2008 archive

MIT PhD candidate wins Marconi Young Scholars award - Jay Kumar Sundararajan, a PhD candidate in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems at MIT, was named one of four students nationwide to be honored by the Marconi Society as a Young Scholar Award winner. July 25

MIT engages Gloucester youth in science - MIT staff members have been working with middle-school students in Gloucester this summer to raise their interest in science and engineering as part of a program that could be implemented in communities across the country. July 24

MIT students seek to harness campus's waste heat - MIT's cogeneration plant, which provides most of the electricity, heat and air conditioning for the campus, could get even more efficient if a team of students' project to harness surplus heat works as expected. July 24

MIT Portugal students win entrepreneurship competition - Researchers and students from the MIT Portugal Program hope a new biotechnology they developed will help treat patients with medical complications from abnormal protein breakdown. July 23

A sensible censor for sharing medical records - A team of MIT researchers has developed a computer program capable of automatically deleting details from medical records that may identify patients, while leaving important medical information intact. July 23

Charles Yardley Chittick '22, MIT's oldest alumnus, dies at 107 - Charles Yardley Chittick '22, who was honored this past June as the oldest MIT alumnus, died on Friday, July 18. He was 107. July 22

MIT students help cities plan for changing climate - Ten graduate students from MIT recently spent three weeks in Durban, South Africa, working on a project to develop an online tool that could help municipal governments around the world adapt to a changing climate. July 22

Created from Scratch - This week, users of MIT's easy-to-learn Scratch programming language are gathering for a conference on campus to discuss the software and its uses. Designed at the MIT Media Lab, the program lets anyone create and share video games and animated stories. July 21

MIT researchers offer glimpse of rare mutant cells - MIT biological engineers have developed a new imaging system that allows them to see cells that have undergone a specific mutation. The work could help scientists understand how precancerous mutations arise. July 21

Spinal cord stem cells may lead to new treatment - A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for spinal-cord injuries. July 21

Physicists shed light on superconductivity riddle - MIT physicists believe they have identified a mysterious state of matter that has been linked to the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity. This state may not be a precursor to superconductivity, as has been theorized, but a competing state. July 18

Cutting costs one image at a time - In an effort to assess health-care organizations' cost-cutting techniques, MIT urban economist Frank Levy will study the effects of different initiatives to restrict non-necessary medical-imaging procedures on the costs and quality of care. July 17

MIT-led team creates touch-based illusion - A team of scientists from MIT, Harvard and McGill has designed a new illusion involving the sense of touch, which is helping to glean new insights into perception and how different senses--such as touch and sight--work together. July 17

Colorado School of Mines first to use nuclear energy research partnership - Under a research partnership between the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility at Idaho National Laboratory and MIT, a Colorado School of Mines nuclear materials irradiation experiment will be the first test conducted in the MIT Reactor. July 17

Balance problems? Step into the iShoe - Your grandmother might have little in common with an astronaut, but both could benefit from a new device an MIT graduate student is designing to test balancing ability. July 16

Raja Bobbili '08 wins Jack Kent Cooke scholarship - A recent MIT graduate who enrolled in the Institute at the age of 16 will complete a joint MBA and law program on full scholarship as a recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke award. July 16

MIT names Colombo dean for student life - Costantino "Chris" Colombo, dean of student affairs at Columbia University's two undergraduate schools since 1998, has been named MIT's dean for student life, effective Aug. 18. July 16

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. July 16

Brain scientists spot nature/nurture gene link - Neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory found that a previously unsuspected set of genes links nature and nurture during a crucial period of brain development. The results could lead to treatments for autism and other disorders. July 15

Six from MIT receive Fulbright scholarships - Four recent MIT graduates and a current PhD student have been awarded Fulbright scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year. Fulbright recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement and leadership potential in their fields. July 15

MIT Global Startup Workshop conference to be held in Africa - The MIT Global Startup Workshop announced Monday that it will be holding its 12th annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa, from March 25-27, 2009, focusing on fostering sustainable ventures in developing regions. July 15

Conference looks to Sichuan's future after quake - An MIT-organized conference this week in Beijing represents the first major international academic gathering dedicated to assisting Chinese leaders with post-disaster planning issues following May's devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake. July 14

Lester addresses governors on energy innovation - Richard K. Lester, MIT professor of nuclear science and engineering and director of the Industrial Performance Center, spoke on Monday at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association. July 14

Don't bank on long-term climate policy success - Long-term climate change policy in the United States and abroad is likely to change very slowly, warns an MIT professor who says the lack of future flexibility argues for stronger short-term goals to reduce carbon emissions. July 11

Team unveils 'parts list' of cell powerhouse - An international team of researchers, led by a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, has created the most comprehensive "parts list" to date for mitochondria, a compendium that includes nearly 1,100 proteins. July 11

Langer wins major German science award - Institute Professor Robert Langer has been chosen as one of two winners of the 2008 Max Planck Research Award, a 1.5 million-euro science prize funded by the German government. July 10

MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy - Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy—at the edges of solar panels—that could allow just that. July 10

Fact Sheet: MIT's solar concentrators - A Q&A by the MIT research team led by Marc A. Baldo, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, on solar concentrators. July 10

A hands-on approach to Third World aid - About 60 people from 20 nations will descend on the MIT campus next week to begin an intensive month-long process of creating technological solutions for the needs of people in the world's developing nations. July 10

Alex d'Arbeloff dies at 80 - Alexander Vladimir d'Arbeloff '49, a visionary entrepreneur who co-founded Teradyne before becoming chairman of the MIT Corporation, died peacefully on July 8. July 9

Boston Bruins Foundation continues MIT STEM sponsorship - Boston Bruins Foundation Director of Development Bob Sweeney, center, presented a check for $20,000 to the MIT STEM Program during a campus visit on Tuesday, July 8. July 9

MIT reports finer lines for microchips - MIT researchers have achieved a significant advance in nanoscale lithographic technology, used in the manufacture of computer chips and electronic devices, to make finer patterns of lines over larger areas than have been possible with other methods. July 8

Jack Howard, chemical engineering professor emeritus, 70 - Jack Howard, a professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical Engineering, died on July 7 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 70. July 8

Study points to dietary cocktail for Alzheimer's - A dietary cocktail that includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid can improve memory and learning in gerbils, according to the latest study from MIT researchers that points to a possible beverage-based treatment for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. July 8

Partnership to support nuclear energy research - The Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility, centered at Idaho National Laboratory, and the MIT Reactor have announced a partnership designed to increase user access to national reactor irradiation and testing capability. July 8

MIT instrument studies edge of sun's bubble - The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have now traveled beyond the edge of the sun's outflow of particles and radiation. Some of the data that reveals this boundary region comes from a set of magnetic field sensors developed and built at MIT back in the 1970s. July 7

Laura Capone, senior associate dean in DSL, 47 - Laura Capone, senior associate dean for the Division of Student Life, passed away on Friday, July 4, at Addison Gilbert Hospital after a battle with cancer. She was 47. July 7

Greenblatt named MIT Alumni Association Interim CEO - MIT Alumni Association President Harbo Jensen PhD '74 announced July 2 that Sherwin Greenblatt '62, has agreed to serve as the interim executive vice president and CEO of the association. July 3

MIT architect Sass puts up a prefab at MoMA - Larry Sass, assistant professor of computation in the MIT Department of Architecture, is one of five architects featured in a major show this summer at the Museum of Modern Art titled "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling." July 3

Barbara Liskov named Institute Professor - Barbara H. Liskov, the Associate Provost for Faculty Equity and Ford Professor of Engineering, has been named an Institute Professor, the highest honor awarded by MIT's faculty and administration. July 1

Technique produces genetically identical stem cells - Cells from mice created using genetically reprogrammed cells can be triggered via drug administration to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state without the need for further direct genetic manipulation. July 1

Front-row seat for summer's physics extravaganza - Nearly 20 years in the making, the largest particle accelerator in the world will start running in Switzerland this summer, offering scientists a glimpse of particles that have never been seen before. July 1

