Cost of housing is rising steadily
How expensive is it to live on campus? For the past few years, the cost of housing at MIT has been steadily rising. In the 2007-2008 school year, the average costs for living in a single or double room in a dormitory was $2,921, which rose in the following years by eight, seven, four, and five percent, respectively. The average cost today is $3,652. Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life and Dining Henry J. Humphreys said that the main factors affecting rate hikes are the cost of operations, debt service of the buildings, and costs associated with upkeep, repairs, and renovations.
18,088 applicants for Class of 2016
MIT received 18,088 total applications for the Class of 2016 — 12,080 in the Regular Action cycle and an additional 6,008 applications for the Early Action cycle that finished in December. This marks a 1 percent increase from last year’s 17,090 applications, which is significantly lower than the increases in recent years. The number of applications for the Class of 2015 increased 8 percent from that of the Class of 2014, which was a 6.2 percent increase from the year before.
CORRECTIONS
A January 18 article about this year’s IAP Mystery hunt gave the wrong rank for the team “Too Big To Fail.” They finished second, not fourth. There were 40 teams participating in the hunt, not 33.
Registration will be online for all MIT departments
All MIT departments are going paperless this semester with the implementation of online registration. During registration for the fall 2011 semester, Courses 4, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21W, and 24 tested the new online system. Administrators said that the online system was easy to use for both students and advisors.
Embryonic stem cells used in humans for the first time
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles and Advanced Cell Technology in Marlborough have become the first to publish a study involving the use of embryonic stem cells in humans.
Early action numbers fall
When asked about the decline in the number of early applications for MIT — down 4.7 percent from last year — Dean of Admissions Stuart Schmill ’86 hypothesized that the decrease was likely caused by the reinstitution of early application programs at several other universities this year.
‘Manic Sages’ steal the show!
On Friday the 13th, hundreds of students, alumni, and puzzle enthusiasts gathered anxiously in Lobby 7. At noon, the members of the 33 teams that came to compete in the 2012 Mystery Hunt were greeted by two familiar characters: the infamous Max and Leo from 1968 Mel Brooks film The Producers. The two introduced the premise of the hunt, which is an MIT annual puzzling event that dates back to 1980.
Embryonic stem cell research challenged, again
James L. Sherley has filed the first brief of his formal appeal in his battle to stop government funding of human embryonic stem cell research.
MIT Institute Professor Emeritus wins Enrico Fermi Award
Last week President Obama named Mildred S. Dresselhaus, emeritus institute professor of physics and electrical engineering and computer science, and Burton Richter ’52, emeritus professor in the physical sciences at Stanford, as this year’s winners of the Enrico Fermi Award. The award is given “to encourage excellence in research in energy science and technology benefiting mankind,” according to its description. Etablished in 1956 to honor the accomplishments of 1938 physics Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi, the award carries a gold medal and an honorarium of $50,000, shared equally by its recipients.
Are students more stressed these days?
The 2011 Enrolled Student Survey, which was conducted this past spring, polled undergraduates about extracurricular and academic activities, and underscored an apparent increase in student stress. About 65 percent of the undergraduate body responded to the online questionnaire, which is delivered every four years.
MIT to build online education platform
MIT is developing an online educational platform that will be open-source, largely free, and let users outside of MIT earn certificates for completing Institute-caliber courses online. MIT hopes the initiative, internally dubbed “MITx,” will change the way students learn on-campus — by incorporating elements of MITx into existing curricula — and push MIT’s educational reach beyond campus borders in a way the current OpenCourseWare (OCW) cannot.
The frosh are coming! 680 admitted early to Class of 2016
680 of 6,008 Early Action applications (11.3 percent) received an early holiday present when they were admitted to the Class of 2016 on Dec. 17, 2011. 3,731 applicants (62.1 percent) were deferred to Regular Action while 1,308 students (21.8 percent) were not offered admission. 289 students withdrew or did not complete their application.
Phyo Kyaw ’10 killed by truck in traffic accident
Phyo N. Kyaw ’10, 23, was killed on Dec. 27 after he was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle at the intersection of Vassar Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
Mass Ave./Vassar St. intersection a deadly hazard
CAMBRIDGE — As the traffic signal turned red Friday morning, Marcia Pearson paused her lavender bicycle in the middle of Vassar Street.
MITx vs. OCW
MITx differs from OpenCourseWare (OCW) in several important ways, but there is the possibility of confusing the two. Here’s a breakdown of what MITx is and what it isn’t, and how it compares to OCW.