US relations with Saudi Arabia chilled
WASHINGTON — The brutal crackdown in Bahrain poses the greatest Middle East democracy dilemma yet to the Obama administration, deepening a rift with its most important Arab ally, Saudi Arabia, while potentially strengthening the influence of its biggest nemesis, Iran.
UA Finance Board Spring II allocation results
Note: Spring 2011 marks the first time FinBoard has allocated funds in two spring cycles. This year, funding from Spring I allocations rolls over to Spring II; some groups did not submit Spring II budgets.
Class of 2015 admission rate sinks to 9.6 percent
On Monday, MIT celebrated pi day by granting admission to 1,715 high school seniors. Despite an increase in class size to 1,120 — up by about 60 from the current freshman class size — the class of 2015’s admission rate was a staggeringly low 9.6 percent. With 17,909 applications overall, the admissions office saw an 8 percent increase in applications from last year, driving the admit rate down from last year’s 9.7 percent.
Japan in crisis, MIT reacts
It was supposed to be a routine visit to Japan for MISTI staff to meet with host companies and university contacts about upcoming summer internship programs. Michelle L. Kern, program coordinator for MISTI Japan, and Patricia E. Gercik, managing director of MISTI Japan, arrived in Tokyo on March 10, and started with the usual meetings the next day — the day of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed the northeast coast.
Institute replies vacuously to Styke suit
On Tuesday, MIT submitted its response to Wolfe B. Styke G’s lawsuit. Styke is suing the Institute and Russell J. Novello for a total of $50,000 in negligence, resulting from the October 2007 incident where he was stabbed in his Next House dorm room by Anna L. Tang, who was a Wellesly student at the time. Novello was the security guard who provided Tang with a key to Styke’s room. Tang was found not guilty by reason of insanity late last year and is fully free as of early this year.
Napolitano delivers Compton Lecture
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano presented the Karl Taylor Compton Lecture yesterday before a modest turnout in Kresge Auditorium. Napolitano is the first woman in the Compton Lecture Series, which has included Niels Bohr, two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, and Senator Ted Kennedy.
Clinton spokesman resigns after remarks at MIT
State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley resigned on Sunday amid controversy over remarks he made last week at MIT about the treatment of Army Pfc. Bradley E. Manning. At a talk on Thursday, he called the U.S. military’s treatment of Manning, who is suspected of providing classified information to WikiLeaks, “ridiculous, counter-productive, and stupid.”
UA, Grimson talk student engagement
Replete with graying beard and Canadian accent, Saskatchewan native and newly appointed Chancellor W. Eric L. Grimson PhD ’80 met with the UA Senate for the first time Monday evening. Echoing concerns raised two weeks ago when the Senate met with MIT Corporation Chairman John S. Reed ’61, students grilled the new chancellor on student engagement, culture, and communication.
Lone ticket participates in UA debate
This year, the Undergraduate Association debate was anything but a debate. With only one ticket in the running for the UA President and Vice President, candidates Allan E. Miramonti ’13 and Alec C. Lai ’13 took the time this past Sunday to answer questions regarding their campaign platform.
Tuition, self-help costs will rise in fall
Tuition will increase 3.9 percent to $40,732 in the 2011-2012 academic year, according to a release from the MIT News Office. While the financial aid budget is also rising 5 percent to $91.3 million, the student self-help costs will increase from $3,400 to $4,400 for students with annual family income of $75,000 or less, and from $5,500 to $6,000 for the other financial aid recipients.
Penny Arcade Expo: Boston levels up for weekend
This weekend’s Penny Arcade Expo, also known as PAX East, could elevate Boston’s reputation as a major center for video game development while providing three days of thrills for more than 60,000 fans of video, card, and board games.
Four MacVicar fellows named
On Tuesday, four professors were announced as the 2011 MacVicar Fellows. Professor Bishwapriya Sanyal of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Associate Professor Christopher A. Schuh of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor George C. Verghese of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor Patrick H. Winston ’65 of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science were recognized for their contributions to undergraduate education at MIT.
Chen wins Lemelson Student Prize
Alice A. Chen G is the winner of this year’s Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for her innovative contributions to biotechnology, most notably the “humanized mouse” — a mouse with a tissue-engineered human liver. Chen is a PhD student at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The $30,000 student prize is awarded annually to an MIT senior or graduate student who has displayed a “portfolio of inventiveness.”
Former MIT professor pleads guilty to false statements in federal research grant application
A Falmouth man was convicted on March 3 in federal court of making false statements in a federal research grant application aimed at improving scientists’ understanding of T-cells and autoimmune diseases.
PBE suspension terms relaxed by MIT; IFC uneasy
The terms of Phi Beta Epsilon’s suspension have been changed as a result of a new agreement between MIT and PBE. MIT recently granted PBE the privileges to stay in their house at 400 Memorial Drive, to remain members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) — although under probation — and to participate in rush starting in fall 2012 provided that they abide by the terms of their suspension and avoid future violations. The IFC did not sign or agree with the wording of the joint statement.
Astronomy Professor James Elliot dies at 67
James Ludlow Elliot ’65, an MIT professor of planetary astronomy and physics who discovered the rings of Uranus in 1977, died on March 3 from cancer-related complications. He was 67.