students archive

Analyzing the 'sponge' - Ever since its opening in 2002, Simmons Hall -- or more affectionately, the "sponge" -- has been one of MIT's most unique buildings. Now it is the focus of a book documenting a student competition on the use of space within the building. October 7, 2008

MIT marks 25 years of international initiatives - The Institute celebrated 25 years of international engagement through its pioneering MISTI program at an Oct. 2 dinner. MISTI prepares MIT students to participate in the global economy by connecting them to hands-on opportunities across the globe. October 6, 2008

MIT publicly launches Campaign for Students - MIT is publicly launching its Campaign for Students on Friday, Oct. 3, with a goal of raising $500 million or more for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, curriculum innovation and student life. October 3, 2008

Campaign website showcases 'Human Factor' - The Campaign for Students, launched publicly on Oct. 3, connects alumni and friends with compelling, diverse student stories through web, print, and video. October 3, 2008

MIT Medical launches upgraded web site - The MIT Medical Department has relaunched its web site with a new address -- medweb.mit.edu -- as well as clearer navigation, patient-specific guides and an improved clinician directory. October 2, 2008

Development fair to showcase world of opportunities - Students who might be interested in fostering development in a sustainable way in different parts of the world will have a chance to sample a wide range of opportunities on Oct. 3 at MIT's seventh annual International Development Fair. October 1, 2008

An a-maize-ing path out of poverty - Jodie Wu, an MIT senior in mechanical engineering, spent the summer traveling around Tanzania to introduce a new system for processing corn: A simple attachment for a bicycle that makes it possible to remove the kernels quickly and efficiently. October 1, 2008

Sappok wins 2008 SAE Excellence in Oral Presentation Award - PhD candidate in mechanical engineering Alexander Sappok, who is also a graduate research assistant at the Sloan Automotive Laboratory, has received the 2008 Society of Automotive Engineers Excellence in Oral Presentation Award. October 1, 2008

Renewable energy regulations may miss the mark - Rules passed by states to combat climate change through the development of renewable energy technologies may not achieve the intended effects, according to research by an MIT graduate student, who also suggests remedies. October 1, 2008

Search under way for new OME director - Dean for Undergraduate Education Daniel Hastings has announced a national search for a new director of the Office of Minority Education. September 26, 2008

Awards and honors: Sept. 24, 2008 - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. September 24, 2008

Sun-tracking device wins student prize - A team of three students who designed a system that could allow solar power panels to track the sun without motors or control systems won top honors and a check for $10,000 in the finals of a competition aimed at developing innovative energy technologies. September 19, 2008

Awards and honors: Sept. 17, 2008 - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. September 17, 2008

Awards and honors: Sept. 10, 2008 - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. September 10, 2008

How I spent my summer vacation - Whether it was public service in South Dakota, an internship in Israel or Lincoln Laboratory, MIT students didn't just lounge around after classes ended last spring. Read a sampling of what some MIT students did over the last three months. September 10, 2008

Sunny picnic celebrates new dean, housing - Perfect weather greeted the MIT community on Monday, which gathered for a picnic to welcome the new dean for student life, Chris Colombo, and to explore the new Ashdown House. September 8, 2008

New initiative to fund faculty research worldwide - MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives has unveiled new seed funding for international collaboration that supports faculty research worldwide and encourages student participation. September 5, 2008

Picnic to welcome Colombo, unveil new Ashdown House - All MIT students, faculty and staff are invited to welcome the new dean for student life, Chris Colombo, and to explore the new Ashdown House during a picnic on Monday, Sept. 8. September 5, 2008

Boston students set for their next four years at MIT - When Bruno Piazzarolo, 17, and Alban Cobi, 18, started their senior year at the John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science in the Roxbury section of Boston, they really wanted to go to MIT -- but neither was counting on it. September 3, 2008

New students get oriented at MIT - Incoming MIT undergraduates and graduate students get acquainted with the campus and their fellow students during orientation week in this evolving photo gallery. August 29, 2008

MIT class project gets a gold star from Google - A team of MIT students walked away from their spring-semester course with a lot more than just an A and six credits: They just won a $275,000 top prize from Google for the application they developed for the company's new open-source Android cell-phone system. August 29, 2008

Saving lives through smarter hurricane evacuations - Hundreds of lives and millions of dollars could potentially be saved if emergency managers could make better critical decisions when faced with an approaching hurricane. Now, an MIT student has developed a computer model that could help do just that. August 28, 2008

Chiang challenges freshmen to follow their passions - If you follow your passion, sometimes you end up in the right place at the right time to have an impact on the world, MIT Professor Yet-Ming Chiang told the Class of 2012 Tuesday during the freshman faculty keynote address. August 26, 2008

Invoking da Vinci, Hockfield welcomes freshmen - MIT President Susan Hockfield invoked the spirit of the intellectually ravenous Leonardo da Vinci as she welcomed the Institute's newest students and challenged them to cultivate their own insatiable desire for knowledge. August 25, 2008

Students tackle cases in consulting competition - The recently founded Consulting Club at MIT (CCM) held a Case Competition on Aug. 8, awarding prizes to two teams of students who excelled at solving a business case with the help of several top firms. August 22, 2008

Summer awards roundup - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. August 19, 2008

Not quite a teen, not fully an adult - Fueled by hormone fluctuations, the teenage years can be a time of huge emotional upheaval. But, as an initiative by MIT's Young Adult Development Project finds, the roller coaster may not end at the 18th birthday. August 1, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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

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, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. June 11, 2008

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

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

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, 2008

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. June 4, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

'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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. May 21, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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

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, 2008

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, 2008

Awards and honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. May 14, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 30, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 9, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

$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, 2008

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. April 2, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

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, 2008

Awards & Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. March 19, 2008

Bringing a bit of MIT to Africa - Armed with a grant from the MIT Public Service Center, sophomore Edison Achelengwa returned to his home country of Cameroon during January to work on installing MIT's OpenCourseWare on computers in two of the country's universities. March 19, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. March 13, 2008

Memorial service set for Robert M. Wells - A campus memorial service for the late Robert M. Wells will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15 in the MIT Chapel. A reception will be held in W11 following the service, and members of the MIT community are invited to attend. March 13, 2008

MIT to be tuition-free for families earning under $75k - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology today announced its financial aid program for 2008-2009. Increases in financial aid will make it possible for a larger fraction of MIT students to have their tuition and fees completely covered. March 7, 2008

Folding art and science - At MIT, origami is more than just art -- it's blend of the ancient Japanese paper-folding tradition with scientific principles that make it possible. There's no place that is more apparent this month than at the Weisner Student Art Gallery. March 7, 2008

Student work improves amputees' prosthetics - A team of MIT students has been working on a new device that could greatly simplify the process of fitting artificial legs in India, producing a better fit while eliminating some steps in the process and reducing waste materials. March 5, 2008

Community mourns death of senior Robert M. Wells, 22 - Members of the MIT community are mourning the tragic death of Robert M. Wells, a senior in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Wells, 22, was originally from Ballston Spa, N.Y. March 3, 2008

