Prof. Emeritus Rainer Weiss has been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work successfully detecting gravitational waves, reports Dennis Overbye for The New York Times. Weiss explained that thanks to LIGO, which is helping usher in a new era of astronomy, “many of us really expect to learn about things we didn’t know about.”
In an article for Forbes, Jimmy Soni highlights some of the late MIT Prof. Claude Shannon’s most important contributions to math and technology. Soni notes that Shannon is known as the “father of the information age” thanks to his work “in the 1930s and 1940s that helped to lay the groundwork for the digital world we live in.”
Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear spotlights the work of Glenn Silva, who has hand-painted the names of hundreds of employees and departments on doors around MIT. Silva says he enjoys hand-lettering “because it gives you a lot of peace of mind, and you are focused on what you’re doing.”
Boston Globe reporter Eric Moskowitz spotlights the work of Margaret Hamilton, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom who led the development of software for the Apollo missions while at MIT. President Barack Obama noted that Hamilton, “symbolizes that generation of unsung women who helped send humankind into space.”
“Milk Drop Coronet,” a photograph captured by the late MIT professor Harold “Doc” Edgerton, is featured in TIME Magazine’s multimedia project featuring the publication’s 100 most influential images, according to the AP. Edgerton’s photo used strobe lights to “refine moments otherwise imperceptible to the human eye.”
TechCrunch reporter Devin Coldewey writes that Margaret Hamilton, a computing pioneer who led the development of the Apollo program’s on-board flight software during her time at MIT, has been named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Coldewey writes that Hamilton is an inspiring figure “for anyone looking to enter the fields of computer science and engineering.”
In an article for The New York Times, Maria Konnikova writes that in his new book, Tim Hartford cites MIT’s Building 20 as an example of how autonomy and flexibility can inspire creativity and new innovations. Konnikova writes that Building 20 “gave rise to some of the best ideas of the 20th century.”
Jan Gardner of The Boston Globe writes that a new book exploring MIT’s architecture chronicles MIT’s history and includes eight walking tours focusing on the architecture and art of the campus. Gardner notes that “since 1968, MIT has required that there be an art component to the construction or remodeling of buildings on campus.”
Women You Should Know celebrates the 80th birthday of computer scientist Margaret Hamilton with a video spotlighting her work at MIT developing code for NASA’s Apollo program. Hamilton’s “Apollo code ultimately saved the Apollo 11 astronauts from having to abort their historic moon landing.”
As part of their 50th anniversary coverage, The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted a front page article from 1999 that spotlighted a report from MIT examining gender bias in academia. The Chronicle notes that the report “led to heightened awareness [of gender bias] not only at MIT but also on campuses around the country.”
Boston Globe reporter Eric Moskowitz chronicles the life and work of Prof. Emeritus Rainer Weiss, from his childhood passion for tinkering with radios to the decades he spent dedicated to the search for gravitational waves. Kip Thorne, a professor at Caltech, remarks that Weiss “really is, by a large margin, the most influential person this field has seen.”
MIT celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge with an innovative parade by land and water, the Boston Herald reports. “MIT alumnus Oliver Smoot, class of ’62 — of the “smoot” unit of measurement — led the parade over the bridge as Grand Marshal, and Car Talk’s Ray Magliozzi, class of ’73, was on hand.”
FOX 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh reports on MIT’s Moving Day parade, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge. “More than 50 boats, floats and vehicles designed by students, faculty and alumni took part,” Kavanaugh reports.
A Boston.com slideshow highlights photographs of MIT’s Moving Day celebrations, which featured a parade of boats, floats and other creations crossing the Charles River by land and water. The parade commemorated the ceremonial journey of MIT’s charter, which was transported across the river by a barge in 1916.
Boston Globe reporter Nicole Fleming recounts MIT’s Moving Day celebrations, which featured a parade to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge. “From rafts and fantastical wheeled contraptions to salsa dancers and puppets, a colorful array of MIT creations crossed the Charles River -- by land and by water."