QUARKINESS The big, red “J”
I may not remember as much as I would like from 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry), but I do remember the big, red “J”. And no, J here does not stand for joule.
PUBLIC SERVICE @ MIT In and out of the water
“Success in and out of the water.” That is the motto of Amphibious Achievement, an MIT service group established last January that aims to promote success for area high-schoolers through athletic training, specifically in crew and swimming, and academic instruction, with a focus on college prep in a way that is fun and innovative. The program runs on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the school year on campus.
Events: Nov. 8 - Nov. 14
Events Nov. 8 – Nov. 14 Tuesday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Wall Street in Context: Strategies for restoring the dignity of the 99% — 32-123 (7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.) Film Screening: Miguel and William — discussion with director Ines Paris follows — 32-141 Wednesday (5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Innovation Series Event: Changing the World: How Innovators are Using the Web for Social Action — 32-123 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Life in the Universe: In the Beginning, MIT Museum talk — N51 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT Communications Forum: Cities and the Future of Entertainment — E10-070 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Energy Discussions: Desalination — 4-153 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Otto Piene Film/Video Screening — E15 (9:15 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Potluck Shorts: Art of Love (Boston Asian American Film Festival Shorts Program) Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Bang on a Can All-Stars — W16 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Origamido Workshop, seminar on handmade paper (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MITHAS Concert — Wong Auditorium Monday (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Lecture: “Unlocking Energy Innovation” by Prof. Richard Lester PhD ’80 — 66-110 (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Jeff Warner, Music from Appalachia — 14W-111 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
VIDEO INTERVIEW PhD movie cast and crew discuss film, tour
This is a transcript from an interview with Jorge Cham (creator of PhD comics), Margaret “Meg” A. Rosenburg ’07 (producer of the PhD movie), Evans T. Boney ’06 (actor playing Mike Slackenerny), and Scott Elmegreen (composer). The full transcript is at and the video is at .
Institute Double Take
At night, the lights outside the Stata Center bounce off the scales on the metallic walls to create oceanic reflections on the orange brick ground. The watery patterns on the bricks, in addition to the odd angle of Stata’s wall, make this picture appear abstract at first sight. Unfortunately, without a tripod, high ISO was necessary.
Gettin’ down on Friday
Ever wondered what MIT students do on their Friday nights? Well, now you can find out. Whether they’re debating global warming or discussing the best way to top a waffle, MIT students find a way to put away their psets for a night and have some fun … most of the time. We journey from the dark, cold recesses of dorm row to the foreboding inner sanctuary of the Student Center’s study room to determine what exactly it is that these students do on the best night of the week. So strap on your hats and get ready for a crazy ride filled with optimistic prefrosh and fly-infested donuts! Watch the video at .
Events: Nov. 1 - Nov. 7
Events Nov. 1 – Nov. 7 Tuesday (8:00 p.m.) Breaking the Lightspeed Barrier — Fact or Fiction? A Lecture with Alan H. Guth ’69, Edward Farhi, and Peter Fisher — 26-100 Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.) Organ concerts — MIT Chapel (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) MacVicar Faculty Fellows Lecture Series: Thoughts on the Future of Engineering Education at MIT – Speaker: Professor Ian A. Waltz — Killian Hall Thursday (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) The PhD Movie film screening with Jorge Cham — 26-100 (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Cambodian Dream: Rebuilding Cambodia by Empowering Its Women — Lecture by Professor Alan Lightman — 32-123 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Between the Folds, an origami documentary — 6-120 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) The Rogers Plan directed by Susan Wilson, developed and produced by Dramashop and MIT Theater Arts — Kresge Auditorium Little Theater Saturday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Macbeth — W20-202 Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) MIT CSC and MIT ACF presents: Tim Be Told Concert — new Media Lab sixth floor MPR Monday (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Starr Forum: The Republican Party and American Foreign Policy — E14-674 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Society of Biological Engineers presents: how to successfully navigate MIT as a premed — 66-110 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events: Oct. 25 - Oct. 31
Events OCT. 25 – Oct. 31 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Life in the Universe: Are We Alone? — MIT Museum (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Talk by famous climber Steve Arsenault — W20-461 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) The Greg Hopkins & Jeff Galindo Group jazz concert — 14W-111 Wednesday (2:45 p.m. - 3:45) Maximizing MIT Resources to Gain “Real World” Experience — GECD panel event — 24-115 (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Exploring the Majors Fair — Kresge Lobby Thursday (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Legatum Convergence, annual forum on entrepreneurship in emerging markets — E14, 6th floor (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT Communication Forum: Surveillance and Citizenship — E15-070 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Film Screening of No Way Out But One — 6-120 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Super 8 — 26-100 (7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Nightmarket — Asian cultural festival — Lobdell (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Macbeth — La Sala Saturday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Your Highness — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Faust — silent film with live music — 14W-111 Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Salsa/Rueda Dance Workshop — W20-407 (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) “Sound Waves” concert hosted by Anton Tanonov — W-15 Monday (4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. ) Ending the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: How Science Made a Difference Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Institute Double Take
The walls of Lobby 10 have been the location for several war memorials on campus. The inscriptions on the walls include all known names of MIT alumni who were killed in World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War. This picture, taken at an angle, makes the list seem endless on the Infinite Corridor, reflecting its name.
IN YOUR COMMUNITY Meet Professor John Guttag
Bets — sometimes they’re risky, sometimes they’re funny, and sometimes, you wonder whether you were delusional at the time you made them. One bet can change your life, for better or for worse.
