Redefining sustainability
As part of Earth Week at MIT, we’ve looked at a few labs that are working to build a brighter and more sustainable future.
On honeybees
Walk along the Charles today, and you’ll find that spring is in full swing. The crocuses and daffodils are blooming. The geese are back in town. And if you stand still for a bit and watch the flowers, you may encounter a few pollinating insects buzzing along.
Composting at MIT
Here in Cambridge and at MIT, literally tons of waste are thrown away every day, filling our landfills and generating methane and carbon emissions when they could be generating value for our communities. Recent data from the EPA shows that people in the United States generate on average 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of trash per person every day. Approximately 65 percent of this ends up in a landfill, resulting in 160 million tons added to our landfills — enough to cover the entire area of Cambridge, Massachusetts with over 75 feet of garbage — every year.
Making MIT a model of sustainability
The MIT Office of Sustainability sits in a temporary space in the basement of Building 12, a far cry from the stereotypical green and airy spaces that are associated with “eco-friendliness.” Despite these humble surroundings, Dr. Julie Newman, Director of Sustainability since August 2013, is propelling the Office to influence the decision-making of MIT.
Soaking up the sun for a cross-country drive
How many MIT students does it take to build a solar-powered car? The MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT), an Edgerton Center-sponsored, student-run group, can do it in two years with just 15-20 students.
70 plastic bottles + 1 artist = 2 trees + 1 hammock
Editor’s Note: Some parts of this interview were shortened and edited for clarity.
Punting sexual assault response
“MIT stands with survivors of sexual assault.” How many times have I heard that in the last year? Too many to count. Every time I hear it or read it, I feel the physicalized anxiety that I carry inside me from my past abusive relationship rise to the surface. My hands begin to sweat, the lump in my throat swells, and one time I threw up in a bathroom in my dorm.
Events Apr. 15 – Apr. 21
Events Apr. 15 – Apr. 21 Tuesday (2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Managing Careers in Organizations, sponsored by Organizational Economics — E62-650 (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: Current and Looming Problems, sponsored by the Center for International Studies and Inter-University Committee on International Migration — E51-095 Wednesday (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Books & Beasts: Parchment Identification from Animal Protein Analysis, sponsored by MIT Libraries — 14N-132 (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) America and the World in the Age of Obama, with speaker Fred Kaplan of Slate Magazine — E40-496 Thursday (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Starr Forum: Junk Food and the Modern Mind, sponsored by the Center for International Studies — 66-110 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) TalkBack360: What Happened in Ukraine? — N51 (MIT Museum) Friday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) MIT CTL Distinguished Speakers Series: Boston Bikes, On a Roll, with speaker Nicole Freedman, Director of Bicycle Programs, City of Boston — W20-306 (1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) “Time to React: The Efficiency of International Organizations in Crisis Reponse,” a book talk with author Heidi Kardt — E40-496 Saturday (10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Eastgate Animal Show, sponsored by Eastgate Community Association, GSC Activities, and GSC Family Subcommittee — E55-PH (9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Easter Party, sponsored by the GSC Funding Board and the Tech Catholic Community — W11 Main Dining Room and Small Dining Room Sunday (2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Bulgarian Easter Celebration, sponsored by the GSC Funding Board — NW35, rain location NW30 Monday (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: West Coast Swing, free for MIT students, $3 for other students and affiliates, $5 for general public — W20, La Sala or Lobdell Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
T is for terrible
Boston T, you’ve got a lot to learn from the New York subway system.
