Fossil fuel companies fall short on climate pledges
Hearings held by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in September reveal the failures of fossil fuel companies to live up to their pledges on reducing their environmental impact — and why we still have work to do.
Cambridge’s own Green New Deal
City Councilor Quinton Zondervan is proposing the Cambridge Green New Deal with the goal of lowering emissions from commercial buildings.
Freedom of expression for all, minus students
Last fall, President Reif charged the provost, chancellor, and chair of the faculty to examine the state of freedom of expression on campus “on behalf of the community.” The process that led to the Freedom of Expression statement and report grossly failed President Reif’s call to “ensure that different points of view … are allowed to be heard and debated on our campus.”
MIT must protect campus communities against hate speech and hostility
When academic departments give a platform and MIT funding to any speaker, the aegis of free speech does not relieve the department from the consequences of that speech.
Radical breakthroughs for climate change? First we must deploy existing technologies
We’re always thrilled when people use science-based tools like En-ROADS; however, En-ROADS does not support the claims Mr. Hafer and Mr. Miller make.
A union made a difference for me
Graduate student workers at the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program (MIT-WHOI) decided overwhelmingly to unionize when a huge majority of us signed union cards over the last few weeks. After seeing what unionization did for my community growing up, I am confident unionization can be a tool for building a graduate experience of greater stability, security, and support for all of us, regardless of our backgrounds.
MIT history faculty members issue statement of solidarity with Iran’s Sharif University of Technology
The members of the history faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) listed below write to express our unwavering solidarity with the students and professors at Iran’s Sharif University of Technology and condemn in the strongest possible terms the Iranian government’s violent raid on our counterparts at Sharif.
How MIT could more effectively combat global warming
Spending hundreds of billions of dollars on wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars will make no perceptible difference in global warming during our lifetimes. Would an intense and highly focused research and development program on direct CO2 removal and climate engineering not be a better investment of resources?
‘The Tech’ should not advertise for companies jeopardizing humanity’s future
I believe that The Tech should review its definition of a “dangerous product” and consider the implicit impact of promoting Chevron job opportunities on its home page.
Open letter on open campus access
For alumni, we can no longer return to the hallowed halls where we learned to be the scientists, engineers, politicians, doctors, teachers, and innovators we’ve become and stay connected to the MIT community.
Mental health must be top priority
Your mental health is more important than getting an A, submitting a conference paper, or hitting your degree milestones on time. This is your only life.
An MIT-quality labor agreement
Collective bargaining between MIT’s graduate student workers and administration is about to officially begin. Unfortunately, both sides are already off to a disappointing start. The administration and union organizers have been too focused on rhetoric and not enough on honesty.
Our facilities workers deserve a fair contract now, not a pay cut
MIT's administration continues to chase profits rather than devoting its immense resources to supporting the well-being of the people that keep MIT functioning. But workers are fighting back.
Do members run this union?
The union has recently announced internally that bargaining will, in fact, be closed to all graduate students, save for members of the Bargaining Committee and a handful of graduate students.
MIT can address this elephant in the room: Bad periods!
Most physicians do not know how to screen for adenomyosis, and there is barely any research on it.
MIT’s attempts to reduce risk also stifles exploration and opportunity
While at MIT, one of my favorite activities was to walk around campus, often late at night, just to see what there was. But showing an ID, dealing with limited access, and going through security checks have all become the norm.
MIT and local input needed on open-campus reversal
One benefit the Institute gave to the city and other local communities was access to the central portion of campus — an inspiration for local young people and an educational resource for many. If this access is removed, then we have ourselves an ivory tower.
Defense tech: social impact ... or just warheads on foreheads?
The perception of defense tech as warheads on foreheads is not inaccurate. However, it is neither holistic nor disqualifying from the label of social impact.
Welcome back to Fortress MIT
Just when it seems possible that we may be returning to some semblance of pre-pandemic life, the installation of new scanners to replace the "temporary" gates at the main entrance of Building 7 signals a chilling new normal: Fortress MIT.
Seif Fateen: An MIT-educated professor languishing in Egypt’s prisons
While Seif Fateen is only one man caught in the web of a sprawling complex of prisons, his torment epitomizes the scourge of ruthless repression that countless Egyptians have had to suffer since the July 2013 coup.