Marathon bombing trial begins this week with jury selection
The much-anticipated trial of the alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev began in federal court Monday, with about 400 of over 1,200 potential jurors showing up to complete a preliminary questionnaire. The jurors got a first sight of Tsarnaev and his attorneys, along with the federal prosecution team, who are preparing for a trial that is expected to take months and could end in the death penalty.
MIT cuts ties with Walter Lewin after online harassment probe
MIT is cutting ties with retired professor Walter Lewin after determining that the physicist, whose lectures had made him a beloved teacher and minor Internet star, had sexually harassed at least one student online.
CORRECTIONS
A review of Interstellar in the Friday, Dec. 5 issue of The Tech incorrectly referred to events in the film as being half a decade apart. They were actually half a century apart.
2.009 class presents capstone projects
Students in 2.009 (Product Engineering Processes) presented final projects on Monday to potential funders, the MIT community, and guests. The theme to inspire this year’s designs was “adventure.”
U.S. CTO Smith to be 2015 speaker
Megan Smith ’86, chief technology officer of the United States and a former Google executive, will be MIT’s commencement speaker for the Class of 2015.
Course 2 senior Spencer R. Wilson receives a 2015 Marshall Scholarship
Last week, Spencer R. Wilson ’15 was named a Marshall Scholar, joining 30 others nationwide who will receive a full scholarship for two years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.
News Briefs
President Reif wrote in an email Wednesday that the preliminary report on the MIT Innovation Initiative — a manufacturing-focused effort announced last September — has been published. This report, detailing “an ambitious vision for how MIT could enhance its ability to deliver innovation to the world,” is a product of the program’s Adivsory Committee, also formed last fall.
Nov/Dec Faculty Newsletter released
This month’s edition of the MIT Faculty Newsletter touched on many of the same issues that have been at the forefront of recent student concerns. The newsletter highlighted faculty positions on issues including online learning and the Task Force on the Future of MIT Education, MIT’s response to sexual assault on campus, and mental health at MIT.
MIT students protest Ferguson grand jury decision on campus
In the wake of the Ferguson case in Missouri and protests around the country, some MIT students, including many from the Black Students’ Union (BSU), were inspired to speak out themselves.
News Briefs
Claude Canizares, MIT Vice President and Bruno Rossi Professor of Physics, will be stepping down at the end of the current academic year. He will leave his position on June 30 and will take a sabbatical after stepping down.
MIT fraternities and sanctions
The DU case differed in several ways from other MIT fraternity suspensions in recent years.
Corrections
The “Saferide route changes to go into effect in Dec.” article from the Tuesday, Nov. 25 issue of The Tech incorrectly suggested that the living groups affected by the removal of the Bay State Road stop was a complete list. Student House independent living group was not included in this list but will also be affected by the change.
MIT Football’s historic season ends Saturday in second playoff game
The MIT football team’s historic undefeated regular season and first-round playoff win are, according to Head Coach Chad Martinovich, “just part of the progression.”
Three from MIT become Rhodes Scholars
Two current MIT seniors, Anisha Gururaj ’15 and Elliot Akama-Garren ’15, and one graduate, Noam Angrist ’13, were named Rhodes Scholars on Saturday, Nov. 22. They will begin graduate studies at Oxford University next year.
Behind the suspension of the MIT Delta Upsilon fraternity
When MIT’s Technology Chapter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity was suspended this past April, there was no clear indication of the cause to outsiders. Other than the vague “inappropriate behavior” mentioned in a press release, neither Delta Upsilon International nor MIT explained why they were shutting down the chapter for two years.
Riding the temperature roller coaster
We enjoyed an unusually warm day yesterday, with temperatures topping out at 64°F (18°C) — that’s 18°F (10°C) warmer than the average high temperature for yesterday’s date! Today’s high temperature will be a whopping 29°F (20°C) colder than yesterday’s thanks to the passage of a cold front late yesterday afternoon. These cold temperatures won’t last long, though, due to an area of low pressure forming off of the North Carolina coast tonight. As this system tracks northward, winds in Boston will become southerly, making for a mild day tomorrow with a high temperature of 56°F (13°C). Of course, there is a trade-off — rain showers are likely early tomorrow morning, although chances of precipitation will taper off as the morning progresses. On Thursday, temperatures will take a swing in the other direction thanks to the passage of a cold front Wednesday night; expect seasonally cool temperatures in the low 40s°F (6°C). Expect a colder high temperature in the mid 30s°F (2°C) on Friday as this cold airmass behind the front settles in.
Institute Double Take
As the harsh winter begins to settle in, I wanted to take one last chance to capture a Boston sunset before the weather became too cold. Luckily, this past Sunday the temperature rose to a balmy 50 degrees, and there happened to be a beautiful sunset with a nice mix of clouds. I set up under the BU Bridge, facing southwest into the sunset. I decided to try out a technique I’d just read about, taking a series of about 300 pictures after the sun set, every 5 seconds from 5:00-5:25 p.m. (official sunset time: 4:13 p.m.). The aperture and ISO were set to maximize exposure time, helping one photo to blur into the next.