One fish, two fish, fake fish, computerish
I like to joke that I study imaginary fish. People often remember that or, even better, ask what it means. Then, I get to tell them that I study theoretical ecology; I use mathematical tools to investigate how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. I am studying in the MIT Joint Program with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, so my organisms of interest tend to be marine, but the only places they swim are in my computer, in equations, and, always, in my heart.
Events Oct. 16 – 22
Events Oct. 16 – 22 Tuesday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Negotiating Job Offers, sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development (GE&CD) — 3-133 Wednesday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Networking 101: How to work the room and work your contacts, sponsored by MIT GE&CD — 56-114 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MTA Composer Forum presents Roger Reynolds — 14W-111 (Killian Hall) Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: The Age of Stupid film screening — 3-133 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) A Sweet Trip Through Italy presented by the MIT Italian Association — 32-162 (Forbes Cafe) Friday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Comedy Night featuring Baba Ali, presented by the MIT Muslim Students’ Association — 32-123 (11:59 p.m.) The Rocky Horror Picture Show sponsored by the UA Finboard, featuring Boston’s Full Body Cast — 26-100 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) Ballroom Fall Social Dance — La Sala, Stratton Student Center Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Folk Dancing with Live Electric Balkan Music — Lobdell Dining Hall, Stratton Student Center Monday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Communicating Inventiveness Workshop, sponsored by Lemelson-MIT — 10-105 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Oct 2- Oct 8
Events oct. 2–7 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Three Dollar Tuesday Indian food graduate student event — 50, Morss Hall (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Waste Land film screening — E14-633 Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) The Future of the American Military — E40-496 (5:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Switch film screening presented by Dr. Scott Tinker — E51 Wong Auditorium Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: The City Dark film screening — 3-133 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Performance by MIT band Scuba Parade — Coffeehouse (7:00 p.m.) Live Free or Die film screening — 6-120 Friday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Brave — 26-100 Saturday (8:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Graduate student Edgerton Outlet Mall shopping trip — NW10-Edgerton Front Desk Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Sidney Pacific October graduate student brunch — NW86-MP room Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Generalist Americans, specialist British
The increasingly globalized workforce means that large multinational companies recruit graduates from all over the world. Given that various countries have their own university systems, there will certainly be differences in how students are prepared to meet the challenges of employment. I’m in the fortunate position of having studied in two countries — my first two years of college were spent at Cambridge in the U.K. (where I will return next year) and I am now at MIT through the Cambridge-MIT Exchange. As such, I have firsthand experience of how both universities teach and I have been surprised by the contrasts.
Events Sep. 25 - Oct. 1
Events Sep. 25 – oct. 1 Tuesday (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Poutine Night, 21+ — Thirsty Ear Pub Wednesday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: Last Train Home — 7-429 (8:00 p.m.) Pitch Perfect preview — 26-100 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Starr Forum: screening of How to Start a Revolution — 66-110 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) The Coffeehouse Lounge Presents: The Jessica Prouty Band — W20-Coffeehouse Friday (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Southeast Asian Cultural Night — W20-Lobdell (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Men in Black 3 (free) — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Party — Eastgate-Penthouse Saturday (10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Caste: A Conversation — 10-105 (8:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) Persian Back to School Party — 50 Sunday (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Choral Concert conducted by Jinwook Park — Kresge Auditorium (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Westgate Fall BBQ — W85 Monday (6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Digital Media Circle Event: A Connected Car is a Thoughtful Car — E51-145 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Studious sisters
“It’s All Greek To Me” tells the individual stories of MIT sorority girls. Check in every Tuesday to hear a new voice. Clare Frigo is a senior in Course 10.
A junior by any other name
You are reading about the experiences of someone plunged into a world far removed from his natural habitat.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Building houses, building communities
“You can do it!” one of my sorority sisters cheered as I awkwardly held the circular saw, which was already weighing my arm down. My task was to cut some pieces of wood for the framework of the house I was building for Habitat for Humanity. In my mind, I thought of all the things that could go horribly wrong.
