Engineered T-cells vanquish cancer in patients
PHILADELPHIA — A year ago, when chemotherapy stopped working against his leukemia, William Ludwig signed up to be the first patient treated in a bold experiment at the University of Pennsylvania. Ludwig, then 65, a retired corrections officer from Bridgeton, N.J., felt his life draining away and thought he had nothing to lose.
CORRECTIONS
Due to police error, the police log published on April 11, 2008 misstated the identity of Mikhail Shklyar of Beverly Mass., who was reported arrested for trespassing on March 18, 2008. The man who was actually arrested shared the same name, Mikhail Shklyar, but was from Brooklyn, New York at the time of the arrest.
Ex-Genzyme chief gives $10m to MGH cancer unit
Retired biotechnology executive Henri A. Termeer, who built Genzyme Corp. into the largest US company specializing in drugs to treat rare genetic disorders, is donating $10 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to establish it as a world leader in personalized medicine.
UA elections begin tomorrow
Voting in the elections for the Undergraduate Association Senate and Class of 2015 Council will begin on Wednesday. Online voting will begin on Wednesday at 9 a.m. and run until Thursday at midnight, while paper voting will occur between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday in Lobby 10. There are currently five candidates for 2015 president, one for vice president, and one for publicity chair, but no candidates for social chair.
MIT remembers sacrifices made on September 11
This is the second segment in a two-part series on MIT’s response to the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Class registration is finally going digital
Registering for classes is going to get a lot easier. Over the last two weeks, students in Courses 4, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21W, and 24 participated in the pilot online registration system. Online registration is expected to expand to other departments by next semester.
Shorts (left)
Broadcom agreed Monday to buy NetLogic Microsystems for $3.7 billion in cash, in a bid to capitalize on the world’s surging data needs.
Wall Street recovers as new worries shake Euro markets
Shares on Wall Street closed mostly higher Monday despite fears of a deepening debt crisis in Europe that battered European markets and financial institutions suspected of being vulnerable to a possible Greek default.
Warm weather now, but cooling through the week
New England will not contend with any rain today, except for some afternoon clouds. A strong low pressure spinning in northern Quebec will funnel in warm, moist air from the southern U.S. This will raise temperatures well into the 80s°F for today and tomorrow. Then, a cold front should approach on Wednesday, providing an opportunity for some pop-up thunderstorms. A cooler air mass will follow the front’s passage on Thursday, as well as clear skies by the weekend.
Default rates for federal student loans rise sharply
The share of federal student loan defaults rose sharply last year, especially at for-profit schools, where 15 percent of borrowers defaulted in the first two years of repayment, up from 11.6 percent the previous year.
Sparking the conversation
As MIT students, we need to “engage in more public discourse.” Last Tuesday, The Tech’s call for undergraduates to move on from squabbling over student life complications was encouraging. The editorial invited a serious discussion of MIT’s social and political importance. In the coming weeks, complaints about little things on campus will die down. But it remains to be seen whether undergraduates will stand up and begin to participate in the larger debates that will not only shape the Institute, but the world. Let me begin where The Tech left off.
GUEST COLUMN Love trumps all
After reading Igor Yanovich’s Sept. 9 column on the abortion issue, I felt that it was time to add a woman’s viewpoint to this debate. Quite honestly, I take offense when one characterizes the pro-life movement as an attempt to keep women “domestic, weak, and submissive to men.” I’m not so naïve as to think that the anti-abortion movement is without flaws. However, I would like to offer a different pro-life perspective for your consideration. Once you read this, you can judge whether the pro-livfe case is really all about control over women.
The anti-stimulus argument
In 1965, Milton Friedman, the scion of right-wing economics, famously declared, “We are all Keynesians now.” If he were alive today, Friedman might add, “And we are all Keynesians still.” The view of mainstream economics (and myself) is that the United States is suffering from a lack of aggregate demand, and the solution to our economic woes is economic stimulus, i.e., some combination of tax cuts, government spending, and an expansion of our monetary supply.
