Plankton season is just around the corner! Yum!
As the howling winds and wet-hair-freezing temperatures of winter wind down, the first signs of spring are already swimming in the ocean. Your friendly neighborhood plankton are beginning to grow in ranks.
Half-term finals, vaccine forms, MIT awards
MIT community members living in Massachusetts should pre-register for COVID-19 vaccines and update their vaccine status at covidvaccine.mit.edu.
The sky weeps from midterm week
Although the weather here in Boston will bless us today with one more day of sunshine and ridiculously high temperatures, don’t expect it to last. Temperatures will start heading down towards the weekend and into next week, with showers Friday morning and Sunday afternoon. So, instead of waiting for your day off to go out... is taking that midterm outdoors really such a bad idea?
Graduate Student Council Advocacy Subcommittee presents recommendations for 2021–2022 stipend rates to Deans’ Council
The committee deemed these recommendations feasible and well-justified when combined with substantial optimism over “increased federal research funding and the outlook for returning to a new normal over the coming months.”
Faculty discuss climate action, credit limit, and underrepresented minority recruitment at March meeting
The CUP’s provisional recommendations for academic year 2022 are to make the fall credit 54 regular units plus six discovery units, to make the spring credit 60 regular units plus six discovery units, and to permanently end the practice of offering ESS
The official start to spring
In Boston, spring means some warm days interspersed with rain, gloomy clouds, and fits of cold, but we can be excited about it nonetheless.
Add date, CP*, student holidays
March 22–23 are student holidays. No classes will take place.
Community comes together for ‘MIT Reflects: Moments of Remembrance and Hope’
MIT students, faculty, and affiliates came together March 10 for ‘MIT Reflects: Moments of Remembrance and Hope,’ an evening of prayers, reflections, and conversation about the pandemic’s impact on the MIT community.
MIT admits 4.0% from unprecedented 33,240 applicants to the Class of 2025
621 students were admitted out of 18,204 Regular Action applicants, for a Regular Action admissions rate of 3.4%.
President Reif announces big picture plans for Summer and Fall 2021
Reif expressed confidence in the “basic framework” of this plan but recognized the associated uncertainties with the expectation that working arrangements “will be different in important ways.”
Small glimpse of spring this week, temperatures set to drop again on Pi Day
Unfortunately, the weekend we will experience a 20 degree drop as Pi Day approaches. Despite the gloomier temperature on Sunday, don’t forget to celebrate Pi Day!
CAAC special meeting features student presentations across sustainability landscape
The student presentations addressed the structure and process behind the Climate Action Plan (CAP), public engagement, investments, private engagement, on-campus sustainability, and education.
Celebrating the life of Jinxuan ‘Janice’ Zhou (1997–2021)
Lena Downes SM ’20 wrote that Zhou was “so kind and thoughtful” and “made a huge impact on everyone who she met” at MIT.
New Institute commitments website presents MIT’s efforts toward fairness and equity
The website details steps taken as part of these efforts and labels them according to their progress.
Regular action decisions, Pi Day, CP*
Regular action decisions are released March 14. Happy Pi Day!
Wintry weekend
Brace on for a cold end to the week and colder weekend, albeit sunny. Northwest winds remain gusty in the city.
MIT will not compete in varsity sports during Spring 2021
For club and intramural sports, on-campus offerings will continue, consistent with state, local, and institutional guidelines while being subject to review.
Student holiday, vaccine form, MIT Awards
March 8 is a student holiday; no classes will be held. Monday classes will be held on Tuesday, March 9.
Pod programs suspended in Baker, Maseeh, New Vassar residence halls
Nelson and Stuopis wrote that “over 50 students” were involved in the gatherings or were pod mates of those involved in the gatherings.
Police secure arrest warrant for MIT graduate Qinxuan Pan, US Marshals expand manhunt
Pan remains at large, with the United States Marshals Service expanding the manhunt nationwide March 1 and offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that could lead to his arrest.