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MIT Faculty Newsletter  
contents Vol. XXI No. 2
November / December 2008

This issue of the Faculty Newsletter features Faculty Chair Bish Sanyal on "Worrying About Others: Notes on the Unfolding Financial Crisis," members of the Physics Department on the urgent need for increased nuclear power, and Hal Abelson on Open Access Publishing.

Spotlight
MIT Dome
Editorial: The State of the Institute?
This issue's editorial questions the rosy picture painted at the "State of the Institute" presentation.
Can We Fix American Education During the Current Economic Crisis?
Ernst Frankel contends that the time to fix American education is now.
 
Editorial
The State of the Institute?
The recent State of the Institute presentation by the President, Provost, and Executive Vice President and Treasurer presented a uniformly rosy outlook . . .
A Call for Articles for Special Edition Faculty Newsletter
A Special Edition Faculty Newsletter, directed toward President-elect Obama and his administration, will be devoted to providing a forum for addressing . . .
The Renovation of 10-250: A Case Study
Mary Callahan
Flash back to 1977. Jimmy Carter was president, “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees was the number one song, and gas was 55 cents per gallon. A six-month . . .
From the Faculty Chair
Worrying About Others: Notes on the Unfolding Financial Crisis
Bish Sanyal
It is but expected that faculty at all ranks will be deeply concerned about the impact of the current financial crisis on their personal finances. Likely they . . .
Please Vote!
Steven Leeb
During the fall of 2008, the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP) reviewed the final report of the Educational Commons Subcommittee (ECS), . . .
A Perspective on the Future Energy Supply of the United States: The Urgent Need for Increased Nuclear Power
Ulrich Becker, Bruno Coppi, Eric Cosman, Peter Demos, Arthur Kerman,
Richard Milner
The reliable and affordable availability of energy is the lifeblood of human civilization in the twenty-first century. It is essential to the quality and security . . .
Can We Fix American Education During the Current
Economic Crisis?
Ernst Frankel
The current economic crisis will force American education to reevaluate and improve the way it is run or managed, for money for education and research . . .
Open Access Publishing:
The Future of Scholarly Journal Publishing
Hal Abelson
There has been a growing perception over the past decade that the public, and the progress of scholarship in many disciplines, would be better served if . . .
Letters
MIT Takes a Lead Role in Washington
William B. Bonvillian
As Director of MIT’s Washington office, I was pleased to see your September-October editorial lamenting the limited public discussion of science and . . .
MIT Poetry
Excerpts from Bosston
Ed Barrett
On January 15, 2000 the Boston Globe ran a front-page story about the discovery of three bodies buried near I-93 in front of a police station in . . .
Requests for Proposals for Teaching and Education Enhancement
M.I.T. Numbers
from the 2008 Classroom Survey
   
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