Admissions Reduces Staff, Travel, Will Use The Web for Recruiting
The admissions office has laid off staff, will reduce travel spending by 30–50 percent, and will move much of its communication with students to the Web. The measures will help Admissions meet MIT’s mandated 5 percent budget cut for the fiscal year beginning in July.
Jackson, Bulovic, Jones, And Henderson Achieve MacVicar $100K Grants
On Thursday night, four MIT faculty members were named MacVicar Faculty Fellows in recognition of their contributions to undergraduate education. They each receive $100,000 for educational activities and research.
Von Maltzahn Wins $30,000 Award for Cancer Research
Last Tuesday, graduate student Geoffrey von Maltzahn was named winner of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and received an unrestricted cash gift of $30,000 for his innovative work in cancer therapy.
Battle of the Jewish Pastries:
On Wednesday night, six respected professors gathered in 26-100 for the Seventh Annual Latke-Hamentashen Debate. Students and faculty, ushered by a yarmulke-wearing Tim the Beaver, packed the lecture hall for the humorous academic dispute over the virtues and shortcomings of the latke and the hamentashen.
E-mail of the Week!
An e-mail thread yesterday on the Campaign for Students mailing list discussed bringing pitchforks and broadswords to an upcoming UA meeting where the mandatory dining controversy would be discussed with Dean Donna M. Denoncourt, who chairs the Blue Ribbon Dining Committee. Andrew R. Drechsler ’10 wrote, “I think we should forge our own instead of buying them.”
In Short
CORRECTION TO THIS ARTICLE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that Debian Linux was the operating system running the new beta release of Athena. The operating system is Ubuntu, which itself is based on Debian Linux. This article has been revised to reflect this correction.
Fear Slams Shares, as Blue Chips Trade for Pocket Change
The banking giant Citigroup once commanded a stock price of $55. But at one point on Thursday, as markets hurtled to their lowest close in 12 years, the shares were worth less than an item at the Dollar Store.
Quiet Layoffs Hit Workers By Thousands
With the economy weakening, chief executives want Wall Street to see them as tough cost-cutters who are not afraid to lay off workers. But plenty of job cuts are not trumpeted in news releases.
Food Safety Problems Slip By Private Auditors
When food industry giants like Kellogg want to ensure that American consumers are being protected from contaminated products, they rely on private inspectors like Eugene A. Hatfield. So last spring Hatfield headed to the Peanut Corp. of America plant in southwest Georgia to make sure its chopped nuts, paste and peanut butter were safe to use in foods like granola bars and ice cream.
Clinton Proposes Including Iran In Talks on Afghanistan
Setting up the prospect of its first face-to-face encounter with Iran, the Obama administration has proposed a major conference on Afghanistan later this month that would include Iran among the invited countries, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday.
Shorts (right)
Alex Rodriguez will try to play through a labrum tear of his right hip, the Yankees said Thursday, because the condition would require him to miss four months if he needs surgery.
Amid Outcry, Gandhi’s Simple Things Sold for $1.8 Million
More than a decade ago, a Los Angeles filmmaker and peace activist named James Otis began collecting items that represented the ascetic lifestyle of Mohandas K. Gandhi. They were the simple belongings of a man who did not care for possessions: his steel-framed spectacles, a pair of sandals, a bowl, a plate and a pocket watch.
Shorts (left)
President Barack Obama vowed Thursday to end a decades-long stalemate on overhauling the health care system, and he indicated for the first time that he was open to compromise on details of the proposal he put forth in the campaign.
Historical Perspective for 2008–2009 Seasonal Snowfall
Monday’s 8.5 snowfall brought our seasonal total to 63.7 , about 20" above an average winter season. The average additional snowfall from now until the end of the season is still another 8 . However, even if we were to receive no additional snow this winter, this year would still rank as the 18th snowiest season (snowfall records for Boston date back to 1871–1872). So if you feel that we’ve had a lot of snow this winter, you’re correct, although it could have been a lot worse! The highest snowfall for a season belongs to 1995–1996, when Boston recorded 107.6 of the white stuff. In case you’re wondering what the historical snowfall trends are for Boston, the answer is that the trend is fairly flat over the entire period of record 1871-2008, although four of the seven snowiest winters have occurred since the 1990’s (2004–2005, 1995–1996, 1993–1994, and 1992–1993).
A Broken Model for Energy Change
The past few weeks have seen a flurry of energy news, more than all the news from the last three administrations put together. What’s a cynical, snarky graduate student to do to keep up?
Corrections
Because of inaccurate information provided by the Undergraduate Association Election Commission, Tuesday’s table that listed UA and Class Council candidates gave the incorrect class years for some Class Council candidates. Rishi Dixit ’12 is running for class of 2012 — not 2011 — president. David S. Zhu ’12 is running for class of 2012 — not 2011 — treasurer. Zhu is also a <i>Tech</i> sports editor, which the table did not disclose because of an editing error.