Simple insulation could combat heat, cold and noise - Around the world, an estimated one billion people--mostly in rural villages and the shanty towns surrounding developing-world cities--live in houses whose roofs are nothing more than thin sheets of corrugated metal. July 1

Robert C. Seamans Jr., 89 - Robert C. Seamans Jr., an MIT alumnus who was a leading NASA administrator during the Apollo program, the ninth secretary of the U.S. Air Force and the dean of MIT's School of Engineering from 1978-81, died on June 28. He was 89. June 30

MIT shows China quake was rare event - A new analysis of the setting for last month's devastating earthquake in China by a team of geoscientists at MIT shows that the quake resulted from faults with little seismic activity. Similar events in that area occur only once in every 2,000 to 10,000 years. June 30

Experts describe promise of nanotech for cancer - Speakers from MIT and other institutions described the promise of nanotechnology to help diagnose, treat and monitor cancer at the annual symposium hosted by the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT on Friday, June 27. June 30

Using a light touch to measure protein bonds - MIT researchers have developed a novel technique to measure the strength of the bonds between two protein molecules important in cell machinery: Gently tugging them apart with light beams. June 30

Student-athlete's parents pledge $2 million - A generous gift from the parents of an MIT student-athlete will change the landscape for outdoor competition in the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER). June 27

Probe may help untangle cells' signaling pathways - MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell's activities. June 27

Building 6C's design firm wins prestigious award - The architectural firm responsible for MIT's PDSI (Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Spectroscopy and Infrastructure) Building Project recently received an accolade for its design work on what is now Building 6C. June 27

Joseph F. Kuchta, 40-year veteran of MIT, golf coach - Joseph F. Kuchta, who spent almost 40 years with MIT as a safety officer and later golf coach, and who was renowned for his work with Alpha Phi Omega and other charitable organizations, died on Monday, June 23. He was 88. June 26

A ringing success - Roozbeh Ghaffari helped ring the opening bell to the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, June 20, alongside his team members from Diagnostics for All, which won the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition in May. June 26

Polymer expert wins $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize - For Joseph M. DeSimone, the interface between disparate fields and concepts offers the best opportunity for innovation. For his pioneering inventions, entrepreneurship and mentorship, DeSimone has been awarded the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. June 25

Media Lab celebrates co-founder Davenport's career - Dozens of Media Lab faculty and alums gathered for a symposium June 20 to celebrate the career of Glorianna Davenport, head of the lab's Media Fabrics group and a longtime innovator in film, video, interactive media and new ways of storytelling. June 25

Solar system's biggest impact scar discovered - A new analysis of Mars by researchers at MIT and NASA has solved one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the solar system -- why the planet Mars has two completely different kinds of terrain, in its northern and southern hemispheres. June 25

In election year, MIT ready to talk science - As part of a long-standing effort to bring issues of energy, science, technology, education and innovation into the national spotlight, MIT is seeking to engage both of this year's major-party presidential campaigns in an open dialogue. June 25

Lemelson-MIT's EurekaFest to celebrate inventing - EurekaFest at MIT, a multi-day celebration of the power of invention and inventors, will kick off on Thursday, June 26. Organized by the Lemelson-MIT Program, the festival features a series of exciting events in Cambridge and Boston. June 24

Cancer symposium to focus on nanotechnology - Institute Professor Robert Langer and other top cancer researchers will speak at the 2008 symposium hosted by MIT's David H. Koch Center for Integrative Cancer Research on Friday, June 27, at Kresge Auditorium. June 24

MIT-led team finds language without numbers - An Amazonian language has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team. Only 300 people speak the language, all of the Piraha tribe in remote northwestern Brazil. June 24

MIT Energy Initiative, Bosch to collaborate on energy - As part of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), MIT and Bosch, a leading global supplier of technology and services, are forming an energy research collaboration to explore new materials and concepts for efficient energy conversion and storage systems. June 23

Lillian Sakey, former administrative assistant, 87 - Lillian (Battit) Sakey, who worked as an administrative assistant in the office of the Dean of Student Affairs until retiring in 1987, died on May 19. She was 87. June 23

Grin and Barrett - When Kathy Barrett first started working at MIT, Commencement was in Rockwell Cage and Julius Adams Stratton was the Institute's president. Now, 45 Commencements and six presidents later, Barrett is just days away from a well-earned retirement. June 23

Berners-Lee named 3Com Founders Professor - Internet pioneer Timothy Berners-Lee has been named the 3Com Founders Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering, with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. June 20

Proliferating cells foil microRNA control - MIT biologists have discovered that proliferating cells shift the output of their genes to evade regulation by microRNAs, tiny molecules that normally suppress tumor growth. June 20

Harnessing solar energy like plants do - Ask any scientist to name Earth's most abundant source of energy, and the answer comes quickly: sunlight. In one hour, the sun strikes Earth with enough energy to power the entire planet for a year. June 20

MIT unlocks mystery behind brain imaging - In work that solves a long-standing mystery in neuroscience, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes make noninvasive brain scans possible. June 19

Ex-CENTCOM commander joins MIT Center for International Studies - Admiral William J. Fallon will join the MIT Center for International Studies as a Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow. Admiral Fallon, former commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Pacific Command, will make the Center his academic home for nine months. June 19

MIT prototype solar dish passes first tests - A team led by MIT students this week successfully tested a prototype of what may be the most cost-efficient solar power system in the world--one team members believe has the potential to revolutionize global energy production. June 18

Flexible airport design essential for low-cost airlines - The leading low-cost airlines with a preference for small, inexpensive airports are now the largest airlines in the United States and Europe, according to an MIT expert on airport design and operations. June 18

MIT finding could improve colon cancer treatment - A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects, MIT researchers have found. June 17

Silver lining: MIT-developed 'Cloud' unveiled in Italy - The Cloud, an interactive sculpture developed by a team from the MIT Mobile Experience Lab, is being unveiled this week at a fashion industry trade show in Florence, Italy. June 17

UROP awards - Awards given by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program for the academic year 2007-2008. June 16

Making a splash in Zaragoza - An MIT-designed building featuring water walls that can be programmed to display patterns and images is being unveiled this week at the opening of the Zaragoza World Expo in Spain. June 12

Student injured in small lab explosion - At approximately 5:55 pm on Wednesday, June 11, a small explosion confined to a laboratory in MIT's Building 16 occurred. One injury has been confirmed. An MIT graduate student was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. June 12

Unraveling bacteria communication pathways - MIT researchers have figured out how bacteria ensure that they respond correctly to hundreds of incoming signals from their environment. The researchers' work also raised the possibility of engineering bacteria that can serve as chemical biosensors. June 12

Jane McNabb, worked at MIT for 47 years - Jane McNabb, a 47-year employee at MIT's Department of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography--a precursor to the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)--died on Saturday, May 24. She was 84. June 12

Langer wins Millennium Technology Prize - MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has won the Millennium Technology Prize, the world's largest award for technology innovation, for his development of biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration. June 11

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. June 11

Blood drive June 23-27 - MIT's American Red Cross Team and Network will be conducting a blood drive June 23-27 in La Sala de Puerto Rico on the second floor of the MIT Student Center. June 11

Resource Development, Alumni Association moving - MIT's Department of Resource Development and the MIT Alumni Association are scheduled to relocate this summer from seven different buildings on campus to a newly renovated building at the western end of campus. June 11

Interview with the dean: Adele Santos - An interview with Dean Adele Santos, dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, in which Santos discusses the school's goals and challenges and the role it can play in the future of sustainable cities across the world. June 11

Highlights for High School response 'overwhelming' - An MIT web site aimed at giving an edge to high school students and teachers has seen an "overwhelming" response since its launch six months ago, MIT President Susan Hockfield said Wednesday. June 11

Experts say EU emissions system working well - In a bid to control greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, the European Union has been operating the world's first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide. This "cap-and-trade" system has operated well, according to an MIT analysis. June 10

Forum examines cities and climate change - The MIT School of Architecture and Planning and the Boston Society of Architects this week held its second symposium uniting leading urbanists from around the world and focusing on the challenges facing the modern city in a period of global climate change. June 10

