A giant praying mantis, propelled by freshman Carlos Pinedo, bobbed into Lobby 7 last week, along with other towering figures including the MIT beaver, Popeye the sailor, a Dome hack, a skeleton and others. Associate Professor Dava Newman of aeronautics and astronautics had teams of students in 16.00 (Introduction to Aerospace and Design) design and build 15-to-20-foot lightweight articulated figures that could be "worn" by one person, make it through the Infinite Corridor between Lobby 10 and Lobby 7, and encourage MIT spirit.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on March 21, 2001.
