MIT’s The Weather Today: Cloudy, windy, 32°F (0°C) Oldest and Largest Tonight: Clear, windy, 25°F (-4°C) Tomorrow: Clear, windy, 39°F (4°C) Newspaper Details, Page 2 Volume 126, Number 8 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, March 3, 2006 Media Lab Post-Doc Found Dead Tuesday By Jenny Zhang in Dedham. He “seemed a little and Marie Y. Thibault down at the time,” and Winston said NEWS EDITORS he thought at the time that it was be- MIT Media Laboratory post-doc- cause of the back pain. “He gave a toral associate Pushpinder Singh ’98 great talk” and “we were all looking was found dead in his apartment by forward to the next one,” Winston his girlfriend on Tuesday, Feb. 28, said. according to Senior Associate Dean Singh received both his Master for Students Robert M. Randolph. of Engineering and PhD in Electrical The death is being investigated Engineering and Computer Science by the Middlesex District Attorney, from MIT. According to his Web site, said MIT Police Chief John DiFava, Singh would have joined Media Lab who would not further comment on faculty next year. the circumstances surrounding the Bo Morgan G, who was advised death. by Singh through his undergraduate However, EECS professor Pat- and graduate years, said Singh “had rick H. Winston ’65 said in his class a way of showing people the future,” Wednesday that the cause of death and inspired students. Singh studied was suicide. Winston said he had said the most abstract aspects of artificial that at the time based on speculation, intelligence, Morgan said. because other than back problems, Singh had written on his Web Singh appeared to be in good health. site, “My long-term goal is to under- Singh “was a wonderful kid” who stand how minds work, so that I can BRIAN HEMOND—THE TECH had a brilliant career ahead. He was construct a machine that thinks. No Dawn M. Wendell G steps on Killian Court to look at a mock Olympic gold medal that appeared on gregarious, and would often pick up small task, but I do have the advan- the dome the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 28. his laptop to sit in the lounge and talk tage of an amazing mentor, the re- to people who came by as he worked, doubtable Marvin Minsky.” Minsky Winston said. could not be reached for comment Although Singh “always had a yesterday. On-Campus Rents Set to Increase very positive outlook,” he had in- Singh is survived by his parents jured his back and been in a lot of and siblings, Randolph said. Two pain for some time, Winston said. memorial services will be held: one At the end of January, Singh had today, and another at MIT next week, As Dorms Continue to Run Deficit given a talk at MIT Endicott House Randolph said. By Kelley Rivoire cover the costs of running and heat- say MIT’s dormitory prices are al- NEWS EDITOR ing the dormitories. Raising the rent ready more than comparable Cam- Graduate dormitory rents are go- won’t fix that problem — Larry G. bridge apartments. ing up again. Benedict, the dean for student life, “People need to wake up and Student Input Increased Because of skyrocketing energy says that Housing will lose even start doing research,” said Daniel J. prices, MIT says it will hike the more money next year. Abadi G, who works on a Graduate rents by five percent next year. The Rents would have to go up by 15 Student Council group concerned For Grad Housing Plans change comes on the heels of last percent in order to cover Housing’s about rents. “You can get more for By Rosa Cao the footprint of the building (its to- year’s 6.5 percent increase. deficit next year, but that kind of similar or even slightly less off cam- CONTRIBUTING EDITOR tal size and residential density), the Graduate students are also get- increase would be unconscionable, pus.” Students and administrators are compressed timeline that requires ting a raise in their stipend pay- says Isaac M. Colbert, the dean for The group surveyed graduate expressing “cautious optimism” af- signed architectural plans by March checks, but only by 3.5 percent. See graduate students. He wants MIT students last month, and found that ter administrators demonstrated an 31st, and the total $104 million cost “Grad Student Stipends to Increase to ask alumni — especially alumni 82 percent of single graduate stu- increased openness to working and remain hard limits, considerably 3.5 Percent Next Year,” page 15. who only went to MIT for graduate dents who moved out of dormitories communicating with a community of more space has been opened up for The Housing Office says it will school — to donate to MIT in order ended up preferring their new apart- “stakeholders” in the project to build community input through the vehicle lose more than $600,000 this year to close the dormitories’ deficit. a