Literature awards - Awards given in MIT Literature for the academic year 2007-2008. June 10

Reunion giving surges past $100 million - Nexi, the Media Lab's spectacular robot, was a guest at MIT Technology Day, where it was announced that alumni reunion giving totals were $100,578,568, a marked increase over last year's total of $54 million. June 10

Stripes key to nanoparticle drug delivery - In work that could at the same time impact the delivery of drugs and explain a biological mystery, MIT engineers have created the first synthetic nanoparticles that can penetrate a cell without poking a hole in its protective membrane and killing it. June 9

Getting wrapped up in solar textiles - Sheila Kennedy, an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture who is now at MIT, creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings receive and distribute energy. June 9

MIT team develops better X-ray nanomirrors - A new way of bending X-ray beams developed by MIT researchers could lead to greatly improved space telescopes, as well as new tools for biology and for the manufacture of semiconductor chips. June 9

Corporation names new members at meeting - The MIT Corporation, the Institute's board of trustees, elected 10 term members and one life member at its quarterly meeting on June 6 before the Commencement exercises. Dana G. Mead, chair of the Corporation, announced the election results. June 6

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences awards - Awards given in MIT Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences for the academic year 2007-2008. June 6

Commencement 2008 photo gallery - A photo gallery chronicling the events of MIT's Commencement on June 6, 2008. June 6

Commencement address by Muhammad Yunus - MIT's Commencement address was delivered by Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, at the Institute's ceremony held June 6, 2008. June 6

Yunus tells MIT grads they can 'change the world' - 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus told graduating students at MIT's 142nd Commencement exercises on Friday that they "represent the future of the world" and urged them to create businesses to help improve the world. June 6

Schmidt to succeed Gibson as associate provost - Professor Martin Schmidt of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has been appointed Associate Provost, Provost L. Rafael Reif announced this week. June 6

MIT detector uses nanotubes to sense deadly gases - Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have built the most sensitive electronic detector yet for sensing deadly gases, a low-cost, low-energy portable device that could be carried in a pocket and used to monitor hazardous chemicals. June 5

Langer a winner of Spain's Asturias award - Institute Professor Robert Langer is one of five scientists to receive a top Spanish honor, the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research. June 5

Institute Awards 2007-2008 - Awards and recognition of MIT students, faculty and staff for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Awards: Key to abbreviations - The names of some academic departments and programs have been shortened to save space in awards listings. This is a key of the abbreviations. June 4

Anthropology awards - Awards given in MIT Anthropology for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Architecture awards - Awards given in MIT Architecture for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Arts awards - Awards given in MIT Arts for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Biology awards - Awards given in MIT Biology for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Brain & Cognitive Sciences awards - Awards given in MIT Brain & Cognitive Sciences for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Chemical engineering awards - Awards given in MIT Chemical Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Chemistry awards - Awards given in MIT Chemistry for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Civil & Environmental Engineering awards - Awards given in MIT Civil & Environmental Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Economics awards - Awards given in MIT Economics for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Electrical Engineering & Computer Science awards - Awards given in MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

School of Engineering awards - Awards given in the MIT School of Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Engineering Systems Division awards - Awards given in the MIT Engineering Systems Division for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Experimental Studies Group awards - Awards given in the MIT Experimental Studies Group for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Foreign Languages & Literatures awards - Awards given in MIT Foreign Languages & Literatures for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

IDEAS Competition awards - Awards given in the MIT IDEAS Competition for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Center for International Studies awards - Awards given in the MIT Center for International Studies for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Mathematics awards - Awards given in MIT Mathematics for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Mechanical Engineering awards - Awards given in MIT Mechanical Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Nuclear Science & Engineering awards - Awards given in MIT Nuclear Science & Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Phi Beta Kappa awards - Awards given in Phi Beta Kappa for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Physics awards - Awards given in MIT Physics for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

MIT Public Service Center awards - Awards given in the MIT Public Service Center for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Quarter Century Club welcomes new members - With MIT President Susan Hockfield as the featured speaker, the Quarter Century Club inducted 127 new members at a May 7 luncheon in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex (Building 46). June 4

MIT Sloan School of Business & Management awards - Awards given in the MIT Sloan School of Business & Management for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Division of Student Life awards - Awards given in the MIT Division of Student Life for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Department of Urban Studies and Planning awards - Awards given in MIT Urban Studies and Planning for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Awards Convocation - Awards presented at the MIT Awards Convocation on May 6, 2008. June 4

Department of Materials Science and Engineering awards - Awards given in MIT Materials Science and Engineering for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics awards - Awards given in MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics for the academic year 2007-2008. June 4

Red Coats Return - Tech Reunions 2008 will bring more than 3,240 alumni and guests from 44 states and 44 countries to campus this weekend. June 4

Eradicating TB with ... cell phone minutes? - MIT students have come up with a possible solution for getting TB patients to take their medicine: A new testing and reporting system that is easy for patients to use and offers economic incentives such as free cell phone minutes. June 4

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. June 4

MIT prepares for 142nd Commencement - Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, will deliver the principal address at MIT's 142nd Commencement exercises at 10 a.m., Friday, June 6, in Killian Court. In all, 2,335 undergraduate and graduate students are scheduled to receive degrees. June 4

Helping MIT neighbors cross the 'digital divide' - A group of MIT volunteers hopes to close the digital divide gap through CommuniTech, a program that started in 2000 by focusing on refurbishing older donated computers and giving them to economically disadvantaged people in the area. June 4

Study says teacher tests deter talented individuals - Teacher certification tests may be undermining American public education by deterring higher-quality candidates from applying to teach, according to MIT labor economist Joshua Angrist and Jonathan Guryan of the University of Chicago. June 4

Student project innovates solar cooker in Tibet - When two students visited Tibet two years ago, they kept hearing from villagers that a solar cooker that was both lightweight and strong would make a big difference to their lives. So a team of students from MIT and Tibet ended up producing exactly that. June 4

MIT researcher envisions towering Katrina memorial - After Hurricane Katrina left its trail of destruction along the Gulf coast, MIT research affiliate Joe Davis decided to do something to memorialize the event. His idea? Build a tower that will capture electricity from lightning and throw energy back into the sky. June 4

Garvin named vice president for institutional engagement at RISD - Elizabeth A. Garvin, executive vice president and CEO of the MIT Alumni Association, has been appointed vice president for institutional engagement at the Rhode Island School of Design. June 3

NASA selects MIT-led team for search satellite - A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as part of its Small Explorer satellite program. June 3

Report: Support early-career investigators - Programs and policies to support early-career investigators and high-risk, high-reward research are needed to preserve U.S. leadership in science and technology, according to a report produced by a panel that included an MIT Nobel laureate. June 3

The Earth below, the sky above - Twenty-five years ago, MIT decided to bring together the Earth and the sky. In the years that followed, many others did the same. June 3

Measuring a pulsar's smoothness - The team operating the Laser Interferometer Gravity-wave Observatory, including a group from MIT, is reporting this week that the pulsar at the center of the Crab Nebula must have an extremely smooth surface. June 3

Aero-astro goes to space - When the space shuttle Discovery blasted off for the International Space Station on May 31, most of the MIT aero-astro department was along for the ride -- at least photographically. June 2

Four from MIT win coveted Gates scholarships - Four MIT students preparing for careers in affordable energy, public health, mathematics and biotechnology have been awarded full scholarships for graduate study at the University of Cambridge, England, by the Gates Cambridge Trust. June 2

Wave of the future - When this year's seniors arrived at MIT four years ago, the biological engineering major did not exist. But this Friday, twenty-three MIT students will become the Institute's first graduates from the new biological engineering program. June 2

MIT confirms link between inflammation, cancer - Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed. Researchers found that chronic inflammation accelerated tumor formation in mice lacking the ability to repair DNA damage. June 2

MIT develops a 'paper towel' for oil spills - A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper, that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, MIT researchers and colleagues report. May 30

Colleagues honor Professor Lisa Steiner of biology - Lisa Steiner, a professor of immunology and the first woman faculty member to join the Department of Biology at MIT in 1967, was honored at a special luncheon by her friends and colleagues at MIT on May 22. May 30

