Laura Krantz of The Boston Globe reports on the launch of the MindHandHeart initiative. “We really view this as the next logical step for us in our continuing process to address mental health and well-being on our campus,” says Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart.
Tech reporter Kath Xu writes about MIT’s new MindHandHeart initiative. “What we’re trying to do with the MindHandHeart Initiative is to help students manage stress, manage time, manage MIT,” explains Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart.
Prof. Robert Horvitz speaks with Bloomberg TV’s Caroline Hyde about new developments in creating more effective treatments for cancer. Horvitz explains that “biologists have figured out what it is that keeps the immune system from, in general, attacking cancer cells and have learned to unleash that innate ability and attack a cancer in a patient.”
John Farrell writes for Forbes about Prof. Frank Wilczek’s new book, “A Beautiful Question.” In his book, Wilczek argues that, “the world was created to embody beautiful ideas, and if there is a Creator, he’s an artist above all.”
Prof. Thomas Levenson writes for The Boston Globe about sexism in science. “Sadly and infuriatingly, the habits of mind that once almost entirely barred women from the lab remain, less potent, perhaps, but still at work,” writes Levenson.
David Unger of The Christian Science Monitor speaks with Prof. Donald Sadoway about the future of batteries. Sadoway says he views the battery enterprise "as very socially conscious. It would represent a major step in bringing electricity to those who don’t have reliable access to electricity.”
Prof. Yasheng Huang writes for The Boston Globe about the Chinese government’s active role in the country’s economy and how this is negatively impacting growth. “Chinese growth in the future will be limited until the government makes fairly substantive structural reforms,” writes Huang.
Prof. Kerry Emanuel writes for The Conversation about what scientists have learned since Hurricane Katrina about how hurricanes are influenced by climate. Emanuel writes that, “the incidence of the strongest hurricanes – those that come closest to achieving their potential intensity – will increase as the climate warms, and there is some indication that this is happening.”
Prof. Alan Lightman writes for The New York Times about the disillusionment he felt when he went to visit his childhood home and found that it had been taken down. “I try to put back the house where it was, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the closets, my father practicing his guitar, my mother dressing in front of her long mirror,” Lightman writes.
The Economist examines Prof. Max Tegmark’s theories on the existence of multiple universes. Tegmark is, “one of the leading proponents of multiverses,” according to The Economist. “Dr Tegmark suggests a fourfold classification of possible types of multiverse.”
Prof. John Deutch argues in this Wall Street Journal op-ed that the U.S. ban on direct exports of crude oil should be abolished. Lifting the ban, Deutch writes, “will increase U.S. jobs and increase the country’s influence in world oil markets, with little risk of higher gasoline prices for consumers.”
A. T. Oxford of the Economist reviews “Why Information Grows” by Prof. César Hidalgo, in which he argues that economic growth is tied to the growth of information. “In his research, Mr Hidalgo’s used nifty techniques in statistical physics and network theory to shine a light on the diversity of production across countries,” Oxford explains.
Kim Yi Dionne writes for The Washington Post about Professor Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga’s book ‘Transient Workspaces: Technologies of Everyday Innovation in Zimbabwe’: In it, Mavhunga “paints a vivid picture of hunting in Zimbabwe from the pre-colonial period to the present as he demonstrates how innovation is driven by ordinary people.”
Professor Yasheng Huang writes for The New York Times about the role of the government in the recent downturn in Chinese markets. “The current mess is entirely due to the active encouragement by the authorities to invest in the markets and to lax regulations," Huang writes.
Stephanie McFeeters writes for The Boston Globe about the social media campaign #ILookLikeAnEngineer, highlighting the MIT students, faculty and alumni who participated in the trend by posting their photos. The campaign stemmed from the negative response one female engineer received after appearing in an ad campaign for her IT company.