Researchers Locate Distant Solar System That Resembles Ours
Astronomers said Wednesday that they had found a miniature version of our own solar system 5,000 light years across the galaxy — the first planetary system that really looks like our own, with outer giant planets and room for smaller inner planets.
Bertucci’s Dismisses Two of MIT’s Offers To Accept TechCASH
Bertucci’s has declined two offers from MIT within the past two months to accept TechCASH at its popular location in Central Square, according to Undergraduate Association Dining Committee Chair Christopher K. Hoffman ’08.
Ex-Northern Illinois University Student Slays Five Students, Wounds 16 Others
With minutes left in a class in ocean sciences at Northern Illinois University on Thursday afternoon, a tall skinny man dressed in black stepped out from behind a curtain on the stage of the lecture hall, said nothing, and opened fire with a shotgun, the authorities and witnesses said.
Reading Room Chairs Still Missing; Criminal Charges May Be Filed
Five of the 46 chairs stolen from the Student Center Reading Room have been returned, and two more have disappeared, during an “amnesty” period declared by the Campus Activities Complex. The CAC has bought replacements and plans to implement a security system to keep more chairs from disappearing.
Green Hall Residents Will Leave In Fall and Thetas Will Move In
Green Hall, the women’s graduate dormitory, will become undergraduate housing and will exclusively house members of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority in fall 2008, residents were told in January. Current Green Hall residents were asked in January to leave by June 30, and they will have the option to move to any other graduate dormitory.
Nuclear Research Reactors Perilous, Says GAO Report
The risks of a terrorist attack on a nuclear reactor on a college campus, and the potential consequences, have been underestimated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, congressional auditors say in a report.
Court Rules That Tang Will Remain Confined To Apartment, May Visit Gym
Anna L. Tang, the former Wellesley College junior accused of stabbing Next House resident Wolfe B. Styke ’10, is scheduled for a pre-trial discovery hearing on Monday, July 14 at 2 p.m., according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Tang last appeared in court on Monday, Feb. 4, when the court adjusted the terms of her house arrest to allow her to use a gym, the <i>Wellesley Townsman </i>reported.
‘In Memory of James Albrecht’ Robots Win BattleCode Contest
There was excitement in the air on the evening of Feb. 1, as spectators filed into Kresge Auditorium for the BattleCode 2008 final tournament. Thousands of dollars in prizes were at stake as the teams sought to prove their software’s mettle.
News Briefs
Last Wednesday, Jan. 30, MIT Housing e-mailed all residents of on-campus housing to ask for written permission to include their birth dates in census information sent to the Cambridge Election Commission.
Rapid Growth in College Endowments Exacerbates Concerns About Wealth
Allan T. Demaree, a retired executive editor of Fortune magazine, gladly makes donations to Princeton University, his alma mater, even though he knows it has become one of the wealthiest educational institutions in the world. His son, who also went to Princeton, points to its endowment of $15.8 billion, and will not give it a penny.
Move From Coal to Gas Raises Risk of Price Increase
Stymied in their plans to build new coal-burning power plants, American utilities are turning to natural gas to meet expected growth in demand, risking a new spiral in the price of that fuel.
Risky Investing May Be Addictive, Similar To Drug Use and Sex
It is easy to dismiss Jerome Kerviel, the rogue trader at Societe Generale, as a fluke — the perfect storm in a pinstripe suit.
AgeLab Designs Products For Baby Boomers
Joseph F. Coughlin founded AgeLab to unravel a paradox: Humanity in the last century achieved the dream of much longer life, but didn’t plan for the effects on work, health and daily living.
Hunger Strike Ignites Discussions of Racism at MIT
In 2007, MIT garnered attention in an unexpected light — through allegations of racism in its tenure process. An African American associate professor in the Biological Engineering Department charged that racism influenced his tenure denial, prompting his hunger strike, the resignation of an executive director, the withdrawal of an alumnus, and the initiation of an Institute-wide study on underrepresented minority issues.
As Laptop Begins Production, OLPC Faces Competition
The One Laptop Per Child foundation had a momentous year in 2007 as it prepared for beginning production of its long-awaited XO laptop in November. The nonprofit also faced new challenges from for-profit competition: OLPC formed an uneasy relationship with Intel, who announced a competing low-price laptop. In early January 2008, however, the relationship dissolved.
The Institute in National, Local News
When MIT made national and local headlines in 2007, it was largely because of one of many controversies, scandals, and bizarre incidents that may have put a dent in MIT’s reputation. The year saw clashes with the administration and lawsuits, a professor on a hunger strike alleging racism had affected his tenure denial, an admissions dean resigning because she had lied on her resume many years ago, a sodium explosion in the Charles River with MIT widely considered the cause, a sophomore arrested for wearing a harmless LED device to Logan Airport, and a lawsuit filed against the Stata Center’s architect.
From the Editor
As spring semester begins and we return to the daily grind of life at MIT, take this opportunity to look back on the previous year. The Tech provides this special <i>Year in Review</i> issue to highlight some of the major news events of 2007 and share a selection of campus viewpoints. In these pages, you can also rediscover the best of the year’s movies and music and learn more about our community’s excellent student-athletes.
Viewpoints on Sherley’s Hunger Strike, Racism at MIT
<i>The Tech’s</i><b><i> </i></b>opinion section received numerous letters and columns about James L. Sherley’s hunger strike and the larger issues it raised. Presented here are a few excerpts.
Timeline
Feb. 6: At the Cambridge Planning Board’s annual town gown meeting, MIT reveals plans to construct the long-awaited Media Lab expansion; a Sloan School of Management expansion; a new cancer research facility at the corner of Main St. and Ames St.; and a new graduate dormitory, NW35, to be called Ashdown House.