Kagame Talks About Impact of Technology in Developing Africa
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was welcomed with a standing ovation to a packed Kresge Auditorium as he addressed the MIT community yesterday as a guest speaker for the Compton Lecture Series, talking about the “Imperative of Science and Technology in Accelerating African and Rwandan Development.” Examples of how mobile phones have helped empower Rwandans and enable entrepreneurship as well as the challenges that have yet to be met filled Kagame’s talk. He also asked the MIT community to take part in the effort to help develop countries like Rwanda through innovation and technology.
Biodiesel@MIT Secures Location for Storing Processor to Make Biofuels
After months of simmering on MIT’s back burner, Biodiesel@MIT’s project may finally get cooking. At last, the club has found a location for its biodiesel processor, and soon MIT SafeRides and Tech Shuttles may run on fuel made from dining halls’ used vegetable oil.
Private Consultants Help Navigate College Admissions Process
What may be the largest high school senior class ever in the United States is applying to college this fall. And thousands of students will look beyond their high school guidance counselors to help them get into the schools of their choice.
Pell Grants Said to Face a Shortfall of $6 Billion
Battered by a worsening economy, college students are seeking federal financial aid in record numbers this year, leading Bush administration officials to warn Congress that the most important federal aid program, Pell Grants, may need up to $6 billion in additional taxpayer funds next year.
Senator Kerry Wins Decisively in Mass. State Primary Tues.
Senator John F. Kerry won a decisive victory Tuesday night against Edward O’Reilly, carrying almost every Massachusetts city and town in the first Democratic primary challenge the incumbent has faced in 24 years.
In Short
An energy debate between the Obama and McCain campaigns, hosted by the MIT Energy Club and Energy Initiative, will be held Oct. 6 from 7:30–9:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. The debate will feature former CIA Director James Woolsey for McCain and Jason Grumet, executive director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, for Obama.
LaVerde’s Discontinues 24 Hr. Service, Closes at Three
As of this term, LaVerde’s will no longer be open 24 hours on weeknights and will close instead at 3 a.m.. There are no plans for any alternative late-night food service on campus since it’s not certain there would be enough student demand to make it viable.
As Synthetic Biology Becomes Affordable, Amateur Labs Thrive
In a third-floor loft where programmers build Internet start-ups, Mackenzie Cowell is talking about the tools he and like-minded young colleagues are using to fuel what they hope will be the next big thing in biology. The list includes a cut-up Charlie Card, ingredients bought on eBay to make a kind of scientific Jell-O, and a refrigerator, just scored on Craigslist.com, that chills to 80 degrees below zero.
Caltech Committee Visits MIT to Learn Our Ways
From Sept. 2 to Sept. 4., a group of 11 undergraduates from Caltech visited MIT as part of a two-week, cross-country trip to observe student life and culture at eight East Coast colleges, including Harvard University, Williams College, Princeton University, and Olin College.
Harvard Endowment Grew By 8.6 Percent In Last Fiscal Year
Harvard University’s $36.9 billion endowment earned 8.6 percent on its investments in its latest fiscal year, the school’s money managers reported Friday, even as stock markets around the world were losing money.
Caltech Economist Puts Textbook Online for Free to Protest Pricing
Squint hard, and textbook publishers can look a lot like drug makers. They both make money from doing obvious good — healing, educating — and they both have customers who may be willing to sacrifice their last pennies to buy what these companies are selling.
Confusion in Student Voter Registrations
The widespread practice of students’ registering to vote at their college address has set off a fracas in Virginia, a battleground state in the presidential election.
Could Cancer Genes Be Used to Harness Stem Cell Therapies?
On a visit to Bangalore in 1998, Robert A. Weinberg ’64, one of America’s leading cancer researchers, met a voraciously curious young doctoral student from a South Indian village so remote that he grew up without phones or television, studying by kerosene lamp. He had no Western-style last name, only a first — Mani.
At NW35, Fall Community Picnic Toasts New Dorm, Dean Colombo
Despite the long trek from main campus to NW35, turnout for last Monday’s fall Community Picnic was far greater than organizers had anticipated, said Gayle M. Gallagher, senior director of Institute events.
Police Log
<i>The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between Aug. 25, 2008 and Sept. 3, 2008. This summary does not include incidents such as false alarms, general service calls, or medical shuttles.</i>
Fall 2008 UA Election Candidates
Voting online requires Web certificates. Candidate platforms and photos are available at elections.scripts.mit.edu/candidates.