Proving the ‘impossible’
When Professor Andrei Linde of Stanford University first read a paper in the 1980s by MIT professor Alan Guth, then a postdoc at Stanford, he was taken by its description of cosmic “inflation,” the notion that one trillionth of one trillionth of one trillionth of a second after the Big Bang, the universe — for an infinitely brief moment — expanded faster than the speed of light. Linde immediately started improving the theory, completing his reworking before Guth’s next paper came from the United States that said the theory was impossible. “It’s a good thing the Soviet mail system was so slow, I didn’t hear I couldn’t improve the theory until I already had!” jokes Linde.
Events April 1 - April 7
Events Apr. 1 – Apr. 7 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Deutschland Theaterland: Exploring German history and culture through theatre — E40-464 Wednesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m) MIT Spouses and Partners Wednesday meeting: Dispelling Myths about Libido — E55-Penthouse (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Space Board Games Night — Building 33, 1st floor lounge Thursday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) The Picower Lecture: Impact on circuits critical for memory across species presented by Dr. Carol A. Barnes — 46-3002 (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) The Untold History of the United States — E51-115 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Romanian Students Association presents Wild Carpathia 3 — 37-212 Friday (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Advanced Music Performance Student Recital featuring Eleanor Bors, cello — 14W-111 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Saving Mr. Banks — 26-100 Saturday (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Science Carnival — Sidney-Pacific-MP Room (2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Graduate Association of Mechanical Engineers Art Appreciation Day — W20-306 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Ebony Affair: Essence of Excellence — W50-105 Sunday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Sidney-Pacific Despicable Me April Brunch — Sidney-Pacific MP Room (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Percussionist Hubert Zemler and Evan Ziporyn, clarinet — Killian Hall Monday (2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Who Benefits When the Government Pays More? Evidence from Medicare Advantage — E62-450 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Land Reform and Sex Selection in China — E62-650 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar 18-Mar 24
Events mar. 18 – mar. 24 Tuesday (4 p.m. – 5 p.m.) The Build-up of Galaxies over the Past 10 Billion Years talk by Pieter van Dokkum — 37-252 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Space Exploration in Italy and the U.S.: Human Experiences and Innovative Challenges — 66-110 Wednesday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Artists Beyond the Desk Presents Howard Martin saxophone performance — Killian Hall (4 p.m. – 6 p.m.) Free Healthy Smoothie Day — Z-Center lobby Thursday (12 p.m. – 1 p.m.) Brown Bag Lunch: Capturing Contributor Roles in Scholarly Publications — E25-131 (6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) Designing the Next Generation of Wearable Devices — Microsoft NERD Center 1 Memorial Dr. Friday (5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.) Discussion Series: Human Rights — 50-020 (7 p.m. – 9 p.m.) Women Take the Reel presents Salma — 6-120 Saturday (7 a.m. – 8 p.m.) LibrePlanet 2014 conference — 32-1st floor (7:30 p.m.) Norouz Celebration, Persian festival — Walker Memorial Sunday (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Salsa and Merengue — W20-La Sala Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar 11- Mar 17
Events Mar. 11 – Mar. 17 Tuesday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Inside Cambridge Biotechnology: Facing Up to Difficult Diseases — N51 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Exoplanets and the Real Search for Alien Life — Sidney-Pacific Mark MP Room Wednesday (5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MITEF Innovation Series Event: Beyond What’s Hot: Opportunities Away from the Herd — 32-123 (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Medieval Keyboard Concert by David Catalunya — Killian Hall Thursday (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Built to Last: Opportunity and the Economics of Empowerment talk by Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett — Kresge Auditorium (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Communicating Science: Lessons from a Climate Blogger — 4-370 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Beaver Ball: Celebrating 100 Years of the Mascot — 50-140 (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows 12 Years a Slave — 26-100 (8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) Pi Day — Ashdown Saturday (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) MIT Figure Skating Club’s Annual Skating Exhibition — Johnson Ice Arena (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) MIT Symphony Orchestra concert, excerpts from Berlioz’s Romeo et Juliette, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E minor — Kresge Auditorium Monday (4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) History and Historical Analysis in the Ukrainian Crisis — 4-153 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Understanding the Urban Heritage: The Cultural Wire-Scape of Historic Lahore, Islamic Architecture talk — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Mar. 4 – Mar. 10
