July 11, 2020
Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
 
Want a daily dose of MIT in your inbox? Subscribe to the MIT Daily.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Robot Disinfection
Covid-19 threatens cleaning crews in warehouses, grocery stores, and schools. With that in mind, a team from the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory helped design a robotic system to disinfect surfaces and neutralize the airborne virus. It’s now deployed at the Greater Boston Food Bank.
Full story via MIT News →
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top Headlines
MIT announces plans for fall 2020 semester
Extensive safety protocols will undergird the return of additional students and staff to campus.
Full story via MIT News →
MIT action in response to new ICE rule on online learning
President L. Rafael Reif describes why MIT and Harvard University filed suit against ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Learn more via the Office of the President →
Letter regarding efforts to address systemic racism at MIT
President L. Rafael Reif writes on using this moment of tectonic social change to “build an MIT that is more equitable and just.”
Read the letter →
Covid-19 cases are 12 times higher than reported
New research from the MIT Sloan School of Management finds the global spread of Covid-19 is significantly underreported — but we’re also far from herd immunity.
Full story via MIT Sloan →
Engineers design a reusable, silicone rubber face mask
The prototype mask, which includes an N95 filter, can be easily sterilized and worn many times.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
Studying the cultures of companies
PhD student and “organizational ethnographer” Summer Jackson investigates the complex social hierarchies that govern the way we work.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
#ThisisMIT
Post via @labronic_mike on Instagram →
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In the Media
What students and colleges should know // Inside Higher Ed
Stuart Schmill, dean of admissions and student financial services, discusses the statement signed by admissions deans from across the U.S. aimed at assuaging the anxieties of college applicants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Full story via Inside Higher Ed →
Karilyn Crockett appointed head of city’s new equity and inclusion office // The Boston Globe
Karilyn Crockett, a lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, has been selected as the new chief of equity for the City of Boston.
Full story via The Boston Globe →
Report: Boston minority communities hit hardest by evictions // Associated Press
A report co-authored by MIT researchers finds people of color are disproportionately affected by evictions in the City of Boston.
Full story via the Associated Press →
Dennis Nagle, free spirit with an engineer’s mind, dies at 78 // The New York Times
Dennis Nagle, a workshop manager and instructor at MIT’s D-Lab, was “a fiercely loyal mentor to many students over the years and was a staunch supporter of the need to balance creativity and order, fun and work and anarchy and kindness,” says Amy Smith, senior lecturer and founding director of D-Lab.
Full story via The New York Times →
How cities failed the Black middle class // The Washington Post
Research by Professor David Autor finds cities no longer guarantee middle-wage opportunities for Black and Latinx workers.
Full story via The Washington Post →
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Art for Black Lives
This summer, MIT student artists are using their talents for good. With the MIT Drawn Together project, students commission artworks with proceeds going to organizations committed to supporting the Black community and combating systemic racism. “I just felt like it was time to put myself out there,” rising junior and project co-creator Sarah Acolatse said recently. “I really wanted to play my part to support something I truly believe in, which is equality for all people, including Black people.” Seen above: works by (l-r) Gloria Lin, Joanna Cao, and Jessica Xu, student artists involved in the project.
Explore the project →
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Digit
3
MIT’s ranking among the best U.S. colleges for LGBTQ+ students, as reported by Best Colleges and the Campus Pride Index for 2020
See the full rankings →
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Radio in a Pandemic
WMBR’s Brian Sennett ’13, MEng ’15 writes on the many challenges of keeping MIT’s independent radio station on the air during a pandemic. “Why go into radio,” he asks, “if you don’t have some aspiration of being that voice that is there when people need it?”
Full story via WMBR →
This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by smoot distancing. 📏

Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu.

Thanks for reading, and have a safe week.

—MIT News Office
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Forward This Email Subscribe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This email was sent to newsletter@newslettercollector.com because of your affiliation with MIT, or because you signed up for our newsletters.
subscribe  update preferences  unsubscribe  view in browser
MIT News Office · 77 Massachusetts Avenue · Cambridge, MA 02139 · USA