News Briefs
MIT will offer an energy minor this fall, pending faculty vote on a interdisciplinary council to govern the new minor. The energy minor will require six subjects, including one in each of three categories: energy science, the social science of energy, and energy technology and engineering.
Life Placed On Hold: Visa Delays Present New Hurdles for International Students
When Shuo Chen applied for a new U.S. visa from her home country on Dec. 18, she was expecting to receive it in time to return to MIT at the beginning of January. However, after turning in her application to the U.S. embassy in China, she was told that her application could take up to eight weeks.
Campus Preview Weekend Draws Record Crowd, Awesome Weather
This weekend, a record number of prospective freshmen are expected to arrive at MIT for this year’s Campus Preview Weekend. Over a thousand students from all over the world will gather for a nonstop 72-hour experience involving over 640 events.
Varsity Sports To Be Cut After CPW, Before May
As administrators of MIT’s athletic department continue to deliberate on which of MIT’s 41 varsity sports will be cut, student athletes have little to do but wait for the decision, which is expected before the month’s end.
For Years, IS&T Has Monitored Network Data Without Policy
Since 1999, Information Services and Technology has been collecting information about campus network traffic without an official policy governing how it may use or store the data.
Technical Details of IS&T Monitoring
IS&T is collecting two data feeds that contain information about network traffic. Pages on IS&T’s web site show that one data feed comes from external-rtr-2, one of four routers that are responsible for handling network traffic that is entering or leaving the campus. The device uses a SPAN port, which is Cisco’s system for making a copy of all traffic on a router.
Communication Requirement Sees 15% Cuts, Not 5%
The department in charge of the Communication Requirement will experience over a 15 percent decrease in its budget this year, according to Daniel E. Hastings ’78, dean for undergraduate education. Administrators are now discussing how to implement the cuts, which may involve staff cutbacks.
Prospective Freshmen Looking Forward to the Weekend
Interviews compiled by Claire Nieman ’13. Photos by Andrew T. Lukmann G.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between Mar. 21, 2009 and Mar. 31, 2009. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, or medical shuttles.</i>
New York Governor Offers Bill To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, vowing to personally involve himself in the legislative debate at a level that is rare for a New York governor.
Ties to AIG Put Dodd on Bumpy Road to Re-Election
HARTFORD - The election is still more than 18 months away, but US Senator Chris Dodd is barnstorming Connecticut this week like an incumbent in trouble. Voters who have supported him for 29 years are showing anger over his personal finances and for legislation that allowed federal bailout money to be used for executive bonuses.
Pediatric Heart Surgery on Hold at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital has suspended its pediatric cardiac surgery program after two babies recently suffered serious complications following errors made during open-heart surgery.
Obama Releases Torture Memos that Guided CIA
The Justice Department made public detailed memos on Thursday describing brutal interrogation techniques used by the CIA, as President Barack Obama sought to reassure the agency that CIA operatives who carried out the techniques would not be prosecuted.
Shorts (right)
The era of personal genomic medicine may have to wait. The genetic analysis of common disease is turning out to be a lot more complex than expected.
Shorts (left)
French forces detained 11 people suspected of being pirates during an assault on what they described as a pirate “mother ship” in the Indian Ocean off Somalia on Wednesday.
Study Finds Mega-Droughts in Africa in Past
For at least 3,000 years, a series of potent droughts, far longer and more severe than any experienced recently, have seared a belt of sub-Saharan Africa that is now home to tens of millions of the world’s poorest people, climate researchers report in a new study.
Stormy Out West, Quiet Over East
Today will feature two extremes over the eastern two-thirds of the country: a strong spring storm will be slow to move over the eastern Rockies/southern Plains, while the East Coast will experience a pleasantly warm day. The exact track of the spring storm out west is still uncertain, but the potential exists for a foot to over two feet of heavy wet snow over the mountains and along the foothills and adjacent plains in Colorado. Imagine trying to shovel that! Meanwhile. on the warm side of the storm, areas of Texas will receive beneficial heavy rain. The entire storm-affected area is currently in a moderate to severe drought, so any precipitation will be helpful.
Letters to the Editor
The motto of the Institute is “Mens et Manus,” which literally translated means “Mind and Hand.” One can only speculate as to the exact intentions of the founders, but this expression can be taken as emphasizing the importance of both thinking and doing, or equally as emphasizing the importance of one’s mind and one’s body.
Making Your College Decision: The Print Edition
A campus newspaper is a great way to find out what a college is like. When I was doing my campus tours, I always made sure to pick up a copy of the campus daily (or twice-weekly). Hidden among the pages are the collective values, fears, and triumphs of the student body. Plus, a newspaper’s objectivity simultaneously reveals the best and worst in a college. During your stay here at MIT, and wherever else you may be visiting, be sure to pick up a publication and read it not only for content, but for subtext. If you’re reading this, you’ve already completed step one. Let’s take a stroll through some recent issues of <i>The Tech</i> and the newspapers of some other colleges you may be considering to see what we can find out.
Clean Energy Forum Ignores the Facts
Ladies and gentlemen, prefrosh and parents, I’d like to introduce you to what happens when the world’s premier research university and a representative of the world’s largest subsidizer of bad ideas join together to discuss hot air. I’m talking, of course, about Monday’s clean energy and global warming forum, hosted by the MIT Energy Initiative and featuring Rep. Ed Markey. Special thanks, of course, go to the 33-year veteran congressman for his brief and monotone addition to the summit.
