4 MacVicar recipients
Last Friday, four MIT professors were announced as this year’s MacVicar Fellows; William Broadhead, Class of 1954 career development associate professor of history; Leslie P. Kaelbling, Panasonic professor of computer science and engineering; David Kaiser, Germeshausen professor of the history of science; and Nancy L. Rose, Charles P. Kindleberger professor of applied economics. The MacVicar Fellowship recognizes MIT professors for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. These professors will hold their fellowships for a 10-year term, during which they will receive $10,000 annually for educational activities and other scholarly expenses.
Alcator C-Mod’s funding might be cut
Alcator C-Mod — MIT’s tokamak, a toroidal plasma confinement fusion device — is currently facing the possibility of getting all of its federal funding cut.
Kendall Biogen back
Joining the growing biotechnology industry presence in Cambridge, in 2013 Biogen Idec, the third largest biotechnology company in the world, will move its executive office from its location in Weston, Mass. to Kendall Square. The move reverses the company’s relocation two years ago, when Biogen Idec’s headquarters (including sales and marketing) moved from Cambridge to Weston, leaving its Research and Development (R&D) division in Cambridge.
Course 11 professor passes away at 68
Alice H. Amsden, an expert in economic development who served as the Barton L. Weller Professor of Political Economy in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, died suddenly on March 15 at her home in Cambridge. She was 68.
Forum discusses USPS future
USPS Inspector General David C. Williams came to MIT last Thursday to discuss the future of the United States Postal Service as part of MIT’s Communication Forum. The talk touched upon important issues that the Postal Service must face in order to survive the current economic climate.
Google expansion approved
Cambridge City Council voted Monday night to approve a plan for Google Inc. to increase its Kendall Square office in an expansion that would halve a public rooftop garden.
Shorts (left)
TOULOUSE, France — French authorities were searching Monday for a man suspected in a string of methodical killings that have terrorized this city and the surrounding area in southwestern France, following an attack outside a Jewish school Monday morning that killed four people, including three young children.
US war game sees dire results of Israeli attack on Iran
WASHINGTON — A classified war simulation exercise held this month to assess the U.S. military’s capabilities to respond to an Israeli attack on Iran forecast that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to U.S. officials.
Official raises death toll in Yemen conflict to over 2,000
At least 2,000 Yemenis were killed during the year of political unrest after popular protests broke out seeking the ouster of the entrenched authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s minister of human rights announced in a speech to the United Nations.
Shorts (right)
Apple announced Monday that it would at last return some of its cash pile to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks, at a cost of more than $10 billion a year for the next three years. But it is attracting so much cash — $1 billion a week in the last holiday season alone — that the move will not put a dent in Apple’s coffers.
US completes sale of $225 billion in mortgage-backed securities
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department announced Monday that it had finished selling the $225 billion in mortgage-backed securities it bought to help stabilize the markets during the worst of the financial crisis.
Publicity push as health law’s court date nears
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Capitol Hill have put together a highly coordinated two-week renewed assault on the health care law, seizing on the legislation’s second anniversary and the next week’s oral arguments before the Supreme Court concerning its constitutionality.
Temperatures 25°F-35°F above average to continue
This past Sunday, temperatures soared into the mid seventies in the Boston area. Logan airport recorded a record high temperature of 74°F, besting the previous high mark of 70°F. This was 27°F above the average high of 47°F for this time of year. Sunday’s impressive performance was repeated on Monday with another record high of 74°F. Although temperatures are forecast to remain warm throughout the week, the record streak is in danger as record highs for March 20 and 21 at Logan are 79°F and 83°F, respectively. These values are a few degrees higher than the current forecast.
MIT Taekwondo victorious
On Sunday, Feb. 19, the MIT Sport Taekwondo team moved closer to the league championship title by taking first at the third Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) tournament hosted by Princeton University. At the end of the day, MIT stood in first place with 409 points, leading Division I rival Cornell, who finished at 347 points. With a team of 44 athletes, MIT made sure to show tremendous team spirit and composure throughout the day.
COLLEEN T. ROCK ’14: Rock dominates on and off the ice at MIT
A blood clot caused irreparable damage to Colleen’s spinal cord when she was just 11 years old, causing her to become paraplegic at a young age. She has, nevertheless, excelled tremendously in computer science, mathematics, and robotics and is a cheerful Course 6 sophomore in Alpha Chi Omega. Her secret, though: She’s been on the U.S. Women’s National Sled Hockey Team for over eight years. An extraordinary athlete and student, Colleen sat down with the The Tech explain more about her life at MIT and as a national athlete.
Historic season for basketball
Last weekend, the MIT Men’s Basketball team’s best season in history came to an end with a 56-71 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Final Four.
Go ahead, cross the line Plyometric workouts give cardio and strength training
Looking for a full-body workout to do at home? Plyometric circuits offer intense combinations of cardio and strength training and can be done in 10–15 minutes every day. So the next time you’re looking for a change of pace at the gym or a tough at-home workout, consider incorporating some or all of the drills in this circuit.
Events Calendar Mar. 20 - Mar. 26
Events Mar. 20 – mar. 24 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) MIT President Search: Student Forum — 3-442 (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MISTI and Amnesty International present a Film Screening: Khodorkovksy — 10-250 Thursday (12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Energy 101 : The UN Framework for Climate Change, lectures aimed at providing basic understanding on various topics in the energy field — 66-144 Friday (2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Earthsickness: Circumnavigation and the Origins of Planetary Consciousness — E51-095 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Emerson Scholar Student Recital: Sherman Jia and Vincent Cheung — Killian Hall (14W-111) Monday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Buoyancy Waves, Density Currents, and Their Possible Roles in Intensifying Continental Convection — 54-915 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) An Update from ATLAS: Recent Results and the Road Ahead — 26-414 (Kolker Room) Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
