The right way to write
The hardest thing about taking the SAT was writing the honor code in cursive. Well, that’s kind of an exaggeration, but after having drilled the essays and math, the cursive was the only thing that took me by surprise. I spent agonizing minutes, trying to remember how to form capital letters. When that was over with, I thought that I would never touch cursive ever again.
Fig. 3 versus the editor
“May I suggest you consult the senior authors of your paper who should know how to label a scientific graph properly so that our readers can understand them even if they are non-specialists” read the e-mail from an unnamed scientific journal’s editor in chief (EIC). With my eyes and mouth wide open, I read it again: “…There is still not enough clarity about the labeling of the figures. …May I suggest …”
Events Dec. 11 - Dec. 17
Events dec. 11 – dec. 17 Tuesday (4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) The White House and Regulation: Myths and Realities talk sponsored by MIT Energy Initiative — 66-110 (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) MIT Snowriders Holiday Party — Muddy Charles Pub Wednesday (5:15 p.m.) Advent Service of Lessons and Carols — MIT Chapel (8:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.) Roadkill Buffet Presents: Finals Are For Mayans — W16-035 Thursday (4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) A New Class of Industrial Robot — 34-101 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: Play Time movie showing — 3-133 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Safe Skies and Little Black Boxes — MIT Museum (7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Anime Brain Reset — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Institute Double Take
A barred owl was spotted in the East Campus courtyard last week. Residents report having seen it and another barred owl hunting mice at night. Another barred owl (perhaps the same one!) was also spotted near the Student Center and near Simmons Hall recently.
Relieving stress
MIT is a stressful place, as we all know and our survey shows. However, despite all the the p-sets, tests, essays, and weather, 85 percent of students still manage to graduate in four years. In order to keep your stress levels in check, try these tips:
Surviving the Institute
Since I first arrived at MIT, I have acted as a counselor for my friends and peers as a MedLink (I now live off campus and am no longer an official MedLink), listening to them share their most stressful experiences. From these conversations, the following are the three biggest pieces of information that I wish MIT students understood about seeking help.
Events Dec. 04-Dec. 10
Events dec. 04 – dec. 10 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT Astrophysics Colloquium: The First Stars and Galaxies — 37-252 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Book signing of Logistics Clusters: Delivering Value and Driving Growth by Dr. Yossi Sheffi — E14-633 Wednesday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Starr Forum: An American in China talk by James Fallows — E14-674 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Will the Workplace of the Future Have Any Workers? How Computerization is Changing the Nature of Work talk by Professor David Autor — 32-141 Thursday (4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.) Putting IBM Watson to Work — E51-376 (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Occupy the Future: Justice, Economics, Activism — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT DanceTroupe presents: Fifty Shades of Plié Friday (1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Thomas Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” 50 Years Later: Reflections on the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science — E15-070 Saturday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows The Polar Express — 26-100 Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Sidney Pacific December Brunch — Sidney Pacific Graduate Residence (1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) A Conversation with The Silk Road Ensemble — MIT Museum Monday (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) The Arab Uprisings as History talk by James L. Gelvin — E25-111 (5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Innovation Series Event: Brewing up Bucks: The Business of Beer, 21+ — 32-123 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
A conference cynic’s conversion
While the belief was totally unsubstantiated, I had long believed that conferences were a secret academic conspiracy. Yeah, you really need to go to Hawaii to meet with other scientists and share your work — this is something that just couldn’t be done via internet or phone. What a thinly veiled scheme to take a vacation and hang out with academic buddies! On my least cynical days, I thought it was merely a holdover from the pre-internet era when communication and dissemination of ideas would have been more difficult.
Corraling coral in the Pacific
As my plane began its steep descent to Christmas Island, 2’N, 157’W, middle of nowhere, I was reminded that the islands I was to visit are some of the most remote pieces of land in the world. I thought about the adventure of a lifetime I was beginning: meeting the sailing yacht Seadragon for a month-long expedition to study coral on three remote atolls in the central Pacific.
Endless forms most irregular
In the viscous, tiny world of plankton, there is endless, beautiful variation.
Events Nov 06 - Nov 12
Events Nov. 06 – Nov. 12 Tuesday (6:00 p.m.) Election Night Party, 21+ — Thirsty Ear Pub Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Civil Wars, 1800-2012 — E40-496 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Dialogue with Dr. Hutter — 4-237 Thursday (11:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m.) The Scientific Conversation and the Vail Collection: Gallery Talk & Tour — 14N-130 (7:15 p.m.) Forbidden Archeology talk on origins of humans — Student Center PDR 1, PDR 2 Friday (7: 00 p.m.) LSC shows The Dark Knight Rises — 26-100 (8:00 p.m.) Roadkill Buffet improv comedy show — 6-120 Saturday (12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Kopitiam! 2012 Singaporian food feast — Sydney-Pacific Multipurpose Room (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Snooty Anime Discussion Hours — Student Center PDR 3 Sunday (6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Diwali Night – Kresge Auditorium (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) International Folk Dancing with live music from the Cambridge Folk Orchestra — Student Center 491 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Studying the motion in the ocean
The ship’s engine roared to life at 2:30 a.m. and jolted me out of semi-consciousness. My head throbbed — in my dreams I hadn’t stopped cycling through the next day’s research plan, albeit in a strange, nightmarish way. I opened the curtain of my berth and took in my surroundings: the sounds of snoring shipmates — at least someone was getting extra sleep — the sight of my field notebook perched on top of the laptop with which I had spent my weekend synchronizing instruments, and the smell of coffee, coffee, coffee. Nightmare forgotten, reality filled me with eager anticipation.