Events Mar. 4 – Mar. 10 Tuesday (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Global Leadership Lecture Series: John Wiehoff, CEO of C.H. Robinson, lunch served at 11:30, lecture begins at noon — E51-315 Wednesday (11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) MIT Police Laptop Tagging and Registration, $10 per item, cash or MIT cost object only, sponsored by IS&T Computing Help Desk — Lobby 10 (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Basics of Grant Writing, with speaker Sonal Jhaveri — 46-3002 Thursday (4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) Starr Forum: Center for International Studies shows The Network, with speakers Eva Orner and Fotini Christa — 66-110 (4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Memorial service for President Charles M. Vest, sponsored by the Information Center — W16 (Kresge) Friday (12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.) In-Gallery Chat with Peter Dourmashkin about “Sonia Almeida: Forward/Play/Pause” — E15 (List Visual Arts Center Galleries) (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Open mic in the Lewis Music Library, with a new piano — 14E-109 Saturday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) LSC shows Frozen, free admission, tickets available in Lobby 16 — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Bulgarian March Celebrations with music, food, and games, sponsored by Bulgarian Club at MIT and GSC Funding Board — NW30 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Israeli Folkdance Festival of Boston, $5 student tickets, $15 public, sponsored by Campus Activities Complex and Israeli Folkdance Festival of Boston — W16-109 (6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) A Pakistani Cultural Night: Rawaj, $8 for students, $15 public, sponsored by PaksMIT — 50-140 (Walker Memorial) Monday (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Practice Makes Perfect: Peer Mock Interviews, sponsored by MIT GECD — 1-246 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Feb. 25 – Mar. 3
Events Feb. 25 – Mar. 3 Tuesday (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Intro to Python Workshop, sponsored by Sloan Coders (bring a laptop) — E62-250 Wednesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Artist talk and panel on Fukushima activism, postwar pop, intermedia art, and global hip-hop, sponsored by Foreign Languages & Literatures and MIT/Harvard Cool Japan — E25-111 (6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) MIT Generator: Students innovating for campus sustainability, with vegetarian dinner — 32-G401 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Build your own solar-powered cell phone charger, sign up at http://fossilfreemit.org — 4-131B (8:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.) Esfandgan Winter Party with dance music, light refreshments, and a cash bar, sponsored by GSC Activities and the Persian Students Association of MIT — W20 (Lobdell) Friday (7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Gala Sabrosura, semi-formal celebration of Mes Latino, sponsored by Latino/a Cultural Center — W20-208 (10:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) LSC shows Gravity, tickets on sale in lobby 16 for $4 — 26-100 Saturday (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Asian Career Fair, register and submit resume online, sponsored by the SAO, GECD, MISTI, and Naturejobs — W20 (La Sala) Sunday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) An Evening of Sarod Music and Kathak Dance, tickets at MITHAS.org, sponsored by Music and Theater Arts — W16 (Kresge Little Theater) Monday (4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) France’s Jewish Star: Rachel at the Comedie Francaise, with speaker Maurice Samuels, sponsored by Foreign Languages & Literatures and Comedie Francaise Registers Project — 14E-304 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Paper Engineering Page Turns for Music Scores, with composer and vocalist Erin Gee and MIT Libraries conservator Jana Dambrogio, sponsored by MIT Libraries — 14E-109 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Feb. 18 – Feb. 24
