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.
YouTube acquires web video company Next New Networks
SAN FRANCISCO — YouTube, the video site owned by Google, formally announced on Monday that it had acquired Next New Networks, a Web video production company, in its biggest effort yet to move beyond short, quirky home videos to professionally produced content.
David Koch marks institute dedication
On March 4, some of the most powerful people in the United States gathered under the tent outside the Building 76 to celebrate the dedication of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. All of MIT’s top brass was joined by Senator Scott P. Brown (R-Mass.) and David H. Koch ’62 himself — who Forbes listed as the 24th richest person in the world in 2010.
Lone runners
Beginning March 16, 2011, the MIT undergraduate student body will have three days in which to vote for Allan E. Miramonti ’13 and Alec C. Lai ’13, uncontested candidates for president and vice president of the Undergraduate Association, respectively. Miramonti is currently a Senator from Random Hall, and Lai is Next House President and UA Secretary General.
Co-founder of Reddit speaks at MIT Startup Club meeting
Last night’s gathering of the MIT Startup Club featured a presentation and Q&A from Alexis Ohanian, cofounder of the popular social news site Reddit ().
Hate crime in Baker
A hate crime involving paintings of a swastika, penis, and the letters “FU” occurred at Baker House over President Day weekend. The perpetrator has not been found, and the issue remains unresolved, according to the victims.
PBE suspension terms changed by MIT
MIT and Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) released a joint statement today stating that they have resolved several issues that were raised last fall regarding PBE’s suspension from the Interfraternity Council (IFC). On Sept. 21, 2010, PBE was given a four-year suspension by the IFC for violating no-tolerance policies on hazing in PBE’s new member program.