On Saturday, April 23, the Institute will open its doors to the greater community as all are invited to campus to discover what’s happening under the dome at the MIT Open House. This event is a unique opportunity for students, teachers, alumni, children of all ages, members of the Cambridge community, and visitors coming from around Massachusetts and beyond to see what MIT is all about, up close and personal. With more than 350 activities to choose from, the event will entertain and inspire participants who have a broad spectrum of tastes. “What makes us most proud of the Open House is the level of participation from every area of the Institute,” says Leslie Norford, professor of architecture and co-chair of the Open House Steering Committee. “The passion our community has to share its ideas and work with people of all ages is truly amazing.”
The Open House will begin at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m.; it is free for all attendees and no registration or tickets are required. At the Open House website, individuals can find a zoned map of campus and filter and “favorite” activities. The Open House is open to all: faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to be tourists for a day and explore parts of MIT they do not usually encounter.
The Open House showcases an incredible variety of academic interests, research, and initiatives, not to mention the marvelously diverse, talented, innovative members of the MIT community. Our visitors can choose from activities that are both fun and educational, from measuring the speed of light with chocolate to seeing the future of 3-D-printed ice cream. The adventuresome may use a flight simulator, create simple slime, or steer autonomous robots through a city of rubber ducks, while those with passion for the arts will enjoy musical and theater performances, dancers, and jugglers. In addition, eight distinguished MIT faculty will give open lectures during the day:
- Jeff Hoffman, “The future of human spaceflight — for astronauts and space tourists”;
- Mark Jarzombek, “The new Tech: From Boston to Cambridge”;
- Wolfgang Ketterle, “The coolest use of light: How to make and study the coldest matter in the universe”;
- Eric Lander, “Secrets of the human genome”;
- Robert Langer, “Biomaterials and how they will change our lives”;
- Nergis Mavalvala, “Detection of gravitational waves: A hundred-year journey”;
- Robert Merton, “On the role of financial innovation and finance science in global economic growth and development”; and
- Maria Zuber, “Human expedition to Mars.”
Programmed activities include topics in math, science, history, philosophy, culture, engineering, music, literature, and art and design, presented in mediums both traditional and cutting-edge. Elizabeth Cogliano Young, associate dean for advising and new student programming and Open House Steering Committee co-chair, comments, “We are looking forward to welcoming a large crowd of friends, family, and neighbors to the Open House. Through the sheer breadth of activities developed by the creative and generous people of MIT, we hope that our guests will develop an understanding of how the work done here is relevant to their daily lives — and the future of our world.”
Complete information about the Open House, including event locations and times, transportation, parking, and food concessions, is available online. The 2016 Open House is presented in conjunction with the Cambridge Science Festival (April 15-24) and is part of MIT’s Celebrating a Century in Cambridge program, which runs February 29 to June 4. Contact openhouse@mit.edu.
