Afterhours with John Gabrieli
John D. Gabrieli is known by many as the 9.00 [Introduction to Psychology] professor. He also heads up a lab in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, which seeks to understand the organization of memory, thought, and emotion in the brain and how experience can alter brain function. After giving me a brief tour of the MRI machine in the Martinos Imaging Center in Building 46, Gabrieli explained why tired people cheat and why children who can make themselves wait to eat a marshmallow end up being more successful later in life.
MAY CONTAIN NUTS Kickin’ back
I entered the Rotch Library to a sea of coffee cups, books, laptops, and heads bent in intense concentration. As I took a sip from my own coffee cup, I realized that my life had evolved into this regimented schedule of sleep, work, extracurriculars, more work, food in between, and then back to sleep. I had no time to relax and from what I saw of my peers in the library, they didn’t either.
MIT’s funniest stand ups, in competition
Eight MIT students — Vanessa C. Bowens ’12, William D. Drevo ’13, Paul G. Hlebowitsh ’11, Michael T. Lin ’11, Ronan K. McGovern G, Matthew R. Rodriguez ’11, Jacob S. Sharpe ’11, and Xindi Song ’10 — will be competing in the Regional Rivals event against Tufts University in the 4th Annual National College Comedy Competition this Thursday at Mottley’s Comedy Club. The eight students were chosen by a preliminary competition held at MIT last month. This is the second year MIT has participated in the competition, which is sponsored by TBS and Rooftop Comedy. Thanks to the team’s performance last year, MIT was invited to compete this year, along with 31 other schools from across the nation.
Cheat Sheet aka that random stuff that never shows up on the test
The Tech: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Institute Double Take
Dazzling earthlings with a stunning view of the moon, the Boston skyline glittered with its jewel. Occurring every 18 years or so, an astronomical event called Supermoon (or more accurately, Perigee-Syzygy) was witnessed on March 19 around 7:20 p.m. in Boston. The Earth, Moon and Sun are in line, and the Moon is in its nearest approach to the Earth, thus appearing about 14 percent larger in size, and reflecting about 30 percent more light.
Extras: Penny Arcade Expo Video Footage
Watch The Tech’s Jessica J. Pourian ’13 interview conference attendees and game creators and see upclose footage of the conference floor.
Gamers invade Boston
The Penny Arcade Expo East came to Boston last weekend to a warm welcome from over 69,000 people. Fans of the Penny Arcade webcomic, tabletop games, and digital games made it to the convention to celebrate three days of gaming goodness. A number of exciting panels, concerts, game tournaments, and a stunning exhibit hall all contributed to the fun of the show. An atmosphere of gaming community was prevalent throughout the weekend; gamers showed their support for the Child’s Play charity and were generally warm to one another.
Events: Mar. 15 - Mar. 21
Events mar. 15 – mar. 21 Tuesday (8:00 p.m.) MIT Folk Dance Club throws its St. Patrick’s Day Party — W20-491 Wednesday (8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT150 Symposium: Conquering Cancer through the Convergence of Science and Engineering — Kresge Auditorium (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Annual Transportation Fair. Free stuff provided! — Stata Student Street (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Institute Faculty Meeting — 10-250 Thursday (10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) 150 D-Lab Projects highlighted for MIT’s 150th Anniversary — Lobby 10 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Howard Hughes Medical Institute Lecture presented by Dr. Thomas Tuschl — Whitehead Auditorium (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) MIT Recreation’s Indoor Golf Range Meet and Greet — W32 (DuPont lobby) (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Saxophonist Arni Cheatham and bass trombonist/tuba player Bill Lowe perform for the Killian Jazz Series — 14-111 (Killian Hall) Friday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) 2011 MIT Polymer Poster Contest — Lobby 13 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Romeo and Juliet — W20, La Sala de Puerto Rico Saturday (1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) Film Fest — 32-155 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Cheat Sheet aka that random stuff that never shows up on the test
The Tech: What kind of jellybean do you avoid at all costs?
CLUB CONNECTION Breaking into dance
The acrobats of the ground, the mix-masters of moves, the poets of percussion; they are the ones that challenge the laws of physics. Moving in ways you’d hardly believe, their bodies twist into contorted shapes and then pause, fixing the impossible pose for a moment, just to prove that it can be done. But who are “they”? The breakers of Imobilare.
Afterhours with Carol Livermore
Carol Livermore is one of three professors who teach 2.001, Mechanics and Materials I. Her research investigates power microelectromechanical systems, which are devices that manipulate large amounts of power but in a small package. Her lab also explores the self-assembly of microscale and nanoscale systems. This week I had the opportunity to sit down with her to discuss why she became a mechanical engineering professor after getting a PhD in physics, how to get a job in MechE, and even her favorite MechE joke.
