Apprentice’ Trump Calls Randal Pinkett a ‘Star’

Volume 50 – Number 13 Wednesday – December 21, 2005 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY He’s hired! Alumnus named ‘Apprentice’ Trump calls Randal Pinkett a ‘star’

Amy Marcott MIT Alumni Association

It’s official: A star is hired. Randal Pinkett (S.M., M.B.A. ‘98, Ph.D. ‘02) tri- umphed over 17 other competitors on The Apprentice 4 finale Dec. 15 to earn a job with Donald Trump. “Randal’s been a star. He’s got a star education. He’s MIT. He’s a Rhodes Scholar,” Trump said. “Do you know what that means? That’s serious, serious education.” Some 800 students and alumni gathered in Kresge Auditorium to watch the show on live television. Indeed, Pinkett seemed the clear favorite throughout the 13-week job interview, winning all three tasks he project-managed, earning the respect of fellow cast members, and being quickly snatched up by other competitors when opportunities arose to even the teams. The win nets Pinkett a six-figure job with “The Donald” overseeing the renovation and expansion of Trump’s three hotels in Atlantic City, N.J. “I see it really as what it’s intended to be, an PHOTO / ALICIA HANSEN apprenticeship,” Pinkett said in an Randal Pinkett, a Sloan alumnus, led his interview before the last show aired. “I team to three victories during the 13- don’t envision that I will begin a lifelong week ‘Apprentice’ competition. career at the Trump organization, but I certainly will work hard and seek to penultimate episode, in which he and learn, and be a sponge. … I believe I challenger Rebecca, a 23-year-old finan- have a lot to bring to the Trump orga- cial journalist, organized large benefits. nization through my experience as an Pinkett did make some questionable entrepreneur.” See PINKETT Typical of reality TV drama, Pinkett’s fate was left in question during the Page 6 IAP offers something for all tastes Sasha Brown Afternoon of good old- (really old) News Office fashioned ancient and medieval cook- ery. Class will prepare, cook and eat medieval foods from both sides of the The 2006 Independent Activities Mediterranean Sea. Preparations will Period (IAP), which will run from Jan. 9 involve the use of authentic period reci- through Feb. 3, offers everyone at MIT pe books. Contact: x8-6669. — students, faculty, staff, even alumni — a chance to break away from the rou- Athletics and exercise tine and try something new. Courses Middle Eastern Dance range from Hebrew to knitting and from Loni Butera running to philosophy, so there is some- Mondays and Wednesdays through thing for almost everyone. Many of the January, from 1 to 3 p.m. T-Club Lounge. classes are for beginners, making this Classes consist of warm-ups, exercis- the perfect time to learn a new skill or es focusing on isolation and coordina- hone an old one. For a full listing, go to tion, plus dance combinations/choreo- web.mit.edu/iap/. Here are just some of graphy. Wear a leotard and tights or the highlights: loose-fitting clothes to class. Food and cooking Boston and Cambridge Old Food: Ancient and Medieval Chocolate Tour of Boston PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY Cooking Rachel Chaney, Chaitra Manjunatha Anne McCants, Howard Eissenstat, Saturday, Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 Dressed for the holidays Margo Collett p.m. Meet in Lobby 7. The entrance at 77 Mass. Ave. is full of holiday cheer, but there are bound to be a lot Wednesday, Jan. 11, from noon to Want to know where to get good fewer people going through the doors next week as many leave campus for break. 5 p.m. Next House. Sign up by Jan. 5. See IAP Limit: 25 participants. Page 5 RESEARCH NEWS

GALE FORCE PROGRAMMABLE HOTLINE HELP Researchers studying the potential benefits of wind HEROES Students who need someone to talk to can count on power consider the wider implications for the power Mechanical engineering Nightline. grid. students apply robotics Page 3 Page 4 technology to disaster YOUNG INVESTIGATORS IN THE BLOOD response and rescue missions. MIT hosts middle-school students for a discussion Whitehead researchers discover an unusual of stem cell research, technology and ethics. Page 4 mechanism behind certain blood diseases. Page 3 Page 5 PAGE 2 December 21, 2005 NEWS MIT Tech Talk President backs Community Giving campaign DIGITALK To members of the faculty and staff: homelessness and other critical issues. I contributors to select from countless IAP with IT twist am writing to ask you to consider support- organizations. Donors may give to any IS&T is covering new As you walk through campus or the ing this Institute-wide fund-raising effort. local health or human services 501(c)(3) trends and continuing con- hallways of Lincoln Lab, on most days Our goal this year is to raise $400,000 agency, including MIT organizations such cerns in its IAP 2006 offer- you probably notice fund-raising efforts through broad faculty and staff participa- as the Public Service Center. Contribu- ings. Sessions include a on behalf of community service organization. MIT’s charitable giving campaign is tors also may choose the MIT Commu- sneak preview of the Human tions. I certainly do. Immediately follow- unusually comprehensive, offering the nity Service Fund, which supports Cam- Resources payroll project; sev- ing the devastating hurricanes this fall, options of giving to the United Way of bridge community service organizations eral courses on Linux, math software and MIT faculty and students responded with Massachusetts Bay, the MIT Community in which MIT students, faculty and staff geographic information systems; seminars a remarkable outpouring of fund-raising Service Fund or any local health or human are involved as volunteers. on teaching with technology; a series on activities, food and clothing drives, edu- services agency. As an institution, MIT seeks to make usability; and an open house in the Adap- cational activities, and emergency and Dean Robert Redwine, who chairs a difference in the world. Participation in tive Technology for Information and Com- long-term volunteer efforts. Earlier this the campaign steering committee, tells the Community Giving at MIT Campaign puting lab. For a complete listing of IS&T month, different groups on campus spon- me that colleagues often ask commit- is one way we can fulfill that mission — by offerings, visit student.mit.edu/iap/nsis. sored activities to raise awareness and tee members and department represen- reaching out to individuals and families