Special events and guest speakers

MIT students and community members spoke with 7 News Boston about their experiences viewing Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse, using the Unistellar eVscope Two, a smart telescope provided by the MIT Astrogazers, an outreach group largely made up of MIT graduate students. “To be able to see this celestial event in a way that’s so approachable, and the way that everybody in the community can enjoy it, especially when you have the right gear, is a really special opportunity,” says Joe Diaz, program manager and STEAM educator at the MIT Media Lab. 

As the moon began to obscure portions of the sun during a partial solar eclipse, the MIT Astrogazers, an outreach group of MIT graduate students, brought telescopes to Kendall Square and offered passersby the opportunity to view the celestial showcase, reports Jay Willett for WBZ News Radio. “This is a Unistellar eVscope Two, so it can take the image that falls on that sensor, and project it to an iPad, another tablet, a smartphone, or even the eyepiece itself,” explained alumnus and Astrogazer, David DePalma ‘26. Graduate student Sydney Jenkins shared: “We’re trying to show everyone what the eclipse looks like, but safely.” 

Boston Art Review’s Kim Córdova spotlights coverage of the MIT Museum’s “No Recombination Without Representation,” an immersive theatrical reenactment honoring the fiftieth anniversary of a little-known Cambridge City Council meeting that has had major historical impact beyond the local community.  

During her OneMIT Commencement address, Lisa Su 90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, Advanced Micro Devices CEO, shared her views on the critical role humans should play in the development and use of AI technologies, reports Courtney Connley-Hampton for Forbes. “For everything that AI can do, AI can’t decide which problems are worth solving. It can’t make the hard judgments when the data is not there. It can’t take responsibility for the outcomes. These are actually our responsibilities and they matter now more than ever,” Su emphasized. “Technology itself does not decide what the future looks like—the best people do.”

In her address to the Class of 2026 during the OneMIT Commencement Ceremony, Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, Advanced Micro Devices CEO, emphasized that “the world does not just need people who know how to use powerful tools, it needs people who know what to use them for, people with a sense of purpose, judgment, courage.” She added: “For everything that AI can do, AI can’t decide which problems are worth solving. It can’t make the hard judgments when the data is not there. It can’t take responsibility for the outcomes. These are actually our responsibilities, and they matter now more than ever.”

During MIT’s 2026 OneMIT Commencement ceremony, Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, Advanced Micro Devices CEO, urged graduates to “run toward the hardest problems,” reports Aayushi Datta for The Boston Globe. In her address, President Sally Kornbluth underscored the value and power of curiosity-driven science, noting that: “shrinking the pipeline of basic discovery research means choking off the flow of future solutions, innovations, and cures.” 

Jennifer Eagen of WCVB-TV highlights MIT Space Week, an annual series of events across MIT focused on space exploration and the space industry. Eagan notes that one of the themes for this year’s event is the space economy. "Having humans land on the moon, having built a base on the moon, learning how to operate there so eventually we can go to Mars," said keynote speaker Terry Virts, former commander of the International Space Station. "I would love to see all those things happen that would be a huge success for America and for the world, for all of humanity."

The MIT Welcome Center will host a community event to celebrate the Lunar New Year with “calligraphy, face painting, paper-lantern making, and hot cocoa,” reports Annie Sarlin for The Boston Globe. “The event will also include tai chi lessons and a performance from the MIT Lion Dance” team, writes Sarlin.  

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.” 

MIT is “taking a quantum leap with the launch of the new MIT Quantum Initiative (QMIT), reports State House News reporter Katie Castellani. “There isn't a more important technological field right now than quantum with its enormous potential for impact on both fundamental research and practical problems,” said President Sally Kornbluth during the launch event. “QMIT will help us to ask the right questions, identify the most critical problems and create a roadmap for developing quantum solutions that are both transformative and accessible.” 

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. 

Hank Green – a YouTuber, science communicator, and author - addressed the 2025 graduating class during his commencement address at the OneMIT ceremony, encouraging students to “stay curious,” reports Emily Spatz for The Boston Globe. “Do. Not. Forget. How special and bizarre it is to get to live a human life,” said Green. “Something very special and strange is happening on this planet and it is you.”

ArchDaily reporter Reyyan Dogan explores the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale with Prof. Carlo Ratti, this year’s curator. Dogan notes that “by fostering a forward-thinking dialogue on the intersection of architecture and global crises, the Biennale encourages both visitors and practitioners to think critically about the role of architecture in shaping the future.” Ratti explains that this year’s exhibit “is really about how architecture can bring together all different forms of intelligence, and bridge them, and actually help adapt to a changing climate.” 

Prof. Carlo Ratti, curator of the 2025 Architecture Venice Biennale, speaks with Sofia Lekka Angelopoulou of Designboom about his vision for this year’s showcase, which centers around reimagining the role of intelligence in shaping the built environment. ‘It’s basically about how we can use different disciplines and different forms of intelligence in order to tackle the most important problem today: adaptation,” Ratti explains. “In short, you could say architecture is survival.”