Each year during the month of January at MIT, a special collection of activities and opportunities appears across the Institute. It’s a time when the rigors of academia take a back seat, and relaxed but impassioned creativity takes the lead. This is the Independent Activities Period (IAP).
IAP is a four-week term that provides members of the MIT community with a unique opportunity to organize, sponsor, and participate in a wide variety of activities, including how-to sessions, hands-on projects, lecture series, films, tours, and recitals. Subjects span the gamut, from basket weaving, enameling, and designing bicycle frames out of bamboo to learning how to code, write poetry, or edit Wikipedia. All members of the MIT community are encouraged to lead offerings in which they can share a particular talent, interest, or area of expertise with others at the Institute.
Activities change from year to year — this video highlights projects from 2016 — but the outcome is always the same: IAP offers the chance to experience something new and learn about one's fellow students, colleagues, and friends.
Video by: Melanie Gonick/MIT News | 2 min 28 sec