The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
Despite the 96 U.S. deaths during Sandy’s destructive course along the East Coast and the 69 killed as it swept across the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy did very little to affect Boston in comparison to New York and Atlantic City. Since the storm avoided us and swung inland through New York and north into Canada, it is easy to forget the implications it had on our community. Nevertheless, MIT was both affected by the hurricane and is helping the recovery from the aftermath.
Events oct. 30 – nov. 05
Events oct. 30 – nov. 05 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Climate and Conflict: Heat and Violence talk — N51, MIT Museum (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) The 2012 Election and the Twilight of the Elites book discussion — Simmons Hall Multipurpose Room Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Service Member, Veteran, and Family Wellness: What Is It, and Why Should We Care? — E40-496 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Digitizing the Culture of Print: The Digital Public Library of America and Other Urgent projects — E14-633 (7:00 p.m.) A Late Quartet film screening — 26-100 Friday (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Energy Lecture Series: “A Day in the Life of the Grid” by FERC Chairman Wellinghoff — E25-111 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Moonrise Kingdom — 26-100 Saturday (8:00 p.m.) Persian Style Halloween Party — 50 (9:00 p.m. – 11:55 p.m.) Romanian dance party — W20-491 Sunday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Shankar Tucker: Live in Concert, fusion Indian music — W16 Monday (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Disruptive Innovation: The Internet of Things & Long-range RFID + Sensors Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
MIT Swapfest
CAMBRIDGE — John, a merchant cleaning out his garage at the behest of his wife, set up a table early Sunday morning on Albany Street. On this table one could find a smorgasbord of electronic parts and old computer chipsets next to a tray of wrenches and hammers, all of which were for sale at modest prices. Once he was set up, he sat down listening to an old radio — no word on if it, too, was for sale — and waited for customers to start rolling in. In the background, the hammering of a typewriter could be heard next to a demonstration booth for the old Enigma computer. John was one of hundreds of buyers and sellers who flocked to the MIT campus for the MIT Radio Society’s Swapfest held Sunday, Oct. 21.
Events Oct. 23- Oct. 29
Events Oct. 23 – Oct. 29 Tuesday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) The Other Euro Crisis: Refugee Rights Violations and the Unraveling of EU Solidarity — E51-275 (7:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) What Our MIT Chaplains Believe — W11-Main Dining Room Wednesday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) The World at Night: One People, One Sky! astronomy photos by Babak A. Tafreshi — 54-100 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: Manufactured Landscapes documentary showing — 7-429 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.) Why I Write Poems: Linda Gregerson presents poetry book The Selvage — 37-252 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Match Made in Hell? Citizens United and a Return to “Traditional American Values” — 6-120 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) The Anime Club shows Mouretsu Pirates and Princess Jellyfish — 3-133 Saturday (6:30 p.m.) MIT-Harvard Halloween Party: Mad Science — NW-10, Edgerton (7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) The Don Byron New Gospel Quintet — Kresge Auditorium Sunday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MITHAS presents Alamel Valli, Bharatnatyam — Kresge Auditorium (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Lorelei Ensemble: Re-Turn concert — MIT Chapel Monday (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) NFC Event: Mobile Wallet Wars and Warriors — 34-101 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Reconsidering Handsworth Songs: talk by MIT Visiting Artist John Akomfrah and Lina Gopaul — E15-070 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Leading by example
When I went through sorority recruitment and asked about the time commitment, I kept being told “what you get out of your experience is related to what you are willing to put in.” While it sounded very vague at the time, I quickly understood what they meant when I decided to try leadership positions in Pi Beta Phi.
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Sports and sororities
We were losing 1-2, with five minutes until the end of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference field hockey championship game.
One fish, two fish, fake fish, computerish
I like to joke that I study imaginary fish. People often remember that or, even better, ask what it means. Then, I get to tell them that I study theoretical ecology; I use mathematical tools to investigate how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. I am studying in the MIT Joint Program with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, so my organisms of interest tend to be marine, but the only places they swim are in my computer, in equations, and, always, in my heart.
Events Oct. 16 – 22
Events Oct. 16 – 22 Tuesday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Negotiating Job Offers, sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development (GE&CD) — 3-133 Wednesday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Networking 101: How to work the room and work your contacts, sponsored by MIT GE&CD — 56-114 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MTA Composer Forum presents Roger Reynolds — 14W-111 (Killian Hall) Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Urban Films: The Age of Stupid film screening — 3-133 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) A Sweet Trip Through Italy presented by the MIT Italian Association — 32-162 (Forbes Cafe) Friday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Comedy Night featuring Baba Ali, presented by the MIT Muslim Students’ Association — 32-123 (11:59 p.m.) The Rocky Horror Picture Show sponsored by the UA Finboard, featuring Boston’s Full Body Cast — 26-100 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) Ballroom Fall Social Dance — La Sala, Stratton Student Center Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Folk Dancing with Live Electric Balkan Music — Lobdell Dining Hall, Stratton Student Center Monday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Communicating Inventiveness Workshop, sponsored by Lemelson-MIT — 10-105 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.