in html. money for AIDS research and assistance. tatives to explain the benefits of taking our communities. I hope you will join me These are just two examples of the many part in this campaign. First, the practical: in supporting this year’s campaign. You Web surveys at MIT ways in which the MIT community dem- Donors may choose to donate through may donate online at web.mit.edu/com- onstrates its great generosity and com- payroll deductions, a one-step process munity-giving/ or request a pledge packet Planning a survey? You can get assis- passion. that makes it possible to spread out con- by e-mailing [email protected] tance from the MIT Web Survey Service, The Community Giving at MIT Cam- tributions over a longer period of time. or calling x3-7914. run jointly by IS&T and Institutional paign offers an important opportunity Second, since most people have a person- Research in the Office of the Provost. The for all of us to help our local community al association with or feel very connected Sincerely, service helps MIT groups plan, create and service agencies address poverty, illness, to a particular cause, the campaign allows Susan Hockfield host surveys. In the last two years, the MIT Web Survey Service administered close to 60 surveys for the community, and close to NEWS YOU CAN USE 80 surveys for members of consortiums to which MIT belongs. Recent survey Gifts from vendors banned topics included undergraduate satisfaction with campus resources; graduate Diane Shea, director of procurement, student assessment of advising; alumni has issued the following reminder to and parent satisfaction; faculty quality of department heads, lab directors/account life; commuting habits of students and supervisors, administrative officers, req- employees; and feedback to improve pub- uisitioners, procurement personnel and lications. others who are involved in the acquisition The Office of the Provost maintains a process. schedule of known MIT surveys in Tech- Institute and federal policies prohibit Time, to help avoid overlap. To view the the acceptance of gifts from vendors, sub- calendar, log into TechTime and search for contractors and contractors (suppliers). “provost as a resource.” You will be able The Institute policy is found in Policies to view the calendar for “Provost’s Office: and Procedures, section 7.9 (web.mit.edu/ Surveys.” policies/). The text follows: To learn more about the service, e-mail “It is the Institute’s objective to award [email protected] or visit web.mit. business to suppliers on the basis of con- edu/surveys/. siderations such as quality, service, com- petitive pricing and technical abilities. Acceptance of personal gifts or gratuities E-mail transitions from suppliers that could be construed In consultation with its IT colleagues, as a means of inducing business with the IS&T is endorsing the move from Eudora Institute is totally inconsistent with this to other e-mail applications: Apple Mail objective. for Mac OS X and Outlook Express or “Institute policy prohibits employees Outlook 2003 for Windows and WebMail. from accepting personal gifts or gratuities All of these programs are offered only as of any kind from suppliers. This includes Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) cli- the use of property or facilities, gift cer- ents at MIT. IMAP, the protocol that IS&T tificates, entertainment or other favors of recommends, stores your e-mail on a serv- value extended to employees or their fami- er so that you can access it from almost lies. any connected computer. “Federal regulations, which govern As part of this transition, IS&T will dis- procurement under contracts and grants, continue support for Eudora 5.2.1 (Win- impose a like prohibition mandated by dows) and Eudora 6.1 (Macintosh) on Jan. Public Law 99-634, known as the Anti- 31, 2006. Eudora 5.2.1 has a security vul- Kickback Enforcement Act of 1986. nerability and Eudora 6.1 is well behind Kickback is defined as any money, fee, the current Macintosh version, Eudora commission, credit, gift, gratuity, thing of 6.2.3. value or compensation of any kind that is To assist clients in switching to the rec- provided by a supplier, directly or indi- ommended e-mail applications, IS&T will rectly, to any employee for the purpose offer workshops during and after IAP and of improperly obtaining or rewarding will also provide documentation and tools. favorable treatment in connection with For more information, including class and procurement under a federal contract or clinic schedules, visit web.mit.edu/ist/ grant.” PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY topics/email/migration.html. If you have Catch some indoor air questions or concerns, e-mail the e-mail Be safe during break migration team at e-mail-migration@mit. Math junior Matt Garcia tests a mock half pipe set up in Lobby 10 on Monday, edu. Since so many members of the under- Dec. 12. His friend, Gabe Cira, built the model skateboard ramp for his architecture graduate and graduate community leave public art course. the campus during the holiday break, the Directory access MIT Police has reminded community Lightweight Directory Access Protocol members to secure their offices and any (LDAP) lets MIT users access the MIT valuables before leaving for vacation. Faculty scheduled to meet today online directory via Outlook Express, Out- The level of activity in most buildings look 2003 or Apple Mail. Configuring your across the university will reduce dramati- A regular meeting of the faculty • Review of the master of engineering e-mail application for LDAP is simple; for cally during break, so any and all items of will take place Wednesday, Dec. 21, at in civil and environmental engineering instructions, go to web.mit.edu/ist/serv- value should be in locked desks or cabi- 3:30 p.m. in Room 32-141. The agenda • Review of the master of engineering ices/network/ldap/. Staff and students nets. includes: in logistics who prefer an integrated e-mail/calendar Report any suspicious activity or suspi- • Vote on changes to the “Rules and • Remarks from President Susan Hock- solution should remain with Oracle Con- cious people to the MIT Police at x3-1212. Regulations of the Faculty,” Section 1.51 field nector for Outlook. In an emergency, use a blue-light tele- • Course number proposal for the Bio- • Topics arising and questions for the Digitalk is compiled by Information Serv- phone or dial x100. logical Engineering Division president, the provost and the chancellor ices and Technology.