NERDY WITH A CHANCE OF RANDOM Don’t be a block-head
“Why do you keep playing that game? Shouldn’t you be doing some real work?”
Events: Oct. 18 - Oct. 24
Events Oct. 18 – oct. 24 Tuesday (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) F/ASIP (Freshman/Alumni Summer Internship Program) Information Session — 4-163 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MCAT Information Session with Princeton Review — 2-105 Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) 2006 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Winner, Carl Dietrich Co-Founder of Terrafugia — See Terrafugia’s “roadable aircraft” — Student Center Plaza (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Liturgical Music Workshop — MIT Chapel Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Starr Forum: Border Security in the 21st Century — 66-110 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MTA Composer Forum featuring Professor Tod Machover — Lewis Music Library Friday (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Turk, Upon Retirement, to Reflect on Being a Humanist at MIT: Lecture with Professor Edward B. Turk — E14-633 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Fast Five — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Symphony Orchestra concert — Kresge Auditorium Saturday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Paul — 26-100 (9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT Sport Taekwondo Tournament — Johnson Indoor Track Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Diwali Night Culture Show — Kresge Auditorium Monday (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) RFID SIG: Fashion, Retail & the Supply Chain — 32-141 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Institute Double Take
The Stata Center is brilliantly illuminated on a summerlike day in fall. The rays of the late afternoon sun hit the building at an angle, creating an aesthetically pleasing effect. What is particularly appealing about this photo is the presence of the stairway and its illumination, which emphasizes the amphitheater in the lower half of the photo. The two trees and their seemingly random placement provide for a contrast in this otherwise overwhelmingly orange theme.
Institute Double Take
Sports photography is a field dominated by focus tracking, high-speed cameras, and the longest and fastest lenses on the market. Unlike wedding couples and mountains, soccer balls and tennis rackets move fast. I’ve never been a fan of shooting sports. Shooting a sports match constantly fills me with this urgent feeling, like I’m trying to chase down the perfect shot, and if both my mind and lens aren’t focused at just the right time that perfect shot will run away without me. But sailing was different.
Events Oct. 4 – Oct. 10
Events Oct. 4 – Oct. 10 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) The Federal Budget Deficit: Causes, Consequences and Potential Remedies — A Panel Discussion — 10-250 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Four Weeks for America Challenge Information Session — 2-105 Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Energy 101 Series: Japan’s Energy Policy after Fukushima — 3-133 (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) “Mens et Mania” book discussion with Professor Emeritus Samuel J. Keyser — W98-602 Thursday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Community reception in honor of Theresa M. Stone — E62 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Information session — MIT Washington DC Summer Internship Program — 56-180 Friday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Heritage of the Arts of Southasia Concert — 32-123 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:55 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Team October Social — Morss Hall (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Aardvark Jazz Orchestra with Director Mark S. Harvey — 14W-111 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Annual Max Wasserman Forum on Contemporary Art/Present Past: Contemporary Art and the Uses of History — 10-250 Monday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Sidney-Pacific/MIT Presidential Fellows Lecture with Professor Esther Duflo — NW86 (Sidney-Pacific Graduate Residence) Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
CLUB CONNECTION Keeping track of the past
If you’re like me, then the closest thing to a model train you’ve played with is a Hot Wheels toy car, complete with a pre-designed shark pirate robot ninja track. I could always tell that a book I read was decades-old when the winsome rascal received a model train under the Christmas tree. But little did I know that this old-fashioned hobby was still alive in the Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC).
Events: Sept. 27 - Oct. 4
Events Sept. 27 – Oct. 4 Tuesday (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) How to Find a UROP — 2-132 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Writing Compelling Cover Letters — 2-105 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Generator - Sustainability in Action — R&D Commons (Stata Center, 4th floor) Wednesday (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Creating an Effective CV for the Academic Job Search — 3-442 (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) An Evening with Bill Bonvillian, MIT Washington DC Office Director — NW86 (Sidney-Pacific Graduate Residence) Thursday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Into the Sky with Diamonds: book discussion with author Ronald P. Grelsamer — E14-109 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Preview Opening: 2011 Great Glass Pumpkin Patch — Kresge Oval (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Bridesmaids — 26-100 Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Great Glass Pumpkin Patch — Kresge Oval (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) 2011 Ig Informal Lectures by the Ig Nobel Prize Winners — 26-100 Sunday (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Fall Ballroom Dance Classes by MIT Ballroom Dance Club — La Sala Monday (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) State of the Institute Forum — Kresge Auditorium Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
NERDY WITH A CHANCE OF RANDOM Good intentions, bad advice
As life progresses, those who claim to understand the world carelessly throw pieces of advice around. On the surface, these quips of knowledge seem to be legitimate. But after thinking about what is actually going on, the flaws become increasingly apparent. Don’t let the following pieces of advice ensnare you in their trap.
GREEN EGGS AND SAM Wandering the aisles
Living away from home for the first time presents new and surprising challenges. One of those challenges became obvious pretty quickly. I’m a freshman in Burton Conner, so I don’t have a dining plan. While I don’t need to worry about the exorbitant costs of dining hall meals, I am, for the first time, responsible for feeding myself. Once dorms and frats stopped handing out free food, I had no other options — I needed to go grocery shopping.
IN YOUR COMMUNITY Meet Anantha Chandrakasan
They told him that it wouldn’t work. “When we went to conferences, they did not believe that complex digital circuits could reliably operate at low voltages.” Chandrakasan’s interest in circuits was sparked in his college years. When Chandrakasan was a senior at Berkeley, he began working with Professor Robert Brodersen, who became his thesis advisor.