Obama’s Nuclear Weapons Plan
Early this April, President Obama unveiled his vision for strengthening the world’s nuclear non-proliferation regime: renewed arms reduction talks with Russia and the creation of an international fuel bank in Kazakhstan to provide fuel services to non-weapons states. Both are excellent ideas which are long overdue, but neither will resolve the major proliferation threats facing us today.
Stop Whining and Start Cheering
When DAPER announced that budget cuts would require the elimination of one or more varsity programs, the department showed great respect for students by informing them early in the process. This respect was not reciprocated by students and other members of the MIT community who have spent the last few weeks insulting administrators, insisting that this decision must have been made hastily, and demanding that the department reconsider. While DAPER is listening with open ears, students claim they are being unheard much like a bratty sixteen-year-old demanding a Ferrari when given an Acura. As a student body, we need to appreciate the incredible opportunities that we will still have without complaining about what we can no longer afford.
Institute Wisdom Watch
<b>The Prefrosh descend on Campus:</b> Yay! More students to indoctrinate. Erm, we mean “welcome.” — thumbs up
UA Update
Spring Weekend will be from April 23 to 25. Ben Folds will be performing live in concert with Sara Bareilles and Hotel Lights, starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 25th in the Johnson Athletic Center. To purchase tickets for this event, which are only $15 for MIT students, as well as tickets for any other Spring Weekend events, please visit: <i>http://sao.mit.edu/tickets</i>. Make sure to buy your tickets today, before it’s too late!
CONCERT REVIEW MIT Chamber Chorus Prepares for Harbison’s Seventieth
There’s no getting around Tomás Luis de Victoria’s setting of <i>O magnum mysterium</i> text for me, if it isn’t for Francis Poulenc’s setting of the same text. But maybe that’s an asset when it comes to listening to Harbison.
PREFROSH EXCLUSIVE Attention Prefrosh: Arts at MIT
Whether you’re completely new to MIT or a self-proclaimed lifer, there are always plenty of ways to get involved with the arts at MIT, or in the surrounding community. Here’s a brief guide to what kinds of arts opportunities are available at MIT. If you’re hoping to get off campus for a bit and explore arts in the city, there’s even more out there to satisfy your craving. This article isn’t intended to list every group at MIT nor every concert hall in Boston, but rather to give a small sampling of what you could enjoy here. Exploring on your own is always an encouraged avenue for finding out about art at MIT and in the city!
MOVIE REVIEW ★★ ½ / 4 Conspiracies Abound in ‘State of Play’
S<i>tate of Play</i>, based on a BBC miniseries by the same name, begins with a chase: a frantic dash across busy streets and crowded stores. The person being pursued, a street criminal, finds what seems to be a safe location behind trash cans, only to be shot in the head by an unmasked assailant, an eerie individual the viewer sees at various points in the film. The next scene depicts the murder of a young woman whose death is implied by a scream as she is pushed in front of a subway train. Seemingly unrelated, the two murders set into motion a mystery thriller interweaving journalism, politics, and personal affairs. Despite this fast-paced opening, the film slows to a meandering walk as the plot develops in various locales around Washington, D.C., with twists and turns that eventually confuse the moviegoer.
CONCERT REVIEW Great Scots at The Paradise
Glasvegas, Scotland’s hottest rock group, is on their first U.S. tour to promote their eponymous debut album. After visits to David Letterman and SXSW, they finally arrived at Boston’s venerable Paradise Rock Club on Tuesday night. Joining them in the sold out show was Ida Maria, a promising and kinetic Swedish singer.
Next Act
Don’t forget to check out Next Act’s performance of Sweet Charity, based on a book written by Neil Simon. The music was composed by Cy Coleman and lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. Performances are scheduled for today and tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Next House. The best part: admission is free! This year’s production is directed by Matt Cohen ’10.
The Long Offseason Is Over; It’s Time for Baseball to Resume
The 2009 MLB season is finally under way, and while the anticipated has given way to excitement, this also means that baseball fans start to lose half of their time awake following scores and tracking their fantasy baseball team. Anyway, here are some random thoughts, and predictions for the season.
Sports Shorts
After pushing the tying run across in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, the MIT softball team exploded for 10 runs in the ninth to win game one of a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader, 16-7, at Smith College on Tuesday. The Engineers fell in the nightcap, 10-4, in a game that lasted just six innings due to darkness.
The Tech’s Athlete of the Week: Casey Flynn ’10
For the first time in her career Casey M. Flynn ’10 was voted the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Week. In a 3-0 week for MIT, she tallied 16 goals, six assists, six groundballs, four caused turnovers, and one draw control.
GAME OF THE WEEK Nunez Drives in Four As Baseball Extends Winning Streak to Four
Steven M. Nunez ’09 came off the bench to drive in four runs including a base-clearing triple in the fifth inning, as MIT earned the fourth of five consecutive victories with a 9-4 victory over Springfield College at Briggs Field on Tuesday. Rookie pitcher Christopher L. Vaughan ’12 enjoyed his best outing of the campaign after giving up one earned run in 7.1 innings of work while notching his second career win.