RESTAURANT REVIEW Hipster Dragons and Funky Haikus
A blizzard may keep me from going to class, but I refuse to let the elements hinder my food critiquing endeavors. So, I braved the cold on Monday night with a friend to try Myers+Chang, an Asian fusion “funky indie diner” in the South End. Run by owner and chef Joanne Chang and executive chef Matthew Barros, the place gives off an upscale yet casual, retro-modern feel, with mod off-white cushiony seats and pink, borderline-kitschy bar stools. Bright pink dragon designs adorn the glass exterior, and inside are red and white lights amidst white bauble lanterns. We were pleasantly charmed before the food even arrived by the playing music, which included Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” and Death Cab for Cutie’s “A Lack of Color.”
CD REVIEW Ben Folds Lets You Play the Producer
The Ben Folds fanbase has spoken: 2008’s <i>Way to Normal</i> was TOO LOUD and we want our money back; or, at least, a remix.
Phish Friday (and Saturday and Sunday, too!)
Tonight, legendary jam band Phish will perform their first concert in over 4 years at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia. Their highly-anticipated three night residency will answer the question on every hippie’s mind: is Phish good again? If you’re not already on your way down to the venue, then don’t worry. Head to <i>http://livephish.com</i>, where you can download free mp3s of each night’s gig. Check out next week’s edition of <i>The Tech</i> to read about the highlights from the weekend and predictions for Phish’s upcoming summer reunion tour.
CONCERT REVIEW When Sound Worlds Collide
Collage New Music, performing in Longy School of Music’s Edward M. Pickman Concert Hall this past Monday, articulated contemporary voices in music with a unique and refreshing ability. This isn’t a complaint about contemporary music performances: it’s not difficult to see that most contemporary music is performed by competent musicians and that it takes a very talented musician to play contemporary music in the first place.
INTERVIEW Hsunami Merge the Old with the New
At the CSC Chinese New Year banquet, the closing performance featured Hsu-Nami, a group named after founder Jack Hsu. The band labels itself as part of the “progressive Asian soundscape.” An instrumental rock band, they feature a traditional Chinese instrument called the erhu. The erhu is sometimes called “southern fiddle” and its sound can be compared to that of the Western violin. The usage of an amplified erhu lends a touch of classic Chinese folk to the predominantly rock songs.
CD REVIEW Nels Cline Drones On…
You either know Nels Cline as the thin-framed lead guitarist for the alt-folk collective Wilco, or as one of LA’s most experimental composers of avant-garde jazz guitar fronting the Nels Cline Singers. Either faction of Nels-fanatics would find something new in the accomplished guitarist’s latest endeavor, <i>Coward</i>. Though Cline’s canon dates back to 1979 (including myriad collaborations, trio projects, and a fraction of the Wilco discography), this is his first true solo album in that he composed all of the music and plays all of the instruments.
GAME OF THE WEEK MIT Men’s Basketball Captures First NEWMAC Championship
The MIT men’s basketball team made history on Sunday, March 1, defeating Springfield College 76-50 to claim the first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship in over a century of MIT basketball. This game capped a stellar season in which the team, led by senior tri-captains James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09, Willard J. “Billy” Johnson ’09 and Bradley H. Gampel ’09, cultivated a 20-8 record (8-4 NEWMAC) and broke Institute records for single-game points, career points, single-season assists, single-game and single-season steals, and three-point shots. The conference championship earns the Engineers’ their first-ever spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament.
Men’s Swimming and Diving Wins NEWMAC Championship by 245
After finishing second in the last two NEWMAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, three times proved to be a charm as the Engineers delivered one of the most commanding victories in the history of the meet on Sunday at Wheaton College’s Balfour Auditorium. Scoring 1,030 points to outpace the runner-up, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, by nearly 300 points, MIT secured its first NEWMAC title since 2003 and fourth overall. Following the competition, Rastislav Racz ’10 was named NEWMAC Swimmer of the Year, while Timothy J. Stumbaugh ’12 earned Rookie of the Year honors.
Sports Shorts
The MIT men’s and women’s cross country teams were honored by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), as both teams received the USTFCCCA’s All-Academic Team award. In addition, a number of student-athletes received individual accolades.
Women’s Tennis Overcomes Bates 7-2
This past Saturday, the MIT women’s tennis team defeated Bates College 7-2 in their opening match of the Spring Season. Adding to the excitement was the fact that this was the first match attended by Caroline Hamilton — the adopted teammate from Friends of Jacyln, which matches children with brain tumors with college and high school athletic teams. The team’s confidence after the first match, Caroline, and fan support gave them a good start.
