India and MIT: A Conversation About the Future
<i>Rao SCD ’92 is currently a professor of applied mechanics at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai.</i>
Through My Eyes
Being dropped in an economically, socially, politically, developmentally, and linguistically foreign country can be a major culture shock. It seems almost essential that all individuals visiting a new country for the first time should study the language, culture, history, and current events of the country prior to their visit. Students traveling should take the initiative or even be required to take courses pertaining to the country.
Squid vs. Whale
Thanksgiving day is a very dangerous day. With hazards lurking around every corner, preparation is the key. Take these tips to heart and enjoy a stress-free turkey day.
Brouhaha Rhythm
Paranoia can be very unattractive. I say this as one who once watched “Survivorman” to prepare for a trip to a mountain resort, worries about incoming meteorites when stargazing, and brings rope to the circus to fashion into a makeshift whip in case something furry with sharp, pointy teeth breaks loose. But this time, I’m sure I’m on to something. Don’t look now, but I think the powers that be — the administration — are out to sabotage my grades.
Rants & Raves
Despite my limited experience with Dunkin’ Donuts, one thing has become apparent throughout the course of this semester: the employees staffing the MIT Dunkin’ Donuts located in the MIT Stratton Student Center simply cannot perform the basic functions their jobs require.
Squid vs. Whale
<i>The following letter was delivered to the columnist by a beaver messenger swimming down the Charles River.</i>
Through My Eyes
Making a positive impact in a community that you do not live in can be daunting and overwhelming. Designing a project to fit what the community needs requires research and experience. One of the most important things to consider is what the people want and what they believe they need. We do not live in their society, do not suffer their pain, and therefore cannot fully understand what is best for them.
Squid vs. Whale
Being an industrious little beaver, I held down two jobs the year before graduate school. By day, I was a lab rat, fearlessly pipetting small volumes of liquid back and forth. By evening, and on the weekends, I worked on a horse farm in rural North Carolina. They were essentially the same job; all you had to do was replace “pipetting, small volumes, and liquid” with “shoveling, large volumes, and poop.”
Through My Eyes
I became so comfortable in India that I began to feel as if I had been there for a long time. In reality, my time sped by. I became close to both the Indian and MIT students in the group and loved our conversations. Besides documenting the students’ work, I had the opportunity to help them with theirs, eventually becoming a part of the community and project. The other MIT students and I really got a chance to immerse ourselves completely in the Indian culture.
Brouhaha Rhythm
Once upon a time, I had no problem whatsoever getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning before heading to school. Obviously, I generally didn’t get much in the way of rest that way, but that was during a time when I would prefer being able to eat my Lucky Charms without having to rush out the door. Plus, I also got the chance to see some very lovely sunrises.
French Class, Eh?
I came to MIT to study math. Surprise. Modern math doctoral programs enforce the study of a foreign language. This is because there are significant intellectual contributions written in other languages, especially French, German, and Russian. In this regard, I am fortunate I chose MIT, since they only enforce the study of one foreign language while other schools like Berkeley and Princeton require two. To my Canuck counterparts from Québec, a French requirement is a welcome amusement. For me, French is a torment. Once a forgotten part of my past, this language has been awakened from the grave, seeking revenge from many moons ago.
Squid vs. Whale
Being a sensible person, I immediately scope out every place I’m at to formulate an emergency plan in the event of a zombie attack. Having recently become acquainted with MIT and since Halloween is tomorrow, I feel I should share some of my zombie prevention insights.
Ask SIPB
Athena isn’t just software — it’s a computing environment. In today’s issue of Ask SIPB, we’ll look at some common questions about using hardware in the Athena environment, from USB memory keys to large monitors.
Brouhaha Rhythm
You cannot begin to imagine how thrilled I was to find that multiple thrift stores exist within half a mile of my dormitory. You see, my mother is an expert bargain hunter and my dad loves to buy shiny electronic doodads. (With a Radio Shack just up Massachusetts Ave. and a Best Buy down it, I suspect I’m poised to follow in his footsteps.)
Brouhaha Rhythm
There’s nothing like the lack of supervision, combined with a healthy workload, to help me realize how I work best. I’ve already taken great joy in flouting virtually every study habit I’ve ever been told about, like not listening to music with lyrics, or working at my desk instead of on the dinner table (although due to a lack of adequate cash flow for furniture, the two are the same as often as not). When better than college to twiddle with different ways to tool in search of the optimal learning method?
Talking Turkey
OK, so a turkey hangs out in Kendall Square. Big deal — I’ve seen a lot of turkeys in my lifetime. Maybe that’s just because I grew up on a rural Minnesota farm, but that isn’t an explanation for why barely anyone around here seems to know what a turkey is. You see, I walked down the path that leads past Quantum Books into East Cambridge twice a day for over a year. In that time, I saw some pretty strange episodes involving the Kendall Square turkey, affectionately known as Mr. Gobbles. I’ve seen him walking, running, flying, sleeping, munching on grass, and being chased by everyone from obese women to skinny kids.
Through My Eyes
Though my summer was extraordinary, it was also heartrendingly eye-opening. It was more than the suffocating heat, nauseating odor, and hordes of flies. Our group was welcomed by most people, but sometimes I’d find older women gazing scornfully at me, a foreigner marching in with an expensive-looking camera, here to take pictures of their pitiful living conditions.
Squid vs. Whale
Bad things exist along a spectrum. A flat tire in a thunderstorm is unpleasant. Getting jilted hurts really bad. Getting stuck on a bus to New York for eight hours, now, that’s interminably bad.
Ask SIPB
Today, we’ll discuss two popular mathematics software packages, Matlab and Mathematica. In addition, we’ll take a look at gnuplot, a tool designed to produce high-quality data plots.