Was Star’s LED Star Protected Speech?
Star A. Simpson ’10, who faces charges of possessing a hoax device, came back to the East Boston District Court last Friday, Feb. 1 for a pretrial hearing. At the hearing, her attorney asked the court to dismiss the case. The judge said that he would rule on that motion on March 21, The Associated Press reported.
Senate Asks MIT, Others For Information About Endowment and Tuition
The Senate Finance Committee, increasingly concerned about the rising cost of higher education, demanded detailed information last Thursday from the nation’s 136 wealthiest colleges and universities on how they raised tuition over the last decade, gave out financial aid, and managed and spent their endowments.
As Federal Research Funds Decrease, More Scientists Leave U.S. to Work Overseas
Increased competition and diminished federal funding have made it tougher for scientists to rely on the grants that once generously supported labs, research and training of future scientists. The shortage comes at a time when corporate research facilities, such as Bell Labs, have largely disappeared. The stagnant, and in some cases, dwindling money pool has forced many scientists to bid the profession goodbye. Growing numbers are joining the flight overseas to more “research-friendly” countries such as China, South Korea, Singapore, and India.
MIT Arab Students Speak in Jerusalem, Promote Education
The two MIT students stood in the austere surroundings of a 130-year-old high school in the historic Old City of Jerusalem, pitching a high-tech future that reached across cultural and national boundaries.
A Novel IAP Goal: Facial Hair
It’s hard to think of anything that has twisted in the winds of pop culture quite like the great American mustache. Commonly praised and parodied, what was once the crown jewel of the ’70s and the favored scion of Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds is today a kitschy-creepy accessory that may or may not be making a comeback.
With Supporters’ Help, Tosci’s Reopens
Beloved neighborhood ice cream store Toscanini’s is back in business as of Friday, Jan. 25 after paying off part of its $167,000 tax debt and making a schedule to repay the rest. Much of the money came from donations made by loyal customers — a situation one tax official called “unusual to the point of unprecedented.”
News Briefs
MIT will increase the size of Athena disk quotas from 1 gigabyte to 1.5 gigabytes on Tuesday, Feb. 5, said Garry P. Zacheiss ’00, Information Services & Technology team leader, in an e-mail.
Athena Quotas Over Time
The Athena disk quota is set to increase by 50 percent from 1 gigabyte to 1.5 gigabytes on Feb. 5, 2008. After the increase takes effect next Tuesday, the quota will be 1,250 times its size 19 years ago.
Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop Tosci’s Seized Because of $167,000 Tax Bill
The Central Square branch of Toscanini’s Ice Cream was seized last Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue because the shop failed to pay more than $167,000 in taxes that have accumulated since 2000, according to the <i>Boston Globe</i>.
Surge of Applicants Seeks Admission toTop-Tier Universities
Applications to selective colleges and universities are reaching new heights this year, promising another season of high rejection rates and dashed hopes for many more students.
House Dining Membership Plan Extended During IAP
Students who paid half price for meals at dining halls during the fall will also pay half price during the Independent Activities Period. MIT Campus Dining has extended the duration of the House Dining Membership, formerly known as Preferred Dining, at no additional cost to members.
In Annual Hunt, Murder Mystery Challenges Institute Puzzle Buffs
Hordes of people gathered in Lobby 7 at noon on Friday for the start of the 29th annual Mystery Hunt, when teams were handed a piece of paper entitled “Puzzle Zero.” It became quite clear over the next arduous 56 hours that this puzzle had absolutely nothing to do with the Hunt, as teams of students, alumni, and others toiled through what even the organizers — collectively named “Palindrome” — admit was a very difficult edition of MIT’s annual Hunt.
RIAA Sends Institute 19 Settlement Letters Alleging Infringement
Nineteen members of the MIT community have been asked by the recording industry to preemptively settle lawsuits for allegedly downloading music illegally on peer-to-peer networks, according to a Jan. 10 Recording Industry Association of America press release.
Kenneth A. Wright ’47
Kenneth A. Wright ’47, a physicist who spent more than 60 years at MIT researching the effects of radiation, died Jan. 7. He was 88.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between Dec. 3, 2007 and Jan. 9, 2008. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, larcenies, or medical shuttles.</i>
Amended Motion Proposed at Dec. 19 Faculty Meeting
In light of the Star Simpson event, we, the MIT faculty, wish that the MIT administration had refrained from making its statement about her behavior.
MIT’s Sept. 21, 2007 Press Release
MIT is cooperating fully with the State Police in the investigation of an incident at Logan Airport this morning involving Star Simpson, a sophomore at MIT. As reported to us by authorities, Ms. Simpson’s actions were reckless and understandably created alarm at the airport.
Gray to Step Down From HST Leadership Position
Martha L. Gray PhD ’86, director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, announced in November that she will leave the position at the end of the academic year.
Sloan Students Hunt for Jobs In California ‘Valley Tech Trek’
The annual mating ritual between elite business schools and the talent-hungry technology industry this year lured a record 115 master of business administration candidates from MIT’s Sloan School of Management in Cambridge to the hillside campus of VMware Inc., one of Silicon Valley’s hottest companies.