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Permission is granted to excerpt or reprint any Printed on recycled paper Communications Assistant ...... Heather Manning Editorial/Production Assistant ...... Anne Trafton material originated in Tech Talk. MIT Tech Talk NEWS December 21, 2005 PAGE 3 Nightline’s an ear when you need one Sasha Brown on with whom they feel most comfortable. For many students, anonymity is the intense interview and training process. News Office “I really wanted to help people,” the crux of the hotline. “We can help the Applicants must handle mock calls and male coordinator said when asked why people who don’t necessarily want to turn show that they are capable of building he applied to work for Nightline. He said to their friends with a problem,” said the trust with an anonymous caller. “A lot of For close to 30 years, getting late-night Nightline receives two main types of calls. female coordinator. what we do is listen,” said the female coor- support has been as easy as picking up the The first kind of call is informational: Nightline has a space in an undisclosed dinator. phone, thanks to Nightline, a peer-listen- What is the number for Domino’s Pizza? location on campus. Stocked with beds, This year, there are 20 Nightline staff- ing service run entirely by MIT students. When is Safe Ride coming? What was the a television and a computer, the space ers, which is a fairly small staff. The hot- In operation since 1978, Nightline is score of the Patriot’s game? feels like home for the students who sleep line aims for 30 to 35 staffers. Those inter- available from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during fall The second kind of call is more seri- there. Each staffer spends two nights a ested in joining Nightline must have one and spring semesters, even on Thanksgiv- ous. These are the calls that deal with month at Nightline. semester of school under their belts. Call ing. It is during these critical nighttime stress, eating disorders, depression, rela- “All the staffers become really close Nightline at x3-8800 for more information. hours when students are the most vulner- tionship issues and basically any other because we are dealing with such emo- Over the years, Nightline has become able, said the male coordinator for Night- problem that a student might face during tional issues,” said the male coordinator. so ingrained in the MIT psyche that the line, a senior. Those interviewed for this the college and graduate school years. Nights spent at Nightline can be enjoy- hotline occasionally receives a call from an article asked not to be identified to protect “I have seen a co-worker stay on the able. Staffers order pizza and watch mov- alumnus. the anonymity of Nightline. line for 10 hours,” said the female coordi- ies together during downtime. But when “They still remember the mnemonic,” The hotline only closes for winter and nator, a senior. the phone rings, the fun stops. “We are said the female coordinator with a laugh, summer breaks and is staffed each night All the calls that Nightline receives are there for one reason and one reason only,” referring to DEF-TUV TUV OPER OPER, a by both a male and female counselor. Call- completely anonymous with no way of said the male coordinator. way to remember the hotline’s number — 3- ers may request either staffer depending being traced, stressed the male staffer. Would-be staffers must undergo an 8800 — from the letters on the phone pad. Professor Perry gets fellowship for biography of Scotswoman Sarah H. Wright News Office

Professor Ruth Perry of literature has been awarded a 2006-2007 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humani- ties (NEH) to work on a biography of Anna Gordon Brown, an 18th century Scotswoman renowned among folklorists for her knowledge of the Scottish and Eng- lish ballads of her time. Ballads brought forward by Brown (1747-1818) were considered the aesthetic core of “The English and Scottish Popular PHOTOS / DONNA COVENEY Ballads,” a seminal collection published in Biomedical Engineering Center Director Elazer Edelman, left, responds to seventh- and eighth-graders’ questions about the science and the late 1800s, but little is known about her ethics of stem cell research. Varden Avnor, right, addresses the stem cell panel, held Friday, Dec. 16, in 54-100. life beyond the fact that she absorbed a lot of traditional ballads in her early youth and sang them to collectors later on, Perry said. Middle-schoolers ask tough science questions “I am very grateful to the NEH for fund- ing this project and thrilled to be able to Sarah H. Wright start sleuthing on the trail of Anna Gordon News Office Brown,” Perry said. Perry’s biography of Brown will explore “who she was and how she became the Seventh- and eighth-grade students conduit for our common literary and musi- from the South Area Solomon Schecter cal heritage. It is the story of a woman’s Day School in Stoughton, Mass., engaged life during the Scottish enlightenment and a panel of eminent research scientists the golden age of collecting folk songs at from MIT and Harvard in a discussion of the end of the 18th century,” she said. stem cell research, technology and ethics Perry’s earlier work on Brown’s child- on Friday, Dec. 16, in Room 54-100. hood explored the period when she The panelists for the morning event learned ballads from her aunt and her were Elazer Edelman, director of the aunt’s servants and rural workers at a Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering small estate in Braemer, Scotland. Center; Lita Nelsen, director of the MIT Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Technology Licensing Office; Daniel Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Brock, director of the Division of Medical Philip S. Khoury said, “Winning major fel- Ethics at Harvard Medical School; Fred- PHOTOS / DONNA COVENEY lowships is nothing new for Ruth Perry, erick Schoen, chief of cardiac pathology at Panelist Lita Nelsen, director of the Technology Licensing Office, encourages youngsters to whose scholarship on the 18th century Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a fac- weigh the benefits of controversial research following a question by Adam Briscoe, right, at makes her one of the leading literary ulty member of the Harvard-MIT Division a Friday, Dec. 16, debate between scientists and middle school students. critics of this period on both sides of the of Health Sciences Technology (HST); and Atlantic.” Lino da Silva Ferreira, a postdoctoral fel- A ballad-singer and performer her- low at MIT researching the differentiation But without stem cell research, we’ll never cell research are not only the ends — a self, Perry is an internationally acclaimed of human embryonic stem cells for tissue be able to give any other than religious or cure for Parkinson’s, for instance — but authority on 18th century English lit- engineering. cultural answers,” he said. also the means, as discoveries are made erature and culture, women’s writing and Some of the students’ questions mir- Some students sought specifically to en route. feminist theory. Her current research and rored those in contemporary media, such understand the role and motivations of “We learn a lot along the way that may teaching interests include the history of as, “How do you respond to criticism mothers, asking, “Is it possible to save the have benefits. The process of research collecting, preserving and performing folk that stem cell research is killing human embryo after you remove stem cells?”, generates a lot of information for scien- music, particularly in 18th century Eng- beings?” “Can the embryo be returned to the moth- tists,” said Schoen. land. Brock said, “Human embryos are er?” and “Why do