CORRECTIONS
An In Short published on March 13 incorrectly referred to Robert J. Silbey as the former Dean of the School of Engineering. He was the former Dean of Science.
Anti-abortion legislation continues to proliferate at the state level
Last spring, I wrote about the worrisome nature of the state-level, Republican-led fusillade of attacks on abortion rights. I am sad to report that the barrage has not relented. If you thought that last year’s legislation was shocking, then fetch the smelling salts because this new batch might just knock you out.
CORRECTIONS
A letter from the MIT Armenian Society published on March 2 incorrectly spelled one of the author’s names. He is Arsen Mamikonyan ’12.
Can we finally say this thing is done?
Well, there you have it. It has been a momentous primary season with 20 nationally televised debates, countless political blunders, innumerable frontrunners, and vicious Super PAC ads. But the victor is as we always predicted: Mitt Romney.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fusion energy is a critical component of a balanced energy research portfolio
‘Never again’ means never again
If Iran were to build a nuclear weapon, the result would be catastrophic. A nuclear Iran would spur a regional nuclear arms race and Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf, embolden Iranian terror proxies like Hezbollah, and actualize the threat of a nuclear bomb being dropped on the United States and Israel, or in the words of Iran’s leaders, on the “Great Satan” and “Little Satan.” President Obama has said, “When I say all options are on the table, I mean it,” but is this enough to assure Israel — who unlike the United States does not have the safety of distance, size, or an advanced fleet of bomber jets — that Iran won’t “wipe Israel off of the map?”
Happy dining
A couple months ago, I wrote an article . Perhaps I am writing this article now because I was a little bit too harsh. Or it could be because I have gone to the dark side.
Fusion research is a wise investment
Course 22 senior Derek Sutherland’s article in last Friday’s Tech did a great job of describing why the Alcator C-Mod magnetic fusion experiment, the largest experiment at MIT, deserves to be funded in the fiscal year 2013 federal budget. But it is also imperative to note how magnetic fusion energy research in the United States as a whole is in serious danger at this time, and how the path proposed for fusion in the 2013 budget is harmful to the future of U.S. energy independence and U.S. scientific leadership.
Rethinking MITx
This past December MIT announced the launch of “MITx,” a new online learning initiative that will offer a large selection of MIT courses online and will allow those that demonstrate mastery of course material to earn a certificate of completion. The announcement has received much praise from both faculty and students as a mark of progress and a major step towards global education — but has the MIT community really considered the full impact of MITx?
The benefits of MITx
MITx has stimulated much discussion among MIT students, and seems to have divided them into two camps: the ones who believe that our degree will be devalued by the implementation of MITx and those who do not. In fact, the most likely outcome is that MITx will reap enormous benefits, both on campus and internationally.
Good riddance, Alcator C-Mod
No one likes to hear that their work is a waste of time and money. But the job of government is not to assuage the egos of research scientists — the public welfare, writ large, comes first. In a guest column last week, Derek Sutherland ’12 bemoaned a proposed cut to state funding of the Alcator C-Mod reactor at MIT. I’m sorry Derek, but it needed to be said: your research was not worthy of the public’s money, and to be frank, was also not worth your time and attention as a researcher.
Saving Alcator C-Mod
The MIT fusion experiment Alcator C-Mod has been slated for cancellation in the presidential budget request for fiscal year 2013, a cut of nearly $18 million to the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) to be enacted in September 2012. The shuttering of this single largest experiment at MIT will be devastating to the research of many of our professional scientists, upwards of 30 graduate students and dozens of undergraduate students at MIT. Luckily, this budget must still be passed by Congress to go into effect, and we need your help now to reverse this decision.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
(*)Examples of scholarly and human rights organizations condemning Armenian Genocide include the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem , Institute of Holocaust in Washington D.C, United Nations’ Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, World Council of Churches, International Center for Transitional Justice and many more.
CORRECTIONS
A World and Nation headline published on Feb. 28 incorrectly said “Iran’s prime minister increases power after political crisis.” It should instead be “Iraq’s prime minister.”
S ^ 3 is a valuable guide and resource
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that MIT is a difficult place. The challenges students face, whether academic or social, are difficult to handle even amidst the best mental health states. We enter the Institute as the top students from our hometowns with ambitions of maintaining this status by being the best in our classes and extracurricular activities. We have not failed until we get to MIT.
Enough
(As a preface to this letter, I make no assumptions about accidental or intentional nature of the sad passing of Brian G. Anderson ’13, and stand with the MIT community in sending our thoughts and wishes to his family and friends. Yet, I believe his death, as the most recent loss of a student on campus, brings to light a very concerning issue on campus.)
The importance of S^3 for students
As with all of MIT, we are deeply saddened by the loss of another member of our community. Over this academic year, the deans in Student Support Services (S ^ 3) have met with many individuals who have been impacted by the student deaths. The loss and circumstances are almost incomprehensible to many friends and peers of these students and to the community.