In the Media

"America’s top young economist will be honored on Friday with the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark medal." - MIT's Amy Finkelstein is considered a front-runner.

“This will be a huge increase in the take home pay for Massachusetts workers if we can get health care costs under control.” - MIT's John Gruber

"The Obama administration is expected to announce a broad plan on Thursday to foster development of the nation’s 'bioeconomy,' including the use of renewable resources and biological manufacturing methods."

"Massachusetts Institute of Technology students have embraced a new school initiative to produce short videos teaching youngsters in kindergarten to 12th grade basic concepts in science and engineering. And they’ve done it with panache."

"Governor Deval Patrick is establishing a Council for Innovation as part of an ongoing effort to use new technologies to find cost efficiencies in the delivery of government services, his office said Wednesday."

“The share of total income going to the top 1 per cent of income earners has increased dramatically, from 9 per cent in 1970 to 23.5 per cent in 2007, the highest level on record since 1928 and much higher than in European countries or Japan today. Meanwhile, the top tax rate has fallen by half, from 70 per cent to 35 per cent.”

"He argues that a tax hike is necessary to pay for Social Security and especially Medicare, which is projected to become significantly more expensive in the coming decade." - MIT's Simon Johnson is a guest on NPR's Planet Money.

"A computerized essay reader 'doesn’t care if you say the War of 1812 started in 1945', criticizes one reviewer." - MIT's Les Perelman weighs in on automated grading.

"It may just be a matter of time before we turn over control of our cars to robot intelligence. But before we do, we may have to give each vehicle a voice, eyes, body language, and even an avatar." - Work by MIT's Nicholas Pennycooke is discussed.

"You wouldn’t expect anybody at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to go looking for a less powerful computer. But there is an effort afoot at the university’s Sloan School of Management to move faculty and staff away from full-fledged desktop computers and onto dumber, network-based devices known as thin clients."

"She (MIT's Sherry Turkle) argues, though, that the tiny 'sips' of contact through social networking 'no matter how valuable ... do not substitute for conversation.'"

"We have seen a rash of essays and articles in the mainstream press recently that take a somewhat scare-mongering tone toward social networks and digital communication of various kinds."

"Hackers turned MIT’s Green Building into a giant playable game of Tetris late last week. Calling it 'the Holy Grail of hacks,' the IHTFP Hack Gallery has the deets."

"Nearly 12 million Americans create or modify products they use at home, according to our research. But the vast majority – more than 90 percent – will never get a patent on their innovations. So what motivates them?"

"Mr. Perelman tested the e-Rater and found that 'the automated reader can be easily gamed, is vulnerable to test prep, sets a very limited and rigid standard for what good writing is, and will pressure teachers to dumb down writing instruction.'”