Tsarnaev's lawyer: brother, not Dzhokhar, killed Sean Collier
The defense attorney for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said Wednesday that it was his brother Tamerlan, and not Tsarnaev himself, who killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier on April 18, 2013.
Matthew Nehring, freshman of East Campus, dies
A dorm meeting was held Sunday afternoon in East Campus with representatives from MIT Mental Health and MIT Student Support Services, as well as chaplains, the East Campus graduate resident tutors, and Chancellor Cynthia A. Barnhart PhD '88.
Quiet clouds likely in Boston as South copes with winter storm
High pressure over the Midwest is keeping the forecast for the northeastern part of the country mercifully precipitation-free. Considering the troubles that we have had trying to find a place to put all of the snow that has fallen, a week or string of 10 days without heavy snowfall is a welcome outlook. Through the end of the weekend, we should have little to no snow and varying levels of cloudiness. Temperatures will probably not venture above freezing until Monday, and overnight lows will be dipping down into the chilly single digits (°F).
Police tell students to get off Mt. Simmons
Students scaling the mountainous pile of snow behind Simmons Hall in past weeks were confronted by police officers and told to leave. Some were reportedly threatened with arrest if they did not comply.
Lawmaker asks whether MIT climate researcher took oil money
A prominent Democratic congressman is probing MIT about funding for professor emeritus Richard S. Lindzen, who is known for his skepticism of what he calls climate change “alarmism.”
Assembly limit for Boston ILGs, frats, and sororities lifted
A new social event policy for fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups has been issued and is set to go into effect today. Among other things, it will lift the party ban established last year by increasing the assembly numbers of FSILGs located in Boston that were previously limited to 49 people.
CORRECTIONS
An article about the Class of 2017 Ring Premiere published last Thursday incorrectly said that over 1,100 students had bought rings by the Wednesday following the event. In fact, over 1,100 rings had been sold by that time, with some students buying multiple rings.
GPAs released for FSILGs
The Division for Student Life has released a grade report for fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs). In the Fall 2014 semester, the average GPA among members of independent living groups was 4.45. The average GPA among sorority sisters was 4.43. The average GPA for fraternities was 4.38.
Was last year's ring design influenced by fraternities?
Every year, a group of MIT students is chosen by its respective class council to design MIT’s iconic class ring, the Brass Rat, as well as organize the annual Ring Premiere and Ring Delivery ceremony. This prominent role exposes the group to criticism.
Boston Marathon bombing trial scheduled to begin next week
Opening statements are expected to commence next Wednesday in the trial of the accused Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, according to a court official. Pending motions will be addressed in a hearing on Monday, and on Tuesday the defense and prosecution teams will whittle down the 70 remaining potential jurors to the 18 who will be seated for opening statements.
Irving Singer, philosophy professor and author of 21 books on diverse topics, dies at the age of 89
Stung by family members urging him to be more affectionate, Irving Singer, a philosophy professor, spent years researching and writing a 1,300-page, three-volume examination of the subject titled “The Nature of Love.”
MIT accuses Apple of patent infringement
MIT has filed a lawsuit against Apple and Micron over their alleged patent infringement concerning a technology used to manufacture semiconductor wafers. The patent describes a laser-cutting process for semiconductor metals and was originally issued in 2000 to then-MIT scientist Joseph Bernstein and co-inventor Zhihui Duan.
Song of the Sea: A beautiful Irish tale
From Snow White and Mulan to Ratatouille and Frozen, I have always associated animated movies with Disney and Pixar — movies with bold colors and characters with big eyes. These movies’ characters shared a distinctive cartoonish look that practically begged to be placed into a coloring book complete with a pack of crayons. I have been so used to this style of mainstream animation that when I watched Song of the Sea, I was taken aback by the mesmerizing watercolor animation that filled the screen with beautiful gradients and intricate Celtic patterns. Not only did the plot engage me until the end, but the film was simply gorgeous. No coloring book could do this justice.
Debussy, Birtwistle, Liadov, and Stravinsky at the BSO
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the country’s five major symphony orchestras, and because they feature a new lineup of pieces and performers weekly, there is always something new to see. Earlier this month, the concert conducted by Stefan Asbury and Ken David Masur consisted of four pieces arranged strategically to depict the show’s central theme: vitality.
Farewell Pawnee!
This past Tuesday NBC aired the last two episodes of its acclaimed comedy, Parks and Recreation. For seven seasons, the mockumentary followed the service of the Parks and Recreation department of Pawnee, Indiana, a fictional town.
Babson hands MIT loss
MIT held a six-point lead with 14 minutes to play, but sixth-ranked Babson College came back to take a 62-51 decision in a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men’s basketball game. Justin M. Pedley ’16 led the Engineers with 15 points, while Joey Flannery led the Beavers with 19 points, all in the second half.
Drammis reaches 1,000 points in loss
Three free throws during the final 17 seconds of regulation capped off a second-half rally that helped the U.S. Coast Guard Academy come from behind to defeat MIT, 58-55, in a NEWMAC women’s basketball game on Saturday. Despite the setback, the Engineers (11-14, 7-9) will continue their season in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
White clinches top spot
William White ’17 finished in the top three in each of the six men’s events (floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, high bar), taking the top spot in the floor event en route to clinching first position overall in the 2015 Beaver Classic Gymnastics Meet held at the duPont Gymnasium on Sunday, Feb. 22.
