Prof. Richard Binzel, a member of NASA’s New Horizon’s science team, discusses the magnitude of capturing up-close images and new information about Pluto with Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear. “It’s a milestone event in the human exploration of the solar system,’’ says Binzel.
Los Angeles Times reporter Deborah Netburn speaks with Prof. Richard Binzel about the information being gathered about Pluto by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. "We are trying to take these interpretations very slowly and carefully, especially as new and closer data are arriving,” Binzel explains.
Comedian Aziz Ansari consulted Professor Natasha Dow Schull for his new book, “Modern Romance: An Investigation,” writes Mackenzie Cummings-Grady for The Boston Globe. Ansari’s book looks at relationships in the digital age and draws on work Schull’s work on addiction.
Professor Junot Díaz will be honored as one of this year’s We Are Boston Award recipients for embracing “diversity and immigrant heritage,” writes Jennifer Usovicz for The Boston Globe. “Boston is beautiful precisely because of our immigrant communities,” says Díaz. “Our energy and sacrifice is the dynamo that drives the city forward.”
Professor Catherine Tucker writes for Fortune about the factors that prevented Google Plus from being a widely adopted social media platform. “The assumptions about social media that we started with a few years ago don’t necessarily hold true today,” Tucker explains.
Professor César Hidalgo discusses his new book “Why Information Grows” with James Ball of The Guardian. “Most people think of information as messages that communicate the state of a system,” says Hidalgo. “Information actually is physical and it is not only involved in messages but is also involved in objects.”
Washington Post reporter Dominic Basulto features Professor César Hidalgo’s book, “Why Information Grows” on his recommended summer reading list for “innovation junkies.” Basulto writes that in his book Hidalgo explains that, “there’s an important correlation between information growth and economic growth, and between economic complexity and national competitiveness.”
Last weekend Institute Professor Mildred Dresselhaus became the first woman to receive the IEEE Medal of Honor for her pioneering work with carbon materials, reports Melissa Lott for Scientific American. Lotts writes that Dresselhaus is known “for her work with buckminsterfullerenes (buckyballs), nanotubes and graphene as well as her dedicated work ethic and caring nature.”
In a special issue on the Internet of Things, Politico’s Danny Vinik compiles an oral history to describe the origins of the Internet of Things. “I’m sure there’s a sci-fi novel somewhere that talks about this,” quips Sarma, who features prominently in the piece, which also references MIT’s Auto-ID Lab.
Professor César Hidalgo writes for The Huffington Post about his new book “Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies.” Hidalgo explains his view that, “by understanding economies as computers we get much more than a predictive theory of future economic growth.”
Politico editor Steve Heuser compiles a special series on the policy questions raised by the Internet of Things. In it, Prof. Sanjay Sarma calls attention to security concerns, writing, “if leaders don’t think this through, and don’t create a framework for it to succeed, there’s a real chance that the full potential of the Internet of Things could be compromised.”
In an article for The New York Times Magazine, Prof. Junot Díaz writes about how being attacked when he was in the seventh grade impacted him psychologically. “Before that attack, I had felt fear plenty of times — which poor immigrant kid hasn’t? — but after my beating, I became afraid. And at any age, that is a dismal place to be,” writes Díaz.
Geoffrey Pullum writes for The Chronicle of Higher Education about the re-release and 50th anniversary of Professor Noam Chomsky’s book “Aspects of the Theory of Syntax.” “Every page presents bold new ideas and strikingly original insights; every section inspired new research programs,” Pullum writes.
The Economist reviews Prof. Marcia Bartusiak’s new book, “Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved.” “Ms Bartusiak weaves scientific concepts to create a portrait of the scientific institution itself, showing how its norms and personalities served to shape the path taken by the idea.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Gautim Naik interviews Professor Kerry Emanuel about Pope Francis’ encyclical on climate change. “The Pope more or less gets it right on the science,” said Emanuel. “But what struck me was his linking of environmental degradation to cultural, political and social decline.”