Institute Double Take
An evening view of the west side of campus was taken during a cloudy day in the spring. The astroturf field and the tennis bubble are at the center of the image. On the left stands the MacGregor House tower. To the right of the bubble is Tang Hall and Westgate Apartments. The mixture of blue and orange in the sky creates a striking effect, rendering the MIT skyline exceptionally beautiful.
Events: Feb. 22 - Feb.28
Events:Feb. 22 – Feb. 28 Tuesday (11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Celebrate National Recreational Sports & Fitness Day with special events and free group exercise classes — Zesiger Center (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Networking dinner for students involved in public service hosted by the MIT Public Service Center and Office of the Dean for Graduate Education — W11-190 Wednesday (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Diversity Career Fair — Lobby 13 (7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) IDEAS and MIT Global Challenge: Spring Generator Dinner — W20, La Sala de Puerto Rico Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Online News: Public Sphere or Echo Chamber? A presentation by Joshua Benton and Pablo Boczkowski — 3-270 (6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) MIT Transportation Showcase — MIT Museum Friday (1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Drumming with Griots: Sabar drumming workshop (beginner level) — N52-199 (7:00 p.m. – 10:00p.m.) LSC shows The Social Network — 26-100 Saturday (11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Mujeres Latinas 2nd Annual Conference — W20 Twenty Chimneys (9:15 p.m. – 11:15 p.m.) Jews on Ice — W35 SUNDAY (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Kita Alef — Hebrew for real beginners — 8-119 (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) American Rumba and East Coast Swing Workshops — W20, La Sala de Puerto Rico MONDAY (all day) FSILG&D Community Service Challenge Kick-Off — 4-104 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Collision 2 Lecture Series: Guillermo Faivovich & Nicolas Goldberg — E15-070, Bartos Theater Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
From sandy beaches to center stage
Attending college offers the opportunity to come into contact with new and exciting people virtually every day. Case in point: Dianna L. Cowern ’11 hails from Hawaii and is studying physics. She once distributed polio vaccines in the Dominican Republic and plays the ukulele. This Sunday, she will be competing in the Miss Boston Pageant, the first step on the path that potentially leads to becoming Miss America. The Tech had the opportunity to interview Miss Cowern about her pageant preparation and her experiences at MIT.
Healing achy, breaky hearts
I remember the days when Valentine’s Day consisted of writing everybody in my third grade class a “Spiderman Valentine” that said things along the lines of, “you’ve got my spidey senses tingling” and “thanks for sharing your PB&J sandwich.” The more special friends got an extra Hershey’s Kiss, while the people I couldn’t stand got Laffy Taffy. There was no heartbreak involved — only trading of candies if you didn’t like the flavor or type you received from someone. If only Valentine’s Day were so simple now.
Craving for caving: Meet the MIT Caving Club
Tired of the daily grind, the salt-crusted asphalt, the grey sky above? Feel the itch to explore places unknown? Or perhaps you’ve conquered the gym’s rock wall and are looking for another challenge? A cave could be the place for you. See waterfalls, exotic wildlife, and nature’s rock sculptures, all underneath your very feet.
Events: Feb. 15 - Feb. 21
Events: Feb. 15 – Feb. 21 Tuesday (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) Job Search for International Students. Learn how to develop your job search and interviewing skills as an international student — 1-190 (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT’s Moments of Decision: An Historical Retrospective. A panel discussion about how the Institute has reflected and shaped the history of science and technology in the U.S. — E14, Media Lab Complex Wednesday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Institute Faculty Meeting — 10-250 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) “Help! I’m graduating in May!”: Full-time jobs in the Federal Government. This webinar will highlight a number of agencies and positions across the government and show students how to apply for job openings — 5-217 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) IBM Watson: Humans vs. Machine - Who Will Win? Come and watch Jeopardy history being made! — 10-250 Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) First Generation Students Dinner — 56-154 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Get in Gear for the 2012 Medical/Health Profession School Application Process — 4-163 Friday (6:30 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 11:30p.m.) MIT Strategic Game Society Public Board Games Night — 50-316 Saturday (2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Handel, Israel in Egypt - Colloquium. Explore themes of liberation from authoritarianism and slavery in the story of Exodus — Kresge Auditorium (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Patrol. Play a high-action game of live combat with the MIT Assassins’ Guild — 36-115 SUNDAY (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) CSC 2011 Chinese New Year Banquet. Celebrate Chinese New Year with the Chinese Students Club — Walker Memorial (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) International Folk Dancing — Student Center 2nd floor MONDAY (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Argentine Tango — 36-153 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Manning: Eight dances for the soldier who brought a helicopter massacre in Baghdad to the light of day. A Bread and Puppet Theater Production by the Lubberland National Dance Company — Wiesner Building (E15-001) Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
From pencils to pens
This semester, I switched from pencils to pens. I could never understand people who use pens. You can’t erase with pens — it’s like buying a keyboard without a backspace key.
Learning how to say “no”
“Divya! You should come downstairs with your plate and fork. There’s a ton of food downstairs.” My friend looked at me with a sense of urgency as I walked into my room with Trader Joe’s grocery bags in hand.
