Class of 2012 senior survey
As the Class of 2012 finished their last semester as undergraduates, MIT administered to all seniors the online Senior Survey, asking them to reflect on their experience at MIT and their plans for the future. MIT conducts a senior survey once every two years. Of the 1046 seniors this year, 72.8 percent responded to the survey (“answered at least one question”).
House’s suit against US marches forward
Attorneys have agreed upon a schedule in House v. Napolitano, where David M. House is suing the federal government because they confiscated his laptop at a border crossing and held it for 49 days. The case is in Massachusetts federal district court.
Selecting Reif for president
How hard was it to select L. Rafael Reif as MIT’s 17th president? By all accounts, everyone wanted Reif.
Sal Khan gives a Commencement speech of love, empathy, and optimism.
The following is a transcript of the speech given by Salman Khan on June 8, 2012 during MIT’s Commencement.
Drive-by shooting in Inman Square leaves one teen dead
Charlene “Chay” Holmes, 16, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting outside 34-36 Willow St. near Inman Square on Sunday night, roughly one mile from MIT. Her companion, Thanillee Cotto-Felix, 17, was also shot and remains in critical condition.
CORRECTIONS
The table “Selected other university president’s 2010 compensation” that accompanied last Friday’s article about top salaries at MIT incorrectly listed the compensations for President Hockfield. Hockfield’s 2010 paid and total compensations were $832,629 and $1,000,969, not $1,260,427 and $1,316,463, respectively.
Shorts (right)
KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan issued an impassioned call for the end of international airstrikes in his country Tuesday, branding them as an “illegitimate use of force” and saying that the need to protect civilian life demanded a complete halt to those operations, even in cases when troops are under attack.
Heavier weapons push Syrian crisis toward civil war
WASHINGTON — With evidence that powerful new weapons are flowing to both the Syrian government and opposition fighters, the bloody uprising in Syria has thrust the Obama administration into an increasingly difficult position as the conflict shows signs of mutating into a full-fledged civil war.
World Bank sees euro crisis taking global toll
WASHINGTON — The World Bank on Tuesday warned that fears about the eurozone had reduced investors’ tolerance for risk, and it urged poorer economies to protect themselves by reducing their debts.
Yemen says militants are driven from two cities
Yasser Alarami contributed reporting.
Shorts (left)
Even those charged with identifying the world’s greatest geniuses sometimes make bad investment decisions.
JPMorgan chief expected to play down trade risks
When JPMorgan’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, appears on Wednesday on Capitol Hill, he plans to play down the risky trading activities that could prompt as much as $5 billion in losses.
Rainy Wednesday, Picture-Perfect Weekend
The recent pattern of sunshine and seasonably mild weather will be interrupted today by the passage of a cold front through the New England region. This frontal feature will bring with it clouds and light to moderate rainfall for much of the duration of the day today. However, after the rain tapers off this afternoon and evening, the warm weather will pick up right where it left off, as high pressure begins to build in the front’s wake.
Department of Justice sues Florida over voter purge
The Department of Justice on Tuesday followed through on warnings that it would sue Florida over the state’s controversial plan to remove noncitzens from its voter rolls.
The art of war, in charcoal and watercolor
Two days after the charter incorporating MIT was signed in April 1861, Confederate forces attacked a military installation in South Carolina. It was the first in a series of battles that would last four bloody years and decide the fate of a nation. Shiloh, Antietam, Vicksburg, Bull Run and Gettysburg are now the stuff of history, names that to this day evoke deep wounds — physical, psychological, moral — in the very fabric of America, many of which are still open. But there was a time when citizens on all sides of the war followed these names for breaking news, which often took the form of written and graphical reports in printed newspapers.
Everest, everlasting?
A visit to the art galleries on the second floor of the MIT Museum yields a pleasant surprise. “Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya”, featuring the photography of filmmaker-mountaineer David Breashears, successfully integrates art and science to paint a fascinating portrait of climate change in the Greater Himalaya region.
Heat and Thunder face off in 2012 NBA Finals
The 2012 NBA Finals features the two valiant number two seeds: the Miami Heat from the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder from the West. Both teams have had to battle back in the previous rounds in order to arrive here at this point. The Heat trailed 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers before winning three in a row to wrap up the series. They were also down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics before winning two straight to thrust themselves into their second straight NBA Finals.
“There and back again:” From home to home
If there’s one thing everyone seems to get excited about at the end of the semester, it’s about going away. Although no one likes moving, whether to go home or travel to some foreign land for an internship, the vast majority of people are ecstatic about getting out and away.