women donate spare One teaching moment came when Edel- Her books include “Women, Letters clearly alive, so one is killing something. embryos to research?” man cleared up a basic vocabulary puzzle, and the Novel” (1980); “Mothering the They’re clearly human; they’re not frogs. Nelsen, who earned the B.S. (1964) and brought on by youth and the cavernous Mind: Twelve Studies of Writers and Their But we have to ask, have they the proper- M.S. (1966) in chemical engineering and nature of 54-100. Silent Partners” (1984); “The Celebrated ties of a normal human, such as conscious- an M.S. in management (1979), all from To the student who asked, “How can Mary Astell” (1986); and “Novel Relations: ness, suffering and the capacity to plan for MIT, said, “Scientists weigh what poten- you tell the difference between embryos The Transformation of Kinship in English the future?” tially might result, in alleviating suffering that are more or less valuable?” Edelman Culture and Literature 1748-1818” (2004). Edelman (S.B. 1978, S.M. 1979, Ph.D. and pain, from destroying that little dot- replied, “The issue is not whether it’s valu- Perry has been awarded grants by the 1984) surprised the youngsters by using sized group of cells. able. It’s whether the embryo is viable. NEH and the National Science Foundation his experience as a cardiac specialist to “Women weigh this, too. There are Viable means, strictly, capable of becom- for projects on the social context of science refocus the question “When does life many embryos in the freezer that are left ing life.” and has held the prestigious Woodrow begin?” to “When does life end?” as a way over from in vitro fertilization — embry- Surveying the now-restless group Wilson Fellowship as well as fellowships to widen the debate. os that are not going to be ‘adopted’ or of young teens, Edelman offered some from the Bunting Institute, the Guggen- “Every day I make that decision. When implanted — and it’s the mother who advice. “If you choose a career in science, heim Foundation, the American Council do I tell someone their loved one is gone? decides to donate them to further make sure you help people understand of Learned Societies and the Rockefeller When do I tell them there’s hope? We research, to help others,” she said. what you do. That will always be part of Foundation at Bellagio, Italy. don’t know scientifically when life begins. Schoen added that the benefits of stem your work,” he said. PAGE 4 December 21, 2005 RESEARCH MIT Tech Talk Faces have a special place in the brain

Cathryn DeLude ized parts, each optimized to conduct a sin- faces. The new study now answers this McGovern Institute for Brain Research gle, very specific function. Or is it instead a challenge and supports the original spe- general-purpose device that handles many cialization theory. tasks but specializes in none? The researchers suspected that the Are you tempted to trade in last year’s Using the higher-resolution scans, strong response of the face area to both digital camera for a newer model with the Kanwisher team now provides some faces and bodies might result from the even more megapixels? Researchers who of the strongest evidence ever reported blurring together of two distinct but neigh- make images of the human brain have the for extreme specialization. Their study boring brain regions that are too close PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY same obsession with increasing their pixel appeared in the Nov. 23 issue of The Jour- together to distinguish at standard scan- Do you recognize this face? Researchers at count, which increases the sharpness (or nal of Neuroscience. ning resolutions. the McGovern Institute have made inroads “spatial resolution”) of their images. And The study focuses on face recogni- To test this idea, they increased the into understanding what happens in the improvements in spatial resolution are hap- tion, long considered an example of brain resolution of their images (like increasing brain when a person recognizes a face. No pening as fast in brain imaging research as specialization. In the 1990s, researchers the megapixels on a digital camera) ten- word on whether a face drawn in the snow they are in digital camera technology. including Kanwisher identified a region fold to get sharper images of brain func- counts. Nancy Kanwisher and colleagues at the known as the fusiform face area (FFA) as a tion. Indeed, at this higher resolution they McGovern Institute for Brain Research at potential brain center for face recognition. could clearly distinguish two neighboring Her colleagues on this work are Rebecca MIT are now using their higher- resolu- They pointed to evidence from brain- regions. One was primarily active when Frye Schwarzlose, a graduate student in tion scans to produce much more detailed imaging experiments, and to the fact that people saw faces (not bodies), and the brain and cognitive sciences, and Christo- images of the brain than were possible people with damage to this brain region other when people saw bodies (not faces). pher Baker, a postdoctoral researcher in just a couple years ago. Just as “hi-def” TV cannot recognize faces, even those of their This finding supports the original claim the department. shows clearer views of a football game, family and closest friends. that the face area is in fact dedicated exclu- The research was supported by the these finely grained images are providing However, more recent brain-imaging sively to face processing. The results further National Institutes of Health, the National new answers to some very old questions experiments have challenged this claimed demonstrate a similar degree of specializa- Center for Research Resources, the Mind in brain research. specialization by showing that this region tion for the new “body region” next door. Institute, and the National Science Foun- One such question hinges on whether also responds strongly when people see Kanwisher is the Ellen Swallow Rich- dation’s Graduate Research Fellowship the brain is comprised of highly special- images of bodies and body parts, not just ards Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience. Program. Course 2.12 sends robots to the rescue Sarah H. Wright News Office

Images of men, women and children stranded on rooftops or trapped amid mountains of rubble following natural disasters leave many with a sense of help- lessness. But those same images inspired the designers of mechanical engineering course 2.12 to apply robotics technology to disaster response and rescue missions. Students in the course demonstrated their rescue robots on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the d’Arbeloff Lab, Room 1-005. Each 2.12 robot — a hotel refrigera- tor-shaped platform guided by an onboard Linux computer — had to navigate a space displaying photo images from Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Southeast Indian tsunami and the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan. The robots had to locate three different long-haired dolls, pluck each from “her” individual catastrophe scene, carry her to an emergency room and drop her to safety. PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY Various sensors, including a laser range A rescue robot carries a doll, representing a victim of disaster, to the ‘emergency room’ during the course 2.12 demonstration held scanner, helped the ’bots locate their dolls Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the d’Arbeloff Lab. — a blonde, a brunette and a redhead — all barefoot and dressed in casual summer to distinguish houses from debris en route grammed into the robot, and have to be teach 2.12. clothes. A manipulator arm did the heavy to locating casualties, and also that demos completed without any