forum on ethical responsibility in the context of climate change.
At last, DSL agrees to provide basic amenity
All undergraduate dorms will have soap in every bathroom starting next fall. The issue is important to Maseeh residents, who have been fighting for soap to be placed in their bathrooms for a long time.
1776 delivers patriotic, playful production
In the midst of oppressive August heat, the MIT Gilbert & Sullivan Players took audiences back to another sweltering summer in a different northern city.
New dorm to be built on West Campus
A new dorm will be constructed on West Campus with the goal of opening in 2019. Its current location and building plans are undecided.
Nelson begins tenure as VPSL
Suzy Nelson, new vice president for student life, began her tenure July 1. The former Colgate University dean felt welcomed on her first day and looks forward to working with students.
Summer residents displaced by Random fire
A fire caused significant damage to the Random Hall roofdeck on June 21, and students were relocated to New House. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Barnhart addresses concerns about Senior House turnaround
The Tech spoke again with Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88 in order to address concerns about her data analysis, the ban on freshmen in Senior House, the future of GRTs in the dorm, and more.
Senior House turnaround will address low graduation rates
Chancellor Barnhart announced Friday that no freshmen will be housed in Senior House this fall, citing a comparatively low four-year graduation rate and ongoing problems with illegal drug use.
3,511 degrees awarded at commencement ceremony
Matt Damon urges graduates to "turn towards" global problems in order to help solve them. Senior gift breaks records once again.
MIT's highest pay goes to administrators, MITIMCo leadership
MIT's highest-paid individuals for the tax year 2014 include MITIMCo leadership, top administrators, and Economics and Sloan School of Management professors.
Freeman: historic number of minors added this year
Freeman said that each new major and minor was created in response to needs that the faculty identified. For example, he said, many students are interested in entrepreneurship, and faculty thought there were concrete things these students should know.
Liu, Gomez on communication, diversity, and how to make UA leadership more fun
With elections for Undergraduate Association (UA) president and vice president ongoing, The Tech sat down with candidates Sophia Liu ’17 and Daysi N. Gomez ’18 to talk about their experience in student government, the challenges they’ve faced, the issues they think are most important, and their plans for the future of the UA. Liu currently serves as vice president of the UA. The pair is running unopposed.
Random Hall turns 12
The crowd gathered slowly. People trickled in from across campus after a long day of classes. If you looked closely, the crowd was a little unusual: hair in blues, pinks, greens, and purples; a smattering of matching shirts; and half-sheets of paper printed with script-like font reminiscent of a curious hymnal excerpt.
Insured belongings may be stored in dorms over the summer
Students who can show proof that they have renters’ insurance will be allowed to store items in their dorms this summer, in spaces designated by the Division of Student Life, under a plan first unveiled at last week’s DormCon meeting.
Gravitational waves from collision of black holes detected
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have detected gravitational waves. We did it,” David Reitze, Executive Director of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, announced Feb. 11.
MIT’s design wins SpaceX challenge
A team of 25 MIT students took the Best Overall Design award in the first stage of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod competition this weekend. Their design for a pod that will shuttle between San Francisco and LA at prodigious speeds beat those of over 120 teams at the competition’s Design Weekend, held at Texas A&M University.
Students hope for change on campus through new discussion site
A group of students are launching a new Reddit-style discussion website next week with the hope of giving the MIT community a platform to discuss important issues on campus.
MIT will not join CAAS, likes flexibility of its app
MIT will not be joining the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (CAAS), an organization of more than 80 colleges and universities that offers an alternative to the Common Application and seeks to help underserved students during the college preparation process.
Student life fee may increase by $11 over the next three years
The Council of the Undergraduate Association voted Monday night to propose a $4 increase in the student life fee (SLF) for the upcoming fiscal year. The Council also discussed possible additional increases of $4 and $3 in fiscal years 2017 (FY17) and 2018 (FY18) respectively.
Woman found dead in athletic center’s locker room sauna
A woman was found dead in the women’s locker room sauna at DuPont Athletic Center last Friday afternoon. She was not an MIT student.
Students meet to discuss dorm to be built in storage warehouse
On Monday, the Dormitory Council held a meeting about the current architectural plans for turning the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse on Mass. Ave. into an undergraduate dorm. The organization’s executives discussed the dorm’s proposed layout, addressed student concerns, and requested additional ideas.
Can MIT divest while accepting oil money? An activist weighs in.
In anticipation of President L. Rafael Reif’s upcoming announcement about MIT’s climate action plan, The Tech spoke with Geoffrey Supran, a graduate student in materials science, about his work on the MIT Climate Change Conversation Committee and student group Fossil Free MIT. We asked about his expectations for the announcement, his thoughts around divestment, his own research, and how he became a climate change activist.
Solve conference gathers ‘change agents,’ takes on global problems
Leaders from academia and business alike gathered this week for the Solve conference, hosted by MIT to address key challenges in four fundamental areas: education, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure.
Random will seek new housemaster
Nina Davis-Millis, Random Hall’s housemaster, announced Monday that she and her husband, Chris Millis, will be leaving the dorm at the end of this academic year. Davis-Millis, who has been housemaster at Random for more than two decades, is also Director of Community Support and Staff Development at MIT Libraries. In an email to the dorm, she called her experience at Random “amazing” and “transformative.”
Random Hall’s express guest list experiment continues this year
Random Hall’s express guest list system, implemented this past spring, is continuing into its second year. A similar program at Maseeh, implemented in fall 2014, will also continue.
DSL grant bails out UA, allows student group spending to rise
The Division of Student Life has granted $70,000 to the Undergraduate Association in response to the UA’s recent budget crisis. With these funds, and the implementation of new policies, the UA is on its way to recovering from last year’s budgeting errors that left the organization more than $50,000 in debt.