MIT student targets antibiotic resistance - MIT graduate student and synthetic biologist Timothy Lu has received the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventing processes that promise to combat bacterial infections by enhancing the effectiveness of antibiotics at killing bacteria. February 27, 2008

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. February 27, 2008

MIT celebrates legacy of Martin Luther King - At the annual breakfast celebration to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., hundreds of members of the MIT community listened as speakers echoed a similar theme: much has been done to realize King's vision, but much work remains. February 26, 2008

The next-best thing to being on Mars - Two MIT students are currently living, working and communicating with the outside world as if they were on a mission to Mars. Whenever they go outside their small, round habitat, they don spacesuits and pass through an airlock. February 25, 2008

Guests speak with passion on MLK's legacy - A photo gallery of speakers and events at MIT's 34th annual breakfast celebration honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. February 22, 2008

Five win MLK Leadership Awards - Five members of the MIT community have won Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards for 2008 in recognition of service that reflects the late civil rights leader's ideals and vision. February 22, 2008

MLK celebration speech by MIT senior Jamira Cotton - Transcript of speech given by MIT senior Jamira Cotton at MIT's 34th annual celebration of the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration breakfast. February 22, 2008

MLK celebration speech by MIT graduate student Kenneth Kweku Bota - Transcript of speech given by MIT graduate student Kenneth Kweku Bota at MIT's 34th annual celebration of the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration breakfast. February 22, 2008

MIT students design graduate student development program - An MIT PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer science will describe a novel professional development program for graduate students and its impact at MIT at the annual meeting of the AAAS in Boston. February 16, 2008

'Cycle-logical' bonding for students, professor - It's not unusual for MIT professors and their students to socialize outside the laboratory. But here's a word of warning to would-be members of Jeff Tester's lab: You might want to think about getting in shape. February 13, 2008

Awards and honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. February 13, 2008

Optimism among strengths of HST's Gray - Martha Gray, director of the Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, displays an optimism that explains why, on a snowy night in March, dozens of people flocked to her home to read poetry and to enjoy chance meetings. February 13, 2008

Profiles in excellence at MIT - MIT is known for bringing out the best in its students academically, but that ambition also applies to athletics. MIT's volleyball teams have achieved stellar success, and much of the credit goes to Coach Paul Dill, who will receive a 2008 Excellence Award for Bringing Out the Best. February 13, 2008

Major science conference to feature MIT speakers - The largest interdisciplinary scientific gathering of the year--the five-day annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science--begins Thursday in Boston, and MIT students, faculty and staff will feature prominently. February 13, 2008

2008 Burchard scholars selected - Twenty-six sophomores and juniors have been selected as Burchard scholars in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences for 2008. February 6, 2008

Tech trekkies: Sloan students tour Silicon Valley - MBA students go on a "Tech Trek"--an annual trip organized by MIT Sloan students to test the economic waters and meet with prospective employers in the technology sector. February 6, 2008

Smart pillbox could be a lifesaver - An MIT student and team of collaborators think may have found a high-tech solution in a low-tech package to the problem of ensuring that patients take their tuberculosis medication. Their simple but 'smart' pillbox could save lives throughout the world. February 6, 2008

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

Making a splash - Senior Doria Holbrook flies skyward as she practices diving at the Zesiger Center. Holbrook, a mechanical engineering major, was a top high school pole-vaulter, but foot problems led her to choose diving instead when she arrived at MIT. January 28, 2008

Reality meets fantasy in Sloan students' site - Two MIT Sloan MBAs are spicing up prime-time television with a web site that injects a little fantasy into reality. The site, TVLeagues.com, brings together two recent pop-culture phenomena: fantasy sports leagues and so-called "reality" TV shows. January 25, 2008

Pumping up desert agriculture - Thanks to a new venture set up by two MIT students, subsistence farmers on the edge of the Sahara desert in Sudan will soon get a chance to improve their crops and their livelihoods using inexpensive treadle-powered water pumps. January 23, 2008

Grand pram: MIT chaise offers temporary escape - The coziest corner in MIT's Barker Engineering Library is Dreaming Lounge, a mocha-colored chaise with a green canopy at the head and a wooden lever on one side. January 18, 2008

Awards and honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. January 16, 2008

Wearing their art on their sleeves - MIT students are always in motion, so their projects for the visual design course, Give Me Shelter, featured clothes and accessories to help navigate the gaps between work and home, self-confidence and unease, and under- or over-stimulation. January 3, 2008

Hundreds partake in 'Winter Break' - Students, staff and faculty ate, chatted and relaxed during the 'Winter Break' gathering sponsored by the MIT President's Office on Monday, Dec. 17. December 28, 2007

Architecture students, alumnus saluted by magazine - Wallpaper, a prestigious international design magazine, has listed two MIT graduate students in architecture and a 2006 alumnus of MIT's master's program in architecture in its global directory, "110 Up and Coming Graduates" in art and design. December 27, 2007

For the birds? Hardly - When freshman Samantha Cohen welded scrap-metal parts to form the nameless bird hanging in an MIT stairwell, she had more than a flight of fancy in mind. The bird is her response to a class assignment to design public art to promote social change. December 20, 2007

Students unveil eco-product prototypes - The MIT course assignment was wide open: Design something based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle, and develop it into a prototype product. The results ranged from simple mechanical devices to complex electronic machines. December 18, 2007

MIT sets early release on Dec. 13 due to storm - Alison Alden, vice president of human resources, has announced that MIT will have an early release at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13. December 13, 2007

Students to play role in shaping future of W1 - W1, one of MIT's oldest and most cherished buildings, will be given new life under a major renovation plan announced this month, and students, faculty and staff will play key roles in shaping its future. December 12, 2007

Making their own music - When some MIT students want to hear the sounds of success, they go right to the source and build their own instruments. And whatever notes emerge, the result is always the same: Hands-on work is its own reward. December 12, 2007

At play with Barry Kudrowitz, MIT toy designer - Tis always the season for Barry Kudrowitz to think about toys. A doctoral student in mechanical engineering, Kudrowitz specializes in toys: He plays with them; he designs them; and he pioneered MIT's first course in toy design, now in its third year. December 12, 2007

NEW DATE: Unwind at the MIT Community Winter Break Dec. 17 - The Office of the President invites all faculty, staff and students to an MIT Community Winter Break in Building 7 on Monday, Dec. 17 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. December 7, 2007

Awards and honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. December 5, 2007

War-injured boy inspired new Marshall Scholar - Ali Alhassani, an MIT senior who discovered his passion for medicine through the friendship of a war-injured Iraqi boy, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship, and will study health policy, planning and financing in London. December 4, 2007

LuperFoy to direct UPOP - Susann LuperFoy, a scientist whose research has focused on artificial intelligence, has been named executive director of MIT's Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program.  November 28, 2007

MISTI launches exchange program with Israel - MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives will expand its portfolio of eight countries (China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Spain) with the launch of a new internship and research exchange program with Israel. November 28, 2007

MIT senior wins Rhodes Scholarship - Melis Anahtar, an MIT senior who aspires to become a physician-scientist, has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. Anahtar, of Bethesda, Md., is a mechanical engineering major with a minor in biomedical engineering. November 27, 2007

