New class offerings on Haiti Project-based courses focus on providing aid
In response to the Jan. 12 earthquake, MIT has offered classes focusing on Haiti and how students can help. The Martin Luther King Jr. Design Seminar (17.920) over IAP created a Lobby 10 display and this spring, Special Topic: New Media Projects For Haiti (MAS.963) will study some of the issues Haiti is now facing.
N.E.R.D to play Spring Weekend concert
Hip-hop prevailed over nineties soft-rock in this year’s annual MIT Spring Weekend concert. The American funk-rock/hip-hop group N.E.R.D — known for edgy tracks like “Sooner or Later” and “Everyone Nose” — will headline the concert. Electronic mash-up group Super Mash Bros. playing the opening act. The concert will occur on April 23 at 8 p.m. Tickets will be available starting March 1.
New ‘GWAMIT’ Women’s Group
Though about half of undergraduates are women, among graduate students, women are outnumbered by men two-to-one. For these women, the campus can be an isolating place.
Serenade me, Valentine!
So you’re sitting in 18.02 lecture in your classy “I Heart Bio” t-shirt, nodding off as you peruse the latest edition of The Tech. Suddenly, a horde of teenage males wearing a riot of colorful shirts and ties burst into your classroom.
Winter storm approaches MIT
MIT remains open today as Cambridge is predicted to get 4-9 inches of snow, according to National Weather Service forecasts. Snow emergencies have been declared in both Cambridge (effective at noon) and Boston (effective at 8 a.m.). During snow emergencies, parked cars must be moved off snow evacuation routes.
Paul Krugman talks money
On Friday, February 5th, Princeton professor Paul Krugman PhD ’77, 2008 Nobel Laureate in Economics, New York Times opinion columnist and former MIT professor spoke about the economic crisis, comparing it to the Great Depression.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT MIT debaters are latest North American champions
Who ever said that engineers can’t communicate? MIT Debate Team members and Course VI majors Adam Goldstein ’10 and Bill Magnuson ’09 took top honors at the North American Debating Championships — regarded as the most prestigious debate tournament in North America — held January 29-31 at York University in Toronto, Ontario, by finishing ahead of 79 other two-person teams from around the continent. Goldstein also earned honors as an individual performer in the preliminary rounds of the tournament, ranking as the top United States speaker and fourth overall speaker for his performance.
America’s Cup ushers innovations in engineering
VALENCIA, SPAIN — USA-17, the challenger for the America’s Cup, and Alinghi 5, the defender, may be stripped-down, lean racing machines, built purely for speed. But both are fully loaded.
Americans spend lots on communications annually
John Anderson and Sharon Rapoport estimate they spend $400 a month, or close to $5,000 a year, keeping their family of four entertained at home. There are the $30-a-month data plans on their BlackBerry Tour cell phones. The Roanoke, Va., couple’s two teenage sons each have $50 subscriptions for Xbox Live and send thousands of texts each month on their cell phones. DirecTV satellite service, high-speed Internet access and Netflix for movie nights add more.
IN MEMORY OF Carl Kaysen
Twenty years ago, as the crumbling of the Berlin Wall signaled the end of the Cold War, Carl Kaysen wrote an essay whose title asked: “Is War Obsolete?” Coming from someone else, the question might have seemed rhetorical or whimsical, but Dr. Kaysen’s career brought to his musings the force of history.
2012 ring design allegedly leaked
On Sunday, alleged pictures of the Class of 2012 ring design were sent to three dormitory mailing lists from a Gmail account impersonating the Class of 2012 Ring Committee. Members of the actual Ring Committee said they did not send the e-mail, but refused to confirm or deny if the pictures were genuine.
MIT students rally to help Haiti quake victims
After the most powerful earthquake to hit Haiti in a century, more MIT students have raised their voices in response to the catastrophe and have held events to help with the Haiti earthquake relief. From video game marathons to prayers to collages, students have found new ways to engage the community in furthering efforts to help earthquake victims.
Corrections
A story on Tuesday misspelled the name of the winning 6.370 BattleCode team. The correct name is “My Archon Died BellmanFording the Stream,” not “BellamFording.” Bellman-Ford is an algorithm for computing shortest-paths in networks.
Update on the HASS Requirements Changes
Further developments on changes to the Humanities Arts and Social Sciences requirement have been released.
Alumna convicted in terrorism trial
Aafia Siddiqui ’95 was convicted on Wednesday of trying to kill American military officers while she was in custody in Afghanistan, capping a trial that drew notice for its terrorist implications as well as its theatrics.
Executive vacancies in UA, ASA
Paul Baranay ’11, speaker of the Undergraduate Association Senate, has resigned his position as Speaker. Baranay announced his intention to resign at the Dec. 7 senate meeting, with the intention to take a medical leave from MIT, he said.
Demands for More Student Input Characterize Year in Dining Reform
2009 marked a continued push for greater transparency and student involvement in the dining reform process. Proposals maintained a delicate balancing act between the need to address student concerns and to slash the rising deficits of the dining system.