After second freshman's death, some professors lighten students' workload
Christina E. Tournant ’18, who lived in Maseeh Hall, died last Thursday in Florida while on voluntary medical leave. She was the second freshman MIT had lost in a week.
MIT develops new Ebola testing method
Members of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) have developed a thin paper strip that can detect the Ebola virus in ten minutes when exposed to a sample of a patient’s blood, an improvement over previous methods that took days and required a laboratory setting.
Y Combinator partners tell MIT students to steer clear of big-name companies
On Thursday evening, over a hundred students gathered in room 54-100 to learn something that is usually not formally taught in MIT classes: how to run a startup.
Bitcoin Expo addresses the future of the currency
Speakers travelled from all over the country to 26-100 last weekend to discuss the future of bitcoin during MIT’s second annual Bitcoin Expo. The event was live-streamed to benefit remote viewers.
MIT participates in International Development Hackathon; MIT students in half of winning teams
This year, the Tufts Entrepreneur Society and Tufts Empower groups joined MIT to organize the annual International Development Hackathon (IDHack), which took place Feb. 13-14 at Tufts University. For the past two years, MIT’s Global Poverty Initiative (GPI) student group has partnered with a Harvard student group to plan the annual IDHack.
MIT student, police officers testify about Sean Collier's death
The trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent murder of MIT police officer Sean Collier entered its second week with emotional testimonies and never-before released evidence about Collier’s death.
Financial aid budget, exceeding $100 million, is highest ever
MIT will allocate $103.4 million to undergraduate financial aid next year, the MIT Corporation announced at a meeting on March 6.
Phoebe Wang’s cause of death determined
The death of MacGregor resident Phoebe Wang ’17 on Sept. 21 has been ruled a suicide, according to an email from Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Massachusetts chief medical examiner’s office. The cause of death was listed as “asphyxia due to displacement of oxygen.”
Boston inching toward snowfall record
The onslaught of major snowstorms that struck the Boston area in late January and February has left the city just inches shy of the all-time record for snowiest winter. That record of 105.7 snowfall inches, set in the winter of 1995-1996, will be tied if an additional 1.9 inches of snowfall are recorded at Logan Airport before July 1st. In fact, the record has a chance to be broken this weekend, as a low pressure system will bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico north to New England in the form of rain and snow. At this time, it appears most likely that the storm will begin as a mostly-rain event on Friday night or Saturday morning before a possible changeover to snow showers on Saturday night or Sunday. Although above-freezing temperatures may make snow accumulation challenging during this storm, there may be another chance for the record to be broken as snow showers move through the area on Monday night. That this record is on the verge of being surpassed is especially impressive considering that the seasonal snowfall total stood at only 5.5 inches as of January 23.
CORRECTIONS
An article about a recent production of the Boston Ballet, Lady of the Camellias, incorrectly attributed the book that the ballet was based on to Alexandre Dumas, who is famous for writing The Three Musketeers and The Count of Montecristo. The book, La Dame aux Camelias, was in fact written by Dumas’ bastard son, who was also named Alexandre Dumas.
With tenure but not without troubles
Editor’s note: This article originally ran in Issue 13 of Volume 133 of The Tech on March 19, 2013. A student contacted us about reprinting it in light of the recent tragedies on campus, since it personally helped her, her family, and other students on campus. Professor Belcher graciously agreed.
A week of tragedy
In tragedy’s wake, we reel. One student said that “the whole campus is just a raw, stinging nerve right now.” Everything seems fragile, so we cling together. We’re a little kinder. We hold the door. We say hello to people we don’t know too well and wave to people in the hallway even when they’re slightly too far away.
An open letter to students
Editor’s Note: On Oct. 19, 2014, Professor Fisher emailed the students in the physics department a copy of a hand-written note. It is transcribed here with his permission, sharing his thoughts with the wider student body.
A night full of a cappella
At the end of February, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) held the last of four Northeast Quarterfinals of the season in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. This was the ICCA’s 19th season of student a capella competitions, which have become increasingly popular due to the movie Pitch Perfect. And looking around, I could see the extent of a capella’s popularity — all of Kresge’s 1200 seats were filled with enthusiastic students and supportive families.
Yo-Yo Ma’s modern-day Silk Road
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has done more than create music with his Silk Road Ensemble — he’s united the world with an innovative approach to cross-cultural exchange. His eclectic group, which performed at Symphony Hall as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston last Wednesday, consistently breaks down the borders of music. Featuring instruments, composers, and musicians from every corner of the globe, the Silk Road Ensemble performed six original pieces — at times scattered, but thoroughly vibrant and entertaining.
Stravinsky, Debussy, and Brahms at the BSO
When you hear Igor Stravinsky’s name, what comes to mind? For most, it would be the Rite of Spring, a revolutionary work that sparked a riot the night of its premiere. For others, the name may conjure up visions of Petrushka or the supernatural Firebird Suite. What is definitely not associated with Stravinsky is Johann Sebastian Bach, the master of fugue and counterpoint, whose groundbreaking musicality was deeply rooted in the German Baroque tradition. That is, unless you know the story behind Stravinsky’s Concerto in E-flat for chamber orchestra.
Of All the Flowers: Songs of the Middle Ages
This past Friday, the Boston Camerata performed at Walker Memorial as part of the MIT Sounding Series sponsored by the MIT Center for Art, Science, and Technology. The night’s program was specifically commissioned for MIT and included some of the first performances (in the past 600 years or so) of newly reconstructed pieces from 14th-century French and Italian composers Guillaume Machaut, Johannes Ciconia, Francesco da Firenze, and others.
Lin ’17 NCAA bound
Benjamin Lin ’17 and Tzer Wong ’18 will represent the sabre squad at the NCAA Fencing Championship to be held March 19-20 at Ohio State. This is the second time in program history the Engineers will have multiple competitors in the same weapon at the championship as they had two sabre entries in 2001.
SSAC 2015 unites Stats with Sports
The Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, held on Feb. 27 and 28, is the mecca for sports fans — dozens of teams from almost every major league, and hundreds of sports industry organizations were represented.
Sabrina Drammis leads MIT to its best finish in 12 years
Starting this month, The Tech is launching a new “Player of the Month” feature profiling one of MIT’s premier athletes from across varsity and club teams. Kicking off the series is women’s basketball sensation, Sarbina Drammis ’16.
