EdX’s new developments, partners
A number of recent developments have been announced regarding edX, the online learning initiative started by MIT and Harvard that has since accepted various other partner institutions.
MIT fined for emissions
Following a review of 2012 emissions records and an inspection of MIT’s power plant on Vassar Street, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) fined MIT $15,000 for violations in the monitoring of emissions.
IN SHORT
Economist and MIT alumnus Robert J. Shiller PhD ’72 won the 2013 Nobel Prize in economic sciences for his empirical analysis of asset prices. Shiller, currently a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, will share the award with Eugene F. Fama and Lars Peter Hansen of University of Chicago.
Bexley demolition sought
Yesterday, at a meeting with the advisory group for the future of Bexley Hall, the Department of Facilities and the Division of Student Life put forth a recommendation for the demolition of the building. Formerly an undergraduate dorm, Bexley Hall was closed after commencement this past year after inspections revealed a myriad of structural issues. If the recommendation is accepted by senior MIT administrators, the proposal will go to the City of Cambridge to acquire the necessary permits to evaluate and demolish the historic building.
Undergraduate representatives for Institute Committees selected
The Undergraduate Association (UA) Council and Chair of the Faculty Steven Hall approved Institute Committees’ undergraduate representatives Sept. 25. These students were chosen through a “competitive selection process by the UA’s Nominations Board,” according to UA Chief of Staff Shruti Sharma ’15. MIT Institute Committees — which are run by the faculty or administration and include undergraduate and graduate representatives — address a variety of issues at MIT.
Life explained differently: two new intro biology classes
The biology department launched two new introductory biology classes this term, 7.015 and 7.016, bringing the total number of introductory biology classes to five. 7.015 is the first intro biology class to cater towards students who come from a stronger biology background. 7.015 also incorporates discussion-based recitations and guest lectures, in contrast to the standard lecture format of the other 7.01x classes.
New office for green MIT
After years of experience in the field of campus sustainability, Julie Newman will take on a role as the first director of MIT’s new Office of Sustainability.
Two MIT professors win MacArthur Fellowships
This year, the MacArthur Foundation selected 24 recipients of their MacArthur Fellowships, otherwise known as the MacArthur “Genius Grants.” Two MIT professors — Dina Katabi MS ’99, PhD ’03 from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Sara Seager from the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences — were named MacArthur Fellows. The Tech spoke with them to find out what excites them about their research, and what it’s like to work in male-dominated fields.
Voodoo magazine has funding restored
The Financial Board (Finboard) of the Undergraduate Association (UA) has now released its trimesterly funding allocations for student groups. This release, delayed by about a week, comes on the heels of Voodoo Magazine successfully appealing Finboard’s decision to revoke Voodoo’s funding on the grounds of a Title IX complaint. Voodoo is headed by Senior House co-president and member of the UA Council Alina Kononov ’14,
Kochs and conservatives split over health care law
WASHINGTON — Under attack for the government shutdown, some of the most vocal elements of the conservative wing of the Republican Party are publicly splintering, a sign of growing concerns among even hard-core conservatives that the defeat-health-care-at-any-cost strategy may have backfired.
Shutdown is a big burden at Big Bend
TERLINGUA — As three wind-burned, graying Navy veterans rolled into town on their Harley Davidson motorcycles, they had covered nearly 2,317 miles of a trip of a lifetime. It was a journey to pay tribute to a buddy who died 30 years ago, and then cruise across Big Bend National Park to ride back home.
MIT is No. 1 in engineering, OCW is 10 years old
Times of Higher Education’s World University Rankings ranked MIT first in Engineering and Technology, second in life and physical sciences, tied for second (with Oxford) for social sciences. The overall ranking is an improvement from last year, when MIT was ranked 7th. Caltech was ranked first overall for the third year in a row.
Obama misses out on talks to deal with crisis
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Secretary of State John Kerry sat in the chair reserved for President Barack Obama at the opening session of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting Monday, leaving China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as the dominant leader at the gathering, devoted to achieving greater economic integration in the region.
Coders forsake sleep at weekend hackathon
It was 4 a.m., and amid the empty food wrappers and power cables, still hundreds in Johnson Ice Rink were awake, their bloodshot eyes glued to laptop screens.
More freshmen vote in election
The Undergraduate Association announced the results of the 2017 Class Council elections in an email to the class on Friday night, after a week of voting. The freshman class elected Liana R. Ilutzi ’17 as president, Sophia Liu ’17 as vice president, Pragya Tooteja ’17 as treasurer, Larkin V. Sayre ’17 as secretary, Frederick O. Daso ’17 and Nicole Lu ’17 as publicity chairs, an Evan C. “Charlie” Andrews-Jubelt ’17 and Mohamed H. Kane ’17 as social chairs.
Ann Wolpert, director of libraries, dies at 70
Ann Wolpert, MIT’s director of libraries since 1996, has died after a brief illness. She was 70 years old.
Institute reactions to the federal shutdown
On Monday at midnight, the U.S. Congress remained deadlocked on passing this fiscal year’s budget, causing the federal government to partially shutdown starting on Tuesday. Many non-essential federal employees across a wide number of agencies have been furloughed, some to the point of complete cessation. The webpages of several of these agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have been replaced with landing pages stating that the website cannot be maintained during the shutdown.
Twitter becomes favored diplomatic venue after UN
UNITED NATIONS — Countries all over the world, dictatorships and democracies alike, have in the past few years sought to tame — or plug entirely — that real-time fire hose of public opinion known as Twitter.