Afterhours with Richard R. Schrock
Professor Richard R. Schrock somehow manages to do it all. He has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, teaches, does research, has a family, a woodworking hobby, and is starting his own company. At the undergraduate level, he’s taught 5.112 (Principles of Chemical Science). Here, he gives his thoughts on what actor he thinks would be able to fit this role in the movie of his life and explains how he got his start in chemistry at eight years old while making banana-scented esters.
CLUB CONNECTION This is not your grandmother’s spinning club
Fire. That bright orange blaze speaks to a nostalgic part of me, reminding me of toasting marshmallows and chilly nights alternating roasting and freezing. Both a danger and a delight, fire can be tamed and turned into a performance art by those brave and skilled enough to wield it — namely, the MIT Spinning Club.
Events: May 10 - May 16
Events May 10 – May 16 Tuesday (8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Blood Drive, sponsored by ARCTAN — W20, La Sala de Puerto Rico (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Legatum Lecture: Experiences in the Emerging Profession of Technology-Based Entrepreneurship (Speaker: Dr. Noubar Afeyan) — E62-233 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MIT Chamber Music Society Student Concert — Killian Hall Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk presents Windhammer, a woodwind quintet with piano — Killian Hall (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) Q&A Session — 4-231 Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) GSC Acoustic Barbecue — Stata Center Amphitheater (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Improvisation Ensemble Concert — Killian Hall Friday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Reel World: MIT, a look “behind the scenes” at historic and entertaining films from MIT’s archives — MIT Museum (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial — 26-100 Saturday (2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) MIT Concert Band Spring Performance — Kresge Auditorium (7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) Social dance with the MIT Ballroom Dance Club — Walker Memorial Sunday (9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Swapfest — Albany Steet Garage and Lot (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) International Contemporary Ensemble presents works of Keeril Makan — Killian Hall (8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Flippin’ for Finals, aka Late Night Breakfast — W20 Lobdell Monday (7:00 p.m.) Professor Walter H. G. Lewin Physics Demonstration and Book Signing — 26-100 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Cheat Sheet aka that random stuff that never shows up on the test
The Tech: You like classical music, so if you had one composer you had to listen to on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Institute Double Take
Browsing through my archive of photos, I was struck by the inherent contrast both in and between these two images. The former, shot on a sunny July 4, depicts the North Court in a state of construction-induced disarray. The photo itself, on the other hand, is clean and crisp — almost frozen.
PREFROSH — CLASS OF 2015 The road to comMITment
From that fateful moment on Dec. 16 when I was accepted to MIT, I knew that I was in for a very different four years than most of my friends, should I choose to attend. The shock of getting into the college that I had always considered my dream school didn’t wear off until several months later. However, as reality sunk in and I enjoyed the warm California winter and plentiful sleep of senior year, I started to wonder — was MIT truly where I wanted to go?
PREFROSH — CLASS OF 2015 Finding the right match
Click. Check. Click. In the span of a few seconds, I went from being an undecided high school senior to a member of the MIT Class of 2015. As the confirmation screen loaded, I optimistically imagined attending an insanely difficult — yet rewarding — physics class, seeing a Saturday night show in Boston, or just hanging out with friends in a floor lounge, debating an insignificant topic with intricate precision. I began to really look forward to college.
Institute Double Take
An abstract perspective of MIT’s Chemistry building, Building 18, viewed from the west. At night, the windows light up in a grid pattern; the yellow glow strongly contrasts the black outer walls.
Events: May 3 - May 9
Events May 3 – May 9 Tuesday (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Student Art Association (SAA) presents their Spring Ceramic Sale — Lobby 10 (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Inside 150: Computers, Calculators and Cybernetics — MIT Museum (4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT150 Symposium: Brains, Minds and Machines — 26-100 Wednesday (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT Chamber Music Society Student Concert — Killian Hall (5:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Science Trivia Challenge — Broad Institute (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Hackfest 2011 (2.007 Competition) Preliminary round — W34 Thursday (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk Bi-annual Crafts Fair — 32-100 (9:00 a.m – 2:00 p.m.), E62 (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) CMS Colloquium Series presents Race and Representation after 9/11 — 2-105 (6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Hackfest 2011 (2.007 Competition) Final round — W34 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) DanceTroupe presents: Flux — W16 Friday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Student Recital: Nathan C. Haouzi ’11, piano — Killian Hall (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Student Recital: Ka Yan Karen Lee G, soprano — Killian Hall (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Fellow Student Recital: Stephen R. Serene ‘12, cello and Nicholas Joliat (G), piano — Killian Hall (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows The King’s Speech — 26-100 Saturday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Piano Student Recital — Killian Hall (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Wind Ensemble — Kresge Auditorium Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Woodwind Student Recital — Killian Hall (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT Concert Choir — Kresge Auditorium Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Colorful characters unite at Anime Boston 2011
Last weekend, I returned to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) for my second convention of the year, after the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in March. As I stepped from the cab so graciously paid for by The Tech, I was surprised to see no one outside the building in costume or actually, anybody at all. I approached the doors and peered inside to see … no one.
Melody Ball proof that even nerds care to dance
Every year, Anime Boston hosts a costume ballroom formal. This year’s event was called the Melody Ball, and it was the highlight of my Anime Boston, as always. The Melody Ball enforces a formal dress code and plays almost exclusively ballroom music, which makes it the ideal event for tuxedo enthusiasts, amateur ballroom dancers, and Disney fairy tale cosplayers — all of whom, as it happens, were in attendance.
Convention dos and don’ts, from your friendly campus newspaper
Preregister for tickets so you pay less.