Students get charge out of pedal power - MIT students have come up with a way to recharge your laptop without plugging it in. Rather than consuming electricity, you'll be burning calories--your own--while pedaling a much-altered, electricity-producing exercise bicycle. November 8, 2007

MIT develops lecture search engine to aid students - A new lecture search engine developed at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory could help students find specific parts of online lectures. The web-based technology allows users to search hundreds of MIT lectures for key topics. November 7, 2007

MIT pair honored for biopsy advance - Two MIT graduate students reached the finals of last week's Collegiate Inventors Competition, organized by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, for their work on a device that makes needle biopsies less invasive. November 6, 2007

Department of silver linings - For members of MIT's first Solar Decathlon team, what worked was the success of their Solar7 home with the 25,000 visitors who toured the 20 student-built solar homes that competed in the 10-day contest held in Washington, D.C. November 1, 2007

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. October 31, 2007

Wooden it be nice . . . - The MIT Hobby Shop was featured in the October 2007 edition of American Woodworker magazine, including colorful photos and Director Ken Stone's written history of the 69-year-old shop. October 31, 2007

Family Weekend panel eyes competitive edge - MIT students need experiences beyond the classroom to prepare for career success, according to a Family Weekend panel that outlined ways students can enrich their personal and academic experiences--and get a leg up on their first job. October 24, 2007

MIT student inventors: Apply for $30,000 prize - The Lemelson-MIT Program has invited currently enrolled MIT seniors and graduate student inventors to apply for its annual $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventiveness. The application deadline is Dec. 18. October 24, 2007

Possible retirement incentives outlined at faculty meeting - MIT faculty members heard about planning for a new program of incentives for voluntary retirement, the status of several initiatives for undergraduate and graduate students at their regular Oct. 17 meeting. October 24, 2007

Digitalk: Where IT's at--Copyright corner - Digitalk interviewed Larry Benedict, dean for Student Life, and Jerrold "Jerry" Grochow, vice president for IS&T, for a high-level view of how MIT is responding to concerns about peer-to-peer file sharing and copyright infringement. October 24, 2007

Cardboard boaters sink or skim - The Head of the Charles may have been last weekend, but the real nautical excitement was found in the Zesiger Center swimming pool on Friday, Oct. 19, when four teams of MIT students took to the pool in cardboard crafts. October 24, 2007

$30M Jacobs gift to support graduate fellowships - MIT announced Oct. 19 a $30 million gift from Joan and Irwin Jacobs, an alumnus, to support graduate fellowships for students in the School of Engineering. The gift will support at least 15 students annually in electrical engineering and computer science. October 19, 2007

Benedict to step down as dean for student life - MIT Chancellor Phillip Clay announced Oct. 19 that Larry Benedict, MIT's dean for student life since 2000, is retiring at the end of the academic year. October 19, 2007

Awards and Honors - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. October 17, 2007

New executive director of MIT Careers Office named - Melanie Parker was named executive director of the MIT Careers Office in July 2007. October 3, 2007

Make hay (and a lot more) while the sun shines - A team of MIT students, faculty and volunteers has taken on the challenge of designing and building a house that relies entirely on solar energy to meet the electricity needs of a typical American family, from drying towels to cooking dinner. October 3, 2007

MIT student turns hearing loss into knowledge gain - Brad Buran, a Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology graduate student, lost his hearing when he was 14 months old. Today, the fifth-year doctoral candidate is becoming an expert in the neuroscience of speech and hearing. October 3, 2007

After 12 years at MIT, recent Ph.D. grad makes history - AliciA Jillian Hardy entered MIT in the fall of 1995 as one of the handful of freshmen who come to the Institute planning to major in the humanities. September 27, 2007

Freshmen get DEEP into energy and environment - It was uncharacteristically cool during the day last month when MIT atmospheric chemistry graduate student Matthew J. Alvarado found himself talking about global warming to a troupe of newly arrived MIT freshmen. September 27, 2007

Students help MITEI 'walk the talk' on energy - Dan Wesolowski looked out from the second floor of MIT's Building E25, watching in dismay as students and faculty alike ignored signs to use the revolving door below him and save energy. September 27, 2007

NSF fellow to appear on 'Dancing with the Stars' - MIT Ph.D. student and NSF fellow Rhonda Jordan, whose passions include engineering and rhythm tap, is scheduled to perform Sept. 26 with accomplished tap dancer and choreographer Savion Glover on ABC Television's "Dancing with the Stars." September 26, 2007

MIT Generator Sept. 27 - The MIT Generator, an event focused on bringing students together and finding ways to improve campus energy and sustainability, will take place from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Sept. 27 in 32-123. September 26, 2007

Hosts needed for international students - The MIT Hosts to International Students Program helps new international students with their transition to life in the U.S. by pairing them with faculty, staff, alumni/ae and friends of MIT, including singles, families with children and retirees. September 26, 2007

Unique Middle East program rooted at MIT bears fruit - Three years ago, Wissam Jarjoui faced an uncertain future in an unstable place. The Palestinian student from East Jerusalem had never met an Israeli, and he hadn't even heard of MIT. Today, 17-year-old Jarjoui finds himself part of MIT's Class of 2011. September 19, 2007

New center to support aspiring entrepreneurs - The firm Legatum announced Aug. 17 a structured gift of $50 million to create a new center at MIT to support aspiring entrepreneurs from the developing world who have a strong commitment to development entrepreneurship. September 17, 2007

iHouse opens its doors to global-minded students - The trajectory of innovation at MIT went outside the lab this year with the grand opening of the International House for Global Leadership. The new residence is geared toward students committed to international development and leadership. September 7, 2007

Clean start - Freshmen participate in the annual program CityDays, sponsored by the MIT Public Service Center, which aims to introduce them to their new urban community by way of performing valuable services for local non-profit agencies. August 31, 2007

Think, act globally, Samuels tells new students - Hundreds of members of MIT's Class of 2011 turned out Aug. 28 for their first official lecture, in which Professor Richard J. Samuels challenged them to seek out knowledge about societies that are remote from their own. August 29, 2007

Grad student tracks the 'jihad effect' - An MIT graduate student has received a fellowship from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security-funded research center to study the "jihad effect" - that is, how wars impact the trajectory of terrorist movements. August 29, 2007

Hockfield welcomes MIT's sesquicentennial class - MIT President Susan Hockfield welcomed the Class of 2011 by challenging the incoming first-year students to follow Louis Pasteur's lead in making extraordinary discoveries that enrich people's lives. August 27, 2007

Ph.D. student Jhingran is public speaking champ - An MIT doctoral candidate from India has won first place in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking with a speech about finding himself through meditation - and about getting into MIT. August 21, 2007

Six from MIT win Fulbrights - Six MIT graduate students have been awarded Fulbright scholarships for the academic year 2007-2008. The recipients were selected by the U.S. international education program on the basis of their academic achievement and leadership potential. August 17, 2007

MIT student seeks public speaking championship - An MIT doctoral student who devoted the past seven years to detailed research on offshore drilling will have just seven minutes to make his mark in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking, starting Aug. 15 in Phoenix. August 15, 2007

