5.111, 7.01x, 18.01A ASE pass rates increase
The 7.01x (Introductory Biology) ASE maintained its high pass rate from last year. Of the 137 students taking the exam, 66.4 percent passed, compared to 151 participants and a pass rate of 65.6 percent from last year.
Media Lab Cofounder Nicholas Negroponte defends Joi Ito
Negroponte defended Ito in accepting Epstein’s money, telling the Globe that he said to Ito that Ito should take Epstein’s contribution and he “would say that again based on what we knew at the time.”
DSL launches new pick-a-lunch pilot program
Students are able to use a meal swipe to pay for their choice of one entrée, two sides, and a drink.
Sixty percent or higher on math diagnostic is required to pass out of 18.01
“We found historically that some students who received a ‘5’ on the Calculus BC exam did not have a strong grip on the fundamentals — especially of pre-calculus material (algebra, logs, trigs, etc.) — to do as well as we would like in MIT subjects,” Barbara Peskin PhD ’90, academic administrator of the mathematics department, wrote in an email to The Tech.
Media Lab Director Joi Ito resigns after efforts to hide his ties with Epstein are revealed
“After giving the matter a great deal of thought, I have chosen to resign as Director of the Media Lab and as a Professor and employee of the Institute, effective immediately,” Ito wrote in an email to Media Lab members obtained by The Tech.
Fall registration, physical education classes
The deadline to submit Fall 2019 registration is Sept. 6. There is a $50 late fee.
Work of the Future Task Force report calls attention to exacerbated inequality due to technology
The report said that the challenge we currently face and are likely to face in the near future is not too few jobs, but rather the quality of those jobs and how accessible those jobs are to less-educated people.
Global Studies and Languages faculty reassigned to other HASS departments
GSL classes currently taught by lecturers should not change, according to SHASS Dean Melissa Nobles.
MIT graduate Burhan Azeem runs for Cambridge City Council
Azeem: "The biggest thing for me was that MIT gives you space. For four years, there's nothing you strictly have to do, and so you have a lot of breathing space to figure out how you want to do things."
PE classes, formal recruitment, Labor Day
Undergraduate registration for physical education is 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30.
SHASS introduces Computing and Society concentration
“The goal of the concentration is to help students gain a greater understanding of how changes in computational power have refashioned fundamental questions about community, identity, democracy, and knowledge itself,” Karen Gardner, academic administrator of Science, Technology, and Society (STS), wrote.
Students required to order books from Coop online
The Coop will continue to carry apparel, accessories, gifts, and some books at its physical location.
David H. Koch ’62 dies at 79
Koch’s gift enabled the creation of a location where “scientists and engineers work together under one roof in pursuit of powerful, new ways to diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent cancer.”
President Reif apologizes to Epstein victims
“With hindsight, we recognize with shame and distress that we allowed MIT to contribute to the elevation of his reputation, which in turn served to distract from his horrifying acts. No apology can undo that,” Reif wrote.
Two academics to leave Media Lab over Epstein ties
Matias wrote that he “cannot with integrity" do his work within the MIT Media Lab.
Residence exploration, orientation, registration
Welcome to MIT! First-year and graduate student orientation begin Aug. 25.
College of Computing Task Force working group final reports available
The Curricula and Degrees working group examined various options for new curriculum development, including providing “Programming, Computation, and Data” instructors for computationally intensive non-CS subjects and a summer program for first-year students with little computational background.
SAO institutes attendee sign-in policy for student group summer events
The SAO and CAC wrote to the clubs that the policy change was made “to address reported concerns around safety, security, and overall capacity during reduced summer hours.”
MIT received thousands in donations from Epstein Interests
Ito wrote, “I take full responsibility for my error in judgment. I am deeply sorry to the survivors, to the Media Lab, and to the MIT community for bringing such a person into our network.”
HackMIT no longer admits all MIT students
Workshops and talks will be open to the entire MIT community.