The Tech calls on students to take strong action to combat sexual assault, following the results of a survey examining sexual misconduct at MIT. “To quote President Reif, sexual assault ‘has no place here’,” writes The Tech. “But if the entire effort is to have a chance at success, students cannot opt out of this conversation — and that’s on us.”
TIME reporter Michael D. Lemonick writes about Professor Richard Binzel’s commentary in Nature that proposes an alternative to NASA’s current plans to capture and examine a small asteroid. Binzel suggests that scientists identify Nearth-Earth asteroids, and then send astronauts out to match their orbit and examine the asteroids.
Alexandre Stipanovich writes for The Huffington Post about Professor Earl Miller’s research into understanding consciousness. "Some parts of consciousness are very subjective, but the most objective thing about conscious thoughts is that it is a limited capacity,” explains Miller.
The Dalai Lama will speak at MIT Friday, reports Philip Marcelo for the Associated Press. The Dalai Lama will participate in panel discussions focused on how individual actions can help address global warming, food security and other global challenges.
Meera Senthilingam writes for CNN about “Underworlds,” a new project aimed at collecting information about microbes in a city’s sewers and predicting epidemics. "We will be able to monitor the microbiome individually, and tell you about your body," says Professor Carlo Ratti, "to monitor and detect this before you fall sick."
Writing for The Boston Globe, MIT President L. Rafael Reif reflects on the life and legacy of long-time Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. “I came to see him as a natural leader, always able to attract people who could make a difference in causes that mattered,” writes Reif.
Amina Khan writes for The Los Angeles Times about Professor Richard Binzel’s opposition to NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). According to Binzel, the Obama administration “should abandon the ARM mission concept and make an asteroid survey its top priority to provide a basis for future crewed missions."
Carey Goldberg of WBUR speaks with Professor Emery Brown about an implantable chip that could help those with PTSD or depression. “We’re moving out of the box,” says Brown. “We’re not just saying, ‘Let’s rely on the drugs’ anymore.”
WBUR reporter Erin Trahan writes about ListenTree, a project created by MIT graduate students Edwina Portocarrero and Gershon Dublon. The tree “conducts sound vibration from a hidden, remote device. Passersby must press their ears to any part of the trunk or branches to hear the broadcast by way of bone conduction.”
Salon reporter Allegra Kirkland reports on a study co-authored by MIT Professor Chris Warshaw that examined the political leanings of cities across America. The researchers found that “ideology has tangible effects on policy at the municipal level,” Kirkland writes.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, writes about MIT bioengineer Dr. Aaron Meyer, a recipient of the NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards. The award will fund Meyer's chemotherapy resistance research into identifying “better targets for future cancer therapies.”
Howard Husock writes for Forbes about Khan Academy, a platform created by MIT alumnus Salman Khan that hosts free courses online. “Our goal is for Khan Academy’s software and content to be the best possible learning experience and for it to be for everyone, for free, forever,” said Khan.
A system developed by Prof. Alfredo Alexander-Katz allows microscopic devices to navigate a cell’s surface, reports Alissa Zhu for Popular Science. “Doctors could use them to provide real-time updates on internal structures or distribute drugs to specific targets within a body.”
Julie Lee writes for The Huffington Post about a recent study conducted by the MIT AgeLab and The Hartford Financial Services Group to determine the top technologies for drivers over 50. “The study looked at how well technologies meet the unique needs, concerns and priorities of experienced drivers,” Lee writes.
Professors Thomas Allen and Rory O’Shea write for Bloomberg Businessweek about the ways in which other institutions can imitate MIT’s success in spurring innovation. At MIT “[s]tudents learn to experiment, take risks, tolerate failure, and strive to overcome obstacles,” they write.