Cambridge, Boston and region

Prof. Karilyn Crockett speaks with Boston Globe reporters Niki Griswold and Janelle Nanos about the city of Boston’s plans for economic development. “This is a moment to continue this focus and commitment and double down on it.” 

GBH reporter Renuka Balakrishnan spotlights “True or False,” a game featured in the MIT Museum’s “AI: Mind the Gap” exhibit, which invites visitors to guess the difference between a real and deepfake video. The exhibit “provides tips visitors can use outside the walls of the museum to improve media literacy in real life,” writes Balakrishnan. 

MIT’s Hayden Library held an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia, reports Dana Gerber for The Boston Globe. “It’s fun and it’s funny, and it often chronicles the totally ridiculous corners of the world, but we also take it super seriously,” says MIT librarian Pheobe Ayers. “I hope people realize that Wikipedia is imperfect. It's always in progress. It’s not finished. But we’re trying really hard to make it good.” 

Boston Globe reporter James Sullivan spotlights the annual MIT Mystery Hunt, “a weekend-long gaming tournament” dating back to 1981. “Created as a humble pastime for like-minded problem solvers, the hunt has grown into a multi-layered, internationally renowned competition, spawning dozens of imitators around the globe,” writes Sullivan. 

WBUR reporter Maddie Browning spotlights a new exhibit of photographer Brittany Nelson’s work, which will be on display at the MIT List Visual Arts Center beginning mid-January. The exhibit “will debut new photographs and a moving-image work filmed at the Green Bank Observatory (National Radio Astronomy Observatory) in West Virginia,” writes Browning.  

The MIT Museum is hosting its latest After Dark event on January 8 with a new program called “Making Time,” reports Shira Laucharoen for WBUR. The evening’s activities “will explore what it means to slow down,” writes Laucharoen. “Activities include collaborating with others on a rag rug-making project and practicing yoga and meditation with MIT’s Yes Plus Club.” 

President Sally Kornbluth is honored by The Boston Globe as one of the Bostonians of the Year, a list that spotlights individuals across the region who, in choosing the difficult path, “showed us what strength looks like.” Kornbluth was recognized for her work being of the “most prominent voices rallying to protect academic freedom.”

The MIT Sailing Pavilion will house the floating wetland - a pilot project aimed at finding ways to improve Charles River water quality and restore biodiversity - l for the winter season, reports Brianna Borghi for NBC Boston. “The Charles River Conservancy installed the 730-square-foot floating wetland in 2020 following years of research and development,” Borghi explains. “Under the surface, the floating wetland serves as a feeding ground for zooplankton, which help keep toxic algae blooms under control.” 

Governor Maura Healey has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the defense sector in Massachusetts, reports Katie Lannan for GBH. The Massachusetts governor noted that research institutions like MIT Lincoln Lab and Draper have been leaders in defense technology for years, and new startups in fields like AI, cybersecurity and quantum technology also aim to contribute to defense needs. “We want to work together, we want to continue these investments in bigger and stronger ways, looking to keep America secure for another 250 years,” says Healey.

“Made to Measure,” a permanent exhibit at the MIT Museum, offers visitors a peek at the science of measurement, showcasing instruments that have been central to scientific research and discovery at MIT and beyond, reports Mark Feeney for The Boston Globe. The exhibit’s displays explore strength, temperature, length and more. The "How Far?" display “includes a taffrail log (used by sailors to measure distance), pedometers, a surveyor’s tape, a transit theodolite, several rulers, and a Smoot bar," Feeney explains, “a unit of measurement based on the height of MIT undergraduate Oliver Smoot.” 

Boston Globe reporter Kelly Broder spotlights the opening of “Lighten Up! On Biology and Time,” a new exhibit at the MIT Museum. The exhibit features “eighteen immersive pieces [that] will explore the relationship between living organisms and the natural cycle of light and dark,” explains Broder. 

At the 18^th annual Cambridge Science Carnival, attendees were able to visit a Robot Petting Zoo, find DNA in a strawberry, explore how satellites work, and discover how to give trash a second life, reports Kyle Bray for WBZ NewsRadio. “Sometimes people think that science is very removed and abstract and hidden behind closed doors of labs. At an event like this, you can see actually the human face of science; these are people like you and me, they may well be your neighbors, and they are making discoveries that can benefit people across the world,” explains MIT Museum Director Michael John Gorman. 

The MIT Museum will kickstart their “Time Travel on Screen” movie screening series on September 26 with an outdoor showing of the 1979 sci-fi film, “Time After Time,” reports Ryan Yau for The Boston Globe. 

Boston Business Journal reporter Grant Welker spotlights Biogen's groundbreaking ceremony for its new headquarters in MIT’s Kendall Common development. "This area is the most perfect place to do it, because you have some of the highest levels of ingenuity, innovation and energy around the biotech industry, and not to mention partnerships with academic excellence," said Nicole Murphy, Biogen’s executive vice president for pharmaceutical operations and technology." It was absolutely critical to why we feel we want to be here."

Earlier this week, Biogen celebrated the groundbreaking for the company’s new headquarters in MIT’s Kendall Common development, reports Catherine Carlock for The Boston Globe. “When a company as influential as Biogen breaks ground on the new global headquarters, it is an unmistakable vote of confidence — confidence in Massachusetts, confidence in Cambridge, and confidence in Kendall Square, and confidence in the future," said MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “It is on us, on us in Massachusetts, to find new ways to make sure this amazing ecosystem can maintain its record of trailblazing science and transformative treatments and cures.”