Events Feb. 18 – Feb. 24 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Family Week at the List: Color, with color wheel workshop in the Atrium 12 to 4 p.m. and family friendly tour at 2 p.m. — E15, Upper Atrium (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Non-Stop, free advance screening — 26-100 Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) A Genealogy of the Gift: Blood Donation and Altruism in an Age of Strangers, sponsored by HASTS and the SHASS Dean’s Office — E51-095 (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Off the Record 1:1 with a Silicon Valley Tech Recruiter, free giveaways, sponsored by A9 and MIT GECD — 5-134 Thursday (8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Choose to Reuse, drop-off begins at 8:00 a.m. and choosing starts at 11:00 a.m., sponsored by Working Green Committee and Department of Facilities — 32 first floor (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Women in Energy, featuring panelists from Shell Oil Co. with snacks, refreshments, and speed networking at 4:00 p.m., RSVP by Feb. 19 — Media Lab 6th floor, Silverman Skyline Room Friday (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Dumpling Feast contest, family friendly, sponsored by MIT Spouses & Partners and the MIT Postdoctoral Association — 66-201 (Walker Lounge) (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Mediterranean Night, with food and music for $10, sponsored by Spain@MIT — W20-208 Saturday (1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Multimedia Chain Reaction with the MIT Society of Women Engineers at the MIT Museum, free with museum admission — N51 (7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Romanian Dance Party, free for MIT affiliates, $3 for public, sponsored by the Romanian Students Association and GSC — Walker Memorial (Muddy Charles Pub) Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) Harpsichord Recital by Peter Sykes, sponsored by Music and Theater Arts — 14W-111 (Killian Hall) (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Chinese Lantern Festival and Riddle Night, sponsored by ARCADE and the Chinese Student and Scholar Association — Ashdown-Hulsizer Monday (12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Lonely Ideas: Can Russia Compete?, public lecture featuring Loren Graham and his new book, with brown bag lunch — E70-1201a (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Tea with Nefertiti: or How the Arts Shape Culture, sponsored by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
BRANDED!: Have you Googled yourself lately?
There is no shortage of media buzz about the Millennial generation. From skyrocketing student debt, to the contracting job market, to the decline in traditionally “secure” professions, to the setbacks of coming of age in the worst recession in decades, the challenges of my generation are well-documented. The flip side of the doom and gloom prophecies is the unprecedented opportunities in the new economy for those who are willing to get creative to sell themselves and reach their goals. Whether you snag a traditional professional job, strike out as an entrepreneur, or work a 9-5 with projects on the side, strategically managing your personal brand can be what sets you apart from your competition.
Events Feb. 11 – Feb. 17
Events Feb. 11 – Feb. 17 Tuesday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Socialization Ain’t Always Nice: Order, Disorder, and Violence in the Post-Cold War World, with speaker Jeff Checkel of Simon Fraser University — E40-496 (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment Dynamics, with speaker Jonathan Meer of Texas A&M university — E18-202 Wednesday (6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) Housing Prices & Housing Policies in Chinese Cities: Recent Empirical Evidence, with speaker Siqi Zheng — 9-354 (7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.) FiLmprov, an evening of musical improvisation and the world premier of Kate Matson’s film Silhouettes with improvised score — Killian Hall Thursday (11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Energy Expo 2014, hosted by the MIT Undergraduate Energy Club — La Sala de Puerto Rico (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Play in the Age of Computing Machinery, with speaker Miguel Sicart — E41-633 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) The LSC shows O Brother, Where Art Thou?, also sponsored by the de Florez Fund for Humor (free admission) — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) The Vagina Monologues @ MIT, $2 for MIT affiliates, $3 for public — 32-123 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Valentine Social Dance, free for MIT students, $6 other students, $8 MIT affiliates, $10 public — La Sala de Puerto Rico (8:00 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.) Either/Or Concert of music by Alvin Lucier, sponsored by MIT Music and Theater Arts — MIT Chapel Sunday (2:30p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Waltz and Tango, free for MIT students, $3 other students and MIT affiliates, $5 general public — La Sala de Puerto Rico Monday (7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Workshops: Jive, free for MIT students, $3 other students and MIT affiliates, $5 general public — La Sala de Puerto Rico Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Operation: LGO Plant Trek
7 cities, 2 weeks, 1 mission: to explore the inner-workings of leading advanced-manufacturing and operations companies.
Don’t get caught in a web of time sinks
The well-rounded students use IAP for vacation, avoiding the winter weather in California, or embracing the winter weather in Maine. The inquisitive use IAP to take classes in interesting subjects, such as Medieval cooking, or Japanese flower arranging. And the masochistic decide to spend IAP slaving away on 6.470, MIT’s web programming competition.
