Chisholm granted high honor
MIT’s Sallie W. (Penny) Chisholm has been awarded the National Medal of Science, one of 12 recipients in 2012, the White House announced in December. The National Medal of Science is annually given to individuals “deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences,” according to the National Science Foundation. In a White House ceremony this Thursday, President Barack Obama will present the award to Chisholm — the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental engineering, and the 48th MIT scientist to win the honor — for her research in microbial oceanography.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: An inside tour of the MassDOT
MIT students frequently use the T and other MassDOT transit systems; since 2010, our IDs even come with a built-in Charlie Card chip. But most students are unfamiliar with the inner workings of the transit system. I was excited to take advantage of one of the opportunities offered this IAP and take a tour of several MassDOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation) facilities, including an underground ventilation tunnel system, bus operator training school, and the organizational headquarters for the T.
An optimistic Menino returns to the public stage
In a speech by turns sentimental and unabashedly bullish, Mayor Thomas M. Menino returned to the public stage Tuesday night after a lengthy illness and offered a buoyant vision of Boston, celebrating accomplishments and outlining initiatives for the future.
Meet the RLADs
When the Residential Life Area Director (RLAD) position was announced via a leak from one “Tim Beaver” this summer, students and GRTs alike were up in arms about the impending addition of an administrator to the dorms without prior notification. The RLAD of each dorm is meant to work as both an administrative assistant to the housemaster as well as a source of support for students and GRT. The seven RLADs, two of whom were previously Residential Life Associates (RLAs), started their new jobs in August and moved into the spaces created for them in their respective west campus dorms.
Bexley, EC, Random, Baker to receive RLADs in Fall 2013
The Residential Life Area Director (RLAD) program is expanding to include Bexley, Random, Baker, and East Campus, Christina Davis, Director of Residential Life Programs, confirmed. If RLADs for these dorms are found, that would leave Senior House as the only undergraduate dorm without an RLAD.
MIT hacked again, URLs redirected
MIT was hacked on Tuesday around noon, with MIT URLs redirecting to a webpage claiming credit for the attack in remembrance of Aaron Swartz.
President nominates Maria Zuber
Maria T. Zuber, MIT’s new vice president for research, was recently selected by President Barack Obama for nomination to the National Science Board. When confirmed, she will be the second MIT professor that is currently a member of the board alongside Subra Suresh ScD ’81, who serves as an ex-officio member as president of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
A Hunt of Epic Proportions
At 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. Mystery Hunt team Sleipnir’s Wranglers was prepared for the long haul. Their classroom in Building 12 was outfitted with snacks, caffeine, a chalkboard, and even a webcam so their remote solvers could join the atmosphere of the live hunt. As they excitedly opened the first puzzle, little did they know they would be a part of the longest hunt in history.
Langer wins additional accolade
Robert Langer SCD ’74 — professor in chemical engineering and biological engineering — was recently named one of the 11 researchers to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, becoming one of only seven Americans to have received both this and the National Medal of Science, which he won in 2006. Langer, who has received over 220 awards and honors, will meet with President Obama at the medal ceremony. According to Xconomy, he plans to discuss “the importance of funding basic research in science and engineering, and of funding young scientists,” a conversation similar to the one he had with the president in 2006 that appeared in Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope. The Tech sat down with Langer for a quick interview.
Flu epidemic in Boston, mild-mannered on campus
Heard any sneezing around campus recently? You should probably wash your hands. This year’s strain of H3N2 is particularly virulent and has hit Boston hard, though MIT has remained relatively unscathed by the illness.
MIT DNS hacked; traffic redirected
MIT was hacked yesterday shortly before noon, with MIT URLs redirecting to a webpage claiming credit for the attack in remembrance of Aaron Swartz. MIT’s email was also diverted.
Boston unveils three new student-assignment plans
The average distance students travel to school in Boston would shrink by about a half mile, under three proposals officials released Tuesday to allow more children to attend schools closer to their homes.
MIT Aaron Swartz report to be released “in a few weeks”
Following the death of Aaron Swartz on Jan. 11, 2013, President L. Rafael Reif announced that Hal Abelson PhD ’73 — Electrical Engineering & Computer Science professor and a founding director of Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation — would be leading a “thorough analysis of MIT’s involvement” from Fall 2010 to the present, specifically describing “the options MIT had and the decisions MIT made.” The report resulting from the analysis will be made public.
Anonymous hacks MIT
MIT’s network fell to a denial-of-service attack Sunday evening, allegedly by the Internet activist group called Anonymous, cutting campus users off from Internet access to most websites for nearly three hours. The attack came in the wake of accusations that MIT’s role in the pending litigation against Internet activist Aaron Swartz contributed to his Friday suicide.
Aaron Swartz commits suicide
Computer activist Aaron H. Swartz committed suicide in New York City yesterday, Jan. 11, according to his uncle, Michael Wolf, in a comment to The Tech. Swartz was 26.
Anonymous hacks MIT
MIT’s network fell to a denial-of-service attack Sunday evening, allegedly by the Internet activist group Anonymous, cutting campus users off from Internet access to most websites for nearly three hours. The attack came in the wake of accusations that MIT’s role in the pending litigation against Internet activist Aaron Swartz contributed to his Friday suicide. On Monday afternoon, MIT spokeswoman Kimberly C. Allen confirmed that the outage was due to a denial-of-service attack (DoS).