“The MIT List Visual Arts Center threw a party Wednesday for artist Joan Jonas, who was chosen recently to represent the United States in its national pavilion at the Venice Biennale,” write Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein for The Boston Globe.
A new study by researchers from MIT and Harvard shows that emigration may not relieve pressure on weak economies, The Economist reports.
Professor David Autor speaks with NPR’s Tom Ashbrook about the achievement gap between boys and girls in the classroom and what this may mean for the future of the American workforce.
NPR’s Sally Herships speaks with Prof. M. Taylor Fravel about the territorial dispute in the South China Sea. “Fravel notes that border disputes in the area have been going on for decades and this is China's way of trying to demonstrate its claim to the territory,” Herships reports.
In a piece for The New York Times, Edward Wong interviews Professor M. Taylor Fravel on the confrontation between Vietnam and China over petroleum-rich sections of the South China Sea. “The risk of escalation is real,” says Fravel. “Offshore oil and gas play an important role in Vietnam’s economy.”
Professors Michel Degraff and Deborah Ancona speak with NECN about MIT’s initiative to support Haiti’s development of science, technology, engineering, and math curricula. Since 2010 the initiative has hosted four workshops and trained more than 100 teachers.
Writing for the Boston Globe, Deborah Fitzgerald (Dean, SHASS) writes: “Some may be surprised, and, we hope, reassured, to learn that here at MIT — a bastion of STEM education — we view the humanities, arts, and social sciences as essential...”
“On Wednesday, Jonas was announced as the artist who will officially represent the United States in its national pavilion at the Venice Biennale,” writes Sebastian Smee of The Boston Globe on Professor Joan Jonas’ selection for the prestigious art exhibition, which is widely regarded as the world’s most important exhibition of contemporary art.
Professor Jim Walsh speaks with Jeremy Hobson of NPR’s Here & Now about concerns that North Korea may be planning to conduct another nuclear test during President Obama’s visit to Japan. Walsh also speaks about current international issues on a larger scale, touching on both Syria and Ukraine.
Professor M. Taylor Fravel co-authors this Washington Post article looking at the frequency of Chinese Coast Guard patrols in the territorial waters off the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Fravel and his co-author suggest that the decrease in patrols may signal a willingness by China to avoid escalation in a standoff with Japan over the islands.
Robin Young of NPR’s Here & Now interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Institute Professor John Harbison on his work “Songs America Loves To Sing – Old and New Music for Winds, Strings, and Piano,” in which he applies unique progressions and arrangements to well-known, classic songs.
Professor Jeffrey Harris discusses his research on tobacco-control policies in Uruguay during a Freakonomics Radio podcast. Harris argues that Uruguay’s use of severe warnings and graphic imagery on cigarette packaging has made the country “a pioneer” in smoking cessation.
Thomas Edsall of The New York Times cites research by Professor David Autor that indicates a correlation between a rise in trade with China and a decrease in employment in certain sectors of the U.S. economy.
MIT's Jonathan Gruber argues that the Congressional Budget Office's report on the Affordable Care Act is being misrepresented by opponents in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. According to Gruber, the reduction in employment outlined in the report is a function of greater flexibility for workers.
In a New York Times op-ed, MIT's Michael Greenstone and Harvard's Rohini Pande look at air pollution in India and the steps the government should take to improve air quality.