A bright and airy hub for climate at MIT
Seen from a distance, MIT’s Cecil and Ida Green Building (Building 54) — designed by renowned architect and MIT alumnus I.M. Pei ’40 — is one of the most iconic buildings on the Cambridge, Massachusetts, skyline. Home to the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), the 21-story concrete structure soars over campus, […]
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences welcomes nine new faculty
Dean Agustín Rayo and the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences recently welcomed nine new professors to the MIT community. They arrive with diverse backgrounds and vast knowledge in their areas of research. Sonya Atalay joins the Anthropology Section as a professor. She is a public anthropologist and archaeologist who studies Indigenous science protocols, […]
From large labs to small teams, mentorship thrives
Each year, new MIT graduate students are tasked with the momentous decision of choosing a research group that will serve as their home for the next several years. Among many questions they face: join an established research effort, or work with a new faculty member in a growing group? Professors Cynthia Breazeal, leading a group […]
Across the pond to scale new heights
Nathanael Jenkins had always wanted to study aerospace engineering, he just hadn’t quite found the right place for it. He had explored options close to his home in Hampshire, U.K., but had never considered studying in the United States. That changed when a family vacation brought him to the MIT campus in 2018. “MIT felt […]
When learning at MIT means studying thousands of miles away
This summer, a group of MIT students traveled to Sicily’s southeastern coast to learn about threats to local communities related to sea level rise. They visited ancient archeological sites that are in danger of being wiped out, and worked with local college students on preservation and adaptation techniques. This past January, another group of MIT […]
The First ‘Hello’: Bridging Worlds in a Symphony of Minds
Walking through the iconic corridors of MIT, I am constantly reminded of the sheer brilliance that surrounds me. Here, every corner seems to buzz with the promise of innovation and breakthrough. Yet, amidst this symphony of intellect, a silent beat throbs—the universal quest for connection. Since the day I received my offer letter, I had […]
Cynthia Breazeal
Cynthia Breazeal is a published author, international award winner, entrepreneur, and thought leader. Even so, some might argue that her most significant achievements lie in her extensive track record of mentorship and teaching, particularly her dedication to her research group. Breazeal is a professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, where she founded and […]
Ming Guo
When Professor Ming Guo first set foot in Cambridge in 2007, fresh from earning his bachelor’s degree at Tsinghua University in China, he could hardly have imagined that he would one day become a professor at MIT. Today, Guo is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, celebrated not only for his groundbreaking research but also […]
Balancing economic development with natural resources protection
It’s one of the paradoxes of economic development: Many countries currently offer large subsidies to their industrial fishing fleets, even though the harms of overfishing are well-known. Governments might be willing to end this practice, if they saw that its costs outweighed its benefits. But each country, acting individually, faces an incentive to keep subsidies […]
Sharikka Finley-Moise
Monday: 3-136Tuesday: RemoteWednesday: RemoteThursday: 3-136Friday: Remote I can help you with academic and personal challenges, advisor concerns, health and/or mental health issues, and medical leave. A fun fact about me is that I am a huge music buff and have tons of facts to share about all genres of music!
Mission directors announced for the Climate Project at MIT
The Climate Project at MIT has appointed leaders for each of its six focal areas, or Climate Missions, President Sally Kornbluth announced in a letter to the MIT community today. Introduced in February, the Climate Project at MIT is a major new effort to change the trajectory of global climate outcomes for the better over […]
Three MIT professors named 2024 Vannevar Bush Fellows
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has announced three MIT professors among the members of the 2024 class of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF). The fellowship is the DoD’s flagship single-investigator award for research, inviting the nation’s most talented researchers to pursue ambitious ideas that defy conventional boundaries. Domitilla Del Vecchio, professor of mechanical […]
MIT affiliates named 2024 HHMI Investigators
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) today announced its 2024 investigators, four of whom hail from the School of Science at MIT: Steven Flavell, Mary Gehring, Mehrad Jazayeri, and Gene-Wei Li. Four others with MIT ties were also honored: Jonathan Abraham, graduate of the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program; Dmitriy Aronov PhD ’10; Vijay Sankaran, graduate of the Harvard/MIT […]
Money matters: Part 1
Financial stress is often assumed to be an unavoidable part of the graduate student experience. But does it have to be that way? With a bit of planning and discipline, I have been able to save up enough money to pay off my undergraduate student loans, fund a retirement account, buy a new phone, and […]
“The dance between autonomy and affinity creates morality”
MIT philosophy doctoral student Abe Mathew believes individual rights play an important role in protecting the autonomy we value. But he also thinks we risk serious dysfunction if we ignore the importance of supporting and helping others. “We should also acknowledge another feature of our moral lives,” he says, “namely, our need for affinity or […]
Math program promotes global community for at-risk Ukrainian high schoolers
When Sophia Breslavets first heard about Yulia’s Dream, the MIT Department of Mathematics’ Program for Research in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (PRIMES) for Ukrainian students, Russia had just invaded her country, and she and her family lived in a town 20 miles from the Russian border. Breslavets had attended a school that emphasized mathematics and physics, took math […]
Collaborative effort supports an MIT resilient to the impacts of extreme heat
Warmer weather can be a welcome change for many across the MIT community. But as climate impacts intensify, warm days are often becoming hot days with increased severity and frequency. Already this summer, heat waves in June and July brought daily highs of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Resilient Cambridge report published in 2021, […]
Graduate appointments: RA, TA, IG
Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), and Instructor-G (IG) appointments are often part of a graduate student’s financial support. Full details about these funding types are available under Graduate appointments. Only full-time graduate students who are candidates for advanced degrees may be appointed. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all teaching assistants […]
