Maia Weinstock, deputy editor of MIT News, speaks with Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro of NPR’s All Things Considered about the LEGO set she designed that celebrates the history of women at NASA. Weinstock explains that she aimed to showcase “a diverse range of women who had different roles at NASA.”
LEGO has selected MIT staff member Maia Weinstock’s Women of NASA set to become an official LEGO set, the Associated Press reports. Weinstock, who is the deputy editor of MIT News, is an “advocate for girls and women, particularly in the areas of science, technology, politics and athletics.”
Washington Post reporter Sarah Larimer writes that the Women of NASA LEGO set developed by Maia Weinstock, deputy editor for MIT News, will become an official LEGO set. Weinstock says she hopes the set, which depicts the contributions of five of NASA’s female pioneers, “helps to inspire the kids of the future!”
A LEGO set created by Maia Weinstock, deputy editor of MIT News, has been selected to become an official LEGO set, reports Rebecca Shapiro for The Huffington Post. The set depicts five women who made historic contributions to NASA.
CNN reporter Ben Westcott writes that a LEGO set honoring women of NASA created by Maia Weinstock, deputy editor of MIT News, has been selected to become an official LEGO set. Westcott writes that the new set “will feature some of the pioneering women who played vital but sometimes under-appreciated roles in the U.S. space program.”
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.”
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.”
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 Boston Globe’s special section on the 2016 “Top Places to Work,” Sacha Pfeiffer highlights MIT’s new commuter benefits. Pfeiffer writes that MIT is providing “employees free MBTA bus and subway access through a chip embedded in their university ID cards.”
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.”
MIT will be offering employees free MBTA passes for local bus and subway service to encourage more people to use public transportation and reduce the environmental impact of commuting, Inside Higher Ed reports.
In an article for The Boston Globe, Steve Annear writes that MIT is rolling out several new benefits for faculty and staff commuting to campus, including free, unlimited subway and local bus usage. “By providing employees with the pass, the school hopes to ease the demand for parking near campus and help reduce carbon emissions,” Annear writes.
Boston.com reporter Eric Levenson writes that MIT senior class president Anish Punjabi, “closed his commencement speech at graduation on Friday with a rush of rap riffing on Matt Damon’s film career, sending the actor into hysterics.”