Student team cooks up simple fuel recipe - A team of MIT students is working to bring affordable, environmentally friendly cooking fuel to developing countries. The technique, which grew out of an MIT class, offers a simple way to produce charcoal briquettes from organic waste material. August 1, 2007

Senior James Albrecht, 21, dies - James T. Albrecht, a senior majoring in mathematics and physics, who was widely respected for his contributions to academic and student life at MIT, died on July 22 in New York City. July 24, 2007

Development Initiative wins Lemelson Grant - The Lemelson Foundation has awarded the MIT International Development Initiative (IDI) a grant of $650,000 to support opportunities for MIT students to work on sustainable solutions to problems faced by community groups in the developing world. July 18, 2007

MIT International Review eyes global solutions - A pair of globally minded MIT students have launched a new journal that aims to hash out solutions to major world problems with the kind of cross-disciplinary zeal that is becoming commonplace at the Institute. July 5, 2007

Student blogs portray MIT's international projects - MIT students currently working internationally on sustainable solutions for health access, computer literacy and wheelchair accessibility are maintaining blogs to keep friends, family and the wider Institute community up-to-date on their experiences. June 27, 2007

A warning against energy governance from Beijing - MIT doctoral student in political science Edward Cunningham warns U.S. policy analysts that placing Beijing in the driver's seat of China's energy governance will lead at best to ineffective U.S. policies and, at worst, to perilously inaccurate forecasting. June 25, 2007

Civil engineers pump energy into machines - Students in the Intro to CEE Design class this spring built Rube Goldberg-type thingamajigs that whir, spin, and harvest kinetic energy. The projects illustrated not only principles of mechanics and physics, but also the potential for energy efficient machines. June 22, 2007

Family of three aims for 2 MIT degrees - MIT has been a family affair for Nima and Sanjay Subramanian. This year it was Nima's turn to graduate from the Leaders for Manufacturing Program. Next year it will be Sanjay's. They both have been studying at MIT while raising their son Ashwin, 4. June 15, 2007

Grad student revives Rivera's 1933 mural - Ben Wood, a second-year graduate student in visual arts in the Department of Architecture, started work on a project researching the murals of artist Diego Rivera in 2006. Wood seeks to bring Rivera's artwork and grandiose vision to light. June 13, 2007

President Hockfield's charge to the graduates - At MIT's Commencement held June 8, 2007, President Susan Hockfield said her fervent hope for the new graduates was that they integrate integrity and the pursuit of truth into their lives and "continue to demonstrate the value of good, old-fashioned hard work." June 8, 2007

Commencement 2007 photo gallery - A photo gallery chronicling the hooding of doctoral students on June 7 and Commencement on June 8. June 7, 2007

Hooding ceremony lauds new doctoral students - MIT President Susan Hockfield welcomed more than 500 new doctorate recipients into "a community of scholars" during a joyful hooding ceremony Thursday morning. June 7, 2007

Undergraduate advising awards - Recent achievements by members of the MIT community. June 6, 2007

Green ribbons signify responsibility pledge - Wearing a little green ribbon during the 2007 Commencement ceremonies may not change the world. But, say MIT organizers of "The Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility," the effort might change a few minds. June 6, 2007

Seniors describe four years at MIT - There were, not surprisingly, some surprises along the road to graduation for the dozen and a half students Tech Talk profiled as "hometown heroes" when they entered as freshmen in 2003. June 6, 2007

Campus energy answers blowing in the wind? - A group of four students, blown away by MIT students' overwhelming support of wind power on campus, spent the spring determining whether the Institute should install rooftop wind turbines. They uncovered both good news and not-so-good news. June 6, 2007

CMI students celebrate exchange program - More than 400 students have participated in the Cambridge-MIT Exchange (CMI), which began in 2000. The exchange is now firmly established as an integral part of MIT undergraduate programs, now administered by MIT Study Abroad. June 6, 2007

MIT students build bike for disabled kids - A team of MIT students in Course 2.009 (Product Engineering Processes) built the Revolution bicycle, designed to help developmentally disabled children learn to ride a bike. June 6, 2007

Women's Technology Program graduates first class - Alisha Schor, Emily Slutsky, and Kyung Jin Chang are among six seniors making history as the first members of MIT's Women's Technology Program to graduate from the Institute. June 4, 2007

Shutting fume hoods will save energy and money - Fume hoods keep chemists from breathing noxious vapors, but a single fume hood running 24 hours uses as much energy as a single-family home. A group of students, staff, and administrators aims to save millions by advocating mindful use of fume hoods. June 1, 2007

Cutting edge artwork - Neri Oxman received one of two second-place Schnitzer Arts prizes. Oxman's interdisciplinary research is based in architecture, engineering, computation, biology and ecology. May 23, 2007

Schnitzer Prize winners exhibit artwork - Does ice cream taste better when eaten from a spoon made from a cast of your own tongue? Hope Ginsburg, winner of the top prize in the 2007 Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Prize in the Visual Arts, believes it does. May 23, 2007

Student's elegant, relentless machine wins robo-fest - In a raucous battle of the 'bots that exuded energy squared, senior Stephanie Sidelko took top honors May 9 in MIT's annual Design 2.007 contest when she and her machine outwitted, outlasted and outmaneuvered the tough competition. May 22, 2007

Ocean engineering highlights novel ship design - A small ship for near-shore counterterrorism operations was one of 17 projects presented by MIT graduate students at a recent Center for Ocean Engineering symposium attended by industry professionals including Rear Adm. Kevin McCoy of the U.S. Navy. May 18, 2007

Handheld device 'sees' damage in concrete bridges - Engineers at MIT have developed a new technique, involving the use of a hand-held radar device, for detecting damage in concrete bridges and piers that could increase the safety of aging infrastructure by allowing easier onsite inspections. May 18, 2007

Fiber bridge connects Incan, student engineers - A technology that once brought the bold conquistadores of Spain to their knees in fear in the jungles of South America has come to the dry moat behind the Stata Center, in the form of a fiber bridge. The bridge was built by students in Course 3.094. May 16, 2007

MIT TechTV Expo cheers winners, offers lessons - Videos published as part of the MIT Tech Video Showcase will be on display at the MIT TechTV Expo on May 17. The event begins with an open house in the student lounge near Lobby 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors to the event can also learn the basics of TechTV, an MIT video-sharing web site. May 15, 2007

Student teams 'Wiffle' their way to Fenway - Five members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity got the chance of a lifetime when they took to the field at Fenway Park for the "Wiffle Your Way to Fenway" championship held May 8. May 14, 2007

Student proposals sought - A new initiative provides mini-grant funding for student energy and environment projects. May 9, 2007

Wind, sun and tides power coral reef rehab - MIT students Gerardo Jose la O', Emzo de los Santos, Martin M. Lorilla, and former MIT fellow Illac Diaz coupled their science and engineering skills with a new technology to promote a low-cost, environmentally friendly way to regrow Philippine coral reefs. May 8, 2007

Kenyan center supports literacy, development - Aisha Walcott, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, recently traveled to Laare, Kenya, as a representative of the Imara outreach program, which was funded by a grant from the MIT Public Service Center. May 2, 2007

