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).
Manic Sages prepare 2013 MIT Mystery Hunt puzzles
For many students, IAP brings coding challenges, externships, intense UROP-ing, and loafing around Boston. For puzzle-lovers and code-crackers, however, IAP means the return of the annual MIT Mystery Hunt, an epic weekend of puzzle-solving that draws hundreds of participants from around the world and begins this Friday at noon.
Timeline: USA v. Swartz and the aftermath
26-year old Aaron Swartz was an accomplished man — it's not difficult to see his influence on today's web. He co-authored the specification for RSS 1.0 at age 14 and was a prominent internet activist throughout his life. After news broke of his suicide early Saturday morning, Hacker News went ablaze with comments of support for his work.
Albany-Vassar railroad crossing opens
In December, a railroad crossing opened between Albany and Vassar Streets near the Heinz building and graduate student dormitories, formalizing an unofficial path in the same location. Located between the Heinz building (W59), the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (NW21), and graduate dormitory The Warehouse (NW30), the crossing takes features a gate, new landscaping, and paved walkways.
Aaron Swartz found dead Friday
Internet activist Aaron H. Swartz died by suicide in his Brooklyn apartment on Friday, Jan. 11, according to his uncle, Michael Wolf, in a comment to The Tech. Swartz was 26.
IN SHORT
Participate in a discussion on Aaron Swartz with reporters from The Tech on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. EST. The Tech will livestream the panel on Youtube (http://bit.ly/SwartzPanel). You can send us questions during or prior to the discussion by tweeting @thetech (hashtag #SwartzPanel), commenting on the Youtube video, or emailing swartzpanel@tech.mit.edu.
Head of IS&T to step down Feb. 1, unrelated to Swartz events, says Smith
Marilyn T. Smith, head of MIT Information Services and Technology (IS&T), announced in an email to IS&T staff on Monday afternoon that she will step down on Feb. 1. “I want to let you know that after much reflection in recent weeks, I’ve decided to leave my position at MIT,” Smith wrote.
Course 18 senior Justin Brereton is Grand Integrator again
Around 70 people gathered last night in 10-250 to watch 15 students duke it out at MIT’s Integration Bee.
First humanities classes on edX
“In what sense, if any, did you deserve to be admitted to Harvard College?”
Obama nominees in step on light footprint
WASHINGTON — With the selection of a new national security team deeply suspicious of the wisdom of U.S. military interventions around the world, President Barack Obama appears to have ended, at least for the moment, many of the internal administration debates that played out in the Situation Room over the past four years.