Spacetime ripples, full of secrets MacArthur winner studies gravity’s waves
When she was contacted by the MacArthur Foundation, Professor Nergis Mavalvala PhD ’97 couldn’t believe it. “I really thought it was a prank call,” said Mavalvala. “I expected at any moment one of my friends was going to jump in on the other side of the line.”
Solicitor General supports schools in Stanford v. Roche patent case
Last week Tuesday, the United States Solicitor General filed a brief before the Supreme Court in <i>Stanford v. Roche</i>, a case about technology transfer from universities to private industry. MIT and university advocacy groups had also filed briefs last spring. The Supreme Court had deferred deciding whether to accept the case, and asked the acting Solicitor General for his opinion.
Hockfield addresses MIT community on Wed.
After two difficult years, MIT has “aligned its budget with economic realities” and has improved the institute’s economic resilience, President Susan J. Hockfield said at the annual State of the Institute forum on Wednesday.
HASS system gets simpler
“The new HASS system is very flexible. It’s not a pain in the ‘HASS,’” said Rui Hu ’12.
Bacteria and bat sex at Ig Nobels last night
Have you ever wondered if bats fellate each other?
PBE & IFC spar over key points
Several details have surfaced regarding the Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) suspension. PBE alumni continue to send letters to <i>The Tech</i>, Dean of Student Life Chris Colombo, and President Susan Hockfield. IFC president, Ryan Schoen ’11 said that the PBE hazing took place between last fall’s pledging, through and including initiation (January 2010).
Corrections
The photo of the tent at East Campus desk on page 9 of Tuesday’s issue was incorrectly attributed to associate news editor Jingyun Fan. The photo was taken by Anna E. Brunner ’12.
Graduate Resident Tutors have had less money to work with since 2009
Budget cuts have decreased residential life funds across the dorms, shrinking the money available to housemasters and GRTs. In McCormick Hall, for example, the housemasters experienced budget cuts of 10 percent for both this year and for the previous year, according to housemaster Charles H. Stewart III
The old HASS system
MIT’s commitment to producing well-rounded graduates means that, in addition to a rigorous scientific curriculum, students are expected to complete a number of classes in the wide range of topics collectively referred to as HASS: Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Until now, the requirement consisted of three components: three distributive classes, three-to-four classes toward a concentration, and one or two electives.
Beta gets 4-year ban on parties
Beta Theta Pi (Beta) is under social probation until fall of 2014, the result of an alcohol-related rush violation this year, according to IFC President Ryan Schoen ’11. They will not be permitted to hold social events (parties) outside of Rush for the next four years.
Stem cell work can continue, for now
The Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia decided Tuesday afternoon to allow federally funded human embryonic stem cell research to continue, while the federal government appeals a lower court injunction that barred the work.
4,100 Massachusetts students prove big schools can beat odds
BROCKTON, Mass. — A decade ago, Brockton High School was a case study in failure. Teachers and administrators often voiced the unofficial school motto in hallway chitchat: Students have a right to fail if they want. And many of them did — only a quarter of the students passed statewide exams. One in three dropped out.
To improve Simmons culture, some talk of dorm revolution
On September 11, Simmons’s discussion mailing list, sponge-talk, went aflame after the release of Proposition 10, a GRT’s effort to expedite the development of dorm culture within Simmons. Proposition 10, an unofficial document, calls for the division of the Simmons government into ten autonomous sections, each responsible for its own budget, constitution, freshman recruitment, and GRT placement. The proposition reflects the dissatisfaction among residents about the lack of dorm culture in Simmons Hall.
Parents of dead student sue MIT, Delta Upsilon
The parents of deceased MIT student Robert M. Wells ’08 sued MIT and the Delta Upsilon fraternity on May 21, 2010, alleging 26 counts of wrongful death.
Stem cell court battle reaches appeals stage
A three-judge panel in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the stem cell case yesterday, and also rejected the University of California’s motion to become a party to the case. Additionally, the government filed several motions before the lower court late last night, seeking judgement in their favor.
Corrections
A front-page caption on Friday misspelled the surname of Dean of Engineering Subra Suresh ScD ’81 in the first sentence, while spelling it correctly in the second. It is Suresh, not Suresch.
PBE hazing details still undisclosed
A week after the News Office announced the decision to suspend the fraternity Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) for hazing, parties remain tight-lipped about details of the case.