Rainn Wilson comes to MIT to discuss Bahá’í film
Last Friday, Nov. 11, the MIT community welcomed Rainn Wilson, popularly known as Dwight Schrute from NBC’s The Office, as a panelist for Amnesty International’s screening and discussion of the documentary Education Under Fire.
Sikka ’13 elected Panhel president
The Panhellenic Association released the names of its new executive board Sunday, elected earlier this month. Denzil Sikka ’13 of Alpha Phi, Panhel’s current vice president for finance and administration, will take over as president on Dec. 10. Panhel’s new officers were elected by a majority vote of the six Panhel delegates from their respective sororities. Topping Sikka’s priority list for Panhel is a revamped website and increased sharing of information among sororities, specifically regarding events and scholarships. She also wants to continue to ensure smooth sorority recruitment periods and “inspire Panhellenic spirit.”
Classes overflowing!
People say that attending MIT is like drinking from a fire hose. In many classes this fall, however, the only overflow was in the classrooms.
Professor emeritus Gobind Khorana, Nobel Prize winner, dies at 89
H. Gobind Khorana, MIT’s Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Biology and Chemistry emeritus, died of natural causes in Concord, Mass., Wednesday morning. He was 89.
MIT Post Office on chopping block again
The MIT Post Office’s future once again looks grim, especially in the context of the U.S. Postal Service’s continuing fiscal problems.
Camera in Lobby 5, intended to catch vandals
Continuing its use of surveillance to combat crime and mischief, MIT’s Security Office has installed a camera in the lobby of Building 5, overlooking the wheelchair lift.
Orientation Committee solicits input
Last March, the Review Committee on Orientation was established and commissioned to examine and re-evaluate MIT’s orientation program. This includes the Freshman Pre-Orientation Programs (FPOPs), Freshman Orientation, Residential Exploration (REX) and Housing, and FSILG Rush. On Nov. 10, the committee held its first public forum for students to give their input on the orientation evaluation process. The committee expects to present its findings and final recommendations in January 2012 to Dean for Undergraduate Education Daniel E. Hastings ’78 and Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo, who will make a final decision.
Why do science majors change?
Last fall, President Barack Obama threw what was billed as the first White House Science Fair, a photo-op in the gilt-mirrored State Dining Room. He tested a steering wheel designed by middle schoolers to detect distracted driving and peeked inside a robot that plays soccer. It was meant as an inspirational moment: children, science is fun; work harder.
More than $600 million missing from MF Global
A few days before MF Global’s collapse, regulators stationed at the firm were assured its books were in order.
Zuckerberg press conference
Before speaking to an assembly of students in 26-100 yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a brief press conference outside Lobby 10. Much of the discussion referred to his comments at a Stanford University event last Saturday, when he said that he may have kept Facebook in Boston if he had the chance to start over.
MIT and Russia to build research university
On Oct 26, MIT signed an agreement with Russia’s Skolkovo Foundation, marking the beginning of a three-year endeavor to develop a graduate research university, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (SkTech, pronounced S-K-Tech). SkTech is located in Skolkovo, a region near Moscow that has been described as Russia’s future Silicon Valley. The agreement was signed by MIT President Susan J. Hockfield, Skolkovo Foundation President Viktor Vekselberg, and SkTech founding President Edward F. Crawley ’76, a Course 16 Professor.
Facebook, Zuckerberg “like” MIT
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg swung by MIT yesterday to tell a packed 26-100 about Facebook’s corporate culture, what it’s like working in Silicon Valley, and — not surprisingly — why MIT students would make good Facebook engineers.
Nanotech lab top priority for MIT
Last April, President Susan J. Hockfield called the construction of the nano-Materials, Structures, and Systems (nMaSS) laboratory the Institute’s “highest academic priority” in a video outlining the MIT 2030 plan for campus development.
Megamimo wins Elevator Pitch Contest grand prize
The MIT $100K Elevator Pitch Contest wrapped up Wednesday at the finale event in the Stata Center’s Kirsch Auditorium. The Elevator Pitch Contest began with 285 contestants on Monday, and it is the first of a series of three contests sponsored annually by the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition.
PhD movie screening draws over 800 attendees, overflows 26-100
Thursday night, a line of people that extended from Building 26 down the Infinite Corridor to Lobby 10 waited to watch the film adaptation of Jorge Cham’s PhD (Piled Higher and Deeper) comics. The majority of the attendees, perhaps unsurprisingly, were graduate students.
Cambridge City Council candidates, part II
Tuesday, Nov. 8 marks election day in Cambridge. On Tuesday we profiled eight candidates for Cambridge City Council, and today we follow up with nine more. The following information was compiled from interviews with the candidates, or, if they did not respond to Tech inquiries, information from http://vote.rwinters.com (many thanks to Robert Winters!).
Empty UA Senate seats filled by new elections or presidential appointments
The UA Senate has seen several empty seats lately, and not because of students sleeping in. Several seats were never filled because nobody ran in UA elections or there was no clear winner. Other seats were vacated after senators resigned.