WCBV reporter Sharman Sacchetti spotlights U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s visit to MIT.nano. “Investing in chip manufacturing and supply chain domestically will allow us to make more goods in America, which will bring down inflation,” said Raimondo of the importance of boosting domestic manufacturing of semiconductors.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala MCP ’78, PhD ’81, director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), will address the Class of 2022 at MIT’s Commencement exercises, reports the AP. Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, noted that: “From the warm and caring welcome of the International Students Office on my first day of graduate school in 1976, to my tough but equally caring doctoral dissertation committee that propelled me to graduation in 1981, my memories of my time at MIT are spectacularly positive.”
Hashim Sarkis, dean of the School of Architecture and Planning, speaks with AP reporter Colleen Barry about the Venice Biennale for architecture, which was postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sarkis, who is serving as the curator, notes that he used the extra year to expand the show to seven sections “to deepen the discussion about architecture and its vital role in today’s society.”
The MIT Museum is hosting a virtual movie night on April 24, during which participants can join “other Mars and Matt Damon enthusiasts to view The Martian, followed by an online conversation with MIT researchers who’ve worked on real Mars missions,” reports The Boston Globe.
The MIT List Visual Arts Center is hosting the Max Wasserman Forum: Another World, which features “two prerecorded panel discussions that’ll touch upon subjects pertaining to art in the digital realm,” reports Magdiela Matta for WBUR. “This event will leave you thinking more critically about moving toward a future where there’s a world of endless possibilities in how we present media,” Matta writes.
The MIT Museum is hosting a virtual Girls Day on Saturday, March 13th, aimed at celebrating women who are exploring, researching and innovating in the STEM fields. During the free online event, participants can, “meet researchers who study everything from insect larvae to, um, poop, and how important those things are to science and society."
Axios reporter Bryan Walsh writes that during the virtual AI and the Work of the Future Congress, Elisabeth Reynolds, executive director of the MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future, noted that “education and training are central to helping the current and next generation thrive in the labor market.”
The MIT Museum is hosting a virtual screening and discussion of the movie Jurassic Park, reports Joel Lau for The Boston Globe. “Join researchers from MIT’s Sculpting Evolution group on Zoom for an introduction to the film,” writes Lau, “then participants will watch the 1993 blockbuster and rejoin for a post-show discussion on everything from movie effects to the science and ethics of reviving long-lost species.”
Writing for Forbes, research affiliate Thomas Davenport spotlights the virtual MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium. “The conference was a rich collection of voices and perspectives, and reminded me that the chief data officer function—while still evolving—is here to stay.
Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL, speaks with Forbes contributor Nancy Wang about how to encourage more girls to pursue careers in STEM. “We need to educate all students – male and female – equally on the opportunities available in these fields, give them the chance to shine, and ensure that we’re creating inclusive environments for them to work in,” says Rus.
Boston Globe reporter Alison Kuznitz writes that during MIT’s Commencement, former mayor Michael Bloomberg detailed plans for a new initiative aimed at tackling climate change. “This has gone from a scientific challenge to a political problem,” said Bloomberg, “and it’s time for everyone to recognize that climate change is the challenge of our time.”
Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle speaks with Bloomberg columnist Faye Flam about the recently redefined standard of measurement for the kilogram and the importance of making the change understandable to the general public. “Not everyone is explaining the new kilogram as a quantity of light, but MIT physicist Wolfgang Ketterle makes a convincing case that this is the best and simplest way to understand it,” writes Flam.
Boston.com reporter Nik DeCosta-Klipa speaks with Bernard Fabrot about the cryptographic puzzle -- developed by Prof. Ron Rivest -- that he recently solved. Fabrot explains that he realized “basically that the way computers evolved 15 years after the puzzle was created meant that it was possible to solve it on a regular PC much faster than what was expected in 1999.”
WGBH's Edgar Herwick reports on Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle’s presentation exploring the kilogram’s new standard of measurement. Ketterle explained that the change will have a big impact, in particular for micro and nanotechnologies. "Small quantities matter for our lives," said Ketterle.
CSAIL unsealed a time capsule containing artifacts from computing history at MIT after a self-taught programmer cracked the capsule’s cryptopuzzle, reports Kathryn Sotnik for NECN. MIT alumnus, Bob Frankston, who programmed the first electronic spreadsheet, noted “it’s really a reminder in a sense how long ago it was, and how much people today take these things for granted.”