Events Apr 8 - Apr 10
Events Apr. 08 – apr. 14 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) The Investment Crisis in Life Science — MIT Museum (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) The Square screening, movie about the Egyptian Revolution — 6-120 Wednesday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Diamond: Engineer’s Best Friend, nanotechnology lecture — 34-101 (5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) OpenMind: How the Internet is Changing Our Lives — E14-6th floor Thursday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Energy 101: Solar Technology — E51-325 (5 p.m. – 6 p.m.) Poetry reading with Adam Dickinson — 14E-109 Friday (12 p.m. – 1p.m.) Advanced Music Performance Student Recital featuring Peter Godart, jazz piano — Killian Hall (5 p.m. – 8 p.m.) Second Fridays at the MIT Museum: Nautical Night — MIT Museum Saturday (12 a.m. – 12 p.m.) CPW — MIT Monday (6 p.m. – 7 p.m.) Nationalism, Sentimentality, and Judgment: Cultivating Sympathy in the Syrian Uprising, 2011-2013 — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Proving the ‘impossible’
When Professor Andrei Linde of Stanford University first read a paper in the 1980s by MIT professor Alan Guth, then a postdoc at Stanford, he was taken by its description of cosmic “inflation,” the notion that one trillionth of one trillionth of one trillionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe — for an infinitely brief moment — expanded faster than the speed of light. Linde immediately started improving the theory, completing his reworking before Guth’s next paper came from the United States that said the theory was impossible. “It’s a good thing the Soviet mail system was so slow, I didn’t hear I couldn’t improve the theory until I already had!” jokes Linde.
Events April 1 - April 7
Events Apr. 1 – Apr. 7 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Deutschland Theaterland: Exploring German history and culture through theatre — E40-464 Wednesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m) MIT Spouses and Partners Wednesday meeting: Dispelling Myths about Libido — E55-Penthouse (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Space Board Games Night — Building 33, 1st floor lounge Thursday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) The Picower Lecture: Impact on circuits critical for memory across species presented by Dr. Carol A. Barnes — 46-3002 (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) The Untold History of the United States — E51-115 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Romanian Students Association presents Wild Carpathia 3 — 37-212 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Advanced Music Performance Student Recital featuring Eleanor Bors, cello — 14W-111 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Saving Mr. Banks — 26-100 Saturday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Science Carnival — Sidney-Pacific-MP Room (2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Graduate Association of Mechanical Engineers Art Appreciation Day — W20-306 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Ebony Affair: Essence of Excellence — W50-105 Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Sidney-Pacific Despicable Me April Brunch — Sidney-Pacific MP Room (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Percussionist Hubert Zemler and Evan Ziporyn, clarinet — Killian Hall Monday (2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Who Benefits When the Government Pays More? Evidence from Medicare Advantage — E62-450 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Land Reform and Sex Selection in China — E62-650 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar 18-Mar 24
Events mar. 18 – mar. 24 Tuesday (4 p.m. – 5 p.m.) The Build-up of Galaxies over the Past 10 Billion Years talk by Pieter van Dokkum — 37-252 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Space Exploration in Italy and the U.S.: Human Experiences and Innovative Challenges — 66-110 Wednesday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk Presents Howard Martin saxophone performance — Killian Hall (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.) Free Healthy Smoothie Day — Z-Center lobby Thursday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Brown Bag Lunch: Capturing Contributor Roles in Scholarly Publications — E25-131 (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) Designing the Next Generation of Wearable Devices — Microsoft NERD Center 1 Memorial Dr. Friday (5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.) Discussion Series: Human Rights — 50-020 (7 p.m. – 9 p.m.) Women Take the Reel presents Salma — 6-120 Saturday (7 a.m. – 8 p.m.) LibrePlanet 2014 conference — 32-1st floor (7:30 p.m.) Norouz Celebration, Persian festival — Walker Memorial Sunday (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Salsa and Merengue — W20-La Sala Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar 11- Mar 17
