MBTA expands T hours
The MBTA announced last week a one-year pilot late night service operating on Saturdays and Sundays beginning this spring. Expanded hours will not run on Friday nights. According to the Boston Globe, the new service will run until 3:00 A.M. with the last train leaving the city at 2:30 a.m. and will include the all train lines, the Silver Line, and 15 bus routes: 1, 15, 22, 23, 28, 32, 39, 57, 66, 71, 73, 77, 111, 116, and 117. Train fares will remain the same for late night hours as other times: $2 for a subway and $1.50 for a bus.
EECS implements new maternity leave policy
The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department (Course 6) has agreed to fund a third month of paid maternity leave for its female graduate students, beyond the two-month maximum through the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE). The new policy will become effective in Spring 2014, according to department head Anantha Chandrakasan.
Dahleh is ESD acting director
Munther A. Dahleh has been named the acting director of the Engineering Systems Division (ESD). He began his new position on Dec. 1, stepping down from his previous position as Associate Department Head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), which David J. Perreault has been appointed.
MIT Medical responds to gastroenteritis outbreak on campus
MIT Medical and Urgent Care saw an increase in people with acute gastroenteritis this week. MIT Medical saw 16 patients during the day on Wednesday with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to a statement to the MIT News Office from Associate Medical Director Howard M. Heller.
Nelson Mandela, 95, passes away Thursday night
Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule and served as his country’s first black president, becoming an international emblem of dignity and forbearance, died Thursday night. He was 95.
Building 12 could be demolished by Summer 2014
Turning left off of the infinite corridor at Cafe Four could soon lead to a new destination. Director of Campus Planning, Engineering & Construction Richard L. Amster, confirmed that Building 12 could be demolished as early as this summer, pending approval by the City of Cambridge. The removal of the building will make way for the Nano-Materials, Structures, and Systems Lab (nMaSS), which is projected to be completed in 2018.
NEWS BRIEFS
According to an MIT News Office press release, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) included five MIT professors in the group of 388 scientists it named as fellows last Tuesday.
Willis H. Ware, computer engineer, dies
Willis H. Ware SM ’42, an electrical engineer who in the late 1940s helped build a machine that would become a blueprint for computer design in the 20th century, and who later played an important role in defining the importance of personal privacy in the information age, died Nov. 22 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 93.
1983: MIT’s first sorority rush
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran 30 years ago in Issue 54 of Volume 103 of The Tech on Friday, Dec. 2, 1983. “From the Archives” is the first of a recurring segment where we reprint articles from The Tech’s archives that are relevant or interesting to today’s MIT community.
Retailer Amazon announces drone delivery plan
SAN FRANCISCO — Hard to believe, but there was once a time when the visionaries worked for the government. Rebuilding a ruined Europe, putting a man on the moon, ending poverty, connecting the American interior with highways — these were immense tasks undertaken, and often achieved, by bureaucrats.
Oxytocin and social behavior
Scientists have been eager to see if the hormone oxytocin, which plays a role in emotional bonding, trust, and many biological processes, can improve social behavior in people with autism. Some parents of children with autism have asked doctors to prescribe it, although it is not an approved treatment for autism, or have purchased lower-dose versions of the drug over the counter.
John Mikhael awarded Rhodes
John G. Mikhael ’13 has received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University next year, the Rhodes Trust announced Saturday. Mikhael is one of 32 U.S. students and the only MIT student this year to receive the prestigious scholarship.
Koch childcare center meets parent demand
On Oct. 1, MIT opened a new daycare center at 219 Vassar Street. The center, known as David H. Koch Childcare Center or TCC Koch, is the fourth of MIT’s Technology Childcare Center (TCC) facilities. Three other on-campus centers are located at Eastgate, Westgate, Stata, and the fourth is in Lincoln, Mass., serving all MIT affiliates including Lincoln Labs employees. Additionally, there is also an on-campus infant care room in Building 68.
Kavli, benefactor of science prizes, dies
Fred Kavli, a physicist who left Norway for California as a young man and made millions manufacturing sensors for appliances, automobiles and aircraft, then late in life began donating much of his fortune to science, establishing a major prize he intended to rival the Nobel, died Thursday, Nov. 21 at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 86.
Externship numbers
This January, 339 undergraduate and graduate students will be participating in alumni-sponsored externships. Now in its 17th year of operation, the externship program is run by the MIT Alumni Association and provides students with opportunities to explore career paths during the January Independent Activities Period (IAP). This year, 993 students submitted 2,459 applications (a student can apply for up to three externships); 861 were undergraduates and 132 were graduate students.
Sparse attendance plagues faculty meetings
In a first for this semester, the November faculty meeting reached quorum on Wednesday when more than 30 faculty members showed up. MIT has about 1,000 faculty members.
Gender-inclusive policies expanding
MIT Residential Life & Dining is planning to initiate gender-inclusive housing policies across campus, expanding upon the implementation of such a policy in Random Hall and Senior House. Students opting for gender-inclusive housing would be able to room with people of different genders and gender identities, which would be ideal for students who have preferences about the gender identities of their roommates.