Memories of junior Brian G. Anderson
At Brian G. Anderson ’13’s memorial service in Minnesota on Saturday, friends and family agreed on certain things about the MIT junior: He was fearless and strong. He was brilliant and loved MIT. He was frequently barefoot and in trees — often at the same time.
Burton-Conner housemasters step down after eight years
Burton-Conner housemasters Merritt Roe Smith and Bronwyn M. Mellquist announced that they will be stepping down as housemasters in an email to the dorm on Feb. 24.
Cancer researchers announce alliance
The two federally designated cancer centers in the Boston area are embarking on an unusual alliance that will combine the research strengths of both organizations to yield new treatments and insights into two highly lethal cancers.
CORRECTIONS
A brief published on March 7 incorrectly stated that Michael E. Plasmeier ’13 of Baker House held a proxy vote for Brian Luque ’12. Plasmeier is the current president of Baker — Luque’s term expired last month — and voted as a UA Council member.
Shorts (right)
The Supreme Court of Iran has tossed out the death penalty conviction of a former U.S. Marine accused of spying and ordered a retrial in a separate court, Iranian news services reported Monday.
Shorts (left)
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has boasted for months about playing host to the annual summit meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations this May in his hometown, Chicago. But Monday, without explanation, the White House announced a shift to the secluded setting of Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
Leadership rift emerges in Pakistani Taliban
ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani Taliban faced the prospect of a damaging leadership rift Monday when the abrupt dismissal of a senior commander provoked an angry reaction in the militants’ ranks, offering the Islamabad government a fresh opportunity to weaken a foe that in recent years has killed thousands of Pakistanis and tried to detonate a crude car bomb in Times Square in 2010.
Unusual warming trend will continue until Friday
A broad ridge of high pressure will slowly build over the Atlantic this week. As a result of its slow evolution, New England will benefit from tranquil weather through at least Thursday, including a noticeable increase in temperatures. In fact, temperatures could very well reach the upper 60s (19–21°C) by Thursday due to a sustained, southwesterly flow on the western side of the ridge. This flow and its accompanying surface winds should strengthen day-by-day, reaching their maximum by Thursday and funneling in very warm air from the mid-Atlantic states.
Big sentencing disparity seen among US judges
A new analysis of hundreds of thousands of cases in federal courts has found vast disparities in the prison sentences handed down by judges presiding over similar cases, raising questions about the extent to which federal sentences are influenced by the particular judges rather than by the specific circumstances of the cases.
At least 20 police officers killed in western Iraq
Yasser Ghazi contributed reporting from Baghdad, and Iraqi employees of The New York Times from Anbar province.
Study finds a growing student debt load
A report released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York renews concerns about the growing debt load of college students and graduates.
Afghanistan talks are embittered after Quran burnings
KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States and Afghanistan appeared to make no headway here Monday in high-level negotiations on a long-term strategic partnership that have been embittered somewhat by the Quran burnings last month. Elsewhere, further violence left three people dead, including two children killed in a suicide attack on the main NATO military base where the Qurans were desecrated.
Happy dining
A couple months ago, I wrote an article . Perhaps I am writing this article now because I was a little bit too harsh. Or it could be because I have gone to the dark side.
Fusion research is a wise investment
Course 22 senior Derek Sutherland’s article in last Friday’s Tech did a great job of describing why the Alcator C-Mod magnetic fusion experiment, the largest experiment at MIT, deserves to be funded in the fiscal year 2013 federal budget. But it is also imperative to note how magnetic fusion energy research in the United States as a whole is in serious danger at this time, and how the path proposed for fusion in the 2013 budget is harmful to the future of U.S. energy independence and U.S. scientific leadership.
Rethinking MITx
This past December MIT announced the launch of “MITx,” a new online learning initiative that will offer a large selection of MIT courses online and will allow those that demonstrate mastery of course material to earn a certificate of completion. The announcement has received much praise from both faculty and students as a mark of progress and a major step towards global education — but has the MIT community really considered the full impact of MITx?
The benefits of MITx
MITx has stimulated much discussion among MIT students, and seems to have divided them into two camps: the ones who believe that our degree will be devalued by the implementation of MITx and those who do not. In fact, the most likely outcome is that MITx will reap enormous benefits, both on campus and internationally.
Good riddance, Alcator C-Mod
No one likes to hear that their work is a waste of time and money. But the job of government is not to assuage the egos of research scientists — the public welfare, writ large, comes first. In a guest column last week, Derek Sutherland ’12 bemoaned a proposed cut to state funding of the Alcator C-Mod reactor at MIT. I’m sorry Derek, but it needed to be said: your research was not worthy of the public’s money, and to be frank, was also not worth your time and attention as a researcher.
LA Galaxy to keep Beckham
This past January, professional soccer player David Beckham ended doubts about leaving the MLS after he re-signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy for an additional two years. As the end of Beckham’s five year contract drew near in the late months of 2011, it was unclear whether he would stay with the American club or move to French club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Earlier in 2011, PSG made serious attempts to sign Beckham to their squad, promising to more than match any offers by the Galaxy. Although Beckham deferred his decision until after the MLS Cup Championship, he finally announced that he would stay with the Galaxy. This decision marks a renewed commitment to the Galaxy, the MLS, and soccer in America.
Basketball makes history, advances to Sweet 16
The MIT’s Men’s Basketball team made program history last weekend, advancing to the nation’s Sweet 16 for the first time in Institute history, beating Skidmore and Farmingdale State. As a team, MIT picked up five double-doubles this weekend en route to the team’s hope of a national championship.
SPORTS SHORT
MIT’s Men’s Tennis defeated Bentley on Friday and served the Falcons their first loss of the season. MIT beat Bentley 7-2, walking away with a 3-2 record and a national overall rank of 25th while the Falcons’ record declined to 6-1.
Events March 6 - March 12
Events Mar. 06 – mar. 12 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) 40th Annual James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award Lecture : “Radicals: Your Life Is In Their Hands” — 10-250 (7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) American Medical Student Association holds MCAT Information Session — 66-144 Wednesday (2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Poverty, Growth, and the Demand for Energy — E51-376 (6:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) 2012 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Ceremony — 10-250 (Receptions in Lobby 10) Thursday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Brain and Cognitive Sciences The Hans-Lukas Teuber Lecture: Searching for Collective Behavior in Real Neural Networks — 46-3002 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Woman Take the Reel 2012 Film Screening: Ella es el Matador (She is the Matador) — 6-120 Friday (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) STAGE: a seminar in algebraic geometry and number theory — 2-143 (12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) The Design and Computation Lecture Series presents “Designing Deception in the Magician Craft” — 7-431 Saturday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT Figure Skating Club’s Annual Exhibition — Johnson Athletic Center Ice Arena Monday (5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Legatum Lecture presents Standing on the Sun: The Emerging Economies Drive the Evolution of Capitalism presented by Christopher Meyer — E62-262 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) A Noble Attack on Dark Matter — 26-414 (Kolker Room) Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