Events Mar. 11 – Mar. 17 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Inside Cambridge Biotechnology: Facing Up to Difficult Diseases — N51 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Exoplanets and the Real Search for Alien Life — Sidney-Pacific Mark MP Room Wednesday (5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MITEF Innovation Series Event: Beyond What’s Hot: Opportunities Away from the Herd — 32-123 (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Medieval Keyboard Concert by David Catalunya — Killian Hall Thursday (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Built to Last: Opportunity and the Economics of Empowerment talk by Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett — Kresge Auditorium (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Communicating Science: Lessons from a Climate Blogger — 4-370 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Beaver Ball: Celebrating 100 Years of the Mascot — 50-140 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows 12 Years a Slave — 26-100 (8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Pi Day — Ashdown Saturday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MIT Figure Skating Club’s Annual Skating Exhibition — Johnson Ice Arena (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Symphony Orchestra concert, excerpts from Berlioz’s Romeo et Juliette, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E minor — Kresge Auditorium Monday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) History and Historical Analysis in the Ukrainian Crisis — 4-153 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Understanding the Urban Heritage: The Cultural Wire-Scape of Historic Lahore, Islamic Architecture talk — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar. 4 – Mar. 10
Events Mar. 4 – Mar. 10 Tuesday (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Global Leadership Lecture Series: John Wiehoff, CEO of C.H. Robinson, lunch served at 11:30, lecture begins at noon — E51-315 Wednesday (11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) MIT Police Laptop Tagging and Registration, $10 per item, cash or MIT cost object only, sponsored by IS&T Computing Help Desk — Lobby 10 (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Basics of Grant Writing, with speaker Sonal Jhaveri — 46-3002 Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Starr Forum: Center for International Studies shows The Network, with speakers Eva Orner and Fotini Christa — 66-110 (4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Memorial service for President Charles M. Vest, sponsored by the Information Center — W16 (Kresge) Friday (12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.) In-Gallery Chat with Peter Dourmashkin about “Sonia Almeida: Forward/Play/Pause” — E15 (List Visual Arts Center Galleries) (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Open mic in the Lewis Music Library, with a new piano — 14E-109 Saturday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) LSC shows Frozen, free admission, tickets available in Lobby 16 — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Bulgarian March Celebrations with music, food, and games, sponsored by Bulgarian Club at MIT and GSC Funding Board — NW30 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Israeli Folkdance Festival of Boston, $5 student tickets, $15 public, sponsored by Campus Activities Complex and Israeli Folkdance Festival of Boston — W16-109 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) A Pakistani Cultural Night: Rawaj, $8 for students, $15 public, sponsored by PaksMIT — 50-140 (Walker Memorial) Monday (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Practice Makes Perfect: Peer Mock Interviews, sponsored by MIT GECD — 1-246 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Feb. 25 – Mar. 3
Events Feb. 25 – Mar. 3 Tuesday (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Intro to Python Workshop, sponsored by Sloan Coders (bring a laptop) — E62-250 Wednesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Artist talk and panel on Fukushima activism, postwar pop, intermedia art, and global hip-hop, sponsored by Foreign Languages & Literatures and MIT/Harvard Cool Japan — E25-111 (6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) MIT Generator: Students innovating for campus sustainability, with vegetarian dinner — 32-G401 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Build your own solar-powered cell phone charger, sign up at http://fossilfreemit.org — 4-131B (8:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Esfandgan Winter Party with dance music, light refreshments, and a cash bar, sponsored by GSC Activities and the Persian Students Association of MIT — W20 (Lobdell) Friday (7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Gala Sabrosura, semi-formal celebration of Mes Latino, sponsored by Latino/a Cultural Center — W20-208 (10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) LSC shows Gravity, tickets on sale in lobby 16 for $4 — 26-100 Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Asian Career Fair, register and submit resume online, sponsored by the SAO, GECD, MISTI, and Naturejobs — W20 (La Sala) Sunday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) An Evening of Sarod Music and Kathak Dance, tickets at MITHAS.org, sponsored by Music and Theater Arts — W16 (Kresge Little Theater) Monday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) France’s Jewish Star: Rachel at the Comedie Francaise, with speaker Maurice Samuels, sponsored by Foreign Languages & Literatures and Comedie Francaise Registers Project — 14E-304 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Paper Engineering Page Turns for Music Scores, with composer and vocalist Erin Gee and MIT Libraries conservator Jana Dambrogio, sponsored by MIT Libraries — 14E-109 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Feb. 18 – Feb. 24