instruction from “These students stay up all night to get lifting, aided by a large magnet attached to like Wednesday’s offer built-in suspense. the builders,” he said. it right. They’ve had just five weeks to do each doll’s belly. “The students were responsible for the Harry Asada, professor of mechanical this. If I could give them anything, it would Eric Wade, teaching assistant for 2.12, robot fabrication, and for writing the code engineering, and John Leonard, associ- be more time,” Leonard said the day before noted that the rescue robots had to be able that runs the robots. All tasks are prepro- ate professor of mechanical engineering, the robots went live as rescue workers. MIT team analyzes wind energy potential in Northeast Nancy Stauffer most abundant does not always lead to the biggest emis- are high,” said Connors. “But from an emissions-reduction MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment sions savings. By looking at detailed historical data, they perspective it actually fits very well.” found that in some cases a more important factor is the He and Berlinski found that in winter, fossil units with emissions level of the conventional power plant that is relatively high greenhouse gas and other emissions are There’s more to determining the value of wind power being turned up or down in response to the available solar more likely to be backed off, or turned down, when elec- than knowing which way the wind blows — or even how power. tricity from wind farms becomes available. Thus, when hard. Those findings elicited considerable interest from state wind farms operate the most, they reduce the operation of MIT researchers studying winds off the Northeast regulators and power system operators who need hard some of New England’s dirtiest conventional plants. coast have found that estimating the potential environmen- estimates of potential emissions reductions from using Comparing the solar and wind results highlights the tal benefits from wind and other renewables requires a local renewable resources, especially when there are local importance of tracking the “mode” in which the power sys- detailed understanding of the dynamics of both renewable concerns over siting. tem is operating. In winter, when wind generation peaks, resources and conventional power generation. Now, Connors and Michael Berlinski, a graduate stu- the power system is dominated by older, lower-cost plants Data show that wind-energy facilities would generate dent in MIT’s Engineering Systems Division, have turned burning coal or oil. In summer, when solar generation far more electricity in winter, because that’s when winds their attention to the environmental benefits of using wind- peaks, the power system includes more natural-gas-burn- are strongest. But the need for electricity is greatest in energy systems off New England. As in the solar study, ing plants to meet high electricity demand. Because of summer, when air conditioners are going full blast. they performed intensive “data mining” using numerous their higher cost, natural gas plants will be backed off first. So, what are the benefits of wind energy? National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), But natural gas plants are generally more fuel efficient According to the MIT study, wintertime wind power Environmental Protection Agency and other data sources than plants that burn other fossil fuels. Thus, the emissions will replace electricity generated by relatively inefficient tracking windspeeds, electricity demand and power systems reductions per kilowatt-hour will not be as dramatic. and dirty fossil fuel power plants. However, since wind, operations over time. Using hourly windspeeds collected by “So here’s the research challenge,” said Connors. electricity demand, fossil fuel prices and investment in NOAA’s network of data buoys, they calculated the electric- “Before we can calculate the true environmental benefits power generation are so variable, the MIT team is now ity that could have come from various offshore sites had of using renewables, we need to be able to figure out the performing a more comprehensive analysis. wind turbines been located there. operating mode of the whole electric power system in a This work follows a similar study on solar power. In The data showed that the potential for wind-generated particular region and over time.” The usual static data 2004, Stephen R. Connors and colleagues in the Labora- electricity is highest in the winter in the Northeast. — annual wind power and annual power plant emissions, tory for Energy and the Environment’s Analysis Group “You would think that wind power is not a good fit for for example — are insufficient. for Regional Energy Alternatives (AGREA) reported that New England because it’s not there when you need it most The wind power research was supported by the Mas- siting solar photovoltaic (PV) systems where sunshine is — midday during the summer when demand and prices sachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. MIT Tech Talk NEWS December 21, 2005 PAGE 5 Blood researchers find disease mechanism Alyssa Kneller blood-cell growth. But the mutation alone this finding in Cancer Cell in April, Gillil- The involvement of a cytokine recep- Whitehead Institute will not produce the disease. The mutant and turned to Lodish lab researchers, who tor explains, in part, why one mutation kinase, named JAK2V617F, causes the con- designed experiments that shed light on can produce distinct disorders. Research- dition only after binding to another mol- the mechanism behind the disease. ers found three different cytokine recep- Approximately 80,000 to 100,000 people ecule. This indirect mechanism for myelo- The mutant kinase floats around the tors that interact with the mutated kinase. in the United States suffer from myelopro- proliferative disease is unusual because cell, minding its own business, until it Thus the mutant kinase is tied to three liferative disease, a broad category of ail- many other kinase mutations lead directly binds to a surface protein called a cyto- unique signaling pathways, each of which ments characterized by overproduction of to cell proliferation. kine receptor, which spans the cell mem- is associated with a specific type of blood different types of blood cells. Often these “Surprisingly, this mutant kinase is brane and receives hormone signals from cell. diseases lead to cancers of blood cells. completely dependent on a cell-surface the outside. In a normal cell, the kinase “Each disorder might depend on a dif- Now researchers at MIT, the White- protein for its transforming potential,” says remains inactive until a hormone lands ferent receptor and the downstream make- head Institute for Biomedical Research MIT biology professor and Whitehead on the receptor and activates it. But the up of the individual cell,” says Xiaohui and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have member Harvey Lodish. His lab made the mutated kinase doesn’t wait for this exter- Lu, a postdoctoral associate in the Lodish discovered an unusual mechanism under- discovery in collaboration with D. Gary nal signal. Instead, when two mutated lab and co-lead author on the paper. This lying this condition. Their findings, pub- Gilliland of Brigham and Women’s. Gil- kinases are tethered to adjacent cytokine information could help pharmaceutical lished online in the Proceedings of the liland is also a Howard Hughes Medical receptors, they activate each other auto- companies develop drugs to treat the dis- National Academy of Sciences the week of Institute investigator. matically and trigger a series of events that orders, since they now know which cyto- Dec. 19, could lay the foundation for future Gilliland’s lab was one of several