Mechanical Engineering head steps down effective July 1
The head of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (Course 2) Mary C. Boyce PhD ’87 will be stepping down in order to become dean of Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science effective July 1, 2013.
MIT in favor of redactions in Swartz case documents
On Friday, March 29, MIT filed a legal memorandum to “partially oppose” the March 15 motion by the Estate of Aaron Swartz to publicly release documents related to Swartz’s criminal prosecution. The documents, originally provided to the U.S. Attorney’s Office by MIT for pre-trial discovery, are kept confidential by a Protective Order. According to MIT’s memorandum, the U.S. Attorney’s Office required a Protective Order on the documents beginning November 2011 due to “sensitive information” they contain.
American woman gang-raped in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO — An American woman was raped by three men aboard a public van in a six-hour abduction over the weekend that began in the seaside district of Copacabana, the police said.
Health law provision for small business is delayed
WASHINGTON — Unable to meet tight deadlines in the new health care law, the Obama administration is delaying parts of a program intended to provide affordable health insurance to small businesses and their employees — a major selling point for the health care legislation.
Faculty meeting focuses on gunman disruption response
MIT “failed abysmally” in promptly notifying the community after receiving a false Feb. 23 report of a gunman on campus, MIT Chief of Police John DiFava said at the last faculty meeting, following an internal review of the events on the day of the scare. But the police response on the scene was “superb,” DiFava said.
IN SHORT
Still looking for a job or internship? Attend the Spring Career Fair on Thursday, April 4th! The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Stratton Student Center (W-20) in La Sala Puerto Rico on the second floor. MIT ID cards will be required for entry to the fair. Register for the fair through CareerBridge with your electronic resume. The Spring Career Fair resume book will be viewable by the employers.
Another body found in the Charles River
Early morning last Wednesday, March 27, Mass. State Police responded to reports of a body in the Charles River under the Harvard Bridge. The body was pulled out of the river around 9 a.m. The Suffolk County DA is investigating the death.
MIT wins 2nd in Putnam math contest
Just behind Harvard, MIT took second place in the 2012 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, winning $20,000 for the math department and $800 for each of the three team members. The prestigious contest is 12 questions and 6 hours long, and is administered every December to undergraduate students studying in the U.S. or Canada.
Email hoax Wednesday causes stir
A fake email that appeared to be sent by President L. Rafael Reif addressing all of MIT was sent to all MIT dorms around 1 a.m. early Wednesday morning, announcing that all classes would be cancelled that day, due to “threatening requests” regarding the Swartz case. The email followed a letter from Reif on Tuesday to the MIT community laying out the Institute’s plans for releasing evidence from the Swartz case.
Three dorms open for summer housing
Planning on staying on-campus this summer? Three dorms — East Campus (East Parallel), MacGregor, and Senior House — will house undergraduates this summer. Two of them, MacGregor and Senior House, also housed undergraduate students last summer.
CoD releases stats for 2011-12 annual report
At the faculty meeting on February 20, the MIT Committee on Discipline (CoD) gave its annual report for 2011-2012, presented by former chair Prof. Robert P. Redwine.
Deadline for MIT Kendall plan looms
MIT’s Kendall upzoning petition to Cambridge, which would allow for the construction of new commercial and residential towers on the east side of campus, expires on April 15. As that deadline nears, executives of MIT and the MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo) have been eager to see the City Council approve the petition, even as the conversation within MIT has exposed a rift between the proposal’s supporters and opponents.
Random needs repairs
Loose bricks on Random Hall’s exterior were discovered in a recent inspection of the dormitory, raising safety concerns.
Sophomore impersonating Reif in email says classes are cancelled due to Swartz-related threats
A fake email that appeared to be sent by President L. Rafael Reif addressing all of MIT was sent to all MIT dorms at 1 a.m. this morning, announcing that all classes would be cancelled for Wednesday, March 20, due to “threatening requests” regarding the Swartz case. The email followed a letter from Reif yesterday morning to the MIT community laying out the Institute’s plans for releasing evidence from the Swartz case.
Plans for releasing Swartz evidence
In a letter this morning, MIT’s president announced plans to make requested Swartz-related evidence public, with names redacted to “protect the privacy and safety of those members of our community.” However, much of this information is already publicly known and has been published by The Tech and the New York Times, among others.
Body in Charles identified as Joe Gage
A body found in the Charles River last Thursday was identified Friday as that of a 32-year-old South End man who went over the rail of the bridge on Jan. 1. Although investigators did not officially release the name, the man had been previously identified as Joe Gage by a memorial on the bridge.
IAP Subcommittee report proposes minor changes
“One overarching message emerged from student and faculty feedback: ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,’” the report reads. The IAP Subcommittee of the Faculty Policy Committee has released its final report following a “thorough review of IAP and its evolution in the last 40 years,” as stated in its charge. The report contains 10 recommendations in response to seven questions the committee was asked to consider, as well as an additional recommendation regarding campus community during IAP.
New clues in 1990 Gardner art heist
The FBI said Monday that it believes it knows the identity of the thieves who stole 13 paintings 23 years ago from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, one of the most infamous art heists in history.