Proposed Minor Asks: How Does Technology Alter the Environment?
Eighty-nine faculty members from a variety of departments have banded together to propose a new sustainability minor, an “extension” of the energy minor introduced last year. The members make up FENS, the MIT Faculty Environmental Network for Sustainability, and their proposal would create an undergraduate minor and a graduate certificate program in environment and sustainability.
Libraries Complete $5 Million Renovations Over the Summer
Looking for a cool new place to study this semester? MIT recently renovated two of its largest libraries. Dewey Library boasts a $4.6 million facelift that includes expanded group study space and more environmentally responsible features. Barker Library gained a brighter reading room and inherited the orphaned collections of the Aeronautics and Astronautics Library, which was closed in June. The collections of the other closed library, Lindgren, have been relocated to Hayden.
MIT Graduate Student Runs for City Council, Hopes to Represent Students
On November 3, Cambridge voters will decide whether an MIT student is fit to serve on city council. Leland Cheung, a graduate student in the Sloan School of Business is running for a position on city council because he believes “[We] need a student voice representing our interest,” a “liaison” between the students and the city government.
William Safire, Political Columnist, Dies At 79
William Safire, a speechwriter for President Richard M. Nixon and a Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for The New York Times who also wrote novels, books on politics and a Malaprop’s treasury of articles on language, died at a hospice in Rockville, Md., on Sunday. He was 79.
Report on Russia-Georgia War to Fault Both Sides
After a lengthy inquiry, investigators commissioned by the European Union are expected to conclude that Georgia ignited last year’s war with Russia by attacking separatists in South Ossetia, rejecting the Georgian government’s explanation that the attack was defensive, according to an official familiar with the investigators’ work.
Europe’s Socialists Suffering Even in Bad Capitalist Times
A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of socialism’s slow collapse.
Shorts (left)
Zimbabwe’s Supreme Court tossed out terrorism charges against the prominent human rights activist Jestina Mukoko on Monday, ruling that she herself had been terrorized when state security agents abducted and tortured her.
More Cows, Producing More Milk, and More Headaches
Three years ago, a technological breakthrough gave dairy farmers the chance to bend a basic rule of nature: no longer would their cows have to give birth to equal numbers of female and male offspring. Instead, using a high-technology method to sort the sperm of dairy bulls, they could produce mostly female calves to be raised into profitable milk producers.
Shorts (right)
Corporate mergers and acquisitions all but dried up during last year’s financial crisis. But on Monday, Wall Street bounded higher on signs that companies once again had enough cash, credit and confidence to undertake big-ticket deals.
Iran Tests Longer-Range Missiles
Locked in a deepening dispute with the United States and its allies over its nuclear program, Iran said Monday that its Revolutionary Guards test-fired missiles with sufficient range to strike Israel, parts of Europe and American bases in the Persian Gulf.
Cooler Than Average Temperatures
After Sunday’s overcast rain, yesterday’s sunny blue skies (and its beautiful high of 75°F) were quite wonderful. However, last night we saw a large cold front pass that stretches down from Canada all along the Eastern seaboard and curves around through the gulf of Mexico. As it moved through our region, it brought clouds and rain.
MIT Alum Clears the Air about High Frequency Trading
While the national media has focused much attention on the field of high-frequency trading (HFT), there continues to be a great amount of confusion surrounding the practice. Indeed <i>The Tech</i> recently ran a <i>New York Times</i> article erroneously headlined “SEC Seeks To Ban High-Frequency Trading,” which was quickly corrected to “SEC Seeks To Ban Flash Orders.” As a recent MIT graduate working for Jump Trading, a major player in the HFT world, I wish to share my first-hand exposure to the industry and clear the air surrounding some of the claims the media has brought up. In this article I discuss what high frequency trading is, the role of flash orders, and the false perception that HFT firms have an unfair advantage over the rest of the market.
Letters to the Editor
I appreciate the interest and the concern expressed recently regarding the Admissions Office’s decision to change our freshman application essay requirements by replacing one 500 word essay with three 200–250 word short answer questions. I thought it might be helpful to offer our thinking in making this change.
MIT Football Falls to Nichols College, Still Looking for First Win
The MIT Engineers lost Saturday to the Nichols College Bisons at Nichols’ homecoming game 31-19. The Engineers came out strong, forcing a three-and-out right and responding by driving the ball down the field. The momentum was stifled, however, when MIT kicker Peter W. Gilliland ’12’s kick hit off the left upright. The Bisons, lead by quarterback Sean Smith-Vaughn, were able to drive downfield and take the lead on a 25-yard field goal.
Women’s SoccerDefeats WPI 4-0,Extends Streak to Five Women’s Cross Country Finishes ThirdAt Codfish Bowl
In a battle of the Engineers, MIT Women’s Soccer won a 4-0 shutout over WPI in its conference opener Saturday at Roberts Field. MIT (5-2) has now won five in a row, while WPI (3-6) has lost two straight.
Ask SIPB
This week’s column includes the annual cluster combo change, how to print to private printers, and some SIPB services — come to our cluedumps lectures and learn about various computing topics, and listen to free music on-demand through MIT cable.
Brouhaha Rhythm
The recent Stephenie Meyer phenomenon of <i>Twilight</i> has raised some very divisive questions among fantasy fans. All debating over artistic merit aside, up for contention is the matter of exactly how many liberties an author can take with established monster lore. The concept of the vampire has been around for centuries, and the <i>Twilight</i> series seems to incorporate very little of it. Fine, so Edward Cullen drinks blood, is sort of ancient, and has a mild allergy to sunlight, but then again, so does Ozzy Osbourne. Few would mistake Ozzy for a vampire, and much fewer would mistake him for the lead in a romance novel.