to lead to cell proliferation. kine receptors and blood cell production drugs to treat the disorders. identify the precise genetic mutation This can cause a number of problems. pathways to target. As people age, their genes acquire responsible for myeloproliferative disease For example, some patients with myelo- This study was supported by the mutations. In a patient with myeloprolifera- when the researchers discovered that the proliferative disease develop polycythemia National Institutes of Health, the Leuke- tive disease, a mutation occurs in a protein exact same genetic mutation in a kinase vera, a disorder characterized by high red mia and Lymphoma Society, the Doris called a kinase, that is, a protein that adds a called JAK2 causes a number of distinct blood cell counts. Others develop myelo- Duke Charitable Foundation, the How- small molecule called a phosphate to other disorders that fall under the myeloprolif- fibrosis — their bone marrow becomes ard Hughes Medical Institute and Amgen proteins, in this case proteins involved in erative disease umbrella. After publishing dense as fibroblasts multiply. Inc. IAP IAP series Continued from Page 1 chocolate in Boston? Or just want to take a tour around Boston and eat chocolate? opens book Go on a tour of Boston that stops at chocolate hot spots. You can buy or eat the best chocolate Boston has to offer. Sponsored on poetry by the Laboratory for Chocolate Science. Arts and crafts Sarah H. Wright Ikebana: The Art of Japanese Flow- News Office er Arranging Hiroko Matsuyama Tuesday, Jan. 24, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Now in its ninth consecutive season, Room E38-714. Advance sign-up required. the IAP series called Pleasures of Poetry Limit: 15 participants. $10 material fee. offers a varied literary feast this year, with Hiroko Matsuyama, an Ohara School poetry by classic figures such as Milton, of Ikebana instructor, will demonstrate Keats and Tennyson, a sampling of Viet- the basics of this ancient art. Participants namese poetry, contemporary work by will create their own flower arrangements. John Ashbery and Jack Gilbert, biblical Contact: x8-8208. songs of liberation and the Kaddish for reading and discussion. Finance and economics Literature Professor David Thorburn, Searching for a Mate: Evidence director of the MIT Communications From Speed Dating Experiments? Forum, is the series founder and organiz- Ray Fisman of Columbia University er. Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 2 to 3 p.m. Room “I’m always surprised and inspired by E51-372. the diversity and aesthetic energy of the Economists don’t believe in survey poems our moderators choose. We’re all results. They call it “cheap talk.” This volunteers, and each discussion leader applies to an even greater extent in realms selects poems that are personal favorites. where individuals have trouble admitting This year the range of contemporary poet- their true preferences to themselves, let ry is especially notable, but there is also a alone reporting these preferences to oth- good selection of canonical English poems, ers. This class studies dating preferences as well as several provocative, unexpected through the revealed choices of real-life texts. Our audiences are always a wonder- daters in a research speed-dating service ful mix of students, faculty and staff from that was set up for this purpose. This talk all parts of the Institute. I love the core will analyze what men and women really message this activity sends every January: want, as revealed by their actions in a real Poetry thrives at MIT,” Thorburn said. dating situation. Contact: x3-3971. Mary Fuller, associate professor of literature, will open the series on Jan. 9 with a Languages reading and discussion of the first 75 lines Hebrew Literacy Marathon of “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. Hasia Richman Noting with enthusiasm the “density of Wednesday, Jan. 25, and Thursday, Jan. Milton’s style and the rigor of his think- 26, from 4 to 8 p.m. Building W11 – Small ing,” Fuller said of her selection, “Behind Dining. Sign up by Jan. 9. Limit: 25 partici- the fall of humanity from paradise, Milton pants. $30 material fee. PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY finds a cause in the prior fall of Satan and If you know anything at all about Jew- by line 75 we are within Satan’s mind, look- ish living or Jewish culture, but you don’t Game on ing out at hell.” know even one letter of the Hebrew alpha- Who could resist? This squid hung in a stairwell down the Infinite Corridor on Monday, Dec. 12, as bet, this class is for you. Be part of an The poetry series meets weekdays part of a Super Mario hack that started in Lobby 7 and continued all the way down eight-hour Hebrew reading marathon. You throughout IAP for one-hour sessions. the hall. will learn the aleph-bet of Hebrew, become All are free and open to the public; they familiar with 300 words for Jewish living, are held in Room 14E-304 from 1 to 2 p.m. and develop a love and appreciation for through Feb. 3. Hebrew. No prior knowledge of Hebrew In the first week of IAP, Fuller’s ses- required. Contact: x3-2982. crunch times here at MIT! What better Dr. T.” An MIT tradition marches forward. sion on Milton will be followed by sessions time to think more globally about balance Contact: x3-5038. led by literature faculty Howard Eiland, on Leadership skills in your life than during IAP. Please bring John Keats’s “Ode to Melancholy” (Jan. Sipping From the Fire Hose: Bal- your lunch. Drinks and dessert will be pro- Miscellaneous 10); Stephen Tapscott, on works by Rob- ancing Academics, Friendship, Family vided. Contact: x3-7605. History and Mystery of the Tarot ert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop (Jan. 11); and a Social Life Daniel Barkowitz Wyn Kelley on Aphra Behn and Jonathan Tom Robinson, Linda Noel Literature Tuesdays, Jan. 10 through Jan. 31, from Swift (Jan. 12); and James Buzard lead- Wednesday, Jan. 11, from noon to 1 The 16th Annual Salute to Dr. noon to 1:30 p.m. No limit, but participants ing a session on Alfred Lord Tennyson’s p.m. Room 1-135. Limit: 25 participants. Seuss must sign up by Dec. 24. poems, “Ulysses” and “Tithonus” (Jan. Have you ever dashed across the Mas- Henry Jenkins Classes will explore the history, origin, 13). sachusetts Avenue crosswalk with two Monday, Jan. 23, from 5 to 6 p.m. use and art of the Tarot. Students should Literature faculty set to moderate other seconds left on the clock because you’re Gather around, boys and girls of all purchase the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck or sessions include Thorburn on works by late for an appointment? Ever skipped ages, for a celebration of the sublime and similar learning deck for use in class. Linda Gregerson (Jan. 20); John Hildebi- lunch or operated on too little sleep? Do wacky world of Dr. Seuss. You will hear Students are welcome at any session but dle on Billy Collins (Jan. 24); Anthony Lioi you feel like you have to rush from com- Professor Henry Jenkins read works and are encouraged to attend all. Contact: x8- on Galway Kinnell (Jan. 26), and James mitment to commitment in order to meet talk about Seuss’s relationship to modern 5612. Cain on Italian sonnets (Feb. 2). your obligations? This workshop will look art and popular culture. Also on tap: A For more information or to receive a See IAP at several ways to develop strategies that screening of the good doctor’s remarkable packet of the poems, please e-mail Julie will help you during those all-too-familiar live action feature film, “5000 Fingers of Page 6 Saunders at [email protected]. PAGE 6 December 21, 2005 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Resource center’s ‘spa’ helps students