CEHS awards 2008 research prizes - Eight graduate students and post-docs received awards May 22 for their research in the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences. May 30

What role for America? MIT students weigh in - MIT senior Ali Wyne recalls how four years ago he couldn't get anyone to talk politics. But that has changed with the current presidential campaign, and now Wyne is showcasing his fellow students' new political energy in "America in the World: MIT Speaks." May 29

'Pay attention to the urbanization of major population centers' - Essay by MIT student Angelica Weiner, excerpted from "America in the World: MIT Speaks," a booklet of 25 essays by a diverse group of student leaders to describe what they think the United States must do to make the world a better place in 2008. May 29

New class to focus on 'physics of energy' - This fall, MIT's physics department will offer a new course designed to help students understand the physical processes that govern all aspects of energy production, transmission, conversion, storage, and consumption. May 29

Everything new under the sun - In a major new project that could help set the agenda for policymakers, researchers and industry leaders, a team of MIT faculty members has begun a comprehensive study of the technology and economics of harnessing the power of the sun. May 29

Lerman to become MIT's vice chancellor - Dean for Graduate Education Steven R. Lerman '72, S.M. '73, Ph.D. '75 will become MIT's vice chancellor, effective July 1, Chancellor Phillip L. Clay announced this week. May 28

Blanchard appointed IMF chief economist - MIT economist Olivier Blanchard, a macroeconomist specializing in monetary policy, global imbalances, labor-market performance and speculative bubbles, has been appointed chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. May 28

MIT project seeks to arm robotic training with data - MIT researchers are systematically evaluating the effectiveness of tests given to astronauts to teach them how to control the space shuttle's robotic arm. For the first time, they'll determine how those tests relate to the training's outcome. May 28

Five MIT faculty named HHMI investigators - Five MIT faculty have been named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, bringing the total number of current MIT professors holding the distinction to 19. May 27

Bras wins faculty's Killian Award - Rafael Bras, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who pioneered the field of hydrologic science, is MIT's James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award winner for 2008-2009. May 27

Faculty Renewal Program established - MIT Provost Rafael Reif has announced the establishment of a Faculty Renewal Program at MIT. Participation in the program is completely voluntary and enables eligible senior faculty members to retire with a choice of retirement incentives. May 27

Center funds environmental health projects for 2008 - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, through support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of NIH, has announced its support for six pilot projects, which all began April 1. May 27

Legatum Center announces first class of entrepreneurs - The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT has announced its first class of Legatum Fellows. The students' projects range from generating clean, low-cost energy to developing mobile medical diagnostic devices. May 23

MIT to remember victims of recent disasters May 27 - MIT will observe a moment of reflection at noon on Tuesday, May 27, for the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives this month in natural disasters in China and Myanmar. May 23

Scientists fathom niches of ocean microbes - Marine bacteria in the wild organize into professions or lifestyle groups that partition many resources, rather than competing for them, according to MIT research that could change the way scientists approach the classification of microbes. May 22

Hope on the horizon - As the economy appears to falter and as more Americans fear that the country is on the wrong track, the MIT News Office asked a collection of MIT researchers what they think are potentially life-altering technologies that lie just around the corner. May 21

Hope on the Horizon: Fusion - Leslie Bromberg on fusion. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Bioengineering - Phillip Sharp on bioengineering. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Biosolar Cells - Shuguang Zhang on biosolar cells. May 21

MIT helps develop image-recognition software - It takes surprisingly few pixels of information to be able to identify the subject of an image, a team led by an MIT researcher has found. The discovery could lead to great advances in the automated identification of online images. May 21

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. May 21

Gardeners' group holding plant sale May 21-22 - The MIT Gardeners' Group May event will be a plant sale in conjunction with our colleagues at Endicott House. The sale will be on Wednesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the "dot" lawn outside of Building 54. May 21

Happy anniversary, Prochlorococcus - An ocean-dwelling microbe of global importance discovered only 20 years ago by researchers, including one at MIT, is the focus of the May 30-31 ProchlorococcusFest, featuring the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism in the sea. May 21

Planning under way for Diversity Leadership Congress - Planning is under way for MIT's Diversity Leadership Congress, an event that will be held next year as a keystone of the Institute's ongoing efforts to further enhance its long-standing commitment to diversity on campus. May 21

FEMA trailer gets new lease on life - A little bit of hurricane history has come to MIT. A FEMA trailer, one of thousands of mobile homes the Federal Emergency Management Agency purchased to shelter victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is now parked in an MIT rental space. May 21

MIT student ingenuity sparks all-electric Porsche - With a click and a hum, the sleek Porsche 914 pulled away from the curb while onlookers watched anxiously and the passenger gazed down at a laptop plugged into the dashboard. Why the drama? The 1976 Porsche was operating on 18 high-tech batteries. May 21

On a roll: Students bring mobility to remote areas - MIT students in this year's 'Wheelchair Design in Developing Countries' class split into five teams and each came up with new variations on how to help bring mobility to people whose lives could be dramatically changed by it. May 21

HR @ Your Service: Unexpected career trajectories - One of the best things about working at MIT is the opportunity for career advancement. Some people have several jobs in their tenure here, while others have several careers. Just consider Diana Hughes, who started at MIT eight years ago. May 21

Commencement: Getting ready - Facilities workers prepare Killian Court for MIT Commencement, to be held on Friday, June 6. May 21

Who ya gonna call? Riskbuster! - Whenever something really bad happens in this high-tech world--or whenever someone wants to make sure it doesn't--there's a good chance that someone will be calling Nancy Leveson, MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems. May 21

The cost of repealing blue laws - Repealing America's blue laws not only decreased church attendance, donations and spending, but it also led to a rise in alcohol and drug use among people who had been religious, according to a new study by economists from MIT and Notre Dame. May 21

MIT class asks: Fly me to the moon? - An MIT graduate class, aimed at figuring out whether MIT could, or should, mount an entry into the $20-million Google Lunar X-Prize competition announced last fall, has arrived at the bottom line: Yes, we can (technically)! May 21

Logan to get Lincoln Lab-developed safety system - Next year, Boston's Logan International Airport will become one of the first U.S. airports to deploy Runway Status Lights, a new technology originally developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory as part of the FAA's continuing program to improve runway safety. May 21

Photo gallery: How I spent my semester - A photo gallery of MIT student projects during the 2008 spring semester. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Digital Fabrication - Neil Gershenfeld on digital fabrication. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Education - Eric Klopfer on education. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Electrochemical Energy - Paula Hammond on electrochemical energy. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Embedded Electronics - Michael S. Strano on embedded electronics. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Life Extension - Mehmet Fatih Yanik on extension of the human lifespan. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Mitigating Autism - Rosalind W. Picard on mitigating autism. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Problem solving - Ed Boyden on problem solving. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Robots - Rodney Brooks on robots. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Sustainable cities - William J. Mitchell on sustainable cities. May 21

Hope on the horizon: Transcending technology - Rebecca Henderson on transcending technology. May 21

Faculty meeting agenda set for May 21 - A regular meeting of the faculty will take place Wednesday, May 21, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 32-123. May 19

Disarmament expert sees U.S.-Iran solution - An MIT expert on Iran's nuclear ambitions is gaining recognition for his work in developing a possible face-saving solution to the tense nuclear standoff between the United States and Iran. May 19

Contests reward energy, diagnosis plans - Business plans focused on harnessing clean energy and making fast, inexpensive medical diagnostic devices were big winners this week in a series of high-profile entrepreneurship competitions at MIT. May 16

MIT creates new material for fuel cells - MIT engineers have improved the power output of one type of fuel cell by more than 50 percent through technology that could help these environmentally friendly energy storage devices find a much broader market, particularly in portable electronics. May 16

Finding yields bacteria-resistant films - Having found that whether bacteria stick to surfaces depends partly on how stiff those surfaces are, MIT engineers have created ultrathin films made of polymers that could be applied to medical devices and other surfaces to control microbe accumulation. May 16

Embryonic pathway delivers stem cell traits - Studies at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem-cell characteristics, offering potential implications for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. May 15