Pulse Car on display - Pulse Car is a single-passenger, all-electric commuter concept vehicle powered by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang's new generation of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. May 2, 2007

Being green at MIT's Earth Day - A photo gallery showing members of the MIT community participating in the MIT Earth Day Fair. April 27, 2007

Daniel J. Barclay, 22, shared wit, intelligence - The body of Daniel Barclay, an MIT graduate student who had been missing for nearly two weeks, was found washed ashore on Cape Cod last Thursday, April 19. With that sad discovery, a bright light and keen wit were lost to Barclay's family and friends. April 25, 2007

Science Festival starts with a bang - Let there be no doubt about it: The spirit of Rube Goldberg is alive and well at MIT.The Cambridge Science Festival--billed as the first of its kind in the nation--started off quite literally with a bang Saturday at noon. April 24, 2007

Student from Sofia, Senior House, dies at 20 - Ivan D. Dimitrov, an undergraduate from Sofia, Bulgaria, who was known among friends for his positive nature and passion for life, died on Saturday, April 21, as a result of injuries from a motorcycle crash. April 24, 2007

Site gives 'buzz' on business school application - A free web site, developed by two MIT students and dedicated to M.B.A. applicants, will mitigate the long and stressful process of applying to business schools and will help applicants determine their chances of getting into the school of their choice. April 17, 2007

Arab Students' Organization hosts awards - Arab-American professionals and college students from the Boston area will participate in the annual Arab-American Science and Technology Awards Banquet at the University Park Hotel at MIT from 7 to 10 p.m. on April 14th. The ceremony honors this year's awardees. April 12, 2007

Institute admits 1,533 students to the Class of 2011 - MIT has admitted 1,533 students from 50 states and 66 countries to the Class of 2011 in an unusual year that saw both an increased number of applicants and an increased freshman class size, with nearly 60 more students admitted than last year. April 4, 2007

Bridge work - A team of eight undergraduates in civil and environmental engineering won the award for fastest construction and took second place overall in the regional Steel Bridge Competition held March 16-17 at the University of Connecticut. April 4, 2007

MIT programmers strike gold - A team of MIT programmers won a gold medal in the world finals of the 31st Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, held mid-March in Tokyo.   April 3, 2007

Engineer, humanitarian wins Truman Fellowship - MIT junior Alia Whitney-Johnson, who launched a program to help Sri Lankan victims of rape and incest, has won a 2007 Harry S Truman Scholarship, which she vows to use for graduate studies in sustainable development. March 29, 2007

'The Hunt' leads the pack in Sloan Innovation Period - The negotiations taking place in the windswept East Campus courtyard were tense and going badly. As the Sharks considered trading keys with the Dolphins to unlock the box in the courtyard, suspicions were running high. March 29, 2007

MIT a cappella group rules over rivals - The MIT Logarhythms "took the a cappella cake" in a victory over a cappella groups from Harvard, Tufts and Brandeis at a sold-out concert, "All A Cappella LIVE at the Majestic." The Logs ruled thanks to audience votes. March 21, 2007

MIT Sloan study examines BlackBerry use - One might expect a doctoral student conducting research on BlackBerry usage to own one or more of the handheld devices. But Melissa Mazmanian, a fourth-year MIT Sloan doctoral student, doesn't own one, and she prefers it this way. March 21, 2007

MIT biodiesel student group wins national contest - The Biodiesel@MIT team was 10 minutes into its presentation--a talk the group had given many times to drum up support for bringing a biodiesel processor to campus--when there was a loud knock on the conference room door. March 16, 2007

M.B.A. student plans for philanthropy - After completing her M.B.A., Stephanie Ogidan Preston plans to start her own foundation to help improve education in lower income neighborhoods in her hometown of Providence, R.I. March 14, 2007

Concerto competition winner will solo with MITSO - Graduate student Elisabeth Hon, one of two winners of the 2007 MIT Symphony Orchestra (MITSO) Concerto Competition, will be the soprano soloist for Mozart's "Exsultate Jubilate" in the orchestra's concert on Friday, March 16. March 14, 2007

Studies enhance a soldier's service - If one had to use a single word to describe Nathan Minami, it would be "patriotic." While the student in system design and management enacts his commitment to the American people in all his words and actions, his patriotism is best exemplified by his 14-year career in the U.S. armed forces. March 13, 2007

Cambridge-MIT Program offers academic, cultural opportunity - During the past six years, the Cambridge-MIT Undergraduate Student Exchange Program (CME) has provided MIT students with the opportunity to study at Cambridge University for a full year. March 13, 2007

Panel explores links among faith, academia - A forum on the links between faith and development in the Third World became a frank discussion on whether MIT students and faculty could--or should--link their faith to their careers as scientists and educators. March 7, 2007

PSC grants expand MIT's global reach - Undergraduate and graduate students who work in developing regions outside the United States over Independent Activities Period or over the summer are eligible to receive grants for up to $1,000 from the Public Service Center (PSC). March 7, 2007

At 20th annual HST Forum, image is everything - Research results from a variety of studies will be presented in student posters at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology's 20th annual HST Forum on March 8. March 5, 2007

MIT announces 2007-2008 tuition; student financial aid to increase almost 12 percent - MIT has set tuition and fees for 2007-2008 and has budgeted an additional $7 million for financial aid enhancements, bringing its total undergraduate financial aid budget to $68 million, President Susan Hockfield announced. March 5, 2007

Chilly scenes of winter - Kurt Stiehl, a senior in mechanical engineering, just couldn't resist the skating rink that a recent cold snap created on Killian Court. February 28, 2007

SHASS selects 26 Burchard Scholars - Twenty-six sophomores and juniors have been selected as Burchard Scholars in the School of Humanities and Social Science (SHASS) for 2007. February 26, 2007

Regenerator event focuses on student initiatives - Dozens turned out for the Re-Generator, the second event seeking to broaden student involvement in a variety of energy-related campus initiatives. Attendees shared the goal of making MIT a more environmentally and energy-friendly place. February 21, 2007

Lemelson winner designs for public safety - Nathan Ball, graduate student in mechanical engineering and this year's winner of the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, has invented a device that makes the fantasy of leaping tall buildings in a single bound come close to reality. February 14, 2007

Pi in the sky - "Amorous Intent: Looking for Love at MIT," the second annual student exhibition exploring themes of love, opens with a Valentine's Day reception. February 14, 2007

HHMI awardee committed to biochemistry, outreach - Irene C. Blat, a research technician at the Broad Institute, has received one of five 2007 Gilliam Fellowships from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, supporting up to five years of study toward a Ph.D. in the life sciences. February 13, 2007

UPOP 5th anniversary honors alumni service - Each January, about two dozen tech-savvy alumni return to campus to help teach two weeklong boot camps, the intensive training at the core of the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP). February 7, 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

MIT students help design aquarium exhibit - MIT students and the Aquarium of the Pacific plan to make waves together. Today, the sophomores from MIT unveiled their models and ideas for a new tsunami exhibit to experts at the Long Beach, Calif. aquarium. January 26, 2007

Graduate dean search committee formed - Chancellor Phillip L. Clay has announced the formation of the committee that will advise him in the search for a new dean for graduate students. The current dean, Isaac M. Colbert, is stepping down at the end of June. January 24, 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