relax AWARDS & HONORS “The Housewives of Mannheim,” a play Sasha Brown MIT Spa features hot teas, hot chocolate dations for stressed students is sleep, by Associate Provost for the Arts Alan News Office and other warm drinks, while the Infinite followed by healthy eating. The educa- Brody, has won the Bloomington Play- Oasis offers summer drinks: lemonade, tors also encourage list-making to tackle wrights Project (BPP) Reva Shiner Full iced tea and various juices. Regardless mounting to-do lists. Length Play Contest. There were more For years, at the end of each semester, of the season, MIT students flock to the Starting last spring, the event also fea- than 300 entries for the BPP award, which tired and stressed-out students have had a event each time, said Elizabeth Young, tures a massage therapist who gives 10- includes a cash prize and full production of place to decompress right in Building 7. assistant dean of new student program- minute chair massages for two hours each the winning play. The drama, set in 1944 On the last two days of classes, just ming. day. “She fills up immediately,” said Young, working-class Brooklyn, deals with homo- before finals, the Academic Resource Cen- “It is just something different,” said laughing. Since most people carry their sexuality, anti-Semitism and gender roles. ter transforms into a space for students to Young. “The place is always packed.” tension in the neck and shoulders, the It will be staged Feb. 9-25 at the BPP’s new nosh, chat and mingle before finals begin. In addition to offering various “kiddy” therapist focuses her work there. theater in Bloomington, Ind. For more Last week, the event was offered on Dec. snacks like fruit chews, granola bars, Although the MIT Spa is open just a information, visit www.newplays.org. 13 and 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Goldfish crackers and juice boxes, Aca- few days a year, the Academic Resource Javier Garcia-Martinez, a recent MIT Known as MIT Spa in the fall semes- demic Resources also has educators from Center is open to students year-round. postdoctoral fellow, has been named one ter and Infinite Oasis in the spring, the the Center for Health Promotion and “We are always a very loud, stop-in kind of of Europe’s top younger chemists of 2005 end-of-the-semester celebration has var- Wellness on hand to discuss stress man- place,” said Young about her office. “It is a and awarded the Europa Medal and 1,000 ied offerings depending on the season. agement. Chief among the recommen- nice place to be.” euro prize for his work on a novel form of carbon prepared by self-assembly. Gar- cia-Martinez conducted the prize-winning research on nanostructured carbon while IAP working as a postdoc in MIT’s chemical engineering department. Continued from Page 5 Michael Athans, professor emeritus MIT Campus Sustainability — Chal- of electrical engineering and computer lenges and Responses science, received a medal from the Polish Steven Lanou Academy of Sciences on June 30 for his Tuesday, Jan. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. contributions to optimal control, following Room 56-114. Sign up by Jan. 6. Limit: 60 his plenary lecture at the 25th Polish Auto- participants. mation Conference in Warsaw. He was also Presentation and discussion on MIT’s elected a life fellow of the Institute of Electri- campus environmental challenges and on cal and Electronic Engineers, effective Jan. programs and activities to minimize their 1, 2006. Athans has been a visiting research impact. Includes special presentation on professor at the Instituto Superior Tecnico the recent solar panel initiative. Moderated in Lisbon, Portugal, for the past five years. by Steven Lanou, program manager for sus- Richard Locke, Alvin J. Siteman Pro- tainability initiatives (Environmental Pro- fessor of Entrepreneurship and Political grams Office). Contact: [email protected]. Science and director of the Sloan School’s Global Entrepreneurship Laboratory, was Philosophy recently recognized as a Beyond Grey Pin- Philosophy Trivia Quiz stripes Faculty Pioneer by the Aspen Insti- Helena de Bres tute. Locke is one of six faculty members Friday, Feb. 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. Room PHOTO / MURAT ACAR, MIT in the nation to receive this year’s honor, 32-D808. A crowd watching ‘The Apprentice 4’ live finale in MIT’s Kresge Auditorium on Dec. 15 which goes to “exceptional scholars and Pit your capacity for abstract thought erupts in cheers as Randal Pinkett is chosen to be Donald Trump’s apprentice. excellent teachers who are leading the way against that of the professionals, at what in incorporating social and environmental promises to be the most “profoundly triv- issues into their teaching and research.” ial” event this IAP. Which famous philoso- Arup K. Chakraborty, Robert T. pher rescued Naomi Campbell from the PINKETT Haslam Professor of Chemical Engineer- clutches of Mike Tyson with the words also founded five companies, the latest of ing, professor of chemistry and profes- “I suggest we talk about this like rational Continued from Page 1 which is Newark, N.J.-based BCT Part- sor of biological engineering, recently men”? What does Karl Marx have in com- ners, a management, technology and poli- received the Presidential Citation for Out- mon with Jude Law? Does “Metaphysics” decisions — he dragged all of his employ- cy consulting firm. standing Achievement from University of come before or after “Physics”? What is ees to a party store for supplies and did not “There’s no question that a lot of the Delaware President David P. Roselle. the meaning of life, anyway? All this and have a contingency plan for what would organizational development and strategy Chakraborty, who earned a Ph.D. from more! MIT Philosophy: If it’s deep, we’ve happen if his softball game were rained and communication skills that I honed the University of Delaware in 1989, was thought it. Come get yourself some of the out, which happened. But Pinkett’s grace at MIT were applied on the show,” said one of six Delaware alumni honored with action. Contact: x8-8084. under pressure and charm won over his Pinkett, citing LFM’s leadership activities the award, which went to Delaware gradu- clients. and exercises as important to his train- ates of the past 20 years who “exhibit great Politics and social science At the end of the finale, Trump asked ing. “All those skills that have to do with promise in their professional and public U.S. Special Operations Forces Pinkett if Rebecca should also be hired, being a leader and leading people I think service activities.” Roles and Missions but Pinkett said he thought the night I applied and applied effectively on the Professor Paul Lagace of aeronautics/ Lt. Col. Chris Conner belonged to him. “If you’re going to show.” astronautics has been elected a fellow by Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. hire someone tonight, it should be one,” Pinkett did face some troublesome the American Society of Composites. Fel- Room E38-714. Limit: 20 participants. he said. “It’s not The Apprenti, it’s The moments: learning of his grandmother’s lows are long-standing members of the The use of U.S. Special Operations Apprentice.” death in episode one, missing a typo on society who have made significant contri- Forces has figured prominently in the Pinkett’s final competitor could sim- a promotional poster, and having a team- butions to the advancement of composite response to the 9/11 attacks and in Opera- ply not top his academic credentials and mate question his creativity in front of technology. tion Iraqi Freedom. Consequently, much business acumen. Pinkett, 34, holds five Trump. But never shying away from lead- Ramana Nanda, a Ph.D. candidate in has been written