“The four years I spent as an undergrad and two years as a grad … it was just a magical experience that changed my life,” says R. Robert Wickham ’93, SM ’95, the new president of the MIT Alumni Association. “But the most important thing that I got out of my experience was learning how to learn.”

A new machine-learning technique can efficiently learn to control a robot, leading to better performance with fewer data. Using this method, “we’re able to naturally create controllers that function much more effectively in the real world,” Navid Azizan says.

Via @mitesatmit on Instagram: “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Hot days in Boston call for some cool treats and some time away from studying. We love to see MITES Summer students bonding and creating community, especially when it involves something sweet!”

“I think the most important thing here is talent is distributed equally but opportunity is not,” Stu Schmill told the New York Times, “and our admissions process is designed to account for the different opportunities students have based on their income.”

Before joining MIT, President Sally Kornbluth built a reputation at Duke University as an inclusive, collaborative leader: Colleagues say she approached situations with a desire to listen and learn, but when it came time to act, she did so decisively.

In a summer workshop, MIT board game designers are taking on social and cultural topics, often with a playful twist. “Board games can bring people together around the table and open up a topic, even an uncomfortable one,” Doris Qingyi Duanmu says.