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

Colbert announces retirement - Dean for Graduate Students Isaac Colbert has announced that he plans to retire in June 2007, concluding three decades of achievement in Institute administration. January 10, 2007

Silver skates - Freshmen Darren Yin (left), Tracy Li (center) and Dina Kachintseva (right) are on the ice at Johnson Athletic Center, trying out a skating class on the first day of IAP. January 10, 2007

Ice cream maker still sweet on MIT - Toscanini's ice cream shop owner Gus Rancatore has sold home-made frozen treats to hundreds of dignitaries and celebrities over the years, but some of his favorite customers have been the students, faculty and staff members of MIT. January 4, 2007

MBA student has a recipe for success - Memphis native Susan Hanemann Rogol took the twisty, tasty route to MIT Sloan, following a path that led through jobs in a restaurant and a law firm, and as food editor of Martha Stewart Living's magazine and television productions. January 2, 2007

International students advise fellow travelers - MIT Sloan students from around the world offer the Institute community their thoughts on what a visitor may find in their country of origin, and in return, what they learned about living, working and studying in the United States. December 29, 2006

Admissions' 'matchmaking' is no magic formula - If Dean of Admissions Marilee Jones could make one point to high school seniors and their parents across the country, it would be this: Stress less. December 28, 2006

Ticket to ride - Anne Matheson, left, recreation director, Cardinal Cushing Center, assists Sarah Tabbi on a bicycle designed and built by MIT students for mechanical engineering course 2.009. December 20, 2006

IAP film courses offer dark nights, bright lights - MIT is going Hollywood this Independent Activities Period (IAP) with several courses on filmmaking, including two promising offerings in contrasting genres--the mystical dark nights of zombie-land and the bright light of documentaries. December 20, 2006

Intern navigates 'fast fashion' world - Juan Correa spent six months as an intern at Zara, an international Spanish clothing manufacturer. But don't ask him if short skirts are "in" next season--the graduate student in the Leaders for Manufacturing Program (LFM) wouldn't know. December 20, 2006

'Freakonomics' author addresses undergraduates - Economics alumnus Steven Levitt (Ph.D. 1994) delivered the Undergraduate Economics Association (UEA) fall lecture on Dec. 4 to an audience of more than 200 gathered in E52-398. December 18, 2006

Treats comfort students as exam week looms - Late nights, good luck charms, snacks and stress are all part of the MIT final exam experience, and most MIT students would not have it any other way. December 15, 2006

MIT accepts 390 students for early admission - MIT has accepted 390 students, or 11 percent, of the 3,493 applicants for early admission to the class of 2011. December 14, 2006

Student 'Generator' examines sustainability - The inaugural meeting of MIT Generator drew close to 100 MIT students from dozens of departments who gathered last month to find ways to address issues of energy and the environment on campus. December 13, 2006

Project aids makeover of Project Hope shelter - Thanks to the MIT Hobby Shop and a group of dedicated students, several families living in the Project Hope shelter in Boston will have a sturdy storage unit for their belongings. December 11, 2006

Marshall Scholar focuses on technology, altruism - Graduate student Finale Doshi, a campus leader with an extensive record of service to the Institute and the world, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship for study at the University of Cambridge for 2007. December 5, 2006

MIT launches Campaign for Students - President Susan Hockfield has announced that MIT is launching a $500 million fundraising effort to support undergraduate and graduate education and student life. December 5, 2006

Ogunnika wins first MIT-CIMIT fellowship - The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT) and the MIT School of Engineering have recently announced the awarding of the first MIT-CIMIT Medical Engineering Fellowship to MIT graduate student Olumuyiwa Ogunnika. December 4, 2006

'Ashdown House' documentary wins award - Two graduate students in the School of Architecture and Planning have won a prize for best history documentary at the 2006 CampusMovieFest, the world's largest student film festival, for a video documenting the history of MIT's Ashdown House. December 4, 2006

MIT ranks 12th in black enrollment - MIT has made huge diversity gains this year, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education's 14th annual survey of the percentages of black first-year students at the nation's highest-ranked universities and liberal arts colleges. December 1, 2006

Army linguist learns language of leadership - Lynne McCann served as chief of the Army's Foreign Language Proponency Office before she came to MIT Sloan, and the M.B.A. student had seen a lot of the world, but she found a world within her classrooms and among her classmates. November 22, 2006

Art in creases - Insects, monsters, a dancer and a beaver are among the new residents of the Wiesner Student Art Gallery--and each is a marvel of engineered folding. November 15, 2006

Dramashop presents trio of one-acts - It can be tough to find common ground between aeronautical and astronautical engineering and theater, but sophomore Ashley Micks finds they complement each other nicely. November 15, 2006

Sloan students climb great heights - A course called "Obstacles, High Ropes, Leadership and Teams" offered during the Sloan Innovation Period (SIP) gave Sloan students a mental and physical workout--and dramatically demonstrated the value both of precise instructions and of listening carefully. November 13, 2006

Digging in for new graduate hall - Members of the MIT community break ground for NW35, a new residence hall that will house 1,700 graduate students. November 9, 2006

Mars group launches high-flying fundraiser - Those who cannot afford the million-dollar price tag attached to space tourism will be happy to learn that at least their names--and their logos--will be able to travel into space for a much smaller fee, thanks to a group of MIT students. November 3, 2006

MIT offers new medical sciences program - MIT graduate students interested in integrating their research in the life sciences with experiences in clinical medicine are encouraged to apply to the newly established Graduate Education in Medical Sciences program. November 1, 2006

Black belt means business for MIT Sloan Fellow - MIT Sloan Fellow Paul Thibodeau earned his black belt in judo at 16 and was the 1999 Canadian University Champion. He was a runner-up for the 2000 Canadian Olympic team but retired in 2003 after blowing out both of his knees. November 1, 2006

Group offers support to survive the shock of the new - For many of the spouses and partners of MIT students, the first semester starts out exciting, but the second half is often when culture shock sets in, said Jessica Barton, director of the MIT Spouses and Partners Group. October 30, 2006

Lost Highway project designers will discuss cultural travel - Sarajevo native and architecture graduate student Azra Aksamija was among an international group of 40-100 artists and architects who, in summer 2006, traveled en masse along the so-called Highway of Brotherhood and Unity-a road made in Socialist Yugoslavia to connect the major cities of its republic. October 24, 2006

Randolph will serve as Institute chaplain - After 27 years at MIT, Senior Associate Dean Robert Randolph will step into a new role as Institute chaplain in January 2007 armed with a list of goals and hopes for the future of MIT's religious life. October 20, 2006

MIT to welcome Amgen Scholars in 2007 - MIT has been selected as a site for the prestigious Amgen Scholars Program, which provides opportunities for talented undergraduate students interested in the sciences to engage in fully-funded summer research experiences. October 19, 2006

Homeless shelters - Students from Professor Jan Wampler's design studio course designed and built portable disaster shelters. October 18, 2006

Comedian Margaret Cho will host 'Fierce Forever' - Stand-up comedian Margaret Cho will headline MIT's sixth student drag show, "Fierce Forever 6," on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. October 18, 2006

