Geoffrey Pullum writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education about the re-release and 50th anniversary of Professor Noam Chomsky’s book “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.” “Every page presents bold new ideas and strikingly original insights; every section inspired new research programs,” Pullum writes.
Alan Neuhauser of U.S. News & World Report writes about a new report by researchers from MIT, the EPA and other institutions that examines the costs of climate change and the economic benefits of climate action. The report “asserts that restraining global warming to 2 degrees Celsius…will save close to a trillion dollars by 2100.”
A new report by researchers from MIT and the EPA quantifies the impacts of climate change on the U.S. economy, reports Coral Davenport for The New York Times. The report found that the U.S. may face “up to $180 billion in economic losses because of drought and water shortages.”
Financial Times reporter Rebecca Knight discusses MIT Sloan’s Master of Finance program and how to be a successful asset manager with Senior Lecturer Gita Rao. “It takes an incredible focus,” says Rao. “You have to be very decisive [and] you have to be an independent thinker.”
MIT researchers were able to reverse depression-like behavior by reactivating happy memories, writes Carolyn Gregorie for The Huffington Post. Graduate student and lead author Steve Ramirez “hopes that scientists will one day find a way to prevent depressive symptoms from occurring in the first place.”
The Economist reviews Prof. Marcia Bartusiak’s new book, “Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved.” “Ms Bartusiak weaves scientific concepts to create a portrait of the scientific institution itself, showing how its norms and personalities served to shape the path taken by the idea.”
In this video, CNN examines a new printable origami robot developed by MIT researchers that can dissolve in a variety of liquids. CNN explains that the researchers hope that the robot could one day be used to perform medical tasks inside the human body.
Senior lecturer Trond Undheim writes for WBUR’s Cognoscenti about how parenting has prepared him for being an entrepreneur. “As a parent, I often find myself laying down rules and setting expectations, only to end up questioning many of my previously held assumptions. I go through the same process as an entrepreneur,” Undheim explains.
Boston Globe reporter Eryn Carlson writes about MIT visiting artist Anicka Yi’s exhibition, “6,070,430K of Digital Spit,” on display at the List Visual Arts Center. Yi explains that she wants the exhibit, “to be a totally encompassing experience, engaging the senses of taste, sight, smell, hearing.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Gautim Naik interviews Professor Kerry Emanuel about Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change. “The Pope more or less gets it right on the science,” said Emanuel. “But what struck me was his linking of environmental degradation to cultural, political and social decline.”
Professor Susumu Tonegawa’s research group has found that artificially stimulating positive memories can ease depression, reports Jonathan Webb for BBC News. Webb explains that the research “demonstrates the power of rekindling happy memories.”
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Chris Jacobs writes about a study co-authored by Prof. Amy Finkelstein that examines the utility and efficiency of Medicaid coverage. The study “found that beneficiaries valued Medicaid at 20 cents to 40 cents on the dollar,” writes Jacobs.
MIT will be collaborating with the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation to examine teacher and school leadership education, reports Jacqueline Thomsen for Inside Higher Ed. “The research will be part of a new institute at MIT, called the MIT PK-12 Initiative, which will provide support to STEM teachers in all levels of K-12 education."
NPR reporter Claudio Sanchez reports on the new collaboration between MIT and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation aimed at helping teachers use new technologies in the classroom. Sanchez explains that MIT researchers will focus on conducting studies to “guide the new curriculum and develop technologies focused on digital learning.”
Washington Post reporter Matt McFarland writes that researchers in the CityFARM group, which is devoted to developing scalable urban farming systems, hope to start an open-source movement for vertical farming. Caleb Harper, founder of CityFARM, explains that his focus “is on getting the tools out there.”