Conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner has been commissioned in part by the MIT List Visual Arts Center to create a mural at Dewey Square Park, writes Malcolm Gay for The Boston Globe. “We hope that the viewers in Boston take away their own individual reading of the mural after seeing it,” said List director Paul Ha.
Dave Gershgorn writes for Popular Science about an algorithm created by MIT and Google researchers that can remove obstructions from photos: “[T]he algorithm detects what obstruction is in the foreground,” writes Gershgorn, “then replaces the space that would be missing, when the foreground and backgrounds layers are separated, with pixels from the other photos.”
“Researchers at MIT and Google have created an algorithm that uses multiple images taken from different angles to separate foreground obstacles from the subject that's in the background,” writes Lucy Perkins for NPR. The algorithm can be used to remove unwanted reflections from photos.
Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times writes about Professor Amy Finkelstein’s survey of low-income Oregonians in which she determined that those given access to Medicaid spent more on healthcare than the uninsured. “There’s overwhelming evidence from our study and others that when you cover people with health insurance, they use more health care,” said Finkelstein.
Rob Britton writes for The Huffington Post about a new paper by Professor Bill Swelbar on the high subsidies provided to several Gulf airlines by their governments: Swelbar argues that “massive subsidies provided to Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, are harming airline service to and from small and medium-sized communities.”
“Researchers at the Camera Culture Group, headed by Ramesh Raskar at the MIT Media Lab, have designed the eyeSelfie, an inexpensive hand-held device for taking a photograph of the retina,” writes Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. Retinal monitoring has been shown to help identify a variety of diseases and risk factors.
Stephanie McFeeters writes for The Boston Globe about the social media campaign #ILookLikeAnEngineer, highlighting the MIT students, faculty and alumni who participated in the trend by posting their photos. The campaign stemmed from the negative response one female engineer received after appearing in an ad campaign for her IT company.
Professor Dina Katabi was among the attendees showcasing startup ideas at the White House’s Demo Day, writes Jessica Geller for BetaBoston. “Demo Day promotes diversity,” said Katabi. “Women and people of different backgrounds are something that I think would be great to add to the startup community.”
Megan Turchi writes for Boston.com about ‘The Good Jobs Score,’ a method for evaluating food retailers based on customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and productivity, developed by Professor Zeynep Ton. Ton hopes “the score will bring attention to some of the drivers of success that are rarely included in annual reports.”
Graduate students Sydney Do and Andrew Owens will debate Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp at a convention celebrating the red planet this month, writes Steve Annear for The Boston Globe: “Do, Owens, and other MIT researchers released a paper in October questioning the Mars One mission design and practicality.”
Erin Baldassari writes for The Cambridge Chronicle about MIT’s plans for six new buildings in Kendall Square. “As a bold new gateway to MIT, Kendall Square opens a new frontier for us to reimagine the relationship between town and gown,” said Hashim Sarkis, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning.
MIT lecturer Neal Hartman writes for Forbes about how to successfully negotiate your salary. Hartman writes that the key to “reaching a successful outcome is preparation.”
A slideshow compiled by Boston.com highlights “some of the faces and places” from MIT’s history. The slideshow features historic images of campus, research projects, sporting and student events, and more.
CNN reporter Lauriel Cleveland writes about the MIT Open Style Lab, which brings students together to design clothing for individuals with disabilities. "Dressing is such a basic and intimate need,” explains MIT graduate and Open Style Lab co-founder Grace Teo. “We hope to restore the independence and dignity of dressing to people with disabilities."
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, in partnership with MIT List Visual Arts Center, announced that conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner has been commissioned to paint the Greenway’s fourth temporary mural, reports Olga Khvan for Boston Magazine. “[Weiner] is known for his typographic works, such as his 2008 ‘Dead Center’ installation at MIT,” Khvan explains.