All quiet on the Eastern front
A more-or-less benign weather pattern will lead to cloudy skies and mild temperatures into the weekend. For the next few days, a so-called ‘backdoor front’ will influence New England weather. In contrast to typical cold fronts, which channel in cooler air from the northwest, backdoor cold fronts approach from the northeast. During the spring months in New England, this often means cooler temperatures and clouds as air blows over ocean waters.
Funding cuts hurt US innovation, report says
Decreased federal investment in academic basic research will hinder innovation in industries and at universities, according to a report, entitled “The Future Postponed,” written by a committee of 30 MIT faculty members and administrators.
SpringFest concert sees increase in attendance
Despite the rejection of its budget plan by the Undergraduate Association, the UA Events Committee held its annual SpringFEST, organizing events throughout last week leading up to Saturday’s concert.
Grad students lobby for research funding in Washington
A delegation of 23 graduate students visited members of Congress in March to lobby for increased federal funding for scientific research. Their visit to Washington marked MIT’s ninth year participating in the annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day.
Steady cool temperatures through end of week
High pressure over the eastern half of the U.S. and a Low passing along the Canadian border will keep daytime temperatures steady in the mid to high 50s (°F) and nights in the high 30s (°F) through the weekend in Cambridge. There will be clouds and moderate to strong winds but little chance of precipitation. To the West, however, the Great Lakes region likely received some snow last night and will get some mixed precipitation today. To the north, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine will likely get showers today.
Defense plays down prosecutors' image of 'unrepenting' Tsarnaev flashing middle finger
Jurors saw a new face of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the opening statements of the marathon bombing trial’s penalty phase on Tuesday, when the government showed a photo of Tsarnaev flashing his middle finger at a holding cell camera shortly after his arrest two years ago.
CORRECTIONS
In the April 17 issue of The Tech, an article about the 2014 Putnam Mathematical Competition misstated the class year of Mark Sellke ’18.
Tell Me About Your Day tackles mental health with conversation
TMAYD, a student initiative that aims to get more students talking to and supporting each other, has gained momentum and funding since its inception following the deaths of freshmen Matthew L. Nehring and Christina E. Tournant earlier this semester.
24-hour Clover HFI opens in Central Square
There’s now another alternative to LaVerdes for late-night snacks. On April 22, the popular eatery Clover Food Lab celebrated the opening of its new 24-hour location in Central Square, Clover HFI.
Campus proposals include relocating museum, housing students in warehouse
MIT is weighing the pros and cons of housing undergraduates in the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse building, among other proposed ideas for revamping campus.
CORRECTIONS
A guest column published Tuesday made references to MIT’s parental leave policy that were misleading. MIT employees and MIT graduate students have separate parental leave policies, and the new benefit of five days of paid parental leave is in addition to substantial existing parental leave policies for employees. An updated version of the article online also makes note of MIT’s existing maternity leave policies, which give female graduate students and employees up to two months of accommodation when they are expecting.
UA president resigns amid parliamentary pablum
“And let’s get to work!” announced Matthew J. Davis ’16 at the conclusion of his first speech as president of the Undergraduate Association. The rare half-second pauses in his delivery would have likely been polished out had he had an extra month to prepare for the moment, but no such luck — embattled former president Shruti Sharma ’15 resigned a month early during Wednesday’s UA Council meeting, sweeping him and vice president-elect Sophia Liu ’17 into office within a week of their election. Davis said he learned of the pending transfer Monday at 11 p.m.
Five of six top Putnam math contest scorers are from MIT
MIT took first place in the 2014 William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, results for which were recently released. Five MIT individuals also received the Putnam Fellowship, which was awarded to the top six scorers.
CPW events not permitted between 1 and 6 a.m. this year
MIT is not permitting events between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. during this year’s Campus Preview Weekend.
Embattled UA president and vice president will likely resign Wednesday
An Undergraduate Association Council meeting agenda published shortly before press time listed a “transition” of power to the president-elect Matthew J. Davis ’16 and vice president-elect Sophia Liu ’17 with no mention of an impeachment vote, implying that the sitting officers, Shruti Sharma ’15 and Billy Ndengeyingoma ‘15, will step down.
High pressure heralds return of spring
After a brutal winter in which it was colder than 40°F for over a month, the Boston area is finally getting a taste of above-normal temperatures. With a high of 69°F (21°C), yesterday was the warmest day of 2015 so far, 14° warmer than the normal high of 55°F (13°C) for this time of year.