MIT computer science researcher wins ACM Turing Award
Michael Stonebraker, a researcher at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, won the 2014 Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) A.M. Turing Award for fundamental contributions in modern database systems on March 25.
CORRECTIONS
A headline in last Thursday’s issue read: “UA rejects proposals for campus-wide events.” In fact, the proposal was supported by the UA executive board but was ultimately rejected by a vote of the UA council.
Closing arguments expected Monday in guilt phase of Tsarnaev trial
After calling just four witnesses, the defense in the Boston Marathon bombing trial rested its case on Tuesday, clearing the way for closing arguments to be held next Monday, April 6. Closing statements will be followed by the second phase of the trial — the penalty phase — if defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is convicted.
Grad student opens up about testifying in marathon trial
While Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings and the murder of MIT Police officer Sean Collier, was leaning into Collier’s police cruiser at around 10:30 p.m. on April 18, 2013, MIT graduate student Nathan Harman rode his bicycle past.
Three UA tickets face off in debate ahead of election next week
Three tickets spoke at the annual Undergraduate Association president/vice-president debate, co-hosted by The Tech and the UA, on Tuesday evening.
Chance of rain and a warm Friday likely
There will be a chance of rain to end the week as a low-pressure system passing through Ontario might reach out far enough to bring us some rain in Cambridge as it moves eastward to the north. On Friday, the warm air that it brings could bring us the first high above 60°F since Dec. 1, though the possibility of rain could stop us from enjoying it. The temperatures throughout the weekend should stay above freezing with the exception of an hour or two late at night.
UA motion to hold presidential recall election fails to pass
A vote to launch an undergraduate-wide recall election of Undergraduate Association President Shruti Sharma ’15 narrowly failed to pass in the regularly scheduled UA Council meeting on Wednesday, which at points bordered on disorder.
1,467 students admitted to Class of 2019
MIT offered admission to 1,467 students out of the 18,306 who applied to be members of the class of 2019, making this year’s admission rate 8.0 percent. This is an increase from last year’s 7.7 percent and marks the first time the rate has gone up since 2003’s admissions cycle, when 16.4 percent of applicants were admitted.
Activist Temple Grandin discusses attitudes toward autism at event
MIT and institutions like it should reject the stigma surrounding autism and recognize it as a difference rather than a detriment, autism activist Temple Grandin told an audience on campus Monday.
CORRECTIONS
An article published last Thursday about the death of Christina Tournant ’18 misstated its authors. The article was written by a group of Tech staff, not just William Navarre and Katherine Nazemi.
T.F.P.: Next House wrapped up in bathroom paper towel debate
After students petitioned against paper towels in bathrooms, Next House is tearing up plans to install dispensers over spring break.
Boston sets new all-time seasonal snowfall record
Big news! As of Sunday night, members of the MIT community can proudly proclaim that they lived through Boston’s snowiest winter on record. Sunday’s snowfall brought the seasonal total to 108.6 inches, beating the previous record of 107.6 set in the winter of 1995-1996. Congratulations!
New cybersecurity initiatives launched
MIT launched three cybersecurity initiatives at the Cybersecurity at MIT event last Thursday.
Lupe Fiasco will headline this year’s SpringFest concert
This year’s SpringFest headliner will be hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco, accompanied by opener Bad Rabbits, a Boston-based funk rock and R&B band.
Young Guru defends record companies in lecture at MIT
Gimel Androus Keaton, the audio engineer, record producer, and DJ better known by his stage name “Young Guru,” delivered a lecture at MIT on Mar. 6 in which he discussed the impact of new technologies on music and other creative industries.
After second freshman's death, some professors lighten students' workload
Christina E. Tournant ’18, who lived in Maseeh Hall, died last Thursday in Florida while on voluntary medical leave. She was the second freshman MIT had lost in a week.
MIT develops new Ebola testing method
Members of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) have developed a thin paper strip that can detect the Ebola virus in ten minutes when exposed to a sample of a patient’s blood, an improvement over previous methods that took days and required a laboratory setting.
Y Combinator partners tell MIT students to steer clear of big-name companies
On Thursday evening, over a hundred students gathered in room 54-100 to learn something that is usually not formally taught in MIT classes: how to run a startup.