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December 16, 2023
Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
 
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Marshall Scholars
Portrait of Anushree Chaudhuri and Rupert Li
    
Anushree Chaudhuri and Rupert Li will pursue graduate studies in the UK as MIT’s newest Marshall Scholars. “These students are truly amazing!” says Will Broadhead, co-chair of the Institute’s Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships.
Top Headlines
Researchers safely integrate fragile 2D materials into devices
The advance opens a path to next-generation devices with unique optical and electronic properties.
MIT Heat Island
MIT group releases white papers on governance of AI
The series aims to help policymakers create better oversight of AI in society.
MIT Heat Island
A computer scientist pushes the boundaries of geometry
Justin Solomon applies modern geometric techniques to solve problems in computer vision, machine learning, statistics, and beyond.
MIT Heat Island
MIT engineers design a robotic replica of the heart’s right chamber
The realistic model could aid the development of better heart implants and shed light on understudied heart disorders.
MIT Heat Island
Building a better indoor herb garden
Randall Briggs ’09, SM ’18 created GardenByte to grow crops three times faster than they would do outdoors.
MIT Heat Island
#ThisisMIT
Four individuals stand in a lab space wearing black MIT Alumni t-shirts. Text via @‌mitalumni: As part of three Serve and Celebrate events, MIT alumni built picnic tables at an urban farm in Houston, Texas; cleaned up La Jolla beach in San Diego, California; and prepared school backpacks for low-income kids in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the link in the bio, read the full article, and learn more about holding a volunteer event in your area.
Follow @mitalumni on Instagram
In the Media
Boston’s answer to ChatGPT? MIT spinoff Liquid AI has a radical new approach. // The Boston Globe
Liquid AI, a new startup founded by MIT researchers, is developing an AI system powered by a liquid neural network that is “much simpler and requires significantly less computer power to train and operate” than generative AI systems.
AI teaches robots the best way to pack a car, a suitcase — or a rocket to Mars // Scientific American
MIT researchers developed an AI technique for teaching robots to pack items into a limited space while adhering to a range of constraints.
MIT via community college? Transfer students find a new path to a degree. // Christian Science Monitor
Undergraduate Subin Kim discusses his experience transferring from community college to MIT through the Transfer Scholars Network, which is aimed at helping community college students find a path to four-year universities.
We’re not headed in the right direction on AI for workers: MIT economics, labor expert Daron Acemoglu // CNBC
Professor Daron Acemoglu speaks about the potential impact of AI in the workplace.
Nobel Celebration
Moungi Bawendi, dressed in a tuxedo, speaks at a fancy lectern
The 2023 Nobel Prize winners received their awards in a grand ceremony on Sunday in Stockholm, Sweden. Among those honored was MIT Professor Moungi Bawendi, who shared the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Louis Brus and Aleksey Yekimov for their work on quantum dots. As part of the annual Nobel Week festivities, Bawendi gave a lecture about his research, participated in a Nobel Banquet, and took part in a conversation with Danish European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, a current crew member on the International Space Station.
Meet Your MIT Neighbor
Name: Rebecca Conn
MIT affiliation: General manager, MIT Press Bookstore
Hometown: Rhinelander, Wisconsin (Go Hodags!)
Years at MIT: 1.5
Hobbies: Reading, taking nature walks with my husband
Musician you love: David Bowie
Most recent picture in your phone: A stranger’s cat from the internet
Guilty pleasure: Singing out loud when I’m alone
Favorite or most influential teacher: I still have the blue pencil Mrs. Baksic gave me in 2nd grade.
Secret superpower: Ridiculous memory for literary minutiae
Favorite thing about MIT: The beautiful bookstore where I work every day!
Celebrating the Season
Whether gathering for Winterfest, lighting MIT Hillel’s test tube menorah, creating holiday wreaths with the MIT Women’s League, participating in craft events and winter concerts, or simply getting together with friends and colleagues to mark the end of another successful semester, the MIT community has welcomed the opportunity to create warmth and light within our halls. We wish you a peaceful winter break and look forward to connecting again in the new year. ✨
This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by lessons from a shattered laptop. 💻

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The MIT Weekly will next publish on Jan. 6, 2024. Thank you for reading, happy holidays, and happy new year!

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