MIT researchers recognized at 2016 Breakthrough Prizes ceremony
MIT researchers Edward Boyden, Larry Guth, Liang Fu, and Joseph Formaggio and his team were honored at the 2016 Breakthrough Prize ceremony. The event was held at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California this past Sunday.
Atlantic Ocean gets November hurricane
Although autumn is in full swing here in New England, the Atlantic hurricane season is still in session. In fact, the Atlantic basin is currently experiencing its fourth hurricane of 2015, as Tropical Storm Kate was officially upgraded to hurricane status on Wednesday morning. A weak Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph, Kate is forecast to weaken and become a post-tropical storm later today as it moves out to sea without impacting any major land areas.
No. 3 in arts, humanities? Dean hopes ranking spurs interest
MIT was recently ranked third globally for arts and humanities and first for the social sciences by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
CORRECTIONS
Last Thursday’s article on the new MIT.nano building incorrectly stated that the chemistry teaching labs would be located in the basement. In fact, they will be on the top floor of the building.
2.00 students capture balloons for Pokémon-themed project
Approximately 60 students in the 2.00 Introduction to Design class gathered in Lobby 7 on Monday night to demonstrate their solutions to capturing three “TechBeavers” — helium-filled balloons suspended in the air — as part of their first project, dubbed “Pokécapture.”
Award tries to make stars out of scientists
Movie stars. Red carpet. Awards. It's a familiar script. Except that the event here Sunday night was far from New York and Hollywood, and the boldfaced names were gathered not to celebrate movies or music, but life sciences, physics and mathematics.
Weighing in on the proposed changes to the STEM OPT Extension
MIT is home to a large number of international students on F-1 student visas. In the 2014-2015 academic year, 42 percent of the graduate student body was composed of international students. Most of these students apply for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program after graduation in order to work in the U.S. in their field of study. Every international student who completes a post-secondary degree in the U.S. on an F-1 visa is eligible for 12 months of OPT. Since 2008, those who complete a degree in a STEM field have also qualified for a one-time 17-month extension of OPT. This extension, however, was recently challenged in court by the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, and this August, the District Court for the District of Columbia vacated the STEM OPT Extension on the grounds of procedural deficiency. The court order is set to take effect in February 2016.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Last week, Isaac Silberberg published an op-ed in The Tech accusing the MIT Arab Students Organization (ASO) and Palestine@MIT of bringing a “9/11 supporter,” Mads Gilbert, to campus. As I read Isaac’s article, I felt his pain in losing a friend during the terrible attacks that befell our country fourteen years ago. I also felt apprehension and concern, because I knew what would happen after the op-ed was read by others: suspicion would fall once more upon MIT’s Arab community at large. I am not part of the ASO or Palestine@MIT, but I have many wonderful friends who are. Did Silberberg think these kind-hearted and intelligent people (in other words, typical MIT students) would bring a terrorism sympathizer to campus?
A make-your-own hummus bowl eatery opens up in Kendall
Fast casual eateries seem to be popping up left and right these days, and I think it’s wonderful. Bon Me and Clover are two great local ones, and I never have anything against Panera or Shake Shack, even if they are national chains. Compared to the average sit-down restaurant, they save time and money, and the quality of food isn’t too shabby either.
The Pearl Button would be better off as two separate documentaries
The Pearl Button promised to be a poetic and thought-provoking documentary about Chile’s 2,670 miles of coastline and the significance of water for indigenous tribes in Patagonia (a region that includes Chile and Argentina as well as several South American islands). I didn’t know much about the history of Chile or its native peoples, but I was eager to learn. The documentary, however, did not live up to my expectations, and I was rather surprised by how uninspiring I found much of the film. Its slow pace and low information density makes each scene drag on — I often expected a scene to cut minutes before it actually did. Guzmán incorporates voice-overs, photographs, interviews with tribal elders, grainy black-and-white clips, outer-space CGI (which felt supremely out of place), and long takes of coastal scenery (which were beautiful, and perhaps the best part of the experience). However, the documentary’s biggest weakness is that it is abruptly split into two seemingly disjoint parts.
Brooklyn holds a mirror up to every college student
Anyone on this campus knows what it feels like to leave home for a new place. The sights and sounds are different, the culture unfamiliar, the knowledge eye-opening. Everything around you is new — but surprisingly, after some time, you discover that you are new as well. Every experience starts to impact what you believe, how you act, and eventually, the very core of who you are. And never has this evolution been so perfectly captured as in the film Brooklyn.
Late goals help Babson defeat men’s soccer 2-1 Three points all came within 9 minutes
Third-seeded Babson College defeated first-seeded MIT, ranked No. 17 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and No. 3 in the NCAA New England Regional poll, 2-1, in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men’s Soccer Championship in come-from-behind fashion on Sunday afternoon at Steinbrenner Stadium.
Top-seeded women’s volleyball loses to Babson
No. 4 seed Babson College defeated host and top-seeded MIT, 25-20, 25-11, 25-22, in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Championship Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Women’s soccer loses in penalties
The first-seeded MIT women’s soccer team saw its season come to a close in penalty kicks last Saturday afternoon against fourth-seeded Springfield College in the first of two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) semifinals matches at Steinbrenner Stadium on the campus of MIT on Saturday afternoon.
MIT application essays that worked ‘Is that a paperclip, or the trigger to my next crossbow?’
This is part of a series of MIT application essays submitted by students who were later admitted to the Institute. The following prompts are from the 2010-11 admissions season.
Tricks, treats, and defeat
There are few text messages in this world that would prompt me to ditch a Chipotle burrito bowl and sprint back to campus. These anomalies include: “fountain of youth sprung from burst New House pipe,” “Random Hall milk gained sentience,” and “free pizza at Burton-Conner front desk.” On Halloween night, while taking advantage of the burrito discount, I received one such text of immense motivational caliber.
Saving time and turning back the clock
Last week, a few select individuals on campus celebrated another holiday on Nov. 1: a moment of quiet victory for everyone who adores sleep. Just last week, many of us experienced our very first daylight saving time switch.
Thank you, PE
Stinky gym uniforms, awkward locker room conversations, and getting hit in the head with a basketball. These are just a few of the horrid memories I have of high school PE. Yeah, not exactly how I wanted to spend my freshman year of high school.
