independent activities period archive

Teams battle to on-screen victory - Tanks, soldiers, snipers and bombers fanned out rapidly over unfamiliar undulating terrain, searching for their enemy counterparts and trying to seize control of battle towers. Their commanders? MIT coders, duking it out in the BattleCode programming competition. February 6, 2008

IAP 2008 in photos - A sampling of images of the diverse offerings in MIT's Independent Activities Period 2008, which ran from Jan. 7 to Feb. 1. February 6, 2008

IAP class probes Singapore highway collapse - MIT Professor Andrew Whittle, who was one of four international experts chosen to probe the catastrophic collapse of a subway excavation in Singapore, presented his findings in the IAP class, "What Caused the Collapse of the Nicoll Highway in Singapore?" February 1, 2008

Blogging IAP - MIT students near and far blogged about their experiences during MIT's January Independent Activities Period. January 31, 2008

IAP poetry course to mark 10th year - Pleasures of Poetry, the IAP literature course that offers poetry scholars and fans a daily hour-long reading and discussion session throughout January, celebrates its 10th year in 2008. December 12, 2007

MIT, IBM team up on first PlayStation®3 course - MIT and IBM have announced the success of the first course in the United States structured around the capabilities of the Cell Broadband Engine, the microprocessor that powers the new PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. May 2, 2007

Model helps students visualize nanoscale problems - An educational experiment during IAP demonstrated that students can learn to apply sophisticated atomistic modeling techniques to traditional materials research in just a few classes, an advance that could dramatically change the way civil engineers learn to model the mechanical properties of materials. April 2, 2007

Panel reviews economics of climate change - Sir Nicholas Stern's report on the economics of climate change was significant for being produced at all--as the first attempt by a major national government to identify climate change as a major issue, concluded panelists at a recent MIT presentation. February 13, 2007

Economist explores housing price predictions - In a packed IAP seminar on "How Far Will the Housing Bubble Burst?", MIT economist William C. Wheaton showed how forecasting models based on historic data may not match the complicated reality of today's housing market. February 12, 2007

Hype and hope of a hydrogen economy explored - The pint-sized model car sitting on a classroom table in Building E13 encapsulates the title of the four-part IAP seminar held in January: "Hydrogen: Hype or Hope?" February 7, 2007

Seuss fans unite for 17th annual fete - Most people standing up to give a literary reading announce the title of the work they are about to share with their audience. Not so Professor Henry Jenkins at MIT's 17th annual Salute to Dr. Seuss. February 6, 2007

IAP 'Charm School' classes, commencement on Feb. 2 - How do I ask for a date? Which bread plate is mine? At what point in a job interview can I ask about salary? Come to Charm School Feb. 2 and find out the answers to these questions and more. January 31, 2007

Students learn technology of medieval clothing - Technologies don't have to be complex to be effective. Nor do they need to be complex to be difficult to master. These were among the lessons made clear to students during a 3-day class in making clothes the VERY old-fashioned way. January 30, 2007

Moniz recommends US develop 'portfolio of fuels' - President Bush called on fuel makers to produce 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels a year by 2017. That's not going to happen using corn as the basis for ethanol, said Ernest J. Moniz, director of the MIT Energy Initiative. January 29, 2007

Three Mile Island: a re-examination - Since 1979, the words "Three Mile Island" have been synonymous with the words "nuclear disaster." A recent IAP seminar asked the question: was the accident at the U.S. power plant really a public relations disaster and not a technical failure? January 26, 2007

From Russia with--what? Love? Spite? - The question--as posed in the title of the Independent Activities Period seminar--was "Putin's Russia: Friend or Foe?" The answer--as seminar participants discovered on Jan. 17--may depend on the definitions of "friend" and "foe." January 23, 2007

LeaderShape calls students to action - Senior Ruth Misener attended LeaderShape in 2006 because of the passion a friend had for the program, but she is returning in 2007 to share her own. January 22, 2007

Public art curator leads IAP tour of MIT collection - On Monday, Jan. 22, Patricia Fuller, curator of public art at MIT, will lead a tour of some of MIT's extensive collection of public art. January 19, 2007

IAP class finds greatness in cell-phone photos - Someday, perhaps, a Pulitzer Prize committee will add a category for cell-phone photographs. But for now, photographer and new media artist Gary Duehr has a message for would-be digital shutterbugs: Accept the medium for what it is. January 17, 2007

Students honor MLK with creativity, open minds - The annual Martin Luther King Jr. design seminar held each January at MIT offers the 120 students taking it the opportunity to open their minds to diversity and to creatively express their feelings over an intense four-week period. January 12, 2007

Tiddlywinks team plans return to former glory - The first thing the newly revived MIT Tiddlywinks Association wants people to know about the game of flicking small plastic discs into a cup is that it is not just a game of flicking small plastic discs into a cup. January 10, 2007

IAP rekindles 'Pleasures of Poetry' - Pleasures of Poetry, the seminar-style, daily IAP gathering to read and discuss memorable poems, began on Monday, January 8. January 10, 2007

G-Lab students get rewarding experiences - MIT graduate student Christopher Lowell, participating in the Sloan School of Management's G-Lab program, combined travel and an internship in the mining industry in Rwanda to shape what he called one of the most important experiences of his life. March 15, 2006

