MIT
MIT Faculty Newsletter  
contents Vol. XX No. 1
September / October 2007

This issue of the Faculty Newsletter features a brief history of its founding on its 20th anniversary; an editorial on the importance of open and transparent communication; and an update on the implementation of recommendations by the Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons.

Spotlight
MIT Picnic
Experimental Project-Based Subjects: A Hit with Students
Project-based subjects are discussed as part of MIT's review of the General Institute Requirements.
MIT 1st in Engineering, 7th Overall in Latest U.S. News Rankings
The annual U.S. News & World Report rankings again rate MIT highly.
 
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20th Anniversary of FNL: A Brief History of its Founding
John Belcher and Jonathan King
This coming March 10, 2008 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the "zeroth" issue of the MIT Faculty Newsletter (FNL). Institutional memory at MIT is short lived, and . . .
From the Faculty Chair
Faculty Representation? How?
Bish Sanyal
One key responsibility of MIT faculty officers is to convey wishes and concerns of the faculty to the senior members of the administration. But how do we as faculty . . .
Newsletter Most Popular Among MIT Faculty
Newsletter Staff
MIT faculty read the Faculty Newsletter more than any other campus publication, according to results of the Institute Communication Survey administered . . .
Editorial
Transparency and Communication
Editorial Sub-Committee
Science and technology play critical roles in the formulation of international policies on challenges facing the global community. They also contribute . . .
A Call for Nominations to the Newsletter Editorial Board
As announced in the last issue of this newsletter (Vol. XIX No. 6, May/June 2007), a change in the Policies and Procedures of the Faculty Newsletter now calls . . .
Hockfield to Write on "State of the Institute" in Next Newsletter
David Lewis
President Hockfield and other senior administrators have agreed to write for future editions of the Faculty Newsletter, with topics of interest to the faculty agreed . . .
Teaching this fall? You should know . . .
the faculty regulates examinations and assignments for all subjects.
MIT Poetry
machinegunner
Joe Haldeman
last night and afternoon I cleaned each round / with a gasoline-soaked rag, and inspected each round / before snapping it into the belt . . .
America's Infrastructure Engineering Dilemma
Ernst G. Frankel
Physical infrastructure, once the pride of America and a major contribution to its economic and social growth and success, has in recent years become an acute . . .
Is it Time for a New Manhattan Project?
William Schreiber
Albert Einstein had no trouble helping to convince President Roosevelt of the importance of designing an American atom bomb to counter the one thought to . . .
Update on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the
Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons
Diana Henderson
With the new academic year and new energy, faculty and staff are busily working on implementing those recommendations made by the Task Force on the . . .
Experimental Project-Based Subjects: A Hit with Students
Dennis M. Freeman, Elizabeth D. Cooper, William A. Lucas
Six experimental project-based (PB) subjects were taught for the first time during the 2006-2007 academic year. The impetus for these subjects came from the . . .
Faculty Calendar
Programs sharing and disseminating "best practices" through pedagogical and curricular experimentation will be held this autumn. Dates and deadlines.
Student Systems – A Vision for the Future
Larry Benedict, Jerry Grochow, Dan Hastings, Steve Lerman
With a push for more international experiences, a desire for increased advisor/student interaction, updated GIRs, and changing student expectations, how will MIT's . . .
MIT 1st in Engineering, 7th Overall in Latest U.S. News Rankings
Newsletter Staff
MIT maintained its place as the number one undergraduate engineering school in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, announced in the magazine's . . .
Combining Investment with Philanthropy:
Faculty and the MIT Endowment
Sarah E. Rowley
Faculty who wish to receive income while making a gift to MIT can now invest in the MIT Endowment. In November 2006, the Internal Revenue Service issued a . . .
Proficiency in Customary Units
Eduardo Kausel
With the notable exception of the U.S., most of the world has universally adopted the metric system of units, and this includes the United Kingdom, Canada, and . . .
Who's Who in the MIT Administration
Because of the recent large turnover in the upper administration, the FNL thought it would be helpful to print photos and list top priorities for each Dean and VP.
M.I.T. Numbers
Campus Population in Representative Years:
% Change and Absolute Numbers
   
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