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3 Questions: Renaud Fournier on transforming MIT’s digital landscape

January 16, 2024

Renaud Fournier SM ’95 joined the Institute in September 2023 in the newly established role of chief officer for business and digital transformation and is leading a team focused on simplifying business operations and systems for the MIT community. Fournier has extensive experience implementing systems and solving data challenges, both in higher education and the […]

3 Questions: Implementing the MIT Graduate Student Union’s collective bargaining agreement

January 16, 2024

When eligible MIT graduate students voted to be represented by a union in April 2022, the decision set in motion significant changes in the graduate student ecosystem at the Institute. Moving forward, graduate students in the Graduate Student Union (GSU)’s bargaining unit — about 3,500 research assistants, teaching assistants, and instructors-G — will be represented […]

This nonprofit is proving that creating good jobs is good business

January 12, 2024

There’s a widely held belief that in order for places like retail stores, restaurants, and fulfillment centers to be successful, they need to squeeze everything they can out of frontline workers and offer as little in return as possible. This extends beyond offering low pay to include irregular schedules, minimal benefits, no real career paths, […]

Michael John Gorman named MIT Museum director

January 11, 2024

MIT has appointed Michael John Gorman the Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director of the recently re-imagined MIT Museum. Gorman replaces longtime museum director John Durant, who stepped down in 2023. Originally from Ireland, Gorman is the founding director of BIOTOPIA – Naturkundemuseum Bayern in Munich, Germany, a newly established innovative center and museum […]

Three honored with 2023 School of Science teaching prizes

January 10, 2024

The MIT School of Science has announced the winners of its 2023 Teaching Prizes for Graduate and Undergraduate Education. The prizes are awarded to School of Science faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching. Winners are chosen from nominations by their students or colleagues. Roger Levy, a professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive […]

Juana De La O: Food for thought

January 10, 2024

MIT graduate student Juana De La O describes herself as a food-motivated organism, so it’s no surprise that she reaches for food and baking analogies when she’s discussing her thesis work in the lab of undergraduate officer and professor of biology Adam Martin.  Consider the formative stages of a croissant, she offers, occasionally providing homemade […]

Food for thought

January 10, 2024

MIT graduate student Juana De La O describes herself as a food-motivated organism, so it’s no surprise that she reaches for food and baking analogies when she’s discussing her thesis work in the lab of undergraduate officer and professor of biology Adam Martin.  Consider the formative stages of a croissant, she offers, occasionally providing homemade […]

Richard Wiesman, professor of the practice in mechanical engineering, dies at age 69

January 10, 2024

Richard M. Wiesman ’76, SM ’76, PhD ’83, a professor of the practice in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), died on Sunday, Jan. 7. He was 69.  A technology innovator and leader who saw many complex engineering systems reach the marketplace, Wiesman’s work spanned from laboratory development to field deployment. His broad skills […]

The future of motorcycles could be hydrogen

January 10, 2024

MIT’s Electric Vehicle Team, which has a long record of building and racing innovative electric vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, in international professional-level competitions, is trying something very different this year: The team is building a hydrogen-powered electric motorcycle, using a fuel cell system, as a testbed for new hydrogen-based transportation. The motorcycle successfully underwent […]

3 Questions: A new home for music at MIT

January 9, 2024

More than 1,500 students enroll in music classes each year at MIT. More than 500 student musicians participate in one of 30 on-campus ensembles. In spring 2025, to better provide for its thriving musical program, MIT will inaugurate its new music building, a 35,000-square-foot three-volume facility adjacent to Kresge Auditorium. The new building will feature […]

Inclusive research for social change

January 4, 2024

Pair a decades-old program dedicated to creating research opportunities for underrepresented minorities and populations with a growing initiative committed to tackling the very issues at the heart of such disparities, and you’ll get a transformative partnership that only MIT can deliver.  Since 1986, the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) has led an institutional effort to […]

MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Inventors for 2023

January 3, 2024

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recently announced the election of more than 160 individuals to their 2023 class of fellows. Among them are two members of the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Professor Daniel G. Anderson and Principal Research Scientist Ana Jaklenec. In addition, 11 MIT alumni were also recognized. The highest professional […]