Events Calendar
Events: Feb. 8 – Feb. 14 Tuesday (4:00 pm – 5:30 pm) Ronald L. Rivest speaks at 39th Annual James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award Lecture — 10-250 (12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) MIT Produce Market — 32-TSMC Wednesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Nobel Laureate Peter Diamond PhD ’63 speaks at Sidney-Pacific Lecture Series: Search Frictions, Unemployment, and Vacancies — NW86 Thursday (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Learn about the machine that will compete against two of the most successful players on Jeopardy. Watson on Jeopardy: The Turing Test Breaks the 4th Wall — 56-114 (7:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Join the Addir Fellows for Prof. Stephen Prothero’s “God Is Not One” From Interfaith 1.0 to Interfaith 2.0 — W11 Friday (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) The Vagina Monologues — 32-123 (8:30 p.m.) iNight with the International Students Association — W20-202 saturday (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m) Professor Susan Reverby guest lectures at LUChA — 4-237 (7:00 p.m) LSC shows Red — 26-100 SUNDAY (6:30 p.m.) LSC shows Contact — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) International Folk Dancing — W20 Second Floor MONDAY (12:30–2:00 p.m) Japanese ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki speaks about US-Japan Relations: Where Are We Going? — E40-496 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
An even more modest proposal
In 2009, 43.6 million Americans were living poverty, a number compounded by the effects of the recession. Of all the hardships of poverty, the most tragic is the lack of food. It saps strength and leads to listlessness and apathy, not to mention stunting growth in our still-developing youth. In 2009, 50.2 million Americans were at risk of hunger, and 17.2 million of them were children.
Fitting fitness in your daily schedule
“Sleep, Grades, Friends — Choose 2.” I’m sure you’re well acquainted with that phrase. Unfortunately, from experience, I know that of the three, sleep is usually the most sacrificed option. And also unfortunately, in the wake of psets, exams, and extracurriculars, sleep is not the only health-related activity that takes a back-seat.
10 websites you might not have heard of
Every once in a while, you run into someone who’s lived in a particular city for a long time and knows her way around. She call tell you the best local restaurants, the coolest clubs, and which places to avoid at all costs (the real-life equivalents of 4chan.org). I like to think of myself as that person — except for the Internet. So I might as well show everybody around. Here are ten good sites that you’ve probably never heard of:
Editor’s Note
Campus Life will be adding new features this volume, and I hope you’ll like them.
Events for Feb. 1 – Feb. 6
Tuesday 1. TBP MIT Spring 2011 Career Fair (9 a.m.–3 p.m.) — Rockwell Cage 2. Sloan’s Africa Business Club hosts Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief Justice of Ghana (5–7 p.m) — E51-115 (Wong Auditorium) Wednesday 1. Sidney-Pacific Lectures Series lecture by Prof. Peter Diamond (6–7 p.m.) — Sidney-Pacific Multi-Purpose Room 2. Dress For Success Fashion Show (7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.) — 10-105 (Vannevar Bush Room) Thursday 1. First performance of Dramashop’s Hydriotaphia (8–10 p.m.) — Kresge Little Theater 2. IPTV: The Scrum for the Last Six Feet with Mark Cuban (5:30–9 p.m.) — E51 (Wong Auditorium) Friday 1. Final day of APO Book Exchange (10 a.m.–5 p.m.) — W20-307 (Student Center, Mezzanine Lounge) 2. Technology Through Time: 150 Years of MIT History - Opening Reception (1:00–3:00 p.m.) — 14N-130 Saturday 1. Inside 150: Stories of the Institute (2–3 p.m.) — MIT Museum 2. Final performance of Musical Theatre Guild’s Jekyll and Hyde (8–10 p.m.) — W20-202 (La Sala de Puerto Rico) Sunday 1. Folk Dancing: Greek Night! (8 p.m.–11 p.m.) — W20-202 (La Sala de Puerto Rico) 2. LSC shows The A-Team and Megamind (7 p.m., 10 p.m.) — 26-100
A Boston holiday
I spent my holidays this year at a place few people on campus saw during break. Some people went home, others went on vacation. I stayed in Cambridge and Boston.
The app that ate my summer
I’m the Ash Ketchum of programming. I want to be the very best — which is why it pains me that I’m still nothing close to an elite coder. So when my parents bought me the new Sprint HTC Evo 4G last summer, I decided that I was going to write an Android app. I needed something fun to do while home for summer break, and becoming an Android developer would help further my progress toward the 10,000 hours of practice that Malcolm Gladwell insists I need to be really good at something.
Taking the initiative
Dating is hard these days for women like me. While nothing short of charming, women at MIT are a different breed of female: We’re stronger, more empowered, and generally smarter than your average girl down the street.
Google me — I dare you
I have become a fiercely private individual when it comes to my romantic life. These days, it takes me a while to warm up to people enough to even acknowledge whether or not I have a boyfriend. It’s not information I usually freely offer, and I don’t believe that undermines any of my feelings towards a romantic partner. Instead, I think it’s a greater testimony of my independence with my refusal to ever publicly acknowledge an intimate relationship.
A night in at the movies
Hosting a good double feature, like assembling a good mix tape, is an art form. Sure, you could theoretically pick any two movies based on random selection or convenience and watch them together, but if you’re going to sit down with your friends and spend four to five hours staring at the same screen together, you might as well take a little extra time to plan. You could take any of several different approaches in picking which movies to watch and what order to watch them in, depending on the situation.