Events Sep. 18 - Sep. 24
Events Sep. 18 – sep. 24 Tuesday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) “The Power of the Crowdsourced Documentary” talk presented by Jigar Mehta — E14-663 Wednesday (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Inaugural Celebration Symposium: Infinite Innovation — Kresge Auditorium (12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Welcome luncheon honoring President and Mrs. Reif — Building 50 Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) The Price of Climate Risk talk by Robert Litterman — E51-115 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Computer-Aided-Biology to Biology-Aided-Computers talk by Professor George Church — NE-30 Friday (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Presidential Inauguration Ceremony — Killian Court (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows The Five-Year Engagement — 26-100 Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) Animal Petting Zoo — E55 courtyard (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) The 2012 Ig Informal Lectures at MIT — 10-250 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) The Physics of the Kresge Organ, pre-concert lecture — Kresge (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) World Premiere of Kresge Organ Symphony by Leonardo Ciampa — Kresge Monday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Writing Books for a Wider Audience — E52-600 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) RFID Event: What Technology Will Dominate Retail? — 32-155 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Burning Man
Burning Man is a weeklong art festival of sorts, held annually in the middle of nowhere: Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. This year the event ran from Aug. 27 to Sept. 3 and was attended by more than 50,000 people. The festival revolved around the art theme “Fertility 2.0.”
Events Sep. 11 - Sep. 17
Events Sept. 11 – 17 Tuesday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) The Brain’s Politics: How Campaigns are Framed and Why talk by George Lakoff — E15-070 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) 23andMe and Consumer Powered Research talk on personal DNA sequencing — NE30, Broad Institute Auditorium Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) The Sense of Style: Scientific Communication for the 21st Century talk by Steven Pinker — 34-101 (5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) The New, New Mobile: Commerce on Wheels panel (registration required) — 32-123 Thursday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) A Modern Day Challenge: safeguarding, conserving and protecting the cultural heritage of Israel — E40-496 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: The Parking Lot Movie, introduction by by Professor Eran Ben-Joseph — 3-133 Friday (6:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows The Avengers — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Shakespeare Ensemble shows 10 Things I Hate About You — Kresge Lawn Saturday (8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Boston Open Powerlifting Championship — Walker Memorial (8:30 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Team Dance Concert — Kresge Main Auditorium Sunday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT Heritage of the Arts of Southasia presents Kalapini Komkali (Hindustani khyal) concert — E51 Monday (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Challenges and Excitement of Space Exploration talk by Dr. Charles Elachi — E51-115 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Choices, choices
“It’s All Greek To Me” tells the individual stories of MIT sorority girls. Check in every Tuesday to hear a new voice. Katherine Chasins is a junior in Courses 2-A and 15 and the vice president of public relations for the Panhellenic Association.
Orientation and REX in review
Although Rush and Recruitment are continuing around campus, orientation and Residence Exploration (REX) events are officially over. How has it been?
The summer before MIT
We often hear about the summer after high school, of those warm days shrouded in familiarity before the thrilling independence of college. After graduation, I promised myself to make the most of this last summer, to try new things, take risks, and gain perspective.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: My final Recruitment
“It’s All Greek To Me” tells the individual stories of MIT sorority girls. Check in every Tuesday to hear a new voice. Denzil Sikka ’13 is a senior in Course 6 at MIT and president of Panhel, the governing council of all six MIT sororities.
Hell is other people
I was a freshman once. Escaping my hometown of Tampa, Florida, I went to MIT, leaving my family and high school friends behind. I was an unattached soul, with no group to call my own. Faced with the fear of being alone and unsupported, I was easily tempted by the promises of Sorority Recruitment.
Surviving the first year at the Institute
Starting at any college can be nerve-wracking for freshman, and MIT is no different. Freshmen are in a new environment and worried about academics and managing their lives — all without the familiar comfort of home and their parents. With so many things to do, from registering for classes to living alone for the first time to doing laundry, students can feel overwhelmed. Luckily, there are a number of encouraging support systems around campus.
MIT protips
Well, it’s that time again. All you hordes of freshman are pouring onto campus, bright and unsullied. Some of you fancy yourselves engineers, scientists, the bright minds of the future. All so innocent, easy prey for the dangers lurking behind the institute’s marble columns. Right now, you probably think “p-set” is a dirty word.
Understanding the perfection of imperfection
A survey once asked me to describe my perfect day. I had more than one perfect day in my mind, as many people probably do, but it made me wonder — what makes something “perfect” in the first place?