IAP 2006 in photos - A photo gallery of activities during MIT's January Independent Activities Period. February 8, 2006

IAP seminar explores MIT's energy options - Generating electricity from wind turbines that look like rooftop box fans and converting used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel are among the energy innovations that MIT may pilot in the not-too-distant future, reported participants in a recent IAP course. February 7, 2006

IAP class offers help to campus leaders - When Jordan Fabyanske was elected vice president of the InterFraternity Council in late 2004, he found he had a lot to learn. Now the MIT senior co-teaches a three-week IAP course to help students learn the practical skills they need to lead organizations effectively. February 7, 2006

IAP course delivers Hebrew in hours - The IAP Hebrew literacy marathon held Jan. 25 and 26 promised to teach 25 students what it takes many a child in Hebrew school five or six years to learn -- to read Hebrew out loud. February 1, 2006

IAP class gives students glimpse into energy issues - A group of MIT students had the opportunity to design and present plans for developing a multibillion-dollar offshore natural gas project off the coast of the fictitious Isle of Murph during the IAP class "Energy: Science, Technology and Sustainable Development." January 31, 2006

IAP: Experts report world economy in good health - Robert Solow, 1987 Nobel laureate in economics, and Olivier Blanchard, professor and former department head of economics, agreed on the generally vigorous health of the global economy in an IAP presentation held Tuesday, Jan. 24. January 30, 2006

IAP: Class of '59 connects with freshmen - Despite the generational differences, four members of MIT's Class of 1959 found common ground with the roughly 15 current MIT students who came to the annual Class of '59 luncheon held recently as part of MIT's Independent Activities Period. January 27, 2006

A moving experience - Freshman Kiersten Pollard, center, makes her moves during a Middle Eastern dance class led by MIT staffer Loni Butera, left, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the T-Club Lounge. January 25, 2006

IAP: Catch of the day - Graduate student Shaya Famini and others cast their lot with the Independent Activities Period session, 'Introduction to Fly Fishing,' taught by Dave Micus of the Registrar's Office. January 24, 2006

IAP: Lab demonstrates voice recognition software - Taking a cue from the magic of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, a new speech recognition program demonstrated at MIT's ATIC Lab on Jan. 17 asks users to speak directly to the objects on the screen. January 23, 2006

IAP: Professor illustrates benefits of Wal-Mart - MIT Economics Professor Jerry Hausman placed the cooling hand of numbers on the fevered brow of notions about Wal-Mart's economic impact in a recent IAP session on the consumer benefits from increased shopping competition. January 20, 2006

IAP: Series explores faith of scientists - Astronomer Johannes Kepler was a man for whom science and faith were not mutually exclusive, an expert on the 17th century German told a standing-room-only audience at a Jan. 12 Independent Activities Period event. January 19, 2006

IAP: Student makes engineering kid-friendly - Contrary to popular belief, engineering concepts can be taught to children as young as 5, graduate student Kristen Bethke explained to a handful of students during a Jan. 11 Independent Activities Period seminar called "Teaching Engineering to Kids." January 17, 2006

IAP: Class targets landmine removal - Andrew Heafitz, winner of the 2002 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for Inventiveness, is challenging students to clean up the cruelest litter of war in two back-to-back IAP sessions on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the Edgerton Center. January 17, 2006

IAP: History professor offers taste of Middle Ages - Participants in "Old Food: Ancient and Medieval Cooking," an IAP course led by Anne E.C. McCants, associate professor of history, "ate exceptionally well," she said. The mighty food fest filled a dorm kitchen with activity for a full afternoon. January 13, 2006

IAP: Life on Mars could be human, someday - If space is the final frontier, the first step in colonizing it is a one-way trip to Mars for 12 dedicated settlers, said an MIT graduate student who helped conduct an Independent Activities Period overview of the Mars Homestead Project. January 12, 2006

IAP session analyzes speed dating - So, what do men and women really look for in a date? Economist Raymond Fisman, who spoke on the subject during MIT's Independent Activities Period, thinks he knows. January 11, 2006

Staffer teaches financial aid -- and tarot - MIT Financial Aid Director Daniel Barkowitz uses the January Independent Activities Period as a time to teach his professional interest, "Financial Aid 101," before shifting gears to offer "History and Mystery of the Tarot." January 11, 2006

IAP offers something for all tastes - The 2006 Independent Activities Period, which will run from Jan. 9 through Feb. 3, offers everyone at MIT -- students, faculty, staff, even alumni -- a chance to break away from the routine and try something new. December 21, 2005

IAP series opens book on poetry - Now in its ninth consecutive season, the IAP series called Pleasures of Poetry offers a varied literary feast. December 21, 2005

IAP courses open windows on art, music and more - Much of MIT is quiet during January's Independent Activities Period, but opportunities for creativity and learning abound -- often in areas not normally associated with academia. December 21, 2005

Green projects, Cambridge - MIT students presented practical first steps for the City of Cambridge to take on its journey towards drastic reductions in GHG emissions at a lively and optimistic event. February 5, 2003

In January, courses range - In January, courses range from dark matter to light patter. January 29, 2003

IAP '03 - The 2003 IAP Bulletin lists 636 non-credit activities and 85 subjects offered for credit starting on Jan. 6, and culminating in the ninth session of Charm School on Jan. 31. December 11, 2002