Events Feb. 18 – Feb. 24 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Family Week at the List: Color, with color wheel workshop in the Atrium 12 to 4 p.m. and family friendly tour at 2 p.m. — E15, Upper Atrium (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Non-Stop, free advance screening — 26-100 Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) A Genealogy of the Gift: Blood Donation and Altruism in an Age of Strangers, sponsored by HASTS and the SHASS Dean’s Office — E51-095 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Off the Record 1:1 with a Silicon Valley Tech Recruiter, free giveaways, sponsored by A9 and MIT GECD — 5-134 Thursday (8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Choose to Reuse, drop-off begins at 8:00 a.m. and choosing starts at 11:00 a.m., sponsored by Working Green Committee and Department of Facilities — 32 first floor (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Women in Energy, featuring panelists from Shell Oil Co. with snacks, refreshments, and speed networking at 4:00 p.m., RSVP by Feb. 19 — Media Lab 6th floor, Silverman Skyline Room Friday (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Dumpling Feast contest, family friendly, sponsored by MIT Spouses & Partners and the MIT Postdoctoral Association — 66-201 (Walker Lounge) (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Mediterranean Night, with food and music for $10, sponsored by Spain@MIT — W20-208 Saturday (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Multimedia Chain Reaction with the MIT Society of Women Engineers at the MIT Museum, free with museum admission — N51 (7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Romanian Dance Party, free for MIT affiliates, $3 for public, sponsored by the Romanian Students Association and GSC — Walker Memorial (Muddy Charles Pub) Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Harpsichord Recital by Peter Sykes, sponsored by Music and Theater Arts — 14W-111 (Killian Hall) (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Chinese Lantern Festival and Riddle Night, sponsored by ARCADE and the Chinese Student and Scholar Association — Ashdown-Hulsizer Monday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Lonely Ideas: Can Russia Compete?, public lecture featuring Loren Graham and his new book, with brown bag lunch — E70-1201a (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Tea with Nefertiti: or How the Arts Shape Culture, sponsored by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
BRANDED!: Have you Googled yourself lately?
There is no shortage of media buzz about the Millennial generation. From skyrocketing student debt, to the contracting job market, to the decline in traditionally “secure” professions, to the setbacks of coming of age in the worst recession in decades, the challenges of my generation are well-documented. The flip side of the doom and gloom prophecies is the unprecedented opportunities in the new economy for those who are willing to get creative to sell themselves and reach their goals. Whether you snag a traditional professional job, strike out as an entrepreneur, or work a 9-5 with projects on the side, strategically managing your personal brand can be what sets you apart from your competition.
Events Feb. 11 – Feb. 17
Events Feb. 11 – Feb. 17 Tuesday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Socialization Ain’t Always Nice: Order, Disorder, and Violence in the Post-Cold War World, with speaker Jeff Checkel of Simon Fraser University — E40-496 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment Dynamics, with speaker Jonathan Meer of Texas A&M university — E18-202 Wednesday (6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Housing Prices & Housing Policies in Chinese Cities: Recent Empirical Evidence, with speaker Siqi Zheng — 9-354 (7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.) FiLmprov, an evening of musical improvisation and the world premier of Kate Matson’s film Silhouettes with improvised score — Killian Hall Thursday (11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Energy Expo 2014, hosted by the MIT Undergraduate Energy Club — La Sala de Puerto Rico (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Play in the Age of Computing Machinery, with speaker Miguel Sicart — E41-633 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) The LSC shows O Brother, Where Art Thou?, also sponsored by the de Florez Fund for Humor (free admission) — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) The Vagina Monologues @ MIT, $2 for MIT affiliates, $3 for public — 32-123 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Valentine Social Dance, free for MIT students, $6 other students, $8 MIT affiliates, $10 public — La Sala de Puerto Rico (8:00 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.) Either/Or Concert of music by Alvin Lucier, sponsored by MIT Music and Theater Arts — MIT Chapel Sunday (2:30p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Waltz and Tango, free for MIT students, $3 other students and MIT affiliates, $5 general public — La Sala de Puerto Rico Monday (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Jive, free for MIT students, $3 other students and MIT affiliates, $5 general public — La Sala de Puerto Rico Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Operation: LGO Plant Trek
7 cities, 2 weeks, 1 mission: to explore the inner-workings of leading advanced-manufacturing and operations companies.