MIT solves gravity-defying bird beak mystery - As Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of MIT researchers has now explained exactly how some birds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths. May 15

Incoming frosh numero 'uno' on invention list - Teenager Ben Gulak got a bit of a head start on his training in mechanical engineering. As an incoming freshman at MIT, he's already been featured on the cover of Popular Science magazine for having come up with the year's top invention. May 14

MIT's Rebecca Saxe probes mechanics of thought - How do we know what other people are thinking? How do we judge them, and what happens in our brains when we do? MIT neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe is tackling those tough questions and many others. May 14

Art + technology = clean water in Ecuador - MIT student Kendra Johnson found that to improve water quality in a rural Ecuadorian village, she needed to consider economic issues in addition to technology, and so ended up devising an innovative way of using local arts to pay for the project. May 14

Awards and honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. May 14

MIT admissions dean discusses incoming class - Newly appointed Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill '86 shares details about the students who have accepted MIT's offer--including a full set of quadruplets--and discusses why the selection panel's work was tougher than ever this year. May 14

Digitalk: Where IT's at - News from MIT Information Services and Technology. May 14

New game lets visually impaired share the fun - AudiOdyssey, a new computer game that simulates a deejay laying down musical tracks, has been developed by MIT and Singaporean students to make it possible for visually impaired people to play on a level field with their sighted friends. May 13

MIT students propose X-Prizes for health - Can a prize designed for the high-tech challenge of helping to get people into space be applied to solving down-to-Earth problems of life and death? Pose the question to a class of MIT students and two out of three give a resounding "yes." May 13

Ghoniem to receive $10M KAUST award - Ahmed F. Ghoniem, the Ronald C. Crane (1972) Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected to receive a $10 million, five-year award from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).  May 12

Interview with the dean: David Schmittlein - An interview with Dean David Schmittlein, dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, in which Schmittlein discusses Sloan's engagement with the global community and his hopes for the school's future. May 12

Four students win $25,000 prize in Google competition - Four MIT undergraduates shared a $25,000 prize as round one winners in Google's Android Developer Challenge, a worldwide open competition for software developers based off Google's Android software stack for mobile applications. May 12

MIT cyclists win Division II national championship - The MIT Cycling Team won the 2008 Division II national road racing championships after a weekend of exceptional performances by its men's and women's teams. May 12

Alexander Rich receives prestigious Welch Award - For his pioneering work that has helped scientists unlock the mysteries of RNA and DNA, as well as important scientific discoveries that have opened up new fields of science, Alexander Rich had been named the 38th recipient of the Welch Award in Chemistry. May 9

MIT Sloan Board Fellows honored - Five MIT Sloan School of Management MBAs were honored during an inaugural-year celebration of the school's new MIT Sloan Board Fellows program on Tuesday, May 6. May 9

Beaver-like robots face off in annual MIT contest - Robots designed to toss pool-noodle trees into a river of ping-pong balls ruled over competitors focused on rescuing fuzzy toy beavers in this year's 2.007 contest, "Da (yes) MIT, or Save the Baby Beavers," held on Thursday, May 8, at MIT. May 9

Turn trash into treasure at May 9 FreeMeet - Looking for a way to get rid of some outgrown clothes or unneeded kitchen appliances? MIT Students for Global Sustainability have the answer. On May 9, they will host "FreeMeet," an event where one person's trash becomes another person's treasure. May 8

Robert I. Hulsizer Jr., physics professor emeritus, 88 - Professor of Physics Emeritus Robert I. Hulsizer Jr. PhD '48, a former chairman of the faculty and expert on elementary particle physics whose zeal for teaching science made him a student favorite at MIT, died on April 30 of complications from Alzheimer's. May 8

Notification plan launched for campus alerts - To improve MIT's ability to communicate rapidly with members of the community during an emergency, MIT emergency planners are asking students, faculty and staff to enter or update their emergency notification information on line. May 7

Azalea regalia - MIT Facilities gardener Kathy Coletti plants red azaleas by the Landau building near East Campus as spring begins to bloom on campus. May 7

Mathematics hosting conference May 12-13 - MIT professor Thomas Mrowka and seven other speakers will present topics ranging from quantum gravity and its connection with probability theory to the solution of two recent conjectures, the Kodaira conjecture and the Weinstein conjecture. May 7

Get your MIT news when you want it, how you want it - Readers of Tech Talk can now get an electronic version of MIT's official newspaper delivered each week through a new RSS feed set up by the MIT News Office. The new feed is among a number of MIT news delivery methods. May 7

Study debunks myth of job testing as race barrier - Do standardized tests that some employers require of job applicants serve as a barrier to equal employment? A pioneering study co-authored by an MIT economist shows that screening helps productivity without hindering minority hiring. May 7

Good luck, Dean Benedict - The Chinese Dragon (freshmen Cathy Wu and Alice Li in disguise) made a surprise appearance on Killian Court for the Spring Picnic to celebrate Dean for Student Life Larry Benedict's upcoming retirement. Benedict got a personal 'thank you' from the dragon. May 7

China Forum lecture series begins May 14 - MIT will kick off a new monthly lecture series on China with a talk by Yingyi Qian, dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University and professor of economics at UC Berkeley. Qian will speak about China's economic transformation. May 7

In Sigma Xi lecture, Barsoum to focus on pyramids - Michel Barsoum PhD '85, distinguished professor at Drexel University, will deliver the 2008 Sigma Xi Lecture, entitled "The Mystery of the Great Egyptian Pyramids: The role of materials research in suggesting a partial solution," on May 7. May 7

Lightman lights up future for Cambodians - Alan Lightman, MIT physicist and writer, and his wife, Jeanne, made a pact a decade or so ago to turn their energies toward humanitarian pursuits. The latest of their efforts is a dream come true for residents of a small Cambodian village -- a new mosque. May 7

Design Squad takes systems-based approach to attracting future engineers - According to the NSF, the United States faces a daunting challenge: College-bound students' interest in engineering majors are decreasing and statistics show an even greater decline in interest among minority and female students. May 7

Engineering an award-winning TV program - From hosting the show to advising behind the scenes, members of the MIT community have played an important role in developing and implementing the popular PBS series Design Squad, which recently won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. May 7

Study suggests caution on new anti-obesity drug - Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. May 7

MIT commercial property price index turns higher - Despite signs of a widening disconnect between buyers and sellers, transaction sale prices of U.S. commercial property owned by institutional investors rose 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to an MIT index. May 6

MIT examines reality of slashing gasoline use - It is possible to slash fuel use by all vehicles on U.S. roads to pre-2000 levels within a few decades, but doing so would require immediate action on several challenging fronts, according to a new analysis by MIT researchers. May 6

$4 million gift supports neuroscience innovation at MIT - Restoring memories by flashing brain cells with lasers and dissecting the genetic basis for language learning are among the projects at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT to be funded with a new $4 million gift from The Picower Foundation. May 6

MIT Media Lab announces associate directors - MIT Media Lab Director Frank Moss today announced the appointment of two associate directors: Hiroshi Ishii and Andrew Lippman, both long-term, prominent researchers at the Lab. May 6

Harnessing sunlight on the cheap - For a project that could be on the very cutting edge of renewable energy, this one is decidedly low tech--and that's the point. A team of students is assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system built from simple, inexpensive materials. May 6

Steel away - An MIT team from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering prepares for the American Society of Civil Engineers National Steel Bridge Competition. May 6

MIT robot tourney concludes May 7-8 - The final rounds of MIT's action-packed annual robot competition will be held Wednesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 8, in the Johnson Athletic Center. The events are free and open to the public. May 5

Bear continues leadership at Picower Institute - Picower Professor of Neuroscience Mark F. Bear has committed to continuing as director of the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory through June 2010. Bear began his leadership of the institute in 2007. May 5

New approach repairs airway injuries - MIT tissue engineers have successfully healed airway injuries in rabbits using a novel cellular technique. This approach could lead to new treatments for human tracheal injuries such as smoke inhalation, as well as for other parts of the body May 5

Boyce to head mechanical engineering - Mary Boyce, the Gail E. Kendall Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been named the next head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering effective July 1, School of Engineering Dean Subra Suresh announced this week. May 2