Machine learning and the microscope
With recent advances in imaging, genomics and other technologies, the life sciences are awash in data. If a biologist is studying cells taken from the brain tissue of Alzheimer’s patients, for example, there could be any number of characteristics they want to investigate — a cell’s type, the genes it’s expressing, its location within the tissue, […]
2024 MIT Inclusive Pathways to the PhD Summit Agenda
Agenda for the 2024 MIT Inclusive Pathways to the PhD Summit Agenda details are subject to change. July 30, 2024 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Welcome dinner and networking mixer Location: Row 34 restaurantHosted by Denzil Streete, Senior Associate Dean, Office of Graduate Education July 31, 2024 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: BreakfastLocation: MIT Museum Sharp […]
Community members receive 2024 MIT Excellence Awards, Collier Medal, and Staff Award for Distinction in Service
On Wednesday, June 5, 13 individuals and four teams were awarded MIT Excellence Awards — the highest awards for staff at the Institute. Colleagues holding signs, waving pompoms, and cheering gathered in Kresge Auditorium to show their support for the honorees. In addition to the Excellence Awards, staff members were honored with the Collier Medal, […]
Talking to myself through a reverse to-do list
Communication is the most important skill I have developed in grad school. The types of communication we usually think about are technical and interpersonal communication, such as publishing and presenting your research, or communicating with your advisor. However, one type of communication I overlooked in my first year was communicating to myself. As a first […]
Investigating the past to see technology’s future
The MIT Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) recently organized and hosted a two-day symposium, The History of Technology: Past, Present, and Future. The symposium was held June 7-8 at MIT’s Wong Auditorium, and featured scholars from a variety of institutions with expertise in the history of technology. Each presented their ideas about the […]
Table: Grad student leaves, accommodations, & time away
The summary below helps graduate students understand their eligibility for various types of academic and employment leaves, accommodations, and other time away. Specifically, the information below provides a high-level snapshot of this eligibility based upon appointment/funding status. Click on each appointment/funding status to view eligibility for leaves, accommodations, and other time off from academics and […]
A photographic ode to Cambridge and Boston
Sunsets over the Charles River have my heart ❤️ What is home for you? Everyone has a different concept of home. For some people, a space enclosed by four walls in which they live is home, and for some it is a certain city or town. People like me who have traveled across the globe […]
Studying astrophysically relevant plasma physics
Thomas Varnish loves his hobbies — knitting, baking, pottery — it’s a long list. His latest interest is analog film photography. A picture with his mother and another with his boyfriend are just a few of Varnish’s favorites. “These moments of human connection are the ones I like,” he says. Varnish’s love of capturing a […]
Signal processing: How did we get to where we’re going?
On May 24, Ford Professor of Engineering Al Oppenheim addressed a standing-room-only audience at MIT to give the talk of a lifetime. Entitled “Signal Processing: How Did We Get to Where We’re Going?”, Oppenheim’s personal account of his involvement in the early years of the digital signal processing field included a photo retrospective — and […]
Summer 2024 recommended reading from MIT
MIT faculty and staff authors have published a plethora of books, chapters, and other literary contributions in the past year. The following titles represent some of their works published in the past 12 months. Looking for more literary works from the MIT community? Enjoy our book lists from 2023, 2022, and 2021. Happy reading! Novel, […]
The rules of the game
At the core of Raymond Wang’s work lies a seemingly simple question: Can’t we just get along? Wang, a fifth-year political science graduate student, is a native of Hong Kong who witnessed firsthand the shakeup and conflict engendered by China’s takeover of the former British colony. “That type of experience makes you wonder why things […]
Pioneering the future of materials extraction
The next time you cook pasta, imagine that you are cooking spaghetti, rigatoni, and seven other varieties all together, and they need to be separated onto 10 different plates before serving. A colander can remove the water — but you still have a mound of unsorted noodles. Now imagine that this had to be done for […]
Erik Lin-Greenberg
“He has encouraged me when I’ve been struggling; he’s cajoled me when I’ve needed motivation,” praised one of Erik Lin-Greenberg’s nominators. “He’s guided me through the paper publication process and lifted me up as a coauthor.” Lin-Greenberg is the Leo Marx Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. His research examines how […]
Tracy Slatyer
“While professors at MIT are known for being world-class researchers, and many are stellar lecturers, mentors, or great contributors to their community, I can’t say I know many who are all of the above,” begins a nomination letter. “However, Tracy Slatyer is one such professor, and that is why we are nominating them for this […]
“Rollerama” roller rink opens in Kendall Square
The former U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Volpe Center site — now named “Kendall Common” in anticipation of its transformation into a vibrant mixed-use development — is now activated and open to all this summer. “Rollerama at Kendall Common” offers free roller-skating and roller skate rentals, community programming, and family-friendly events through September. “We are extremely excited […]
Have something to say or share? Then blog about it!
Hi MIT Grads! The MIT Grad Blog is excited to announce its upcoming August workshop on blog writing. In brief, Attend a 2-day blogging workshop: August 20th and 22nd, 11am-1pm. Write one blog submission Earn $100 upon completion of post Continue writing for the blog and earn $100 per piece Your work will be eligible for […]
From group stretches to “Hitting Roman,” MIT Motorsports traditions live on
While siblings Kevin Chan ’17 and rising senior Monica Chan may be seven years apart in age, as Monica Chan puts it, “we’re eight grades apart, so, like, eight life-years apart.” Despite this age gap — Kevin left for college when Monica was in fifth grade — the siblings share remarkably similar experiences and interests. Both led subteams […]
Two MIT films nominated for New England Emmy Awards
Two films produced by MIT were honored with Emmy nominations by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Boston/New England Chapter. Both “We Are the Forest” and “No Drop to Spare” illustrate international conversations the MIT community is having about the environment and climate change. “We Are the Forest,” produced by MIT Video Productions (MVP) […]
