Kendall committee summarizes work
The MIT student community was a no-show at Tuesday’s presentation on the reinvention of Kendall Square. There were about 100 people in attendance; 80 percent were the general public, while the remainder were city employees, committee members, etc. Two MIT students were there, and also many community residents, including some MIT faculty and retirees from 303 Third Street.
Additional updates to orientation report
The Review Committee on Orientation (RCO) released its final recommendations on Orientation last week with more updates on the state of Residential Exploration (REX) and freshman pe-orientation programs (FPOPs) for this fall. The biggest changes are that REX will no longer include a freshman adjustment lottery to change dorms, and an additional fee will be charged to FPOP students arriving early and staying on campus. The timing of FSILG Recruitment will be subject to further committee-based assignment, but no change in timing will be made for this coming fall.
What do students want in a pres.?
On April 6, the Student Advisory Committee to the Presidential Search released their preliminary report, entitled “The Student Perspective on the MIT Presidency.” Drawing upon the responses they received from six town hall meetings, each of which were attended by between 10 and 60 people, as well as hundreds of student responses from online forms, paper questionnaires, focus groups, and informal discussions, the SAC described in their 20-page report what they found to be the most important challenges, desires, and concerns of MIT. This preliminary report does not contain the list of candidates that the SAC would like to nominate.
Start-ups forced out of Kendall Square due to prices
When Ben Carcio’s idea for a Web start-up won a national competition last year, the prize included free office space at a dream address for techies: Kendall Square. He was surrounded by engineers from Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc., and venture capitalists who fund young tech companies.
Slow first quarter in China, but recent signs of growth
China’s economic growth slowed sharply in the first three months of this year, but recent efforts by policymakers to jump-start its economy, the world’s second largest, appear to be bearing fruit, with industrial and retail activity both rising during March, new data released Friday showed.
Shorts (left)
In one of the first tests of its willingness to show its muscle, the new agency created to protect consumers declined Thursday to put up a fight.
North Korea launches rocket, but it appears to fail
SEOUL, South Korea — Defying weeks of international warnings of more censure and further sanctions, North Korea on Friday launched a rocket, a belligerent act that the United States called a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that one day might be able to carry a nuclear warhead.
Raymond Aubrac, leader of the French resistance, dies at 97
Raymond Aubrac, who took that nom de guerre as a storied leader of the resistance effort in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, died Tuesday in a military hospital in Paris. He was 97
Germans’ anti-Israel whispers grow louder over poem
BERLIN — To judge by the outpouring of comments from politicians and writers and from the newspaper and magazine articles in response to the Nobel laureate Gunter Grass’ poem criticizing Israel’s aggressive posture toward Iran, it would appear that the public had resoundingly rejected his work.
Warmer weather ahead
After yesterday’s showers, the next few days look to bring some nice weather to the Cambridge area. Today will be partly cloudy with a high around 60°F.
Shorts (right)
In his first interview since ending his presidential campaign, Rick Santorum said Thursday that what pushed him out of the Republican race was his campaign’s dwindling bank account.
Day in court and new lawyer for defendant in Martin case
SANFORD, Fla. — A tall, lanky red-headed lawyer named Mark O’Mara appeared in court here Thursday, standing next to his newest client, George Zimmerman, one of the most recognizable defendants in the country but a man he had met for the first time only the night before at the county jail.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Endorsing a fresh, pragmatic perspective: student leaders for Tallapragada/Yang
A question of Putin’s intention
I admit it: I slept through the Russian presidential election of last month, which saw Vladimir Putin win a third term for a newly extended period of six years. This is unforgivable given my lifelong fascination for Russia and eight-year stay in the country as Moscow correspondent prior to MIT. My life and duties at the Institute have indeed kept me very distant from all things “Russia” — 4,482.88 miles away to be precise (Boston-Moscow distance).
Tallapragada & Yang
Editor’s Note: Jacob London is also an executive member of The Forum, a group founded and led by Naren P. Tallapragada.
The case of Trayvon Martin
Editor’s Note: This piece’s deadline was before the announcement of the second-degree charges against George Zimmerman were made public at 6 p.m. on April 11.