Study of universal day care paints mixed picture - Universal day care, the recurring dream of working parents everywhere, benefits adults economically but may affect young children's well being, according to an MIT economist's study of a highly subsidized childcare program in Quebec. May 2

Singing in the brain: Study yields birdsong insight - In work that offers insights into how birds--and perhaps people--learn new behaviors, MIT scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures. May 1

Seafoam hits fan over hurricane research - Kerry Emanuel, MIT professor of meteorology, answers questions about his latest complex hurricane research, the results of which, he says, validate the connection he found between global warming and hurricane intensity in a 2005 study using historical data. May 1

MIT finding may help prevent stomach cancer - Prompt treatment of a microbe that causes stomach ulcers and other ailments can reverse damage to the lining of the stomach and ultimately prevent one of the most lethal forms of cancer from developing there, MIT researchers have concluded. May 1

Theresa M. Roche, veteran of MIT Facilities - Theresa M. Roche, of Middleboro, Mass., an MIT Facilities employee for 15 years, died of complications from cancer on Monday, April 21, at Brigham and Women's Hospital. May 1

Three from MIT in top 100 intellectuals list - Three of MIT's thinkers--Noam Chomsky, Esther Duflo and Neil Gershenfeld--have been named among 100 "global intellectuals" by Prospect Magazine. The three are cited, respectively, for their work on foreign policy, poverty and quantum computing. May 1

Harald A. Enge, retired physics professor, 87 - Harald A. Enge, retired professor of physics and member of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, died April 14 of respiratory failure. He was 87. April 30

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 30

Groups offer resources for professional advancement - The Working Group on Support Staff Issues, the Professional Development Task Force and the AO Fundamentals Program are among resources available for MIT employees interested in advancing their careers. April 30

An earthquake's aftermath - Students and faculty from MIT's CityScope class visited a small Peruvian town over spring break to learn about the earthquake-stricken city's needs and how they might help restore water supplies, health-care and a sense of community. April 30

Alum helps 'science come alive' at Cambridge Science Festival - MIT alum John Dolhun creates 'Science Comes Alive' during the Cambridge Science Festival this past weekend. Dolhun worked with a team from the MIT Club of Boston on a standing-room-only demonstration at the festival's Saturday kickoff at City Hall. April 30

Spring Picnic May 5 to celebrate Benedict - A Spring Picnic on May 5 will celebrate Larry G. Benedict upon his retirement from MIT as dean for student life. April 30

Seven from MIT elected to NAS - Seven MIT faculty members are among the 72 newly elected members and 18 foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. April 29

Bingaman pushes amped-up U.S. energy policies - Boosting Washington's "anemic and unreliable support for basic science and engineering enterprise" is a critical step toward a viable energy future, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., told an MIT audience on Friday, April 25. April 29

Arts, sciences fellows named - Eight MIT faculty members are among the 212 new fellows recently elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent policy research centers. April 28

Mapping Earth's soil moisture - Professor Dara Entekhabi will lead the science team designing a NASA satellite mission to collect global soil moisture measurements to improve weather, flood and drought forecasts and predictions of agricultural productivity and climate change. April 28

MIT Arab students honor Nobel laureate, others - The MIT Arab Students Organization honored Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail at its fifth annual Science and Technology Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 26. April 28

Team develops safe, effective RNAi technique - A team of researchers from MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has developed safe and effective methods to perform RNA interference, a therapy that holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases including cancer and hepatitis. April 27

Feynman play 'QED' set for performances - "QED," a play that showcases the warmth and genius of Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, will be performed from April 30 to May 4 as part of the Cambridge Science Festival. The performances are produced by the Catalyst Collaborative at MIT. April 25

Landsman gift aids electric energy-related engineering at MIT - A $4 million gift by alumnus Emanuel E. Landsman and his wife, Sheila E. Landsman, to MIT electrical engineering-related departments and laboratories will provide support in the fields of power electronics and electric energy-related engineering. April 25

Submit awards for commencement issue - The MIT News Office will publish the 2008 Institute Awards issue in print (MIT Tech Talk) and online on June 4 this year. The annual special section lists the names of winners of annual awards, by department, along with photographs where available. April 24

Ross named director of MIT CISR - Jeanne Ross will become director of the MIT Center for Information Systems Research with overall responsibility for the center's activities, MIT Sloan School of Management Dean David Schmittlein announced this month. April 24

Innovator receives sustainability award - Dr. Martin Fisher is transforming the lives of poor African farmers through a combination of technological invention and business development. For his work, Fisher has been named the 2008 recipient of the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability. April 23

Governor says clean energy can boost economy - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told an enthusiastic crowd at MIT on Tuesday that clean energy has the potential to bring about an economic bonanza for the commonwealth at the same time that it improves the planet's well-being. April 23

Teams unravel heparin death mystery - An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany. April 23

MIT, Chesonis announce solar revolution - Promising to transform solar power from a "boutique" option to a mainstream energy solution, MIT and the Chesonis Family Foundation today launched a "solar revolution" with the aim of making solar energy America's primary carbon-free fuel. April 22

Record-breaking Daedalus project marks 20th anniversary - Twenty years ago, on April 23, 1988, a team of MIT students, faculty and alumni succeeded in a project to fly a lightweight airplane --completely under human power-- across the Mediterranean, setting aviation records that still stand today. April 22

Faculty OK double majors, CMS SB program - The faculty voted unanimously to allow double majors and to make Comparative Media Studies a permanent SB program at their April 16 meeting. April 22

Your guide to MIT Earth Week 2008 - MIT will celebrate Earth Week 2008 with four days of events, beginning on Earth Day (April 22) with a major public address by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick in Kresge Auditorium. April 18

Head of Italy's Geox speaks at MIT Sloan - Mario Moretti Polegato, chairman of Italian footwear company Geox Group, spoke April 10 to a full house of MBA students at the MIT Sloan School of Management. April 18

Future soldier: powered, spring-loaded, located - Soldiers working in sunny but remote areas, in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, might get a new boost of power for their electronic devices thanks to an innovative design for backpack-mounted solar cells designed by MIT students. April 18

Edwards urges students to make themselves heard - The global problems of climate change, population growth and severe poverty are so enormous that no one country can solve them alone, John Edwards told attendees at a student-organized conference on global poverty at MIT. April 18

Protein role in meiosis re-evaluated by researchers - Proteins that control cell division play a far more nuanced role than researchers previously thought in the process that gives rise to reproductive cells, according to new MIT research. The work could explain why errors occcur so often during this process. April 17

Conference asks 'what's the use of race?' - "What's the Use of Race?"--a conference exploring whether race and ethnicity can be used as analytic categories in law, medicine and government without calcifying the very divisions that research in these fields is supposed to erase--will be held April 25-26 at MIT. April 17

New MIT study validates hurricane prediction - Hurricanes in some areas, including the North Atlantic, are likely to become more intense as a result of global warming even though the number of such storms worldwide may decline, according to a new study by MIT researchers. April 17

Class tracks carbon footprint of different lifestyles - Whether you live in a cardboard box or a luxurious mansion, anyone who lives in the U.S. contributes more than twice as much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere as the global average, an MIT class has estimated. April 16

Student conference targets global poverty - Former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards will be among the speakers at an MIT conference April 18-20 involving more than 1,000 students from around the country dedicated to fighting the problems of extreme poverty in the world. April 16

A blueprint for no carbon footprint - Abu Dhabi is taking the long view, planning for a future beyond oil. The most dramatic piece of the emirate's plans is its creation of a whole new city from scratch, centered on an institute of technology modeled after, and created in collaboration with, MIT. April 16

MIT Sloan's green future - Once it is completed in 2010, the new MIT Sloan building should be the greenest building on campus. April 16

News that oozes: Communicating climate change - The slow, incremental unfolding of the evidence for global climate change is one reason it has been such a difficult subject for journalists to cover, and for the scientists who try to explain it, said panelists at a recent conference at MIT. April 16

Gov. Patrick to speak at MIT on Earth Day - Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will deliver a major public address at MIT's Kresge Auditorium on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22. The governor will discuss his vision for the future of clean energy in the Commonwealth. April 16

