Massachusetts Institute of Technology
April 5, 2018

MIT News: around campus

A weekly digest of the Institute’s community news

Candis Callison SM '02 PhD '10, professor and award-winning journalist, to speak at 2018 Investiture of Doctoral Hoods

Bertschinger to leave post as Institute Community and Equity Officer

After five years in novel administrative role, MIT physicist will return to faculty responsibilities.

Institute Professor Emeritus Morris Halle, innovative and influential linguist, dies at 94

Scholar conducted groundbreaking research, helped found MIT’s linguistics program, and inspired generations of students.

Professor Joseph Sussman, expert in complex engineering systems and revered mentor, dies at 79

Leader in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Institute for Data, Systems, and Society was the inaugural JR East Professor.

Exploring the many roles of mucus

Katharina Ribbeck studies the sticky substance to uncover its impacts on health and disease.

Featured video: Celebrating the arts at MIT

A mercurial snapshot of the myriad ways in which MIT community members can express themselves through the arts

Fright makes right

Eugenie Brinkema studies the aesthetics and ethics of horror films.

In the Media

Prof. Tod Machover debuts his latest symphony, “Philadelphia Voices,” this week, and the AP’s Natalie Pompilio writes that it “both captures and celebrates the distinctive sounds and sizzle of Philadelphia.” The piece interweaves live music with recordings that include a “cheesesteak interlude,” birds at the Philadelphia Zoo, and children visiting the Museum of the American Revolution.

Associated Press

In a commentary for The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Alex "Sandy" Pentland and Thomas Hardjono write about digital identities and the risks associated with how they are authenticated. “The mistake that both governments and tech pioneers are making is failing to realize that trustworthy identity depends on jointly-issued credentials,” they explain.

The Wall Street Journal blogs

Hal Gregersen, a senior lecturer in MIT's Sloan School of Management, talks with Stephanie Vozza of Fast Company about his new book, Questions Are the Answer. “The best leaders in the world ask better questions, creating conditions and situations that cause them to be wrong or uncomfortable and quiet,” says Gregersen. “When that happens, they end up being almost forced to ask things other people wouldn’t ask.”

Fast Company

research & innovation

Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently”

Electrodes on the face and jaw pick up otherwise undetectable neuromuscular signals triggered by internal verbalizations.

Professor Dina Katabi wins Association for Computing Machinery Prize in Computing

Katabi receives prestigious honor and $250,000 cash prize for her contributions to wireless systems.

Engineers turn plastic insulator into heat conductor

Technique could prevent overheating of laptops, mobile phones, and other electronics.

Self-healing metal oxides could protect against corrosion

Researchers find an ultrathin layer of aluminum oxide, though solid, can flow like a liquid instead of cracking.

Measuring the economy with location data

Startup’s platform crunches anonymized smartphone GPS data to understand how people shop, work, and live.

MIT News

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