Crandall passes at 92
Stephen H. Crandall, the Ford Professor of Engineering Emeritus at MIT, a pioneer in random vibrations and rotordynamics, and a leader in transforming mechanics into an engineering science, passed away Oct. 29, in Needham, Mass. He was 92 years old.
DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman is 2014 Commencement speaker
Ellen Kullman, the CEO and chairwoman of DuPont, will deliver the keynote Commencement speech in June 2014, MIT is expected to announce today. She will be the fourth speaker in five years at the helm of a science or technology company.
Lobby 10 to be renamed ‘Memorial Lobby’
On Nov. 18, Lobby 10 will be officially renamed “Memorial Lobby.”
Prof. emeritus Bloomfield dies
Professor emeritus of political science Lincoln Palmer Bloomfield died Oct. 30 of respiratory failure. He was 93.
Walsh elected the 48th Boston mayor
One thought prevailed as state Representative Martin J. Walsh and Councilor at Large John R. Connolly battled for mayor of Boston: The road to City Hall would lead through the heart of the city and its southernmost precincts. On Election Day, that appears to be exactly what happened.
Rules to require equal coverage for mental illnesses
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday will complete a generation-long effort to require insurers to cover care for mental health and addiction just like physical illnesses when it issues long-awaited regulations defining parity in benefits and treatment.
Reif discusses his vision of MIT’s next Chancellor, seeks student input
Two weeks ago, President L. Rafael Reif announced that Eric Grimson PhD ’80 would be stepping down from his Chancellorship to take on the new role of Chancellor for Academic Advancement. Prior to serving as the Chancellor, Grimson headed the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from 2005 to 2011. The Tech sat down with Reif to discuss his visions for the next Chancellor and Grimson’s new role in fundraising.
Unofficial results for Cambridge municipal elections released
In the aftermath of Election Day this past Tuesday, the Cambridge Election Commission has released the preliminary results for the city council school committee elections. According to these numbers, which do not include provisional and overseas ballots, four new city councillors and two new school committee members may be elected when the official numbers are reported on November 15.
NEWS BRIEFS
MIT’s Daniel Kleppner was among nine individuals named as laureates by the Franklin Institute on Monday. Kleppner was awarded the 2014 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics “for many pioneering contributions to discoveries of novel quantum phenomena involving the interaction of atoms with electromagnetic fields and the behavior of ultra-low temperatures,” according to a Monday press release published by the Franklin Institute. Kleppner, who is the Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Physics at MIT, conducts research in atomic physics. In addition to his Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics, he is also the recipient of the 2006 National Medal of Science and the 2005 Wolf Prize.
IN SHORT
Student group space allocation applications are due on Monday, Nov. 11 to the ASA. In addition, applications for new student groups are due next Friday, Nov. 15 at http://web.mit.edu/asa/start/index.html. The deadline to submit applications to the ASA’s Large Event Fund (LEF) and the Assisting Recurring Cultural and Diversity Events (ARCADE) fund is Sun, Nov. 24.
Fifth week flags issued
This semester, 144 freshmen, or 12.9 percent of the Class of 2017, were issued fifth week flags. The proportion of recipients is down from almost a fifth of the Class of 2016 last year. Fifth week flags exist as part of an early warning system to encourage students to reevaluate their study habits.
NEWS BRIEFS
The Graduate Student Housing Working Group was formed to “focus on how we might best house our graduate students” according to the May/June faculty newsletter. In August, the group’s chairman Professor Phillip L. Clay wrote in an email to The Tech that the group planned to “issue a report in October.” However, Dean for Graduate Education Christine Ortiz, a member of the group, wrote that the group is “still deliberating” and offered no updates in an Oct. 28 email to The Tech.
Pelosi visits C-Mod, PSFC layoffs delayed
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi visited MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) Thursday, where she learned about MIT’s fusion experiments performed on its tokamak Alcator C-Mod, according to MIT News. The experiment faces an uncertain future and may fail to receive federal funding in FY 2014.
Kendall design team assembled
MIT’s East Campus Steering Committee has selected the next group in charge of advancing the development of the Kendall Square area. The group will collaborate on a study of the property, which will develop into a long-term strategy for development for the area, and in particular the balancing of meeting commercial, residential, and academic needs, according to the MIT News Office.
Coursera to create ‘learning hubs’ outside the US
Coursera, a California-based venture that has enrolled 5 million students in its free online courses, on Thursday announced a partnership with the U.S. government to create “learning hubs” around the world where students can go to get Internet access to free courses supplemented by weekly in-person class discussions with local teachers or facilitators.
Assembly limits of Boston FSILG residences to be re-evaluated
Students and alumni of MIT’s fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs) gathered on Oct. 24 for a meeting regarding the temporary restriction on large events in Boston FSILG residences, which are to remain until the assembly limits of each residence could be evaluated. Boston FSILG residences are applying for updated assembly permits and are restricted from having events that exceed the occupancy of their houses until the permits have been issued — effectively, a ban on parties and other large events at the residences.