Four MIT faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Four MIT professors are among the 84 members newly elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year, according to an MIT News Office press release. The new members, announced Tuesday, are economics professor Daron Acemoglu, brain and cognitive sciences professor Emery Brown, biology professor Alan Grossman, and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences professor Timothy Grove.
Institute announces final design for new nanotech laboratory
Starting in spring 2018, MIT nanotechnology researchers will no longer have to go to Harvard to find suitable lab equipment. On Tuesday, MIT announced that it has committed $350 million to the construction of a new state-of-the-art nanoscale research facility.
CORRECTIONS
The print version of an article in the Tuesday, April 29 issue of The Tech incorrectly suggests that Professor Simon Johnson is involved with Rubin and Elitzer’s project.
Six Mass. colleges scrutinized for sexual assault case handling
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Department of Education released a list Thursday of 55 colleges across the country — including six in Massachusetts — facing federal investigations into their handling of sexual assault and harassment complaints.
Shorts (right)
BAGHDAD — Millions of Iraqis voted for a new Parliament on Wednesday, defying threats from Islamist extremists, in an election that was carried out, by Iraq’s brutal standards, in remarkable peace.
Turkish protestors defy May Day ban, dozens detained
ISTANBUL — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Istanbul on Thursday in May Day rallies, confronting riot police officers to protest, lashing out against a government mired in a corruption scandal and accused of imposing a creeping authoritarianism in Turkey.
Seattle mayor details plan for $15 minimum wage
SEATTLE — Mayor Ed Murray presented on Thursday what he described as an imperfect but workable plan to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage and one of the highest anywhere in the nation, through a series of complex and phased-in stages. Just as crucially, he said, the plan has broad political support, with a coalition of labor and business groups ready to push hard for it at the City Council, starting with the first hearings next week.
Springtime temperatures for the weekend
After a week filled with temperatures in the 40s and on-and-off rain, Boston will finally see some nicer weather this weekend. Each day for the next few days will have a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 60s. A mass of cold air high in the air column will move over the region on Sunday, creating an instability in the atmosphere. This system could generate showers and thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Depending on the strength of the instability, some forecasts have even predicted the slight possibility of hail.
Shorts (left)
WASHINGTON — Reporting of rape and other sexual assaults in the military is up by 50 percent, according to a Defense Department report that was released Thursday. White House and Pentagon officials said it was a welcome sign of increased confidence among victims that recent steps by military leaders show the Pentagon is taking these cases seriously.
Seeking court’s help, GM hopes to stop suits
An unusual meeting took place this week at a law office high in a Times Square skyscraper. Lawyers from about 100 law firms participated, either in person or by phone. The agenda: solidifying a strategy for taking on General Motors in bankruptcy court.
Report: Transparency in online data collection needed
WASHINGTON — The White House, hoping to move the national conversation on privacy beyond data harvesting by intelligence agencies to the practices of companies like Google and Facebook, released a long-anticipated report on Thursday that recommends requiring private companies to release information they gather from their customers online.
Let’s talk about gender
How would you feel if you went to a concert where a performer dressed as an aerobics instructor with tights, a wig, and glittery shorts asked you to repeat, “I am not a woman, I am not a man, I am both, I am neither, if you don’t like it, take a breather?”
Pricked will showcase extremes of ballet
Patrick Yocum began dancing eleven years ago, in his hometown of Souderton, PA. After graduating high school, he trained for a year at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and then joined the Boston Ballet II trainee program, working his way through to join the Corps de Ballet in 2011. He spoke to The Tech about life as a dancer, and Boston Ballet’s upcoming performance of Pricked.
MIT cricket team squares off against Babson College for top ranking in league
MIT’s cricket team locked horns with Babson College in an away game at Babson Park, Massachusetts on Sunday, April 27. Much was at stake for the Engineers, as a win would take them to pole position in the American College Cricket League. Overcast skies and a damp outfield welcomed MIT, on what appeared to be favorable conditions for bowling.
MIT softball drops final game of year
MIT scored first and took a two-run lead in the top of the third inning, before ultimately falling to 2013 NCAA Division III champion Tufts University at its final game of the 2014 season by a score of 4-3. Tech wrapped up the season with a record of 10-21, while the Jumbos improved to 33-3.