Sports Shorts
MIT football kicked off its 2011 season with a 35-13 win against Becker College, its second straight season-opening win. The 35 points MIT put on the scoreboard was the most since its 48-15 win against Western New England in 2008. John C. Wenzel ’14 passed for 224 yards, and Justin R. Wallace ’15 started his collegiate career with an impressive 170 rushing yards; the young duo created a foundation for a strong, balanced attack. Offense wasn’t the only outstanding aspect MIT displayed during the game. The Engineers shut out Becker for the first three quarters, only allowing 74 rushing yards.
Overview of this year’s Patriots
After being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons, the Patriots hope to return to their championship-winning mode that fans have become familiar with over the last several years. Although many of the former Patriot stars who were a vital part of their championship teams are now either retired or on other teams — defensive backs Ty Law and Asante Samuel, safety Rodney Harrison, linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel, running back Corey Dillon, and wide receiver Troy Brown — the Patriots still show promise for this upcoming season.
Tennis sweeps opener MIT women easily beat Smith College, 9-0
The MIT Women’s Varsity Tennis team swept in their first meet of the fall season with a 9-0 official score against Smith College. In doubles, returning athletes Lauren C. Quisenberry ’14 and Stasey Vishnevetsky ’12 were off the court first with a speedy 8-1 victory at first doubles. Soon to follow were Julia C. Hsu ’14 and, in her first varsity match, Michelle M. Dutt ’15 with another 8-1 win at second doubles. No doubles players fell to Smith as third doubles team Vynnie J. Kong ’15 and Juana Becerra ’15 won 8-4. In unofficial doubles play, Engineers Alexandria C. Hall ’12 and Hillary E. Jenny ’12, as well as and Caitlin R. Pomeroy ’13 and Maddie B. Aby ’15, experienced victories of their own.
Events: Sept. 13 - Sept. 19
Events Sept. 13 – sept. 19 Tuesday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Student Loan Art Lottery Reception — E15-100 (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Throw it Against the IDEAS Wall, kick-off event for t=0 entrepreneurship festival — Stata Center Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Community picnic at Maseeh Hall — Amherst Street at Masseh Hall Thursday (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT Political Science Distinguished Speaker Series, Forum on Rebuilding the American Economy — E51 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Jason Moran Film Screening: In My Mind — 14-111 Friday (2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Multicultural BBQ — Kresge BBQ Pits (7:00 p.m.) Fred Fest IV, featuring Air Traffic Controller and Mission Hill — East Campus Courtyard Saturday (4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.) LSC shows Rango — 26-100 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Bhopal — Sound of Struggle : 26th Movement — 14W-111 Sunday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. ) LSC shows Thor and Rango — 26-100 Monday (5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.) MIT Madrid Info Session — 14E-304 (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Bill Evans, Banjo Concert — 14W-111 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Remembering September 11th
On Sunday morning, over 200 members of the MIT community gathered to remember those lost a decade ago on September 11th and honor the heroes of that day. Speakers included President Susan J. Hockfield, MIT Director of Facilities and Security John DiFava, Chancellor Eric Grimson PhD ’80, and Chaplain Robert M. Randolph. The ceremony started in Lobby 10 with an invocation and moment of silence, and moved outside to Killian for the flag lowering ceremony and benediction. It was a fitting tribute to those who died and those who selflessly gave their lives. Watch the video at <a href=http://tech.mit.edu/V131/N36/september11/video.html rel=nofollow> <i>http://tech.mit.edu/V131/N36/september11/video.html</i></a>.
A feast for your eyes
I never wanted to wear glasses. At one point, I was so desperate to avoid being called “four eyes” that I ate raw carrots nonstop for a year after hearing that their vitamins gave rabbits great vision. It made sense at the time since the wild rabbits in my neighborhood seemed capable of seeing in the dark. However, it was an unappetizing experience that didn’t help my vision and made me avoid carrots for a decade.