Joining the Quarter Century Club - The MIT Quarter Century Club Induction Ceremony and Luncheon for new members will be held this year on Wednesday, May 7. April 16

A new era for telephones on campus: MITvoip rollout begins - Information Services and Technology has created the MITvoip service, which will be generally available for departments, labs and centers and is intended to replace MIT's traditional telephone service. April 16

DAPER worker's rare cancer spurs fundraiser - MIT Recreational Sports and the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) are sponsoring an April 26 fundraiser to benefit R.J. Lipsky, a DAPER employee who is fighting a rare form of cancer. April 16

MIT Libraries unveil new exhibit space - A once-blank wall outside the Institute Archives, in Building 14's first-floor corridor, has been transformed into a literal window into MIT's remarkable special collections. April 16

Memorial service planned for Menand on April 22 - A memorial service is planned April 22 to celebrate the life of Louis Menand III, who died at age 85 of complications from cardiac surgery on Jan. 30. Menand was a senior lecturer in MIT's Political Science department. April 16

U.S. Sen. Bingaman to deliver energy talk April 25 - U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., will deliver a 2008 Compton lecture titled, "Forging a Clean Energy Future," at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, in Kirsch Auditorium (Room 32-123). April 16

MIT retirement benefits seminar to be held April 23 - Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 23, from noon until 1 p.m. Representatives from MIT's Retirement Benefits office and Fidelity Investments will be in the Bush Room (Building 10-105) for a presentation titled, "Investing in Uncertain Markets." April 16

Libraries' book sale April 30 - MIT Libraries' book sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 30 in the Bush Room (10-105). April 16

Edward Lorenz, father of chaos theory, dies at 90 - Edward Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist who tried to explain why it is so hard to make good weather forecasts and wound up unleashing a scientific revolution called chaos theory, died April 16 of cancer at his home in Cambridge. April 16

Harbison's 'Symphony No. 5' to premiere - The Boston Symphony Orchestra will present the world premiere of "Symphony No. 5" by MIT Institute Professor, Pulitzer Prize winner and composer John Harbison on April 17 and 18 at Symphony Hall. James Levine will conduct. April 15

Interview with the dean: Deborah Fitzgerald - An interview with Dean Deb Fitzgerald, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, in which Fitzgerald discusses SHASS's impact on the international-education aspect of MIT and the school's future. April 15

MIT brimming over with energy - "Scale" was the keyword as hundreds of people gathered this past weekend for the fourth annual MIT Energy Conference. The conference's title, "Solutions that scale to meet the energy challenge," addressed this often-overlooked heart of the matter. April 14

Faculty meeting April 16 - The monthly faculty meeting will be held Wednesday, April 16 in the Stata Center, Room 32-123, from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. April 14

Jacks named president-elect of AACR - Tyler E. Jacks, director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, has been named president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research. April 14

MIT, Fraunhofer form sustainable energy center - MIT and Fraunhofer, a German research organization, have signed an agreement to establish a research center in Massachusetts focused on significantly reducing the cost of solar energy over the next five years. April 14

MIT's Makan wins Rome Prize - MIT professor Keeril Makan, a musician and composer acclaimed for his technique of layering recorded and live sounds, has been awarded the prestigious Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome for 2008-2009. April 11

Study challenges notion of 'pandemic' flu - The widespread assumption that pandemic influenza is an exceptionally deadly form of seasonal, or nonpandemic, flu is hard to support, according to a new MIT study in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health. April 11

MIT crowned regional champs in battle of brains - A team of MIT students was named regional champions--and placed second overall--in an annual competition, sponsored by IBM, that challenged students to solve a semester's worth of computer programming problems in just five hours. April 11

Three MIT faculty named Guggenheim fellows - Three MIT professors were named Guggenheim fellows for their "stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment," the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation announced this month. April 11

Cambridge Science Festival kicks off - The annual Cambridge Science Festival, launched last year at the impetus of the MIT Museum, will take place April 26 through May 4 and feature more than 200 events ranging from lunches with Nobel laureates to building and launching your own rocket. April 10

April 13 memorial service for J. Mark Schuster - A memorial service for J. Mark Schuster will be held in Bartos Theater at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 13, followed by a reception in the adjacent atrium. April 10

Live-animal nerve regeneration study gets boost - An MIT team has improved upon its landmark technology reported last year in which the researchers used a fingernail-sized lab on a chip to image, perform surgery on and sort tiny worms to study nerve regeneration. April 10

BP-MIT program focuses on operations safety - A corporation-wide focus on safe, reliable operations has brought BP, one of the world's largest energy companies, to MIT for the new Operations Academy, designed to enhance the culture of continuous improvement. April 10

E-ZPass takes a toll - Eighteen months of road trips between Boston and New York and one Eureka moment inspired MIT economist Amy Finkelstein to study the hidden cost of E-ZPass, the popular electronic toll collection system that eliminates the frustration of manual tolls. April 9

Defying logic, consistently - Unexpected and surprising connections are at the heart of research conducted by MIT Professor Dan Ariely, whose studies have demonstrated that people often make decisions that seem to defy logic--but they do so in very predictable, consistent ways. April 9

Obituaries - Recent obituaries of members of the MIT community. April 9

MIT experts sound off on national tax rebates - MIT experts on economics and public opinion are optimistic that this year's tax rebate plan will briefly stimulate the U.S. economy, but they warn that rebate checks alone won't sustain economic progress in the face of record-high consumer debt. April 9

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 9

MIT energy conference bringing minds together - Leading energy specialists from MIT, other institutions, industry and government will be gathering at MIT April 11-12 to focus on technologies that are capable of scaling up to provide major contributions to the world's energy needs. April 9

How strong is a hurricane? Just listen - Knowing how powerful a hurricane will be can help to save lives. Airplanes currently provide this crucial data by flying into the storm, gathering wind speed informaion. Some MIT researchers now think there's a better way: using sound. April 9

Dower probes 'cultures of war' in lecture - John Dower, Ford International Professor of History, teased out the threads connecting cultures of war from individual nations' densely woven rhetoric about victory in his Killian award lecture, presented Monday, April 7, at MIT. April 9

MIT retirees' scholarship fund makes first award - A fund started by retirees who wished to stay current and connected with MIT recently awarded its first scholarship to senior Laura Harris. Harris is the granddaughter of the late Paul J. Harris, who worked at Lincoln Lab for more than 50 years. April 9

Committee on Animal Care solicits feedback - The Committee on Animal Care is soliciting information that would aid MIT's effort to maintain the humane care of animals used in research. April 9

Feld wins major spectroscopy award - Michael Feld, director of MIT's George R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory, has been chosen to receive the 2008 William F. Meggers Award. April 9

Byron at home in MIT's envelope-pushing culture - Grammy-nominated clarinetist and composer Don Byron has built his career on exploring and redefining all styles of music. It's no surprise, then, that the internationally acclaimed musician feels right at home in MIT's boundary-pushing culture. April 9

Patrick outlines economic growth plan at MIT - In a speech Wednesday at MIT to business and government leaders, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick unveiled a plan to pump $3.8 billion into the state's economy as a safeguard against worsening economic conditions. April 9

Upcoming blood drive April 14-18 - MIT will be holding a blood drive April 14-18 in La Sala de Puerto Rico, on the second floor of the Stratton Student Center. April 9

Positions available for live-in resident advisors - MIT's fraternities, sororities and Independent Living Groups are now accepting applications for live-in resident advisors. They are due by April 30 and are available online. April 9

Meet Nexi, the Media Lab's latest robot star - A new experimental robot from the MIT Media Lab can slant its eyebrows in anger, or raise them in surprise, and show a wide assortment of facial expressions to communicate with people in human-centric terms. April 9

U.S. energy secretary to speak to MIT community April 9 - U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman ScD '65 will make a brief presentation entitled "America's Energy Security: The Challenges We Face and How You Can be Part of the Solution" from 11:30-12:15 in E15-070 (Bartos Theater). The event is open to the MIT community. April 8