Catching up with the universe
I grew up in the Panamanian countryside, under pristine skies bursting with stars. Defenseless against the nightly spectacle, I had no choice but to become a backyard astronomer. A Spanish translation of Isaac Asimov’s The Universe (1966) transformed a romantic interest in constellations into a healthy scientific understanding of the cosmos. Asimov’s tome, although dated, satisfied my thirst for cosmological knowledge long enough for me to shift my attention to more mundane things. Two decades went by until I discovered — with a mix of delight and trepidation — that while I was not looking, a third revolution in cosmology, by no means smaller than those triggered by Copernicus and Hubble, was taking place right under my nose, during my lifetime.
Fine dining by the sea
When was the last time you ate at a restaurant alone? For that matter, when was the last time you went out alone, took a walk alone, or amused yourself alone? It seems to me that when people have fun, they go in duos, trios, quartets, a whole crowd. Those that dine solo are branded “forever alone” by society and self. However, recent failures in my love life have made the thought of dining company intolerable, so I recently decided to eat lunch alone at Strega Waterfront.
Cycling sweeps competition at the ‘Lux et Velocitas’ races
On April 7 and 8, MIT’s cycling team competed at the “Lux et Velocitas” races hosted by Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The three-race weekend took place in East Rock Park at the foot of the East Rock cliff, New Haven’s tallest landscape feature.
Women’s ultimate frisbee team wins over spring break
Even though the team is smaller than in previous years, sMITe, MIT’s Women’s Ultimate team, has set high expectations. The team is anchored by junior standout Michelle A. Rybak, who runs the offense with big huck throws and fast disc movement. Together with veteran players Alisha R. Schor G and Anna Katherine deRegt G, sMITe’s captains have driven the team to outperform previous years.
CHARLES HSU ’14: Hsu does crew, viola, and course 7 research
Charles Hsu ’14 is a sophomore in Course 7 (Biology) who is on the MIT Varsity Heavyweight Crew Team. He enjoys creating things and aspires to become a surgeon. Charles was on the 2011 MIT IGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine competition) team that placed fourth out of over 150 international teams. He is also working on the Solarclave project, which won the 2011 MIT IDEAS and Global Challenge competitions. The Solarclave is a low-cost solar-powered autoclave designed to provide third-world rural clinics with a portable and reliable method of sterilization. He is currently working in the Weiss Lab on genetically engineering autonomously patterning tissues, and has also worked on microfluidics and high-speed photography of cell-printing. Charles balances his scientific interests with his passion for the viola. Not only does he play his viola for a chamber music group, but pursues the craft of violin making in his spare time.
Gymnastics dominates this season as a club team
It’s an exciting year to be on the Women’s Gymnastics team at MIT. Even though they were cut from varsity status to club status in 2009, the team has powered through the past two years and won at last year’s nationals.
Women’s Crew team victorious
With strong racing across the board, the women’s openweight crew team had its best finish in history at the George Washington Invitational. Racing on the Potomac River in Washington D.C., the Engineers took on Duquesne University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Georgetown University with four boats in three races over the weekend. The varsity eight and A varsity four were victorious in all three races, while the second and third varsity eights had tight campaigns with all three teams.
Games and panels at PAX East
Do video games get reviews, or criticisms? What’s the difference? This panel, hosted by a number of editors from The Escapist, Ars Technica, and the Boston Phoenix, among others, focused on the distinction between the two types of writing. A review, it seems, is focused on a product and potentially convincing a reader to buy something or not. A criticism, the panelists argued, is a piece written with a much deeper intent — to truly understand the game and communicate a particular experience to the reader. A review might be something you read before playing a game, and a criticism something afterwards. Reviews give you a comprehensive view, while a criticism is more on an in depth snapshot. Which is more effective and useful for the reader? That’s for you to decide.
PAX East 2012
PAX East, a three-day-long festival of everything game related, returned to Boston for the third time, this year at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC). PAX is a gaming convention started by webcomic Penny Arcade (PA) founders Mike Krahulik (known as “Gabe” in his comic alter-ego) and Jerry Holkins (“Tycho”) in 2004. The show is meant to cater to gamers of all types — handheld, console, PC, and table top. Originally held in Seattle, PAX has also come to Boston for the past three years in the form of “PAX East”, and recently booked the annual event at BCEC until 2023.
