Bad Ideas Weekend 2025 holds 28 events from Jan. 24 to Jan. 26
There were 28 different events, from Good Morning Rave to Dig Your Own Grave.
Blue Bottle Independent Union workers conduct Jan. 25 Kendall Square walkout
Prull: “As an independent union, we do it all ourselves. We are both workers, and union members, and union leaders.”
Slippery, snowy conditions ahead
Mixed precipitation is expected throughout the day on Thursday. Stay safe and tread carefully!
Warming up for the weekend
After a stretch of really chilly weather, the weekend looks to be warming up a bit, though evening lows are still well below freezing.
MIT SIPB launches the beta version of OpenGrades, a fully anonymous course evaluation platform
On Dec. 12, 2024, MIT’s Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) launched a beta version of OpenGrades, a platform where students can anonymously share information about classes at MIT since Fall 2021.
Three from MIT named 2025-26 Schwarzman Scholars
On Jan. 15, the Schwarzman Scholars Program announced its tenth cohort, including three from MIT. Scholars pursue a fully funded, one-year master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Per the scholarship’s website, the Schwarzman Scholars Program is intended to create leaders and form “global relationships that can be activated over a lifetime.”
Bill Thilly ’67 ScD ‘71, Professor of Biological Engineering, passes away at 79
Thilly’s research on the effects of environmental mutagens on human cells led to now widely-used assays
MIT admits 721 early action applicants to the Class of 2029
On Dec. 17, MIT admitted 721 early action applicants to the Class of 2029 out of 12,053 students, which is an acceptance rate of 6.0%.
Search for suspect on campus concludes with arrest in Somerville
Police arrested Fabio Armelio after a string of break-ins.
Lara Ozkan ’25 named 2025 Marshall Scholar
Ozkan: “MIT has been the most transformative experience of my academic career.”
Prof. Rosalind Picard apologizes for comments at the 2024 NeurIPS conference
Picard: “Our students and colleagues who are Chinese or Chinese American frequently contend with deliberate ethnic stereotyping that feeds an atmosphere of mistrust.”
West Coast vs East Coast: Fire vs. Ice
The Boston Winter has arrived with the start of 2025! If the Fall semester weather convinced you that Boston Winters are not bad, let’s see if that is true after IAP. Living up to the New England Weather expectations, brace yourself for chilling temperatures and forceful gusts of wind as temperatures drop to the 20s and wind speeds vary from 10-20 mph this week.
YouTuber, Science Communicator, and Entrepreneur Hank Green to deliver Class of 2025 Commencement address
Hank Green, a science communicator and entrepreneur, will speak at the 2025 OneMIT Commencement Ceremony May 29.
Graduate Student disciplined for involvement in Pro-Palestinian movement on campus
On Dec. 4, Prahlad Iyengar G, a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been suspended until January of 2026 for his involvement relating to the Pro-Palestinian movement on campus. He is also banned from campus premises. The Institute’s Committee of Discipline imposed these sanctions.
MIT matches all-time high 100 students in the Class of 2029 through the QuestBridge Program
On Dec. 2, the QuestBridge program released results for its match day, where high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds are matched with top colleges and universities. This year, 100 students were matched with MIT, an all-time high. The Tech confirmed this figure with Stu Schmill ’86, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services.
MIT holds Life Sciences and Health Collaborative launch event on Dec. 4
Kornbluth: “Overall, MIT HEALS is an opportunity to make our work—as individuals and institutions—collectively add up more than the sum of our parts.”
Undergraduate Association releases inaugural participatory budgeting results
On Nov. 25, the MIT Undergraduate Association (UA) released the winning proposals of its inaugural participatory budgeting process.
Happy end of the semester!
The weather for the next few days looks to be relatively sunny and calm. Welcome the chance to get some sunlight with classes being over, even if it’s just sitting near the big windows in Hayden or Rotch while you study. The days keep getting shorter and shorter, it’s important to get what sunlight you can! Best of luck to everyone with their final exams, and a wonderful holiday break ahead.