Mayors proclaim Kahlil Gibran Day
The Lebanese Club @ MIT hosted artist Michel El-Ashkar in his internationally acclaimed monodrama, "A Child of Life," a theatrical dramatic interpretation in English that chronicles highlights of the life of the Lebanese-American poet and artist, Kahlil Gibran.
Acting on a request by Loai Naamani, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering and president of the Lebanese Club @ MIT, the mayors of Boston and Cambridge joined the mayors of nine other cities in the United States in proclaiming an official "Kahlil Gibran Day." In his official proclamation, Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston said, "I shall call upon our citizenry to observe this day [Sept. 18] with deepest admiration and respect and to acknowledge the contribution of Lebanese immigrants and the significance of Khalil Gibran's legacy to our literary heritage."
Boston resident Kahlil Gibran, the 82-year-old godson, cousin and namesake of the famous poet, was guest of honor at the event in Kresge Auditorium.
For its "Libanissimo III" last year, the Lebanese Club was recognized as the MIT club with the "Best Program of the Year."
Students attend workshop in Germany
Ten graduate students attended a workshop in Ludwigshafen, Germany, Oct. 6 to 9 at the BASF chemical company as part of the MIT-Germany Program. The company provided lectures, plant tours and management training on the theme of "Nanotechnology: a Challenge for the Chemical Industry."
The characterization and targeted manufacture of nanoparticles and the production of nanostructured surfaces are important applications for the chemical industry. BASF scientists are working as part of national and international teams to establish a database to evaluate the opportunities and potential threats of nanotechnology. Presentations at the workshop addressed the scientific aspects of nanotechnology as well as the potential for entrepreneurship.
"The workshop is intended as a means of forging closer ties with the young scientists emerging from this top university," said Marcos Gomez of BASF's university relations and research planning department.
MIT students in chemistry, biochemistry and engineering whose postgraduate research takes them into areas linked to BASF's own research interests attended, along with 10 participants from prestigious European universities.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 27, 2004 (download PDF).