MIT junior sells social networking site - In March 2006, MIT junior Joe Presbey sold Sconex, the high-school networking web site he cofounded, to New York teen marketing firm Alloy for more than $6 million. October 18, 2006

Student inventors: Apply for the Lemelson $30K - The Lemelson-MIT Program invites MIT student inventors to apply for its annual $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for inventiveness. October 16, 2006

Parents are coming! - This weekend, more than 2,400 MIT parents and relatives are set to sample the MIT education their son or daughter experiences every day. October 13, 2006

Proposed curriculum balances rigor, flexibility - MIT's Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons has spent the last two and a half years in a comprehensive review of MIT's educational mission and core curriculum. It recommends new requirements in science, mathematics and engineering as well as in the humanities, arts and social sciences. October 13, 2006

Mini golf businesswoman tees up at MIT Sloan - Elizabeth McQuillan, a second-year graduate student at the MIT Sloan School of Management, became the owner of Banana Village, a miniature golf course, waterslide park and video arcade, in June 2003. October 13, 2006

Caribbean Club conference calls for creative action - Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago will be on the MIT campus Oct. 7 to give the keynote address of the first MIT Caribbean Students Conference. The speech will be followed by a series of workshops on issues facing the Caribbean today. October 6, 2006

New reading room is open 'round the clock - The new and improved reading room on the fifth floor of the Student Center officially opened with an afternoon bash in the Moran Lounge on Sept. 21. October 6, 2006

Hispanic Heritage winner sets sights high - Freshman Eletha Flores' commitment to excellence started early. "Either I go all the way or I don't do it," says the recipient of the 2006 Hispanic Heritage Foundation's National Youth Award for Engineering and Mathematics. October 4, 2006

Walking tall - Architecture Professor Wendy Jacobs, left, graduate student Hope Ginsburg and sophomore Adelaide Fuller cross Mass. Ave. on stilts they designed and built for Jacobs' Center for Advanced Visual Studies course. October 4, 2006

Student makes lots of dough -- in the lab - Trevor Shen Kuan Ng rolls dough. He also stretches it like Silly Putty and twirls it like taffy. Ng's Ph.D. thesis concerns the mechanical properties of matter--in this case, dough--and how it behaves when subjected to forces. September 26, 2006

New student lounge dedicated - With musicians providing an appropriate lounge-music soundtrack, students, faculty and staff lingered last Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new community lounge, located off the Infinite Corridor near Lobby 10. September 20, 2006

Student design exhibit highlights creative process - With models that include a homeless shelter created from a used billboard and a children's AIDS center in Zambia, the MIT Undergraduate Architectural Design Program's exhibit, "Process of Designing," showcases how architects can explore social issues through their designs. September 20, 2006

Ready, set, go: Class of 2010 leaps into action - Tish Scolnik is one of 1,000 freshmen making their debut on campus this fall. The Class of 2010 comes from varied backgrounds and from all over the United States and the world to study at MIT. September 13, 2006

At MIT, dorm décor has a museum quality - Approximately 400 original posters, prints and photographs by such famous artists as Nancy Spero, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein are now on display at the List Visual Arts Center. September 13, 2006

International events highlight MISTI Week - Chinese lions, Mexican dance and Indian yoga are all in the lineup for MISTI Week, a showcase of MIT's international program offerings that kicks off Sept. 18. September 13, 2006

Building bridges - Professor Jan Wampler of architecture tests the strength of a truss constructed by students for one of the architecture department's pre-orientation activities, held Aug. 26 in front of Kresge Auditorium. September 13, 2006

9/11 vigil offers time for reflection - Five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, there is still much need for healing, says the Forum on American Progress, a campus group, which will hold an anniversary vigil on the steps of the Student Center tonight. September 11, 2006

Freshmen to learn New Orleans' lessons - New Orleans will be used as a case study this year to teach MIT freshmen the complex dynamics of "cities at risk" -- cities that have faced destruction on a scale so huge that it calls into question their very survival. September 8, 2006

At MIT, coursework is an experience - The School of Architecture and Planning's new course on "cities at risk" is part of an Institute-wide initiative designed to make MIT's freshman year as meaningful as possible. September 8, 2006

MIT observances of the Sept. 11 anniversary - On Sept. 11, the MIT Police Department honor guard will conduct a remembrance honoring those who were killed five years ago, and students will lead a candlelight vigil. September 8, 2006

Class of 2010 builds community during CityDays - More than 700 freshmen volunteered at dozens of community agencies in the Cambridge and Boston area on Sept. 1 as part of the 15th annual campus-wide CityDays Festival sponsored by the MIT Public Service Center. September 6, 2006

An eggs-ellent beginning - The Terrascope Egg Drop was everything it was cracked up to be. About 50 participants teamed up in small groups on Aug. 28 to find a way to protect a raw egg dropped from the roof of the 18-story Green Building. September 1, 2006

Carpenter case settled - Chancellor Phillip L. Clay announced today that the 2001 lawsuit filed against MIT following the death of Julie Carpenter has been settled. September 1, 2006

Drennan gives freshmen a 'super' start - Likening her students to superheroes, Catherine Drennan, professor of chemistry, welcomed the Class of 2010 to MIT during the faculty keynote address on Aug. 29. She called chemists "superheroes of making molecules and studying molecules." September 1, 2006

Astronaut to give talk on energy and space - Astronaut and MIT alumnus Phil Chapman will give a talk on energy alternatives involving space technology this Wednesday, Aug. 30 in MIT's Ashdown House at 8 p.m. August 30, 2006

Hockfield welcomes the Class of 2010 - MIT President Susan Hockfield welcomed the Class of 2010 by stressing the Institute's spirit of collaboration and by recalling inspiring lessons from the lives of past scientists and inventors whose names are carved on buildings that frame Killian Court. August 28, 2006

Cycling team peddling Nobel jerseys - MIT cycling team members have found a way to combine the scientific excellence in the halls of MIT with their athletic pursuits. To raise money for the team, they asked four Nobel laureates to autograph two official cycling team jerseys. August 25, 2006

Freshman orientation: The buildup to life at MIT - After a week of pre-orientation events that included building sandcastles and Tinkertoy projects, the Class of 2010 will all be on campus this weekend to kick off Orientation 2006, which officially begins Aug. 27. August 25, 2006

Handheld computers make light work of education - A group of MIT undergraduate students is writing code for PDAs as part of a group of projects aimed at making science, economics and other "dry" topics vividly interesting, interactive and fun, for students, teachers and citizens at large. August 23, 2006

New housemasters move into residences - The freshmen will not be the only new faces in East Campus, Next House and Simmons Hall this fall. A new crop of housemasters will also be making their debut. August 22, 2006

MIT-Beijing design studio plans for urban future - For five weeks this summer, a group of 20 MIT graduate students in architecture, planning and real estate joined with a dozen graduate students from Beijing's Tsinghua University to work together on issues of urban design and development. August 18, 2006

Admissions blog is a window on MIT - As communications manager for the Admissions Office, Ben Jones shines a light for prospective students in his blog, writing, "if your dream of being at MIT didn't become my dream on some small level, then really, why am I doing this at all?" August 15, 2006

