Discord in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education
The recent denial of tenure to a prominent Harvard scholar whose work focuses on grass-roots organizing has sparked student protests over the direction of one of the nation’s most influential education schools.
Alec Lai resigns as UA VP-elect
This past Wednesday, Alec C. Lai ’13 submitted a letter to the Undergraduate Association (UA) and undergraduate student body, resigning from his positions as UA secretary general and vice president-elect. Lai expressed general discontent with what he perceived as a lack of respect and cooperation within the student government, particularly aimed at authority figures whom he considered “megalomaniac[al].”
Revere woman free
REVERE — A Brazilian mother in the country illegally says she was detained for seven days by federal immigration officials after a traffic stop in Reading last week, despite her pleas that she be allowed to breast-feed her 13-month-old son.
Cambridge-MIT Exchange shrinks
Along with the rest of the U.K., the Cambridge side of the Cambridge-MIT Exchange (CME) Program is facing financial troubles this year. The number of students that the program can admit this year dropped to 15 each from Cambridge and MIT, down from 20–30 each in past years.
CORRECTIONS
An article published Tuesday incorrectly stated that IDEAS Competition teams competed for $15,000. Any team could receive a maximum of $25,000 through a combination of three types of awards: IDEAS Awards ($5,000, $7,500, or $10,000); Global Challenge Juried Awards ($10,000); and Community Choice Awards ($5,000). Winners will be announced on Monday at 7 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium.
Kendall zoning plan released
Yesterday MIT filed a petition with the City of Cambridge requesting zoning changes for the campus east of Ames Street. MIT proposes to create a new zoning district to support future academic and retail development in the next ten years.
First MIT open house in 30 yrs.
Tens of thousands of the public are expected to descend upon MIT’s campus tomorrow for the Institute’s first open house in over 30 years.
The Tech chats with Bruce Friedrich
After debating MIT’s Parliamentary Debate Team, Bruce Friedrich, PETA Vice President of policy and government affairs, sat down with The Tech to discuss his views on the ethical treatment of animals.
45 student teams compete for $15K
Forty-five teams competed for $15,000 last night in the final round of MIT’s Innovation, Development, Enterprise, Action and Service (IDEAS) Competition, spelling out their vision to make the world a better place. The annual competition focuses on innovation in the realm of public service. Teams entered projects in fields ranging from health care and education to food production, with many focusing on the challenges of world poverty and international development.
Joichi Ito named new Media Lab Director
Joichi “Joi” Ito was named as the new director of the MIT Media Lab in an announcement yesterday. He will be the fourth director of the Media Lab, founded in 1985. Ito will take over the directorship from Franklin H. Moss PhD ’77, who has held the position for the past five years.
Should MIT go vegan?
Bruce Friedrich, the vice-president of policy and government affairs for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), debated the ethics of eating meat with the MIT Debate Team on Monday night in 10-250. Shireen S. Rudina ’13, the debate team’s vice president of tournaments, argued against Friedrich’s proposal that eating meat is unethical under all circumstances.
Broad Institute extension approved
Early last week, the Broad Institute Board of Directors authorized plans to construct a Broad Institute extension. Alan Fein, executive vice president and deputy director of the Broad Institute, delivered the news in an email sent to the Broad community last Friday. According to the email, the Planning Board of the City of Cambridge approved the external appearance of the building on April 12. The transcript of the meeting is not yet available.
Students question death of Princeton lecturer
One Friday morning this month, a security guard showed up at the office of Antonio Calvo, a popular Spanish instructor at Princeton University, to escort him from the building. Friends and former colleagues say Calvo was abruptly dismissed from his job, and because he lived in the United States on a temporary visa, he faced a compulsory return to his native Spain.
EECS-Biology major to give foundation in two thriving areas
The requirements for the new Course 6-7 (Computer Science and Molecular Biology) were recently unveiled on the newly-launched course website, ahead of the April 29 deadline for freshmen to declare their majors. The goal of the new joint major between the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Biology is to provide instruction in the field of computational and molecular biology while also fostering an understanding of both biology and computer science.
Ambassador Meera Shankar discusses Indian economy
Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar visited MIT Wednesday to speak about the Indian government’s goal of maintaining a high economic growth rate. Shankar’s talk came as part of the B&K Securities MIT India Forum, a series of lectures by prominent Indians.
New Course X major allows concentration in ChemEng fields
A new flexible Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering as recommended by the chemical engineering department was approved during Wednesday’s faculty meeting. According to Course 10 Executive Officer Paula T. Hammond ’84, the new 10-ENG degree was designed over the past 2.5 years to allow students to focus on a sub-topic in chemical engineering.