Institute Double Take
Drawing a lot of attention because of its architecture, Simmons Hall is one of the most expensive dorms on campus. Unlike other MIT buildings, Simmons always reminded me of a Lego model house. I wanted to create a photograph to capture this aspect of it — the miniature look of a Lego model.
RANDOM NEURONAL FIRINGS Are you a stressed out student? Read this.
S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D O-U-T! Here at MIT, that’s the usual answer to the question, “How are you?” — especially midway through the semester. While some studies suggest that stress is a significant factor contributing to weight gain, aka the infamous “freshman fifteen” issue, we really do not mind the pressure. Because, hey, pressure is what turns a lump of coal into diamond, as my friend Deeni Fatiha ’13 would say.
Afterhours with Cathy Drennan
Catherine L. Drennan is head of a chemistry laboratory investigating medically- or environmentally-relevant enzymes here at MIT. She is also co-professor of 5.111, a popular freshman chemical principles course, in the spring. In December, I had the opportunity to sit down with Drennan to find out more about her strange connection to Lisa Kudrow, why she thinks purple is the best kind of dinosaur, and why she wishes students would ask questions at her office hours and not in her shower.
Around the world during summer break
Looking to travel overseas this summer? Want an awesome summer internship — and all on MIT’s dime? Then MISTI, the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives, may be the thing for you.
EventsMar. 8 – Mar. 14
EventsMar. 8 – Mar. 14 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Women and Gender Studies celebrates International Women’s Day with Open Mic — W20 Coffeehouse (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Legatum Lecture: 2010 Prosperity Index. Lecture given by Dr. Ashley T. Lenihan and Jiehae Choi — 32-144 (8:00 p.m.) Mardi Gras Contra sponsored by the MIT Folk Dance Club — W20-491 Wednesday (12:05 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Ash Wednesday Service — W15 (MIT Chapel) (5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT) Empowerment Conference Keynote: “Power, and How to Find it in Places You Didn’t Expect” by Cindy Gallop — 46-3002 (BCS Auditorium) Thursday (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) So You Got a Job … Now What? Strategies for success in your new position — 1-246 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) GWAMIT Empowerment Conference Panel: “Power Couples” — Successful partners from academia and industry — E51-345 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Killian Hall Jazz Series concert by composer and pianist Guillermo Klein and saxophonist Bill McHenry — 14-111 (Killian Hall) Friday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) GWAMIT Empowerment Conference Panel: “I’m not a Feminist, but …” — Conversations on what modern feminism looks like — 32-G449 (Stata Kiva Room) (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Thai Night 2011: Siam HD — Morss Hall (Walker Memorial) (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Symphony Orchestra, featuring Amanda N. Mok ’11, winner of the 2011 Concerto Competition — Kresge Auditorium Saturday (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Special tour given by MIT Museum Curatorial Associate Ariel Weinberg; Inside 150: Gracious Professionalism, Cooperation, and Competition — MIT Museum (6:00 p.m.) MIT Figure Skating Club’s Annual Figure Skating Exhibition — Johnson Athletics Center (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Wind Ensemble, with guest composer and pianist Guillermo Klein and saxophonist Bill McHenry — Kresge Auditorium Sunday (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) The MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Romeo and Juliet — W20 La Sala de Puerto Rico (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Due Date — 26-100 Monday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks about “The Future of Science as Public Service” — Kresge Auditorium (1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Celebrate Pi Day with pies, sponsored by the Graduate Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics — 33-104 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Cheat Sheet aka that random stuff that never shows up on the test
The Tech: What’s your favorite song right now? What have you got playing on repeat?
Institute Double Take
I took this photo with a Nikon D300 camera on my way home from a track barbeque on Oct. 3, 2010. It was decently warm outside, with only a little bit of cloud cover. I stopped to take this picture of the tree on Briggs Field because it still had some leaves, but few enough that you could see the pattern of the branches.
Pokémon Reactionism
The walk to and from school everyday simply can’t be uphill both ways, which is why I don’t want to ever turn into a “back in the day” person. Fifteen years from now, when all media is streamed over the Internet and free from FCC regulation, I don’t want to be running around saying things like, “Remember back in the day, when we used to have artists like Ke$ha and Britney Spears? Those singers had class!” Unfortunately, not becoming a “back in the day person” is easier said than done. I know this because I caught myself unknowingly turning into one.
Swinging the blues away
To the jazzy sound of the clarinet, pairs twirl and spin across the floor of Lobdell, switching styles from improvisational blues to fast-paced swing in tune to the music. But this wasn’t a dance competition, or an exclusive party — it was just one of the weekly dances run by the MIT Lindy Hop Society.