Pope calls for church as ‘home for all’
Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and that he had chosen not to talk about those issues despite recriminations from critics.
Vice President for Human Resources plans to retire
MIT’s Vice President for Human Resources Alison Alden has announced her plans to retire in the spring of 2014. Alden began working at MIT in 2007 and has made substantial contributions to MIT’s HR department. Israel Ruiz, Executive Vice President and Treasurer, is “grateful to Alison for her seven years of exceptional service to MIT.”
VP for RD Newton to retire
MIT Vice President for Resource Development Jeffrey L. Newton has decided to retire after seven years in the role, president L. Rafael Reif announced in an email to the MIT community yesterday morning. Newton will continue to serve in an advisory role through January 2014. Kirk Kolenbrander, Vice President and Secretary of the Corporation, will “oversee the day-to-day management and strategic direction of our fundraising operations” while MIT searches for a Newton’s successor.
House Republicans pass bill with deep cuts in food stamps
WASHINGTON — House Republicans narrowly pushed through a bill Thursday that slashes billions of dollars from the food stamp program, over the objections of Democrats and a veto threat from President Barack Obama.
3.091 experiments with new online learning this semester
At first glance, an MIT class without p-sets, exams, or essays sounds almost too good to be true. For 3.091 Professor Michael J. Cima, it is his semester-long experiment to test whether students learn better when residence-based instruction is combined with online instruction.
Demolition of building next to Random will start within a week
Work is now underway for Random Hall’s future neighbor. The building, to be developed by Forest City Enterprises, will serve as research and office space for Millennium Pharmaceuticals and will include more than 15,000 square feet of retail space facing the street on Massachusetts Avenue.
Kaiser steps down as provost of MIT
Chris A. Kaiser PhD ’87 will step down as MIT’s provost at the end of October, President L. Rafael Reif announced yesterday in an email to the MIT community. Kaiser will return to teaching and research as an MIT faculty member.
MIT endowment rises to 10.9 billion, up seven percent from last year
MIT’s endowment grew in fiscal year 2013 to $10.9 billion, the highest ever, in large part due to investment returns of 11.1 percent, MIT announced Friday.
Exiting provost speaks on braving funding cuts
Researchers at MIT facing funding troubles due to the federal budget sequester can rely on the Institute for “bridge funding” in the short term but may have to downsize their labs or adjust their research programs in the long term, exiting provost Chris Kaiser said in an interview.
Student survives four-story fall at fraternity
An 18-year-old MIT student fell four stories through a skylight at MIT fraternity Phi Sigma Kappa during a party shortly after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The student, who asked MIT to not release his name, was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is alert and has no life-threatening injuries, according to a statement released by the MIT News Office yesterday, and “student life officials are gathering further information about the circumstances surrounding the events that evening.”
Scholars skeptical toward Syria strike
The MIT Center for International Studies hosted a panel on Wednesday to discuss the recent developments in the Syrian conflict as part of its Starr Forum series of public events. The talk was held in the Bartos Theater of the MIT Media Lab and moderated by John Tirman, executive director of the Center for International Studies. It focused mainly on the use of chemical weapons that occurred on Aug. 21 and the Obama Administration’s call for military action in the wake of the attacks.
The swallowing of the shrew
How far would you go in the name of science? Last night, 10 new Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded to scientists who had succeeded in publishing “improbable” research at the 23rd First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony.
ASE results fluctuate little
This year’s freshmen did remarkably well on the Chemistry (5.111) Advanced Standing Examination (ASE) — the pass rate for increased from around 14 percent in past years to 21 percent. In other subjects, though, the pass rates either remained the same or decreased.
$25 million for new center to study intelligence
The National Science Foundation announced Monday that it would award $25 million over five years to a new MIT-based Center for Brains, Minds and Machines. Researchers at the center will endeavor to both understand intelligence in humans and create intelligence in computers.
Admissions releases profile of Class of 2017
What makes the Class of 2017 unique is “their talent, energy, creativity, optimism, diversity, and passion,” wrote Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill ’86 in an email to The Tech. Last week, the Office of Admissions released a more detailed profile of the 1,116 members of the new freshman class.
How many finals do you have to take?
It is well known that different departments at MIT prefer different methods of evaluating students. For some, this is an important factor when choosing classes, or even a major. The Tech looked into how many finals are required in each of MIT’s courses. The data in this article do not take GIRs or HASS classes into account, assume a student follows prerequisites and does not take Advanced Standing Exams, and classes can be scheduled accordingly.
New dorm security policies reflect 2012 report
Five undergraduate residences (Baker House, Maseeh Hall, McCormick Hall, Next House, Simmons Hall) and two graduate residences (Tang Hall and Westgate Apartments) received enhanced security systems, video monitoring, and access systems this summer.