BitComp projects aim to encourage students to spend their bitcoin
MIT’s BitComp, a summer-long competition to incentivize bitcoin-related development to correspond to an upcoming distribution of the cryptocurrency to undergraduates, announced its winners last week.
Analysis: US schools that enroll both rich and poor
Vassar has taken steps to hold down spending on faculty and staff. Amherst and the University of Florida have raised new money specifically to spend on financial aid for low-income students. American University reallocated scholarships from well-off students to needy ones. Grinnell set a floor on the share of every freshman class — 15 percent — whose parents didn’t go to college.
Austin Travis, grad student in chemistry, dead at age 26
President L. Rafael Reif emailed the MIT community last Friday afternoon to announce that chemistry graduate student Austin L. Travis, 26, had died Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Apple expands Kendall Square space
Apple is quietly expanding its Kendall Square research office, according to an article in BetaBoston, a website operated by the Boston Globe.
September returns to normal
The beginning of September has seen abnormally scorching temperatures at the Institute this year. Three days above 90°F (32°C) have contributed to September being the warmest month of the year so far in Boston. However, the cold front that sent a series of severe thunderstorms over Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon also ushered in a regime of more seasonable weather, and the observed high and low temperatures on each of the last two days have each been within 4°F of their climatological normals.
Princeton faculty to vote on sexual misconduct policies
Princeton University may soon make significant changes in the way it handles allegations of sexual misconduct, including lowering the standards required to find someone guilty in its disciplinary proceedings.
Shorts (left)
Annie’s Homegrown, the organic food company known for its mac and cheese and earthy vibe, is joining the General Mills empire.
US plan to destroy Islamic State could stretch past 2016
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to carry out a campaign against the Islamic State that may take three years to complete — requiring a sustained effort that could last until after President Barack Obama has left office, according to senior administration officials.
Qatar’s support of extremists alienates allies near and far
CAIRO — The visiting sheik told his audience of wealthy Qataris in Doha that to help the battered residents of Syria, they should not bother with donations to humanitarian programs or the Western-backed Free Syrian Army.
Shorts (right)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Sunday that it would put Matthew Todd Miller, one of the three Americans known to be held in the country, on trial in a week.
Google is target of European backlash on US tech dominance
BRUSSELS — A top German official called for Google to be broken up. A French minister pronounced the company a threat to his country’s sovereignty. A European publishing executive likened it to a Wagnerian dragon.
Syrian bombs hit militant-held territory
BEIRUT — Raids by Syrian warplanes killed at least 25 people, most of them civilians crowding into a bakery, in the northeastern province of Raqqa on Saturday as government forces continued air attacks on territory controlled by the Islamic State, the extremist Sunni militant group.
Bike lanes on campus in need of redesign
Used by students, staff, and faculty to shuttle around campus, cycling has become an integral part of MIT’s transportation network. While bike racks, service stations, and lanes are very common, there remain key issues which must be brought to the attention of the Office of Campus Planning and the greater cycling community to improve the safety and efficiency of bicycling.
The good kid is going back to school
This past week, news circulated that Georgia Regents University Professor Adam Diehl had chosen rapper Kendrick Lamar’s album good kid mAAd city (2012) as the subject of his English class Good Kids, Mad Cities.
Lone goal lifts MIT past Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
For the third time this season, MIT’s women soccer team, ranked 25th in the nation and third in the region in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, earned a one-goal victory as the Engineers defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 1-0, on Sunday morning at Roberts Field at Steinbrenner Stadium. The Engineers and Athena’s were originally scheduled to face-off on Saturday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m., but due to inclement weather the game was postponed to the morning of Sunday, September 7.
Women’s volleyball team places second in weekend tourney
The MIT women’s volleyball team compiled a 3-1 ledger as it was the runner-up at the Vassar College Invitational this past weekend. The Engineers (7-1) fell to SUNY New Paltz in the opener (21-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-13) before outlasting the host Brewers, 23-25, 25-9, 27-29, 25-19, 15-9, in Friday’s nightcap. MIT made quick work of its opponents on Saturday as it swept the College of Mount Saint Vincent (25-9, 25-13, 25-14) and Ramapo College (25-17, 25-16, 25-19). Nicole C. Gagnier ’15 represented the Cardinal and Gray on the All-Tournament Team.
Win over Pomona-Pitzer gives football team 1-0 start to season
Hosting Pomona-Pitzer College in a return game from a year ago, the MIT football team erased an early lead by the Sagehens to take a 28-18 win in the 2014 season opener for both squads. Bradford L. Goldsberry ’15 scored a pair of touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground, to help the Engineers win their season opener for a fifth straight year.
Events Sept. 09 – Sept. 15
Events Sept. 09 – Sept. 15 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) The Search for 100 Earths, with speaker Debra Fischer of Yale, sponsored by Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research — 37-252 (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Go Global Fair, with on-campus global programs and other global program providers, sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development — Kresge Lawn (Bush Room in inclement weather) Wednesday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) t=0 Hardware Innovation Night: 2014 Student Showcase, with speakers Neil Gershenfeld and Peko Hosoi of MIT Startups & Innovators, sponsored by Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship — N51 (MIT Museum) Thursday (2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) How to Work a Career Fair, sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development (advanced registration requested via CareerBridge) — 35-225 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) t=0 Healthcare Innovation: 2014 Student Showcase, with speaker Michael Cima of MIT Healthcare Startups & Innovators, sponsored by Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship — N51 (IDC third floor) Friday (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Technical Interviewing 101, featuring Google, sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development (advanced registration requested via CareerBridge) — 6-120 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) LSC shows The Fault in Our Stars, tickets $4 in lobby 16 — 26-100 Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Boston Festival of Indie Games, tickets $10, sponsored by Comparative Media Studies/Writing — W34-101, 32-123, 32-124, 32-144 (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Space Racers: behind the scenes with the show’s creator, free with museum admission — N51 (MIT Museum) Sunday (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Welcome BBQ and Mid-Autumn Festival, sponsored by the MIT Singapore Students Society — W16 (Kresge BBQ pits) (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Chinese Association of Science and Technology Mid-Autumn Festival Party, showing “A Bite of China,” with food, drinks, and mooncakes, sponsored by GSC and CAST. Sign up at http://signup.mit.edu/2014MidAutumn — W20-491 Monday (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) 10 Simple Steps to Building a Reputation as a Researcher in Your Early Career, with speaker Micah Altman, Director of Research at MIT Libraries, registration online, sponsored by Postdoctoral Association, Office of the Vice President for Research, MIT Libraries — 46-3189 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
