For Rosetta, a landing and ending on a comet
When the spacecraft makes a gentle belly flop onto the comet Friday, it will bring to an end to the most ambitious mission ever for the European Space Agency. Since its arrival in August 2014 at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, Rosetta has been sending reams of data and exquisite photographs of the comet, providing insights and surprises about one of the fragments left over from the formation of the solar system 4 1/2 billion years ago.
Report accuses Sudan of 'scorched earth' tactics in Darfur
UNITED NATIONS — Amnesty International said Thursday that Sudanese government forces had laid waste to dozens of villages in the restive region of Darfur, bombing them from the air, burning homes, looting livestock and raping women — while preventing United Nations peacekeepers from going there to protect civilians.
Advisory committee, ethics forum, carbon neutrality among enacted elements of Climate Action Plan
Spearheading efforts to combat climate change on MIT’s campus and worldwide, the Office of the Vice President for Research and other departments are enacting components of the Plan for Action on Climate Change released last October and revised in March.
Delta Phi Epsilon moves into Boston house
Members of MIT’s newest sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, have moved into their recently-acquired brownstone house at 515 Beacon Street in Boston.
Decrease in drug and alcohol violations, increase in reported rapes, MIT Police reports
A student igniting a poster in a common area and another student tossing a flaming pillow in a dumpster were just two causes of fire reports made to the MIT Police in the past three years, according to the 2016 Annual Security and Fires Safety Report.
Corrections
A caption published in last week’s issue mistakenly stated that football players knelt during the pledge of allegiance before the game. In fact, it was during the national anthem.
Add date, finals exam schedule, flu shots
This semester’s final exam schedule is available at http://finals.mit.edu/
Cloudy weather will stick around
Cloudy and muggy weather should continue through Friday as a front approaches Boston from the south. Warm, tropical air is being squeezed between a low pressure system to our southwest and high pressure to the northeast. Today, the vicinity of the high pressure system will limit rain chances in Boston. As the high breaks down tomorrow, an area of rain will move in from the south, bringing moderate rainfall and patchy fog. Rain chances remain high through the weekend as the persistent low to our east makes its way toward New England. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is watching a recently-developed tropical storm in the Caribbean which could potentially impact the U.S. next week. Although a tremendous amount of uncertainty remains, Tropical Storm Matthew will be closely monitored in the coming days. Several weather models show the storm trekking west before taking a sharp turn and continuing north along the east coast. Models also show the system strengthening, putting it at hurricane status in the next several days. Its implications for the east coast will be more certain by the end of the weekend.
DormCon confronts imminent New House closure
Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart PhD ’88 and Vice President for Student Life Suzy Nelson have asked DormCon to begin looking into how to re-house New House residents who will be displaced when that dorm closes for renovations at the end of this academic year.
New House pipe leak unrelated to HVAC issues
Around 9 p.m. Wednesday evening, a water pipe in iHouse, part of House 1 of New House, started to leak and caused ceiling tiles to fall.
U.S. to step up deportations of Haitians amid surge at border
MEXICO CITY — The Obama administration, responding to an extraordinary wave of Haitian migrants seeking to enter the United States, said Thursday that it would fully resume deportations of undocumented Haitian immigrants.
Email hack details movements of Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton
WASHINGTON — Hackers on Thursday posted hundreds of emails from a young Democratic operative that contained documents detailing the minute-by-minute schedules and precise movements of the vice president, the first lady and Hillary Clinton during recent campaign fundraisers and official political events.
Yahoo hackers plundered data on 500 million
SAN FRANCISCO — Yahoo announced on Thursday that the account information for at least 500 million users was stolen by hackers two years ago, in the biggest known intrusion of one company’s computer network.
Career Fair Directors enact measures to boost employer diversity
Career Hack sessions, student lounges, and a feedback system are all new features of this year’s Career Fair, taking place today in the Johnson Athletic Center and Rockwell Cage.
UA to become more proactive, Liu says
The Undergraduate Association had its first Council meeting last Wednesday, discussing nominations to the Committee on Academic Performance, approving the budget for the year, and changing the Financial Board’s bylaws and procedures to sanction funding violations.
Cool and clear weekend ahead
After a warm day, a cold front will come through tonight, bringing some chance of rain and a cool weekend to sweep away the stress of career week. A high pressure system will come in to bring clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60°s to the Boston area for the weekend, serving as a friendly reminder that the first official day of autumn was Wednesday, September 21. The clear skies and high visibility may give everyone a reason to smile on Monday morning.
More freshmen take ASEs this fall
More than 500 students, mostly incoming freshmen, spent time during orientation to undertake the Advanced Standing Exams.
Renovated Building 9 reopens under new name
On September 12, Building 9 reopened under a new name, the Samuel Tak Lee Real Estate Entrepreneurship Lab, after a major but rapid renovation.
Ahmad Khan Rahami is arrested in Manhattan and New Jersey bombings
The man believed to be responsible for the explosion in Manhattan Saturday night and an earlier bombing in New Jersey, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was taken into custody Monday after he was wounded in a gunfight with police, law enforcement officials said.
Hacking the ballot
DAYTON, Ohio - Efforts by hackers to infiltrate elections systems in Arizona and Illinois this summer, and the successful hack of the Democratic National Committee emails - allegedly by Russians - have officials and voters on edge as the Nov. 8 election nears.