Math Skills Suffer in U.S., New Study Finds
The United States is failing to develop the math skills of both girls and boys, especially among those who could excel at the highest levels, a new study asserts, and girls who do succeed in the field are almost all immigrants or the daughters of immigrants from countries where mathematics is more highly valued.
Baylor Offers Frosh Financial Incentives To Retake the SAT
Georgia Green, a music education professor at Baylor University in Waco, Tex., said she did not believe it when a colleague told her in June that Baylor was offering incoming freshmen financial incentives to retake the SAT.
Initiative Seed Grants Fund 17 Energy Projects
For the second time this year, the MIT Energy Initiative awarded over $1.7 million in seed grants to energy research. The grants fund 17 energy projects ranging from designing solar cookers for third world countries to synthesizing thin-films for thermoelectric power.
Admissions Blog Post Removed At MIT’s Request
The ‘admissions blogs,’ weblogs sponsored by the MIT admissions office, have seen at least two entries removed within the past year. The first, relating to last spring’s Ring Committee flame war, was removed following requests from Admissions. The other, drawing criticism for what was deemed inappropriate content, was removed by the blogger. The student blogs are generally student-run and do not usually have content removed after it is initially posted.
MIT Experts Weigh In on Economic Woes
With a long recession looming, the government is enacting drastic measures to curb the recent financial problems, but when will things improve? Is Congress doing enough? Can Congress even solve the problem now?
Economic Crisis Hits Hard for Tuition-Paying Families
In difficult dinner-table conversations, college students and their parents are revisiting how to pay tuition as their personal finances weaken and lenders get tough.
Some in Community Resist ‘Nerd’; Others Embrace It
Students wear circuit boards on their sweatshirts and sing in a cappella groups with names like Logarhythms and Chorallaries. They run a model railroad club. It meets on Saturday nights.
Students Plan Sit-In To Protest Handling Of Student Life Issues
Students are planning a sit-in today in Lobby 7 to protest the administration’s treatment of student issues like hacking, housing, and dining.
Trying to Keep Track of Guantánamo? Try ScotusBlog
If you’re trying to keep track of information on prisoners held by the U.S. government at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a great resource is <i>http://scotusblog.com</i>, a legal blog about the Supreme Court run by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.
Krugman, Former MIT Prof., Wins Nobel in Economics
Paul Krugman PhD ’77, a professor at Princeton University and an Op-Ed page columnist for The New York Times, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science on Monday. Krugman was formerly a professor at MIT and used to teach 14.02 (Principles of Macroeconomics).
40 Student Projects Displayed to Public At MIT Energy Night
Last Friday night, the MIT Energy Night lit up Cambridge as students, faculty, and enthusiasts alike flocked down Massachusetts Avenue toward the MIT Museum. Forty MIT energy projects populated each and every corner of the museum, displaying topics from sustainability to efficiency.
Gender Ratios Vary Widely Across MIT Courses
Although MIT’s undergraduate population is almost half female, only about a third of the undergraduates in the most popular course, VI, are female, according to statistics released by the Office of the Registrar on Oct. 3, 2008.
Kenneth Hoffman
Former Department of Mathematics Head Kenneth Hoffman, who spent more than 40 years on MIT’s faculty and made significant contributions to U.S. education and science policy, died Sept. 29 following a heart attack. He was 77.
Finance Students Keep Their Job Prospects Alive
For students who set their sights on Wall Street during the boom years, the end has come just as they are getting ready to join the party.
Dormitory Council Will Not Levy Tax This Term Because of Budget Surplus
To spend down its large budget surplus, the Dormitory Council will not tax the dorms this semester.