Sun and new fuels power student vehicles - Students from 21 universities around the world gathered at MIT this summer to design and build commuter vehicles that exploit human power, bio-fuels, solar technologies and fuel cells to travel at least 500 miles per gallon of fuel. August 14, 2006

Innovative generator could spark energy savings - An innovative residential generator that can produce both heat and electricity could spark a revolution in energy efficiency, said MIT alumnus Eric Guyer, the CEO of Climate Energy, during an MIT Energy Club talk on Aug. 9. August 11, 2006

Students honor 'Big Jimmy' with scholarship fund - Few of the thousands of students who knew James E. Roberts Sr. over his 20-year career as the night watchman at Senior House and East Campus ever forgot him. Now, those students have established a scholarship in his memory. August 8, 2006

Interfaith group gets boost from U.S. - MIT has received a grant from the Office of University Programs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create a program designed to foster discussion and learning among those of different religious faiths. August 4, 2006

MIT team plans 8,000-mile adventure - This month, the TechNomads -- a four-person team of MIT students and recent graduates -- will begin a trek around a quarter of the world, visiting 14 countries in a car smaller than a Geo Metro, all in the name of charity. July 20, 2006

New device offers assist in needle biopsies - Two MIT graduate students have helped design a machine that may make needle biopsies less invasive and less prone to complications for lung cancer patients. July 19, 2006

MISTI interns fan out across globe - More than 200 MIT students are spending this summer on internships organized by the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives, or MISTI program. This year, MISTI has organized internships in 10 countries. July 5, 2006

New fellowship supports environmental work - A new public service fellowship for environmental work will be available to MIT students early next year. Sponsored by the MIT Women's League, the Betty Johnson Fellowship will provide $4,400 annually for students to pursue environmental work anywhere in the world. July 5, 2006

Ashdown gets a kick out of World Cup - World Cup fever has gripped MIT's Ashdown House. Since June 9, the residence hall on the corner of Memorial Drive and Massachusetts Avenue has offered up snacks and a huge movie-screen-sized television to World Cup fanatics. June 23, 2006

13 MIT grads commissioned in Armed Forces - For most MIT seniors, last week's festivities culminated with Commencement exercises in Killian Court. But, for some, the hectic week had an extra special finish as they were commissioned as officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. June 15, 2006

Student summit set on vehicle design - Seventy-three students from 21 universities around the world will gather at MIT from June 13-Aug. 13 to design and build between five and 10 commuter vehicles that travel at least 500 miles per gallon of fuel. June 14, 2006

Fair-weather work - In one of the year's final projects, Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering students measured wind speed and direction using their own creations. June 14, 2006

MISTI helps bring iLabs to China - On Tuesday, June 13, students will join MIT faculty at the first Asian MIT-iCampus Conference in Beijing, an unprecedented effort to introduce China's top universities to iLabs, MIT's free online remote laboratory initiative. June 12, 2006

Grads receive doctoral hoods - MIT graduates receiving the Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree were invested with their long velvet-lined hoods in the Institute's traditional family-friendly hooding ceremony on Thursday, June 8. June 9, 2006

Student Activities Office awards - 2006 Awards listings. June 7, 2006

MIT gears up for 140th Commencement - MIT workers make preparations for MIT's 140th Commencement, which will be held on Friday, June 9, at 10 a.m. Macroeconomist Ben S. Bernanke, chair of the Federal Reserve and an MIT alumnus, will deliver the principal address. June 7, 2006

Kenyan grad shares what he's learned - Graduating senior Eric Mibuari, hoping to share the fruits of his "challenging and rewarding" years at MIT, has started a community computer center in Laare, Kenya, the town where he grew up. June 7, 2006

Undergraduate scholarships awarded - Three MIT undergraduates are among the 323 students recently named Barry Goldwater Scholars. June 7, 2006

Graduating senior plans musical interlude - It was love at first sight when graduating senior Christine Chiu saw her first piano 20 years ago at her older sister's lesson. Though her sister has long since abandoned the instrument, Chiu's love has only grown. June 7, 2006

Schnitzer Prize-winning art on display - Award-winning student designs in electronic furniture, video installation and wearable architecture will be exhibited at the Wiesner Student Art Gallery through the end of June. June 7, 2006

Scholarship site links students with donors - Thanks to a recently launched web project, enrolled undergraduates can now find out not only how much MIT scholarship money they're getting, but exactly which scholarship funds it comes from -- and in many cases, details about how a fund was established and for whom it was named. June 6, 2006

Students win grant for Lesotho solar generator - Two MIT graduate students in civil and environmental engineering have won a 2006 World Bank Development Marketplace grant to develop a solar micro-generator that would provide affordable energy to Lesotho. June 5, 2006

Grads taking Dramashop on UK tour - Two graduating seniors will get right back to work after Commencement on Friday, June 9, when each will receive a dual degree in physics and theater. Both are directors in MIT Dramashop, which will travel to England in mid-June. June 5, 2006

In comic relief, Doonesbury's coming to MIT - Alex Doonesbury, 17-year-old cartoon offspring of "Doonesbury" cartoon dad Michael Doonesbury, will be attending MIT this fall, thanks to the Institute's victory over Cornell and Rensselaer in a straw cyber-poll. May 26, 2006

Freshmen automate dorm room - Little by little, freshmen Zack Anderson and R.J. Ryan, residents of East Campus, have turned an ordinary, standard-issue dorm room into something extraordinary: a fully automated pad. May 24, 2006

Students float Caribbean Museum Boat - Many Caribbean islands can only dream about having their own science and technology museum. So, MIT senior Solomon Hsiang is hoping they may eventually be able to share one. May 24, 2006

Bridge work - Civil engineering design students celebrate the success of a bridge they built for one of their classes. May 24, 2006

Senior heads to flute competition - While his fellow students are receiving their diplomas at MIT's Commencement ceremonies on Friday, June 9, senior Matthew Roitstein will be in Odense, Denmark, as one of only three Americans competing in the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition. May 24, 2006

Toy designers make brushing fun - Getting kids to brush their teeth can be hard work, but MIT students in a toy design class took on the challenge this semester by creating toys that make dental hygiene fun. May 24, 2006

2.007 robots face off at finals - The final rounds of this year's iteration of the annual robot contest put on by MIT mechanical engineering students boiled down to a machine named Charlie and a simple plan for victory. May 23, 2006

DUSP student aids New Orleans recovery - Members of the MIT community have had their waterproof boots on the ground in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi not only as civil engineers, soil engineers, architects and volunteers but also as community organizers. May 22, 2006

MIT is named HeartSafe Community - MIT became the first college in the country to be officially honored with a HeartSafe Community designation on Wednesday, May 10, in the Student Center. May 17, 2006

Infotech program aids African students - Each summer for the past six years, the MIT Africa Internet Technology Initiative (AITI) has sent MIT students, both graduate and undergraduate, to several countries in Africa. Working in teams of four, the students teach courses computer programming courses. May 17, 2006

Skyscraper rises on campus - "Muscles," a 35-foot-high skyscraper designed to change posture t