Sharma and Ndengeyingoma win election for UA presidency
On March 21, after weeks of campaigns from three tickets, Shruti Sharma ’15 and Billy Ndengeyingoma ’15 emerged as the winners of this year’s Undergraduate Association elections for president and vice president. In preparation for their upcoming administration, Sharma and Ndengeyingoma have described three overarching themes for their tenure on their campaign website: the MIT educational experience, communication and visibility, and the residential campus of the 21st century.
Group urges checks on online learning at MIT
Concerned about the pace of change brought about by online learning, an Institute subcommittee is now preparing to recommend a “face-time” degree requirement, strong oversight of on-campus MITx experiments, and a “conservative initial approach” to awarding credit for edX classes.
High court weighs patents on software
In a case with the potential to reshape the software industry, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday seemed poised to issue fresh limits on patents for computer-based business methods.
Shorts (right)
PRAGUE — The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic, who was killed Jan. 1 in an explosion in his new residence here, most likely died after an explosive device he was holding detonated, the Czech police said Monday.
Curbs on data collection get tentative nod
WASHINGTON — A proposal backed by President Barack Obama to constrain the National Security Agency’s systematic collection of Americans’ telephone data drew a cautious welcome Sunday from a key congressional intelligence leader, but she offered a few significant caveats.
Greece clears the way for bailout money after vote
ATHENS, Greece — The Greek Parliament voted narrowly early Monday to back a bitterly contested package of economic changes, clearing the way for the release of further funding considered crucial for a financial rescue, despite a last-minute attempt by the political opposition to postpone the vote.
Summer arrives at last — just kidding
After a terrible weekend of floods and ice pellets, summer has arrived! Expect temperatures in the high 70s°F and unabated sunshine.
Turkey’s premier gets push from party in local elections
ISTANBUL — Even as he faced sweeping anti-government protests last summer and a corruption investigation that challenged his rule, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held close to the notion that voters had put him in office and would do so again.
UN court orders Japan to halt Antarctic whaling
PARIS — The United Nations’ highest court Monday ordered Japan to halt its annual whaling hunt in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, saying that its present program was not being carried out for scientific purposes, as Japan has claimed.
Shorts (left)
Now that Brazil has introduced vaccines against cervical cancer, more than 80 percent of girls in the Americas can get them, the Pan American Health Organization announced last month.
Asiana airlines: secondary cause of San Francisco crash was bad software
WASHINGTON — While the world has been fixated on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the investigation in the crash of another Boeing 777, the Asiana flight into San Francisco last July, is plodding forward, and the Korean carrier is raising arguments that threaten to put another question mark over the jetliner.
Shabu Shazam!
Shabu-shabu, the Japanese style of hot pot, actually translates to swish-swish, echoing the sounds that the ingredients make as you stir them in the soup at your table. It makes sense that Swish Shabu has evoked this auditory experience with their name, as they provide a dining experience that is a treat for all of the senses. Not only are the cook-it-yourself meats and vegetables delicious, the presentation is excellent and the pleasant service adds to an overwhelmingly positive meal.
The Tech interviews Leonard Nimoy
Over spring break I had the incredible opportunity to interview Leonard Nimoy. While he is perhaps best known for his role as Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, Mr. Nimoy is also a renowned and talented photographer. Mr. Nimoy shares his experiences with photography, his projects, and MIT. His photography is being shown at the Sherman Gallery at Boston University until May 9.
A prodigious piano performance
The stage of Symphony Hall — usually packed with over a hundred Boston Symphony Orchestra performers — seemed empty on Sunday evening, as it had nothing but one grand piano. But that all changed when Evgeny Kissin released the first chord of Franz Schubert’s Sonata No. 17. The sheer power of that first note, which filled the entire Hall, marked the beginning of a night of phenomenal piano music.
Garcia-Dominguez discusses music at MIT
The Emerson Scholars and Emerson Fellows program helps recognize the many talented musicians at MIT. The Tech had the opportunity to talk to Dario Garcia-Dominguez ’15 about what it’s like to be an Emerson Fellow, his Advanced Music Performance Student Recital this Wednesday at Killian Hall at 5 p.m., and music at the MIT. Garcia-Dominguez plays the piano and will be performing the following at his recital: Beethoven, Bagatelles, Op. 33, Sonata in E Major, Op. 109; Chopin, Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38; Prokofiev, Sonata No. 3 in a minor, Op. 28; and Liebermann, Gargoyles, Op. 29.
Champions League soccer returns with quarterfinals
March was truly filled with madness in sports. NFL free agency opened up and teams raced to sign the best free agents in the market. NCAA basketball fans witnessed some incredible upsets and millions were forced to shred their brackets. European soccer saw some magnificent matches and events. Chelsea’s 6-0 demolition against Arsenal, Barcelona’s 4-3 win and Messi’s historic hat-trick against Real Madrid in the el Clasico, and Bayern Munich’s clinching of the Bundesliga title with still a good amount of games remaining in the German league are just some examples of what European soccer produced in March. Apart from the leagues, Champions League soccer continued and the round of 16 came to an end. Thus, only eight teams now remain on the quest to be Europe’s best. Let’s take a look at the match-ups.
MIT sweeps Clark with solid pitching
Solid starting pitching from Nicholas J. Locascio ’16 and David A. Hesslink ’17 led MIT to a sweep of Clark University in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball doubleheader on Saturday, March 29. The Engineers took game one 8-1 before completing the sweep with a 2-0 victory that improved the Engineers to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in the NEWMAC. Clark fell to 4-13 and 1-4 with the losses.
Proving the ‘impossible’
When Professor Andrei Linde of Stanford University first read a paper in the 1980s by MIT professor Alan Guth, then a postdoc at Stanford, he was taken by its description of cosmic “inflation,” the notion that one trillionth of one trillionth of one trillionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe — for an infinitely brief moment — expanded faster than the speed of light. Linde immediately started improving the theory, completing his reworking before Guth’s next paper came from the United States that said the theory was impossible. “It’s a good thing the Soviet mail system was so slow, I didn’t hear I couldn’t improve the theory until I already had!” jokes Linde.
Events April 1 - April 7
Events Apr. 1 – Apr. 7 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Deutschland Theaterland: Exploring German history and culture through theatre — E40-464 Wednesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m) MIT Spouses and Partners Wednesday meeting: Dispelling Myths about Libido — E55-Penthouse (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Space Board Games Night — Building 33, 1st floor lounge Thursday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) The Picower Lecture: Impact on circuits critical for memory across species presented by Dr. Carol A. Barnes — 46-3002 (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) The Untold History of the United States — E51-115 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Romanian Students Association presents Wild Carpathia 3 — 37-212 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Advanced Music Performance Student Recital featuring Eleanor Bors, cello — 14W-111 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Saving Mr. Banks — 26-100 Saturday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Science Carnival — Sidney-Pacific-MP Room (2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Graduate Association of Mechanical Engineers Art Appreciation Day — W20-306 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Ebony Affair: Essence of Excellence — W50-105 Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Sidney-Pacific Despicable Me April Brunch — Sidney-Pacific MP Room (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Percussionist Hubert Zemler and Evan Ziporyn, clarinet — Killian Hall Monday (2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Who Benefits When the Government Pays More? Evidence from Medicare Advantage — E62-450 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Land Reform and Sex Selection in China — E62-650 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
