Barnhart announces period of reflection after death of Wang
President L. Rafael Reif announced Tuesday the death of Phoebe Wang ’17, who local media reported was found dead in her MacGregor dorm room. In response to her death, as well as the deaths of several other members of the MIT community in recent months, Chancellor Cynthia A. Barnhart PhD ’88 and student leaders will call on the community to spend 15 minutes this coming Monday at noon to reflect on the effects of the recent deaths.
MIT libraries planning major space renovations
The MIT administration said it is in the early stages of planning major renovations of campus libraries, including Hayden (humanities and sciences), Barker (engineering), and Rotch (architecture and planning). Organizers have not yet decided specific details of the project, and are encouraging input from the community.
Astronomers confirm contamination by stardust in detection of sky ripples
Stardust got in their eyes.
CORRECTIONS
In the Tuesday, Sept. 23 issue of The Tech on page seven, the center spread titled “2014 Fall Career Fair” had no attribution. The photographs on this spread were taken by Megan Prakash ’18.
Changes to sorority recruitment increase retention
The MIT Panhellenic Association (Panhel) announced that five of MIT’s six sororities issued a total of 189 bids during this year’s formal recruitment, the same number of bids as reported by The Tech last year.
Reif announces death of Phoebe Wang, sophomore in mechanical engineering
Phoebe Wang '17, an undergraduate student residing in MacGregor House, has died, President L. Rafael Reif said in an email to members of the MIT community on Tuesday evening.
Majority of freshman males pledge to a fraternity
Of the 340 students who received the 405 bids handed out during fraternity rush this year, 293 have pledged, according to the Interfraternity Council.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Study on urinating dogs wins prize at Ig Nobel ceremony
Six Nobel laureates convened at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre last Thursday for the 2014 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, presenting ten awards to fellow scientists being recognized for strange research.
Baker, Simmons, Maseeh are freshmen’s top choices
Baker, Simmons, and Maseeh once again topped the residence preferences in this summer’s freshmen housing lottery. MacGregor, on the other hand, saw its lowest numbers in four years, while Next demonstrated a surge in interest during the same period, according to data provided by MIT Residential Life and Dining. This year also marked the first time that Maseeh participated in the First Year Residence Exchange (FYRE), in which students have the option to switch dorms during their first week at MIT.
Wearable ‘Mighty Mom’ takes first prize at breast pump hackathon
The “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck” Hackathon this past weekend drew over a hundred parents, engineers, designers, and healthcare specialists to campus. The organizers, MIT Media Lab students and researchers, were inspired by problems posed by current breast pumps, which they say are uncomfortable, inefficient, and costly.
Biology crowding is alleviated by lottery, additional offerings
Two years after their introduction, the revised introductory biology classes and lottery system associated with the classes were marked as a success by MIT’s biology department administrators.
Catherine ‘Kay’ Stratton, wife of MIT president, dies
Catherine N. “Kay” Stratton — the wife of former MIT President Julius A. Stratton, and for decades a great friend of the arts at MIT — died Sept. 10 at her beloved farm in South Newfane, Vt. She was 100 years old.
Locals in Ireland anticipate first visit from Walsh as Boston mayor
In honor of the homecoming, the family house in Rosmuc, an Irish-speaking village of 500 in the craggy, desolate hills of Connemara, got a new coat of paint. A nearby church planned a special Mass for the return of a man described as “Connemara’s Kennedy.”
EdX launches new high school initiative
In a new initiative for edX, last Tuesday, the online platform spearheaded by MIT and Harvard launched 26 new courses aimed at high school students, according to The Boston Globe.
IN SHORT
Meal plan change period ends tomorrow. It will not be possible to add, remove, or swap meal plans after Sept. 17.Career week continues until the end of this week. Career fair will take place Friday, Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Johnson Athletic Center and Rockwell Cage. (See the schedule of other events on page 13.)
CORRECTIONS
An article published in the Friday, Sept. 9 issue of The Tech erroneously stated that Matthew C. Ellis of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory was a member of the 2014 Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation, citing the MIT News Office. The article should have referred to Matthew S. Ellis of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, as is reflected in an updated version of the News Office article.
After 19% investment return, endowment climbs to $12.4 billion
MIT’s primary investment pool generated a return of 19.2 percent in the 2014 fiscal year, during which the Institute’s endowment rose to $12.4 billion, the MIT Investment Management Company announced last Friday.