Positive Procrastination

January 3, 2024

I think procrastination gets a bad rep.  It’s something you’re meant to grow out of and certainly, as a busy graduate student, there’s no time to procrastinate. Well, I think procrastination is really misunderstood and should not have an immediate negative connotation.  When you don’t feel like doing something, there is often a reason why. […]

Culturally informed design: Unearthing ingenuity where it always was

January 2, 2024

Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar, an MIT PhD student in both media arts and sciences and art, culture, and technology (ACT), explores how technology and culture intersect in spaces often overlooked by mainstream society, stretching beyond the usual scope of design research. A former lecturer and researcher at MIT D-Lab with experience in robotics, Reynolds-Cuéllar is an ACT […]

The creative future of generative AI

January 2, 2024

Few technologies have shown as much potential to shape our future as artificial intelligence. Specialists in fields ranging from medicine to microfinance to the military are evaluating AI tools, exploring how these might transform their work and worlds. For creative professionals, AI poses a unique set of challenges and opportunities — particularly generative AI, the […]

Leveraging language to understand machines

December 22, 2023

Natural language conveys ideas, actions, information, and intent through context and syntax; further, there are volumes of it contained in databases. This makes it an excellent source of data to train machine-learning systems on. Two master’s of engineering students in the 6A MEng Thesis Program at MIT, Irene Terpstra ’23 and Rujul Gandhi ’22, are […]

Winter break activities & connections

December 22, 2023

Note: If you need support while the Institute is closed, please don’t hesitate to use these resources. Free or discounted tickets to museums and arts events Take some time to feed your soul! MITAC (MIT Activities Committee) and Arts Access offer discounted tickets to concerts, museums, theater performances, ski lift tickets, and more.  Your local […]

Need support while OGE is closed for the winter break?

December 22, 2023

The Institute is closed from December 25-January 1, but there are still resources available if you need help! Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the people below. Searching for social connection or things to do? Take a look at this article for free or affordable ideas, tailored for you as a graduate student. […]

MIT community in 2023: A year in review

December 21, 2023

The year 2023 saw the turning of a new page for MIT, as the Institute welcomed its 18th president. MIT also saw the opening of new and renovated spaces, launched a new “Dialogues Across Difference” speaker series, and celebrated a Nobel Prize, Turing Award, National Medals of Technology and Science, and many more honors for […]

Minicourse open to the MIT community gives context to the Middle East crisis

December 21, 2023

MIT community members can learn more about the Israel-Hamas conflict through a recently developed online course organized by Middle East and North Africa (MENA)/MIT at MIT’s Center for International Studies. The three-session course, titled “Israel, Palestine, Gaza before and after October 7: Understanding historical context and contrasting narratives,” was first held between Nov. 29 and […]

A flexible solution to help artists improve animation

December 20, 2023

Artists who bring to life heroes and villains in animated movies and video games could have more control over their animations, thanks to a new technique introduced by MIT researchers. Their method generates mathematical functions known as barycentric coordinates, which define how 2D and 3D shapes can bend, stretch, and move through space. For example, […]

Navy officer deepens her engineering and leadership skills at MIT

December 19, 2023

Trained to be a leader even as a child, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Asia Allison is acquiring a new level of expertise as a graduate student at MIT — and a new approach to technical leadership in the Daniel J. Riccio Graduate Engineering Leadership (GradEL) program. “The Navy has a need for engineering leaders,” Allison says. […]

“MIT can give you ‘superpowers’”

December 15, 2023

Speaking at the virtual MITx MicroMasters Program Joint Completion Celebration last summer, Diogo da Silva Branco Magalhães described watching a Spider-Man movie with his 8-year-old son and realizing that his son thought MIT was a fictional entity that existed only in the Marvel universe. “I had to tell him that MIT also exists in the […]

Hearing Amazônia: MIT musicians in Manaus, Brazil

December 14, 2023

On Dec. 13, the MIT community came together for the premiere of “We Are The Forest,” a documentary by MIT Video Productions that tells the story of the MIT musicians who traveled to the Brazilian Amazon seeking culture and scientific exchange. The film features performances by Djuena Tikuna, Luciana Souza, Anat Cohen, and Evan Ziporyn, with […]

How to make an apartment a home

December 14, 2023

So you’ve just survived the Boston housing process and signed a lease on a cozy new apartment. Now what? While moving can feel like a daunting task at first, it really isn’t as bad as it seems. Take it from someone who’s moved 8 times within the past 5 years. Whether it was for school, […]

Have something to say or share? Then blog about it!

