Tag Archives: mit-ish

MIT Under Attack

Posted on July 24, 2025 by jlredford

Last May 31st I attended Technology Day at MIT, where the school presents talks on all kinds of interesting research to its alumni. Commencement is always the day before, and the alumni reunion events are that evening. I’m a big … Continue reading →

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A Golden Age for Chemists – MIT on Climate Change

Posted on July 13, 2024 by jlredford

The physicists used to have all the fun, what with building species-ending weapons and ominously declaring that I Am Become Death. Yet nukes turned out to be useless for actual military purposes, as Putin has discovered to his dismay, and … Continue reading →

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Space Has Become Cheap

Posted on July 23, 2023 by jlredford

I was talking with a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute recently, and he mentioned a new project he had to track penguins. From space. With his own personal satellite. These days you can put up a cubesat, a … Continue reading →

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MIT On Climate Change

Posted on June 28, 2019 by jlredford

Every year MIT has a Technology Day on its alumni reunion weekend where faculty discuss what they’re working on.   These are consistently interesting, and I’ve written about them before: The Oceans Are Dissolved Information and Print Your House and … Continue reading →

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The Engineering of Biology at MIT

Posted on July 14, 2017 by jlredford

One of the big reunion activities at MIT is Technology Day, a series of lectures from faculty done shortly after commencement.   This year the theme was Synthetic Life, and the talks were just as creepy and interesting as you might … Continue reading →

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Rebecca Leaf, Engineer Heroine from MIT

Posted on May 17, 2016 by jlredford

I recently came across a striking set of stories about leftist women who attended MIT.  The school has had female graduates longer than any other major US university (their first was in 1873), and they’ve done remarkable things.  It turns … Continue reading →

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Phineas and Ferb Go To MIT

Posted on August 31, 2014 by jlredford

Because of course they would.   This is what they built over summer vacation: It’s a 130-foot-long roller coaster!   Students at the East Campus dorm built it for a freshman introduction activity.   The above is one end, and here’s the … Continue reading →

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Solectria – Achieving Goals By Lowering Them

Posted on July 28, 2014 by jlredford

A few days ago some good news finally came to a guy who has been trying to save the world for a very long time.   James Worden is the founder of the Massachusetts company Solectria Renewables, and it just got  … Continue reading →

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“MIT Rising”, But Not Because of Startups

Posted on December 29, 2012 by jlredford

The November issue of Boston magazine has an article “How MIT Became the Most Important University in the World” by Chris Vogel.  It talks about how MIT students are better dressed these days, more articulate, and more out-going.  In fact, … Continue reading →

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A Prank That Looks Too Natural

Posted on April 27, 2012 by jlredford

So I was at a rather dull seminar at MIT when I happened to gaze out the 8th floor window of the Stata building: Yes, that’s a Dalek triumphantly shaking its blasters at the MIT sky line.  The silver column … Continue reading →

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