December 4, 2021
Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
 
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Technical Skills for Societal Issues
 
Combining computer science, data science, and economics, Course 6-14 prepares students to address thorny quandaries in many fields. “This new generation of computing ‘bilinguals’ ... will be able to make great contributions,” says Asu Ozdaglar, who helped oversee the launch of the new major.
Full story via MIT News →
Top Headlines
Provost Martin Schmidt named president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
After 40 years at MIT, including eight as its senior academic officer, Schmidt will return to lead his undergraduate alma mater.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
Omicron: What we know, what we need to find out, and … what now?
If there’s one thing we've learned by now, says MIT Medical Director Cecilia Stuopis, “it’s to wait for the data.”
Full story via MIT Medical→
 MIT Heat Island
New 10-minute test detects Covid-19 immunity
A paper-based blood test developed by researchers with the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology can rapidly determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
Carina Letong Hong named a 2022 Rhodes Scholar for China
The MIT junior will pursue graduate studies in mathematics at Oxford University.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
Scientists and musicians tackle climate change together
A discussion at MIT explored ways the music industry can help in the battle to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Full story via MIT News →
 MIT Heat Island
#ThisisMIT
Follow @mit_hobbyshop on Instagram→
In the Media
A respected MIT professor had a simple 4-word rule for his classroom, and every company should follow it // Inc.
The late Professor Patrick Winston’s IAP course “How to Speak,” was aimed at helping people improve their communications skills, but also provided insight into how to become a better listener.
Full story via Inc.→
Covid can cause strange eye and ear symptoms // Scientific American
MIT researchers have found that vision and hearing can be impacted by the virus that causes Covid-19. “The data are growing to suggest that there are more neural consequences of this infection than we originally thought,” says Professor Lee Gehrke.
Full story via Scientific American→
MIT cybersecurity expert shares tips to avoid holiday scammers // NBC Boston
Professor Stuart Madnick shares his tips for how to shop online safely this holiday season and protect your personal information.
Full story via NBC Boston→
MIT’s mini cheetah robot just got a huge upgrade // Mashable
MIT researchers developed a new control system for their mini robotic cheetah that allows the robot to jump and traverse uneven terrain.
Full story via Mashable→
A Musical Encore
When MIT’s Hayden Library was originally dedicated in 1950, Czech-born composer Bohuslav Martinů was commissioned to write his “Piano Trio in D Minor” to mark the occasion. Seventy-one years later, the MIT Libraries celebrated the renovation of Hayden Library as a trio of current graduate students performed a movement from the piece. Calvin Leung (cello), a PhD student in physics; William Wang (piano), a PhD student in computer science; and Katherine Young (violin), a student in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, played for a small audience in the Nexus, Hayden’s new event space.
Learn more via MIT News→
“
Assertive leaders are not necessarily the most effective ones. American organizations need to diversify the prototype of what a leader should look like.
—Jackson Lu, MIT Sloan assistant professor of work and organization studies
Read more of MIT Sloan's 21 top quotes for business and management from 2021→
Watch This
Brave Behind Bars is an introductory computer science and career-readiness program for incarcerated women based out of The Educational Justice Institute at MIT. Taught both online and in-person, the program’s first iteration brought together 30 women from four correctional facilities across New England. Participating students developed skills in digital literacy, web design, and career-readiness, building websites to help address some of society’s most pressing issues.
Watch the video→
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