Have something to say or share? Then blog about it!

December 14, 2023

Hi MIT Grads! The MIT Graduate Admissions Blog is excited to announce its upcoming IAP workshop on blog writing. In brief, Attend a 2-day blogging workshop: January 17th and 19th, 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 […]

Three MIT students selected as inaugural MIT-Pillar AI Collective Fellows

December 13, 2023

MIT-Pillar AI Collective has announced three inaugural fellows for the fall 2023 semester. With support from the program, the graduate students, who are in their final year of a master’s or PhD program, will conduct research in the areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science with the aim of commercializing their innovations. Launched […]

Angela Belcher delivers 2023 Dresselhaus Lecture on evolving organisms for new nanomaterials

December 13, 2023

“How do we get to making nanomaterials that haven’t been evolved before?” asked Angela Belcher at the 2023 Mildred S. Dresselhaus Lecture at MIT on Nov. 20. “We can use elements that biology has already given us.” The combined in-person and virtual audience of over 300 was treated to a light-up, 3D model of M13 […]

Leaves, accommodations, and time off

December 12, 2023

Please see the pages in this section for more information about Childbirth Accommodation and Parental Accommodation; Leave for US National Service; Medical leave; and Personal leave. The summary below helps graduate students understand their eligibility for various types of academic and employment leaves, accommodations, and other time off. Specifically, the information below provides a high-level […]

MIT campus goals in food, water, waste support decarbonization efforts

December 12, 2023

With the launch of Fast Forward: MIT’s Climate Action Plan for the Decade, the Institute committed to decarbonize campus operations by 2050 — an effort that touches on every corner of MIT, from building energy use to procurement and waste. At the operational level, the plan called for establishing a set of quantitative climate impact […]

MIT Generative AI Week fosters dialogue across disciplines

December 11, 2023

In late November, faculty, staff, and students from across MIT participated in MIT Generative AI Week. The programming included a flagship full-day symposium as well as four subject-specific symposia, all aimed at fostering a dialogue about the opportunities and potential applications of generative artificial intelligence technologies across a diverse range of disciplines. “These events are […]

Two from MIT named 2024 Marshall Scholars

December 11, 2023

Anushree Chaudhuri and Rupert Li have won Marshall Scholarships, a prestigious British government-funded fellowship that offers exceptional American students the opportunity to pursue several years of graduate study in any field at any university in the United Kingdom. Up to 50 scholarships are awarded each year by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission. The students were […]

Miranda McClellan ’18, MEng ’19 awarded 2025 Schwarzman Scholarship

December 8, 2023

MIT alumna Miranda McClellan ’18, MEng ’19 has been named a 2025 Schwarzman Scholar. In August 2024, she will join the program’s 150 scholars arriving from 43 countries and 114 universities from around the world. The Class of 2025 Scholars were selected from a pool of over 4,000 applicants. They will attend a one-year fully […]

Building a better indoor herb garden

December 7, 2023

Randall Briggs ’09, SM ’18 didn’t set out to build indoor gardens when he arrived at MIT. The winner of the 2010 2.007 robot competition class, he was excited to work on designing fighter planes one day. But in 2016, halfway through his studies for his master’s degree in mechanical engineering, Briggs’s father passed away […]

From MIT to Singapore and back: Delivering knowledge and advancing careers in finance

December 7, 2023

Both sections of MIT class 15.433 (Financial Markets), taught this fall by visiting associate professor of finance Hong Ru MFin ’10, PhD ’15 at the MIT Sloan School of Management, include over 100 students from the master of finance program. However, when he joined the program’s inaugural class just over a decade ago, this number […]

Hungry for knowledge (and bananas)

December 6, 2023

I have officially been a student at MIT for a month, and in that time, I have juggled the role of an environmental researcher, new Boston tourist, and campus explorer, all while adjusting to the life of a first-year graduate student. Journey with me as I discover the hidden “quirks” of MIT that help foster […]