Francis B. Magurn
Francis B. Magurn believed in keeping things simple. He drove secondhand cars his entire life and rarely shopped for new clothes.
Fisher to be heard Oct. 10
Last Monday, Aug. 13, MIT and 13 peer institutions filed an amicus curiae brief before the Supreme Court of the United States in Fisher v. University of Texas, supporting the respondent UTexas in the view that race could be used as one of many factors in a holistic admissions process.
Harvard area security upped after two rapes
CAMBRIDGE — Harvard University is on edge and security has been increased after two rapes were reported on its normally serene campus area on Aug. 10 and Aug. 14.
The Daily Confusion
On behalf of The Tech, we’d like to welcome the Class of 2016 to MIT! You’ll find in the following pages the complete, comprehensive guide to this year’s Residence Exploration (REX) events. At MIT, you have the special privilege of choosing which dorm you would like to live in. You should engage as much as possible in the fun events the dorms will host, so you can find the people you will love to hang out with for years to come. Visit other dorms even if you are satisfied in your current assignment, and remember that the people and culture of a dorm matter more than its physical amenities (or lack thereof). I cannot emphasize this enough: the most important decision you will make freshmen year isn’t what classes you’ll take or what major you’ll choose; it’s where you are going to live! That said, switching dorms is more than possible, and don’t forget that the many fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs) will also be recruiting in a couple weeks. You’ll find a similar guide to FSILG events in an upcoming issue. Don’t forget to have fun and pepper the upperclassmen with questions!
300 Mass. Ave. project on hiatus until fall
On Aug. 6, the Cambridge City Council chose not to take action on the zoning petition which would approve construction of a new life sciences building for Millennium Pharmaceuticals at 300 Massachusetts Avenue, immediately north of Random Hall. The petition has now expired and lapsed.
Plans for Novartis park approved by Cambridge
Novartis has agreed to keep the lush green courtyard of their new campus open seven days a week, in response to requests and feedback from the Cambridge Planning Board. Last month, their previous proposal with weekday-only access was rejected by the board.
EC cell phone woes
East Campus residents, has your cell phone been on the fritz since you moved back in? You’re not alone.
Sloan buzzing with start-ups during summer
In mid-May, when second-year Sloan student Philip Cohen visited the nearly 5000 square feet of space on the fifth floor of E52 that would later host 40 start-up companies, the only furniture over there was a 1970s style leather massage arm chair. By June 4, 14 offices and a common area with five large tables had emerged to host the teams until Aug. 31.
The road to Firefly’s 10-year reunion panel
On day one of San Diego Comic-Con International, our Google calendar was a naively tight grid of panels. The plan was to bounce between Hall H (capacity: 6130 people) and Ballroom 20 (capacity: 4908 people), leaving just enough space in our schedule to briskly walk from one room to the next. What we learned on the first day was that at a convention of this size, attending any event isn’t possible without serious forethought and sacrifice.
City Council will wait a week to approve for 300 Mass. Ave; wants to preserve affordable housing in negotiation
MIT and Forest City, the developers of University Park, are poised to receive approval to construct a new life sciences building at 300 Massachusetts Avenue, immediately north of Random Hall.
MIT professor wins $3 million
Physicists are rarely wealthy or famous, but a new prize rewarding research at the field’s cutting edges has made nine of them instant multimillionaires.
Lottery officials knew about Cash WinFall’s flaws
Massachusetts State Lottery officials knew for years that a small group of gambling syndicates had virtually taken over a game called Cash WinFall — winning most of the prizes during high payoff periods — but did nothing about it until the Globe began investigating, according to state Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan.
Inspector General’s Report on ‘MIT Group’
In January 2005, James M. Harvey was about to start his final semester at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Looking for an interesting independent study project for his last term, he considered a project evaluating the Lottery games Powerball and MegaMillions to determine which was more advantageous from the player’s perspective. While researching Powerball and MegaMillions, he also reviewed other Lottery games for comparison. That was when he began looking at Cash WinFall and noticed its unique “roll-down” feature.
UC Berkeley joins edX initiative
On July 24, University of California, Berkeley joined edX — the online education venture started by MIT and Harvard University — and will offer online classes in the fall. MIT has billed edX as an open platform that universities can use to improve their on-campus education and simultaneously make courses available to worldwide audiences. There are seven classes set to be offered for fall 2012, including BerkeleyX courses “Software as a Service” and “Artificial Intelligence.”
5 RLADs hired, will assume roles Aug. 6
Five candidates have just been hired to serve as Resident Life Area Directors (RLADs), beginning Aug. 6 in MacGregor Hall, McCormick Hall, New House, Next House, and Simmons Hall. Two others have been promoted from their previous position of Residential Life Associate (RLA) when that role was discontinued at the end of this academic year. According to Henry J. Humphreys, Dean of Residential Life and Dining, the housemasters of the remaining dormitories — Baker House, Bexley House, East Campus, Random Hall, and Senior House — will meet with their respective communities about their RLADs in the early fall.
The Tech explores... San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is an annual four-day celebration of the popular arts, that draws over 130,000 attendees from around the world. Originally started in 1970 as a comic book convention, the focus of the Con has since shifted from comic books to everything pop culture, from blockbusters and video games to the latest science fiction and fantasy novels. Some fans make the pilgrimage to see the people who create their favorite media, others to stock up on rare comic books or to spend thousands on the gigantic exhibition floor. Some people just come for the crowds.