Warm, wet weather expected Sunday
After a record-shattering month of December, the first burst of winter cold has hit the Institute. Ocean-effect snow showers on Monday were followed by Tuesday morning temperatures at Logan Airport plunging to 8°F (-13°C), while a steady northwesterly wind made it feel like -8°F (-22°C). Here on campus, the weather station on the roof of the Green Building recorded a low temperature of 6.9°F (-13.9°C). These temperatures were in stark contrast to the last month of 2015, in which the average high was 52°F (11°C), it was 69°F (21°C) on Christmas Eve, and the temperature only dipped below the freezing mark on four occasions. On average, the month of December was 10.6°F (5.9 K) warmer than average, and 4.3°F (2.4 K) warmer than the next-warmest December on record.
Economics professors, staff move back to renovated E52
MIT’s economics department is moving back into Building E52 this week after more than two years of renovations to the 1938 Art Deco building, which overlooks the Charles River.
After two years, Maseeh votes to rejoin Dormitory Council
After seceding in 2013, Maseeh Hall and its Executive Council (MHEC) decided to formally rejoin MIT’s Dormitory Council (DormCon) this past December. This marks the first time in over forty years that DormCon represents every dorm at MIT.
Actor Matt Damon to speak before class of 2016 at June commencement
Actor and filmmaker Matt Damon will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2016, MIT announced Dec. 10.
MIT will not join CAAS, likes flexibility of its app
MIT will not be joining the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (CAAS), an organization of more than 80 colleges and universities that offers an alternative to the Common Application and seeks to help underserved students during the college preparation process.
Matt Damon to speak at MIT's 2016 commencement
Actor and filmmaker Matt Damon will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2016, MIT announced Thursday.
‘Unprecedented’ rise in violations prompts police note on scooters, skateboards indoors
The fall semester has seen “an unprecedented increase” in the number of people riding scooters or other “wheeled devices” to get around inside buildings on campus, according to MIT Police.
Course 6 employs survey to measure student workloads
Part of a larger institutional response to student feedback, MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has been collecting data on its students’ workloads since last spring. And the results are starting to take effect behind the scenes.
MIT senior Vo Tien Phong receives a 2016 Marshall Scholarship
Vo Tien Phong ’16 will spend next year studying physics at Cambridge University as a recipient of the Marshall Scholarship.
Sean Perry, Picower Institute technical associate, dies at 39
Sean Perry, a technical associate at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, died suddenly in his hometown of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, on Monday, Nov. 23. He was 39.
Future buildings and remodels will aim for LEED Gold standard
MIT’s Office of Sustainability gave a set of recommendations Monday that will help MIT set its long term plan for sustainability on campus; one long-term goal of the plan is to bring new and newly renovated buildings on campus up to the LEED Gold standard.
MIT likely to rebury 1957 time capsule
MIT will likely rebury the 58-year-old time capsule unearthed last week at the construction site of the future MIT.nano building. The time capsule, uncovered more than nine centuries earlier than intended, currently resides in the MIT Museum.
Vigil held for high levels of atmospheric carbon
About 70 people gathered for a vigil in Lobby 10 Monday to commemorate the start of month 2 of Fossil Free MIT’s sit-in and collectively acknowledge that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are not likely to ever again drop below 400 parts per million.
Admissions officer: MIT doesn’t check Facebook profiles
With all of the admonishments parents, counselors, and advice websites issue to high school students to keep their online presence professional, nobody could fault applicants for assuming that MIT admissions officers will scour their Facebook profiles. Nevertheless, the assumption would be false.
CORRECTIONS
Last Thursday’s article about the Undergraduate Association’s proposed increase to the student life fee incorrectly stated that at $1,200 per student group per year, $349,000 is needed for the current student groups, additional student-oriented activities, and UA internal operations. In fact, the sum of $349,000 does not include UA internal operations. Also, the article said the student life fee had previously been raised by the Graduate Student Council, which is not confirmed. The article further said that recent UA resignations were due to issues related to student group funding, citing the UA president, who actually only said the resignations were partly due to money issues.
MIT to send students, faculty to Mongolia to help spur innovation
MIT will launch a pilot program that will send MIT students and faculty to Mongolia to further entrepreneurship, innovation, urban planning, and university faculty development.
A quiet Thanksgiving holiday in store
A large high pressure system will continue to creep up the Carolina coast today, keeping skies clear and sunny in Boston. This high will keep weather cool and dry through Saturday, when an approaching upper level disturbance will bring a chance of rain to the area.