It’s beginning to feel a lot like winter
A winter chill is finally in the air and it’s officially time to break out those winter jackets, hats, and gloves. The temperature will cool over the next couple days before beginning to warm back up a bit on Sunday, and it’s looking to be pretty windy, so make sure to bundle up. The semester is coming to a close soon and winter break is right around the corner. Best of luck to everyone with their studies, and maybe have a nice hot chocolate while you’re preparing for those final exams!
Four 2025 Rhodes Scholars hail from MIT
Yiming Chen ’24, Wilhem Hector ’25, Anushka Nair ’25, and David Oluigbo ’25 have been selected as 2025 Rhodes Scholars to pursue postgraduate studies at Oxford University beginning next fall.
Institute goes tuition free for undergraduates with family income below $200,000 effective 2025-2026
On Nov. 20, MIT announced that it would become tuition free for undergraduates whose families earned below $200,000 starting in the academic year 2025-2026.
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Wednesday Nov. 20. was the drop deadline, the last day to cancel full-term subjects from registration.
MIT Life Sciences and Health Symposium launch makes call for poster submissions
The inaugural MIT Life Sciences and Health Symposium will take place Dec. 4 on Kresge Lawn from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. Undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, are encouraged to submit work in the life sciences and engineering for a chance to win cash prizes in the poster categories that include basic scientific discovery, interdisciplinary work, and healthcare applications.
Troy Van Voorhis to step down as Chemistry Department Head
In an email to the MIT Chemistry community, Department Head and Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry Troy Van Voorhis announced that he would be stepping down as Department Head after five years of service effective at the end of the 2024 to 2025 academic year.
Fire erupts in fume hood of Building 18
Shortly before 12:30 P.M. on Nov. 20, a fume hood on the first floor of Building 18 caught fire. Building 18 houses several laboratories belonging to the Institute’s Chemistry Department. Emergency services responded promptly and sections of Ames Street were closed as the building was evacuated. Approximately ten minutes after the fire began, it was extinguished by the Cambridge Fire Department.
The 2024 Election: The Institute Reacts
Student voices echo the sentiments of the nation, administration largely silent
MIT Human Insight Collaborative holds launch event on Oct. 28.
The Institute launched the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC), an initiative seeking to promote intersectionality between faculty in the humanities, arts, and social sciences and their peers across MIT in a formal kickoff event on Oct. 28.
Undergraduate Association Voting Closes for Participatory Budgeting Proposals
On Oct. 24, the Undergraduate Association (UA) opened up voting for various proposals that utilize the $25,000 set aside for participatory budgeting in the fall semester. The vote, which was conducted through rank choice, closed midnight Nov. 6. An additional $25,000 is set aside for the spring semester, during which there will be another round of funding.
Meet Simon Johnson, 2024 Winner of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
Johnson: “You have to be looking for something. You have to be dissatisfied. You have to be wanting to take that risk.”
Live Updates: Trump emerges victorious in 2024 presidential election
This is a live page and will be continuously updated as new developments concerning the 2024 presidential election are reported.
Warm Beginning of November
The leaves are falling, the clock moved forward, and the days are shorter, all signaling the beginning of the end of Fall. While the optics suggest the move towards Winter, the temperatures do not with the highs being around 60°F. For those who are spending their first Winter here, heads up, this is not normal. Enjoy the sunny weather before the biting cold and brutal winds emerge.
Nobel Week at the Institute
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson PhD ’89, and James A. Robinson shared the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2024 "for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity." Their work traces increased prosperity in nations today back to having more inclusive institutions during the colonial period. Acemoglu is an Institute Professor in the Department of Economics. Johnson received his PhD in Economics at MIT in 1989 and is the Ronald A. Kurtz (1954) Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Sloan School of Management.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard lays off 87 employees
In an Oct 10 email to members of the Broad Institute community, Todd Golub, the Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced the layoff of 87 employees, 75 of whom were part of the Data Sciences Platform and IT departments.
Cooling down as October comes to a close
The weather is cooling down from our warm streak but continues to be pretty amiable into this weekend. The trees are starting to turn, and the leaves are starting to fall, make sure to get outside while you still can and enjoy that autumn beauty! A walk along the Charles River esplanade is the perfect opportunity to see some fall foliage close to home. Additionally, make sure to check out Halloween events coming up on campus and partake in the fun!
The Coalition for Palestine continues regular protests as numerous arrests made
The Coalition for Palestine remains adamant in its messaging of severing ties between the Institute and Israeli entities involved in the conflict.
Institute Jewish, Israeli community hold October 7 memorial service and display
"It was really important that the display would not be political,” Bechhofer said. “[The memorial] would just focus on themes of human suffering, crisis, and then resilience and rebuilding.”
MIT’s endowment rises 4.8% to $24.6 billion in 2024 fiscal year
MIT’s endowment rises 4.8% to $24.6 billion in 2024 fiscal year with philanthropic contributions rising 8.3% and MIT’s overall net assets climbing to $33.6 billion for a 4.3% jump