From the Editor
As the next semester begins, <i>The Tech</i> looks back on the news stories of 2008 with this <i>Year in Review</i>. Take a moment to look back at the many news stories that affected MIT, and the handful of MIT events that impacted the nation.
MIT News in the World
So many important events have happened over the course of 2008 at MIT. With pioneering research, prominent awards, and influential visitors, MIT has enjoyed a prosperous year and has continued its history of excellence in science and technology.
Construction Abounds
For anyone on campus over the past year, one thing that’s been visibly changing is the landscape. Over 2008, buildings were constantly being renovated — Here are some of the larger construction projects of 2008.
Experts Teach MIT Students How To ‘Dress for Success’ Over IAP
I am not the fashionable type. Sure, I wear decent clothes that match, but there’s a difference between wearing clothes that match and wearing clothes that coordinate.
Faculty Will Vote on Plan to Change GIRs At Meeting This Week
The MIT faculty will vote on a proposal to change the General Institute Requirements at the faculty meeting this Wednesday. Professors’ opinions and concerns about the proposed changes vary widely, and many may never be discussed on the meeting room floor before the vote happens. Despite these concerns. most professors will probably vote in favor of the proposal because they support the plan’s general goals.
Etiquette, Flirting, and Clothes Take The Spotlight at IAP Charm School
Is it possible to earn a degree from MIT in a single afternoon? On Friday, close to 100 students, faculty, and alumni did just that during the 16th annual Charm School, held at the Stratton Student Center. And unlike MIT’s School of Engineering, Charm School boasted an admissions acceptance rate of 100 percent.
In the Closing of Brandeis Museum, Trustees Deliver a Statement of Its Priorities
Few things are more poignant than a gem of a museum whose days may be numbered. So it was at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University on a visit Friday, days after the university’s trustees voted unanimously to trash the institution by closing it and auctioning off the 6,000 works in its collection. The action came without consulting either the museum’s own board of governors or its director, Michael Rush.
24 Broad Institute DNA Scientists Were Laid Off on Tuesday
Twenty-four MIT employees were fired yesterday morning from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Their jobs have been made redundant by new technology, the institute said in a press release.
Four Thousand Flock to MIT to Seek Jobs Overseas
The 13th European Career Fair was held at MIT this past Saturday, attracting candidates and employers from all over the world amidst a bleak economy. Over 4,000 candidates from more than 16 countries seeking internships and jobs sent their resumes in and attended the fair this year.
Anonymous Benefactor’s Money Will Keep Empty W1 Looking Good
Partial renovations to the W1 residence hall, the former Ashdown, will begin this spring after all, thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor. Work will be limited to the exterior of the building, and will not impact the Institute’s plan to delay the opening of W1 until after 2010. The size of the gift was not disclosed.
MIT Dining Committee Releases Documents
Will next year’s incoming freshmen pay a mandatory fee for food? The “Blue Ribbon Committee” of students and administrators charged with determining the future of MIT dining has reported no new progress toward articulating a food policy since early December, when <i>The Tech</i> reported that a mandatory fee was among the committee’s proposals.
News Briefs
If you left your bicycle chained to the “NO BICYCLE PARKING” signs outside the Student Center on Tuesday morning, and you can’t find it, your bike might now be in NW62.
Architectural Terminology
<i>cupola</i> — a rounded vault resting on a usually circular base and forming a roof or a ceiling.
Apollo 17 Moon Rock Reveals Magnetic Beginnings
The lasting impression left by the Apollo missions is of a moon that is gray, dusty, desolate and dead. But instruments left behind by Apollo astronauts recorded moonquakes and wobbles in its rotation that gave hints of a still molten core.
‘Beginner’s Luck’ Wins 63-Hour Mystery Hunt
The 2009 Mystery Hunt concluded, after 63 hours, when the team Beginner’s Luck uncovered the coin, the traditional goal of the hunt, in the Building 13 basement on Monday at 3:03 a.m.
Big, Hopeful Crowds Gather to Watch Obama’s Inauguration
As President Barack Obama took the oath of office at yesterday’s inauguration, hundreds of members of the MIT community looked on from lecture halls and communal spaces. Students expressed a cautious optimism for the future.