Events Feb. 4 – Feb. 10
Events Feb. 4 – Feb. 10 Tuesday (12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Community Service Fair, hosted by the MIT Public Service Center — Lobby 10 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Getting Beyond Us and Them: Our Brains and the Possibility of Peace — 6-120 Wednesday (11:00 a.m. – 12:30) MIT Police laptop tagging and registration, $10 in cash or MIT cost object — Stata (9:00 – 10:00 p.m.) Mexican Coffee Hour with taco bar and dessert — Sidney Pacific MP Room Thursday (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Writing compelling cover letters. Sponsored by MIT Global Education & Career Development — 5-217 (6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.) Free yoga session with “how to sleep well” discussion followed by food, sponsored by Yoga24x7 — 56-180 Friday (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) LSC shows Miss Congeniality, free tickets in Lobby 16 — 26-100 (8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Musical Theatre Guild presents Little Shop of Horrors — La Sala de Puerto Rico Saturday (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Sublime Melodies Monad Trio Concert, $10 for MIT undergrads and $20 general public, sponsored by Persian Students Association and ASA — E51 (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Chinese New Year’s Celebration, $3 at booth and $6 at the door, sponsored by Malaysian Student Association — W20-491 Sunday (8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) Turkish Cultural Night, free for MIT students and $10 for others, sponsored by Turkish Student Association and ARCADE — 50-140 Monday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Intergenerational Mobility Across Three Generations in the 19th Century: Evidence from the US Census, sponsored by Microeconomic Applications — E62-650 (5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Falling Short of Expectations? Stress-Testing the European Banking System, sponsored by the Applied Theory Workshop — E19-758 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
With tenure but not without troubles
The April 10, 2012 issue of The Tech carried an article by Grace Taylor ’12 that I greatly admired: http://tech.mit.edu/V132/N17/depression.html.
Do science and religion conflict?
Ask A-theist is a column by Aaron L. Scheinberg G, an atheist, and Stephanie S. Lam G, a Christian, which uses contrasting worldviews to explore questions and misconceptions about philosophy and religion.
CAMPUS LIFE IN REVIEW
Goodbye, 2013. We’ve had our ups and downs, and it’s finally time to leave you behind. I’ve met someone new: 2014.
Breaking silence
I am writing this not because I know exactly what words are the most right to say, but because I know it is important: I know it is important, and I know that I am not alone.
Events Jan 29 - Feb 4
Events Jan. 29 – Feb. 4 Wednesday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) How do the Libraries select books for the shelves and your computer access? — 14N-132 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Institute Diversity Summit presents Brother Outsider: The Story of Bayard Rustin — 32-123 Thursday (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) History of Heavy Metal: Part III — 14N-217 Friday (11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) How to Speak lecture by Professor Patrick Henry Winston — 10-250 (2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) MIT Can Talk Speaking Competition — 32-141 Saturday (5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Harry Potter Trivia Challenge — 1-246 (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) A Concert of Music by Elena Ruehr — 14W-111 Monday (7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) Women and Gender Studies presents How to Lose Your Virginity — 6-120 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
Events Jan 22 - Jan 28
Events Jan. 22 – Jan. 28 Wednesday (5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Documentary Screening: Passion for Life with Sir David Attenborough — 3-133 (9:00 p.m. – 10 p.m.) CSC presents Dessert Night — Baker Dining Thursday (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Mobile Marathon: The Great Gatsby — New House-House 1 (2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m) In Search of Sunset on Alien Worlds lecture — 37-252 Friday (12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.) Library Music! Open Mic in the Lewis Music Library — 14E-109 (2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Leave it to the Beavers: A Snapshot of Life at MIT in the 1950s — 14N-188 Saturday (7:00 p.m.) LSC shows 36th Annual Science Fiction Marathon — 26-100 Sunday (1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) IAP Orchestra performs Dvorak 8th — Kresge Auditorium (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) Middle Eastern Drumming — W15-Main Chapel Monday (8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.) World Music Jam, in odd time signatures — 66-144 Tuesday (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Rap, Rai, Rock, and Revolution: The Role of Music in the “Arab Spring” — 3-133 Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
THE NATURALIST’S NOTEBOOK: Cold fish and icy insects
Poor naked wretches, whereso’er you are,