new graduate dormitory in North- of stakeholder subcommittees. because rents are not enough to Graduate student representatives Housing, Page 15 west campus. In a closed meeting Wednesday, While some constraints such as Chancellor Philip L. Clay charged the committee of stakeholders in- cluding students, housemasters and MacVicar administrators to provide recom- mendations and advisory input into building plans that had previously Fellows been regarded as essentially fixed. In an interview, Dean for Student Life Larry Benedict said, “it was a Selected productive meeting, forward look- By Curt Fischer ing. Yes, everyone is still angry about STAFF REPORTER the past, but the past is the past and This year’s three recipients of the now we’re moving on.” MacVicar Faculty Fellowship, which “This was about not having honors outstanding undergraduate enough student input — the pro- teaching at MIT, share a common cess breakdown as well as the lack commitment to laboratory and proj- of affordable housing,” said former ect-based learning, and advocate a GSC president Barun Singh. “The changes in the core curriculum to outcome of the Wednesday meeting increase hand-on experience. The was on the positive side of what we MacVicar fellowship, begun in 1992 expected. They’ve offered an olive to commemorate Margaret MacVic- branch.” ar, MIT’s first dean for undergradu- As part of the administration’s ate education and founder of the Un- increased commitment to transpar- dergraduate Research Opportunities ency, minutes from the stakeholders Program. It provides Fellows with and subcommittee meetings, as well $100,000 over a 10 year period for CHRISTINA KANG—THE TECH as progress reports will be available the development of undergraduate The first of three Automated External Defibrillators to be installed this semester was set up in the on a designated webpage, to be up- education at MIT. Student Center. The other two will be installed in the Stata Center and Infinite Corridor, and 6-12 Professor Leslie K. Norford, are expected to be added every following year. The AED’s were funded by a large-scale CPR event Ashdown, Page 13 hosted by MIT American Red Cross Team and Network and MIT EMS. MacVicar, Page 16 In Short ARTS NEWS World & Nation . 2 ¶ Candidates for Undergraduate Association President and Vice The Tech predicts Course VI to offer preorientation program . 13 Opinion . 4 President will debate at 8 p.m. on Academy Award Comics. 5 Monday, March 6 in the Student UA candidates. 13 Center. Representatives from The winners. Arts . 7 Graduate stipends to increase . 15 Tech will moderate the debate. Police Log . 17 Send news information and tips to Page 8 Sports . 20 [email protected]. Page 2 THE TECH March 3, 2006 WORLD & NATION Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds Call Bush-India Pact Would Allow For Prime Minister’s Removal By Robert F. Worth THE NEW YORK TIMES BAGHDAD, IRAQ Continued Nuke Development Leaders of Iraq’s Kurdish, secular and Sunni Arab parties asked the main Shiite alliance on Thursday to withdraw interim Prime Minister By Elisabeth Bumiller At the same time, Bush said he was as civilian facilities, meaning those Ibrahim al-Jaafari as its candidate for prime minister in the next gov- and Somini Sengupta going forward with a trip on Friday reactors will be subject for the first ernment, saying al-Jaafari failed to contain the sectarian violence that THE NEW YORK TIMES to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, time to international inspections or swept the country over the past week. NEW DELHI to meet with the country’s president, safeguards. The leaders said that if al-Jaafari continues as prime minister, they President Bush and Prime Minister Gen. Pervez Musharraf, despite a The other reactors, as well as a might try to force his removal by forming a united opposition group Manmohan Singh of India announced bombing Thursday morning outside a prototype fast-breeder reactor in the larger than the Shiites, in a move that could upend the political process here on Thursday what Bush called Marriott Hotel and the U.S. Consulate early stages of development, will re- and prolong efforts to form a government. a “historic” nuclear pact that would in Karachi. The bombing, a suspected main as military facilities, and not The request came as al-Jaafari imposed a daytime vehicle curfew help India satisfy its enormous civil- suicide attack, left four dead, includ- be subject to inspections. India also in Baghdad on Friday, in an apparent effort to forestall any sermons ian energy needs while allowing it to ing an American Embassy employee. retained the right to develop future at Friday prayers that could reignite the sectarian conflict that broke continue to develop nuclear weapons.