What is good water worth? - MIT Senior Lecturer Susan Murcott started a nonprofit enterprise in 2005 to sell a simple, low-cost ceramic water filter system to residents of northern Ghana, home to the country's most contaminated water supplies. April 8

Langer a finalist for Millennium Technology Prize - MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has been chosen as a finalist for the Millennium Technology Prize, the world's largest prize for technology innovation. MIT alumus Andrew Viterbi '56, SM '57, founder of Qualcomm, is also a finalist. April 8

MIT conference celebrates women in math - Women have traditionally been scarce in university math departments, but a conference at MIT this weekend will celebrate those who have succeeded in math and encourage more to pursue careers in the field. April 7

Stem cell method cuts Parkinson's symptoms in rats - A team including MIT researchers has demonstrated for the first time that artificially created stem cells can be used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rats. The work could eventually lead to successful treatments for human patients. April 7

Governor Patrick plans major address April 9 at MIT - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick will deliver a major speech on the state's economy on Wednesday, April 9, at MIT. The event marks Governor Patrick's first official appearance at MIT since he was sworn in as governor last year. April 7

Junot Díaz wins Pulitzer for 'Oscar Wao' - MIT professor Junot Diaz' acclaimed debut novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," enjoyed another wondrous round of literary praise today, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction just one month after receiving the National Book Critics Circle Award. April 7

The Stata quo - Ray Stata '57 spoke March 31 to MBA students about his experience as founder of Analog Devices and the importance of remaining entrepreneurial in a large company to stay competitive. April 4

Panel focuses on transforming biomedicine - Building relationships between academia, industry and government is key to translating biomedical advances into viable patient treatments, a panel of experts including CDC director Julie Gerberding told an MIT audience Wednesday. April 3

Name change for graduate student dean, office - The position of dean for graduate students, currently held by Steven R. Lerman, has been renamed the dean for graduate education, Chancellor Phillip Clay announced earlier this week. April 3

$500K helps MIT walk the talk on energy conservation - Office lights that turn themselves off when no one is around and lab bench fans that shut down when you walk away are two of a series of new campus energy conservation projects that will help MIT reduce its carbon footprint. April 2

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 2

Dower to deliver Killian Award lecture - John Dower, Ford International Professor of History, will speak on "Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor/Hiroshima/9-11/Iraq" at the 36th annual Killian Award lecture at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, in Kirsch Auditorium. April 2

Gathering 'concrete' evidence - Even though they are among the best-known structures on Earth, the pyramids of Egypt may still hold surprises. This spring, an MIT class is testing a controversial theory that some of these structures may consist of concrete. April 2

Catching planets in the making - It took a real oddball of a star--or rather, pair of stars--to provide the exceptional conditions that made detection possible of the intermediate stage of planet formation by a team of astronomers, including an MIT physicist, in March. April 2

New genomic approach looks at microbial evolution - Scientists at MIT who are trying to understand existing microbes by studying their genetic history recently created a new approach to the study of microbial genomes that may hasten our collective understanding of microbial evolution. April 2

Gleason named associate dean for engineering research - Professor Karen Gleason, the Alexander and I. Michael Kasser Professor of Chemical Engineering, has been named associate dean of engineering for research, Dean Subra Suresh announced this week. April 2

Looking back at the Big Easy - A new book of essays on rediscovered photographs of New Orleans in 1867, written by the curator of architecture and design at the MIT Museum, shows how the city tried to rebuild its economy and retrieve its prestige in the aftermath of war. April 1

Two MIT student projects win peace grants - Two MIT student projects to promote peace in Sudan and in Bangladesh have won Davis Projects for Peace grants of $10,000 each. April 1

MIT, Bank of America collaborate on future banking - The MIT Media Laboratory and Bank of America today announced the creation of the Center for Future Banking, a collaboration that will seek to transform the ways banking will be conducted in rapidly changing social, economic, and information landscapes. March 31

Microsoft joins MIT Kerberos Consortium - MIT today announced that Microsoft joined the MIT Kerberos Consortium as a Founding Sponsor. Slava Kavsan, Director of Development for Windows Core Security at Microsoft, will take a seat on the Executive Board. March 31

Faculty approve exploratory subject, Pass/D/Fail measures at March meeting - Faculty members approved making permanent the exploratory subject option for sophomores and offering a Pass/D/Fail option for graduate students during the monthly faculty meeting on March 13. March 31

William L. Kraushaar, high-energy astronomy pioneer, 87 - Professor William L. Kraushaar, a former MIT physics professor and a pioneer in the field of high-energy astronomy, died March 21 of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 87. March 31

Albert Hollander Sr., research engineer, 95 - Albert Alfred Hollander Sr., who spent more than three decades as an engineer in the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, died Friday, Feb. 7, at the South Shore Hospital. He was 95. March 31

Researchers rip into 'wallpaper problem' - Frustrated by tape that won't peel off the roll in a straight line? Angry at wallpaper that refuses to tear neatly off the wall? A new study by an MIT mathematician and others shows that wallpaper is simply obeying the laws of physics. March 30

MIT symposium charts future of 'green' cities - The MIT School of Architecture and Planning and the Boston Society of Architects are staging the first of two symposia featuring leading urbanists from around the world discussing challenges facing the modern city in a period of global climate change. March 28

Film loosely based on MIT blackjack team opens Friday - The movie "21," a fictional work loosely based on the story of the MIT blackjack team that won millions of dollars from casinos across the country, opens in theaters Friday. March 28

Engineering tops U.S. News graduate rankings - MIT's School of Engineering was again ranked No. 1 nationwide in U.S. News & World Report's annual evaluation of American graduate school programs, released online Friday and available at newsstands Monday, March 31. March 28

CDC chief Gerberding to speak at MIT - Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will talk about how to deliver cutting-edge biomedical innovations to patients in a lecture at MIT on Wednesday, April 2. March 28

MIT launches global network of supply chain centers - MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics has announced the creation of an international alliance of leading research and education centers dedicated to the development of supply chain and logistics excellence through innovation. March 27

MIT third overall in Putnam math competition - MIT's math team made a strong showing at the William Lowell Putnam intercollegiate mathematics competition, finishing in third place. Two MIT math majors finished in the top six: sophomore Qingchun Ren and junior Xuancheng Shao. March 27

MIT, Portugal sign energy agreement - MIT and the government of Portugal have formed a partnership to address critical energy issues and strengthen transatlantic cooperation in energy research. Portugal will become the inaugural Sustaining Public Member of the MIT Energy Initiative. March 26

Deadline for credit union scholarships, award is March 28 - Applications for six memorial scholarships and nominations for the People Helping People Award--both awarded by MIT Federal Credit Union--are due this Friday, March 28. March 25

Schmill named new dean of admissions - Stuart Schmill'86 has been named MIT's next dean of admissions, Dean for Undergraduate Education Daniel Hastings announced Monday. Schmill has been serving as MIT's interim director of admissions since last April. March 24

'Just Jerusalem' competition winners announced - MIT's Jerusalem 2050 Program announced today the winners of its global Just Jerusalem competition, in which participants were asked to focus on 'just' the city as a place where, by mid-century, its citizenries co-exist in peace. March 21

Researchers boost thermoelectric efficiency - Researchers at Boston College and MIT have used nanotechnology to achieve a major increase in thermoelectric efficiency, a milestone that paves the way for a new generation of products that run cleaner. March 20

Faculty meeting March 19 - The monthly faculty meeting will be held March 19 in the Stata Center, Room 32-141, from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. March 19

MIT finds pre-Columbian use of transport rafts - Oceangoing sailing rafts plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific long before Europeans arrived in the Americas, and traveled from modern-day Chile to western Mexico, according to new findings by MIT researchers. March 19

Seven MIT research teams win Deshpande grants - The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT has announced awards of $500,000 in grants to seven MIT research teams currently working on early stage discoveries, with the aim of providing a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship. March 19

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. March 19

MIT's Lost and Found goes online - MIT has put the power of the Internet behind its Lost and Found, giving community members a chance to report lost property online and also view a list of items turned in to MIT Police. March 19

MIT aims to search for Earth-like planets - MIT scientists, with Google's help,