NESN’s Clubhouse visits Prof. Anette “Peko” Hosoi to explore how a baseball is manufactured. “The best way to understand how a baseball is manufactured is to actually see what’s inside,” Hosoi explains. After cutting the ball in half, Hosoi shows how the ball’s cork center is surrounded by rubber and wool, which is “what gives the baseball its springiness.”
Boston Globe correspondent Jenna Ciccotelli takes the ice with fourth year student Kelsey Becker and the MIT curling club to learn the ins and outs of this winter sport. “It’s mostly about having fun,” says Becker. Coach Andy Willis adds that the sport is often referred to as, “chess on ice. It’s a mental game.”
Ben Strauss of the Washington Post reports that during this year’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference there was growing interest in applying more statistical analysis into curling strategies. There are panels here this weekend about chess and poker,” says Nate Silver, creator of the website FiveThirtyEight. “So, it’s broadening the definition of analytics and sports — and also the overall geekiness of the conference.”
NESN spotlights MIT senior Riley Quinn, who was born without a left hand and forearm, and his success in the classroom and on the football field. “My only option was to outwork people, whether that was on the field, in the classroom, in relationships, day-to-day life,” says Quinn, “being a good person and taking that with me in everything I do.”
ABC News reporter Layne Winn spotlights MIT alumna Payal Kadakia’s company ClassPass, which streamlines the process of finding and booking fitness classes. Kadakia, a lifelong dancer, was inspired to start the platform when searching for a new ballet class. Kadakia says she, “fought for a way to keep dance in my life and with ClassPass I believe I'm fighting for everyone else to keep their passion in their life.”
In this CBS This Morning segment, graduate student John Urschel discusses what inspired him to pursue a PhD in math and why he decided to stop playing professional football. "If you have dreams, if you have goals, don't shut these things down. Don't fit into certain stereotypes. Don't think you can't have multiple aspirations," says Urschel.
Undergraduate Riley Quinn has been named the recipient of the Jerry Nason Award, reports Craig Larson for The Boston Globe. Larson explains that the award is “presented to a senior who succeeds in football against all odds,” adding that Quinn “was a four-year player at MIT, snaring three interceptions.”
WGBH reporter Esteban Bustillos highlights MIT’s football team, which is “having a year for the books.” Head coach Brian Bubna explains that sports can help augment a student’s college experience, noting that “there's a lot of stuff that you can learn on a football field about yourself that you can't learn in a classroom.”
Rachel Crowell highlights the 2018 gala of the National Museum of Mathematics. The fundraiser featured a keynote speech from MIT graduate student and former NFL player John Urschel.
Boston Herald reporter John Connolly spotlights the MIT football team, which is undefeated thus far this season. “We have 75 MIT football players. They’re smart. They don’t need us to tell them what to do,” explains coach Brian Bubna. “I’ve been here since 2010 and we’re moving in the right direction.”
Patrick Rishe of Forbes writes about the 2017 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Rishe notes that the conference’s “combination of knowledge, presentations, and networking opportunities is off-the-charts, and a must for programs who wish to be taken seriously in the Sports Business space.”
In this FOX 25 segment, Prof. John Leonard explains why he created an online lesson that demonstrates the science behind the Deflategate controversy. He notes that the lesson is aimed at giving “students the tools so they can be the scientists,” adding that he also hopes to “get more young people excited about math and science.”
Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei, who is also a cheerleader for the Patriots, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear about her passion for science and for dance. Oei, who currently works in Prof. Feng Zhang’s lab developing genome editing techniques, explains that while she has enjoyed cheerleading, “in the end, I see science as my vocation.”
Mike LaCrosse of WBZ-TV News spotlights Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei and her work both in the lab and on the field as a cheerleader for the Patriots. Oei says she enjoys sharing her love of science with children, adding that “leaving the path to science open is really important, and showing that it can be a lot of fun.”
Prof. John Leonard prepared a free video lesson explaining the science behind the Deflategate controversy, writes Adam Vaccaro for The Boston Globe. Vaccaro writes that Leonard explained he hopes the lesson will help students “understand the physics of air pressure and temperature by connecting them to a major event in popular culture.”