Afterhours with Beth Taylor
Elizabeth Vogel Taylor PhD ’07 loves her role as an instructor at MIT. Since MIT instructors don’t run their own labs, they get to focus all of their time on teaching, which Taylor does, both in the 5.111 (Principles of Chemical Science) classroom and also in her work developing chemistry teaching tools. She spoke with The Tech about why she enjoys teaching chemistry and trying to teach German to her baby daughter.
MAY CONTAIN NUTS Healthy, ‘well’-thy, and wise
“How you doin’?” The common answer is “good” — or “well” for the grammatically correct. But is this really the case? Perhaps in a superficial sense, yes. But from a health standpoint, the answer may not be so fitting. For me, I know that this semester has taken quite a toll on my sleeping and eating habits. I’ve succumbed to the age-old truth that you have to pick two: sleep, grades, or friends.
Cheat Sheet aka that random stuff that never shows up on the test
The Tech: What’s your favorite place in the world?
Institute Double Take
The limited dynamic range of a camera can often pose difficulties for the photographer, but in certain situations, it can also create artistic possibilities.
Events: Apr. 26 - May 2
Events Apr. 26 – May 2 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Former NY Governor, Eliot Spitzer, on Government’s Role in the Market — E51 (Wong Auditorium) (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Dr. Peter-Paul Henze, scientific officer of the German Consulate in Boston presents “The Landscape of German Science and Innovation” — E40-496 (7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Chamber Music Society - Student Jazz Combos — Killian Hall Wednesday (2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.) Fulbright Info Session — 1-242 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) EECS MasterWorks: a showcase of Masters’ theses — 32-G401 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Student Recital: Jennifer I. Lai ’11, piano — Killian Hall Thursday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) MIT’s Action Learning program Spring poster session — E62 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Greek Week Barbecue — Kresge Oval Friday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholars Student Recital - Adrian M. Grossman ’14, electric and acoustic bass and Dylan Sherry ’12, tenor and soprano saxophone — Killian Hall (3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Greek Week Carnival — Kresge Oval (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Fellow Student Recital - Sarah E. Rumbley ’12, piano — Killian Hall (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT and the World’s Largest Science Experiment: Hunting the Higgs Boson at CERN — 32-123 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MTG Presents: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — Kresge Little Theatre (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Chamber Chorus concert — W16 (8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Spring Weekend Concert: Jason Derülo and Janelle Monae — W34 Saturday (11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Under the Dome: MIT 150 Open House — W31 (4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MIT Flying Club hosts Fly-In/Drive-In — Beverly Airport (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Gospel Fest 2011 — W20-208 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble Pomeroy Memorial Concert — Kresge Auditorium Sunday (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Greek Week Cake-off and Lunch — Kresge Lawn (4:30 p.m.) MIT Sport Taekwondo presents the 9th annual KICK-A-THON! — Kresge Lawn Monday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Lunch with a Luminary: Peter A. Diamond PhD ‘63 — MIT Museum (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) IDEAS and MIT Global Challenge and Awards Ceremony — W16 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
VIDEO GAME REVIEW Portal sequel more than still alive
The original Portal was released in 2007 to critical acclaim. It was a very short, polished game based on a novel concept — players wield a portal gun that can fire a blue or orange portal onto certain surfaces, and things that go through one portal come out the other, preserving their speed and relative direction. By applying this simple idea in different ways, the player navigated through test chambers of increasing difficulty, all while evading the once-helpful robotic test administrator’s attempts to hurt your feelings (and kill you).
CLUB CONNECTION What’s your beef?
Step aside, small fries! Mooove over, chicken! Beef is where it’s at, at least according to mitBEEF, MIT’s one-and-only beef appreciation club. To see whether that was true or just a load of bull, I headed over to Random Hall to do some “investigative journalism” at the first Miscellaneous Cow Part Competition, where a plethora of unusual beef cuts were laid out for us to taste and identify.
Events: Apr. 22 - Apr. 25
Events apr. 22 – apr. 25 Friday (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) iFair, sponsored by the International Students Association — Kresge Oval (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Good Friday service with reading of the Passion, sponsored by the Lutheran Episcopal Ministry — MIT Chapel (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Student Recital: Emily L. Jackson ’11, flute — Killian Hall (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Good Friday service — MIT Chapel (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Making MAJOR Decisions: What you need to know about yourself when choosing a major — 4-145 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Fellow Student Recital: Adrianna L. Tam ‘11, mezzo-soprano — Killian Hall (7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.) Steer Roast Music Festival — Senior House (8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) Dhoom, MIT Sangam’s dance party — W20 Lobdell Saturday (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) LIVERight 5K Run/Walk — Memorial Drive (Dorm Row) (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Course 5 2011 Undergraduate Research Symposium — 56-154 (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.), 56-114 (12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar String Student Recitals — Killian Hall (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Inspirasian: Boston Asian Performing Arts Festival — Kresge Auditorium (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) MIT Muses Spring Concert 2011: “Elevator Music” — 6-120 (8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil Mass — MIT Chapel (9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Easter Party — W11 Sunday (4:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m.) Easter Sunrise Worship Service — E62 Courtyard (6:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.) Easter Breakfast — E62 Dining Hall (9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.) Easter Mass — W15 Monday (6:00 p.m.) Comparative Media Studies 13th Annual Media Spectacle — 32-155 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Democracy in the Middle East? A talk followed by a Q&A session — 56-154 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Is Eating Meat Ethical: PETA VP Bruce Friedrich vs. MIT Debate Team — 10-250 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.