regarding their roles, degrees, including one from Oxford ership and leading by example served him strategy and international management at training and recent operations. This class earned on a Rhodes Scholarship and well. “My strategy was to be fair and to the Sloan School of Management, has won is designed to familiarize you with the three from MIT: a master’s in electrical treat people with respect,” he said. “I feel the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship for actual charter of these unconventional engineering, an M.B.A. in the Leaders like I came across true to who I am and his dissertation research program. Nanda warriors as well as to dispel some myths, for Manufacturing (LFM) Program, and represented the kind of business person is doing large-scale studies of entrepre- rumors and innuendos. Contact: x8-9440. a Ph.D. from the Media Laboratory. He’s that I am in a very positive light.” neurial activities in Denmark and India. CLASSIFIED ADS Members of the MIT community may submit zanine, desk underneath. Sep. bathroom one classified ad each issue. Ads can be resub- w/ bath, sep. furnished kitchen w/ washing mitted, but not two weeks in a row. Ads should machine. Wireless Internet connection, unlim- be 30 words maximum; they will be edited. ited national phone calls. 1200 euros/month, Submit by e-mail to [email protected] or mail all included. Sec. deposit req. Pics avail. Contact to Classifieds, Rm 11-400. Deadline is noon [email protected]. Wednesday the week before publication. STUDENT EMPLOYMENT FOR SALE Dollars and Sense Magazine, which educates the Dark green leather Barcalounger, excellent public about economic issues in non-technical shape. $375. Call 617-268-0880. language, seeks a detail oriented, meticulous, mature individual to assist w/ data entry, mail- 1967 Gretsch Nashville Electric Guitar w/ pro- ings & phone work. Job tasks include: Assisting fessional repaint & refurb $1650/bst. Have pics. the book editor, business manager & develop- E-mail [email protected]. ment director, plus mailings, data entry, filing & faxing. Training & oversight provided. Strong office skills required. Half-year to one-year posi- HOUSING tion avail. approx. Jan. 12. Contact Chris Sturr, [email protected], 617-447-2177 Everett - 4 BR house for rent. Close to T & all x205, $11-$12/hr. major highways. No utilities, no smoking, no pets. $1600, avail. immediately. Call 617-389- Asian Community Development Corp. Directed 8842. project work avail. within one of our program areas: urban/community planning, economic Seeking roommate for 2BR apartment in development, physical development & commu- Arlington. Available 1/1/06. $600 + utili- nity organizing. Students that make a one year ties. Near Mass. Ave. and #77 and 79 buses to commitment will develop & implement their own Harvard and Alewife. ~7 mile drive to Lincoln program, w/ needs of the community in mind. Lab. Contact David at [email protected] or Must have interest in learning more about the 781-316-2346 (home), 781-981-2329 (work). Asian community in Boston. Students that speak Cantonese, Toisanese & Mandarin are highly Paris — 40 sq. m. flat in center of Paris, 2 encouraged to apply. Contact Daniel Stolkowski, min. walk to Louvre. Avail. Jan. 2 or 3 to end [email protected], 617-482-2380 x206 $8- of April. Living rm w/ sleep sofa, BR w/ mez- $10/hr. MIT Tech Talk ARTS December 21, 2005 PAGE 7 Wodiczko MIT staffer finds himself in folk This is one of an occasional series of articles on MIT staff honored by members who are also artists. Lynn Heinemann exhibits in Office of the Arts

How does someone who made his professional debut as a clas- Poland sical harpsichordist at Carnegie Recital Hall at age 15 take up the accordion 15 years later … and become a sought-after accompa- Krzysztof Wodiczko, professor of visual nist on the international folk dance scene? arts in the Department of Architecture, is Ask Tom Pixton, who, in addition to maintaining a flourishing known worldwide for his large-scale, politi- and prolific musical career, works full time at MIT’s Publishing cally charged video projections onto land- Services Bureau as a publishing advisor. marks and buildings. But he’s particularly Pixton, who will be performing with his Pinewoods Band at the beloved in his native Poland. Folk Arts Center of New England’s New Year’s Eve party, picked Recently, he returned to Poland in con- up the accordion relatively late in life, but says, “Within a day, I junction with two exhibitions of his work, knew this was my instrument.” He has since founded three dance one in Krakow and the other in Warsaw. bands and become an expert in Romanian, Krakow was the site of Wodiczko’s first Scottish and Cajun music. projection nearly 10 years ago, an installa- ARTISTS Pixton’s roots in music go back to his tion that incorpo- AT childhood in a progressive Quaker house- rated movement hold in Philadelphia. He was introduced to and sound. Created WORK the harpsichord at the Germantown Friends in 1996, the work School, and at age 7 spent a year in Moroc- transformed the co with his family through the American Friends Service Commit- single tower of the tee, the international Quaker organization that sponsors projects municipal building around the world. on Main Square Pixton became a professional harpsichordist, released four solo into a gigantic per- recordings on that instrument and actually built 18 harpsichords, son, with the cupola which he sold. Then, when he was 30, he decided that the harp- as the head and the sichord was a “self-indulgent and obscure way to communicate clock suggesting a music with an audience.” It was also, he said, “not a career that face. Projections of would support my family in any consistent way.” hands helped bring So, in 1984, he and his wife, Barbara, who had been teaching Wodiczko to life the transmit- piano, left their musical careers to delve into another, more poten- ted voices of drug tially lucrative branch of the arts. She became a decorative artist; addicts, homosexuals, the disabled, and he developed his skills in graphic arts. women victims of family violence. But Pixton found he just couldn’t stray too far from music. One of Wodiczko returned to Krakow last the first large projects he tackled in his new job was a songbook for month for the opening of the first retro- the Cambridge Christmas Revels, an organization that Pixton would PHOTO / SUSAN WILSON spective exhibit of films documenting his later join as performing musician. Tom Pixton, publishing advisor at MIT, will play the accordian at the public projections. “Public Projections: The ex-harpsichordist recalls his first days as a nonmusician as Folk Arts Center of New England’s New Year’s Eve party. 1996-2004,” held at Krakow’s premier a period with unexpected chunks of free time. The Pixtons began gallery for modern and contemporary to attend Boston-area folk dances where they were introduced to how live music would be integrated into existing dance events art, Bunkier Sztuki, from Nov. 9 through ethnic dance music such as New England contra, Balkan, folk and that used recordings,” he says. He also observes that the recre- Dec. 11, featured five films documenting traditional Scottish music. ational dance community includes many former classical musi- Wodiczko’s projections in Krakow, Bos- When a friend heard Pixton picking out the dance melodies on cians, ripe for recruitment in his groups. His wife often performs ton, Hiroshima, Tijuana and St. Louis. his harpsichord, she suggested he try an accordion her aunt had. in his groups and now plays double bass, santouri, guitar, flute, In Warsaw, Wodiczko’s works are “It was an auspicious suggestion,” says Pixton. “Within minutes violin, accordion and panflute in addition to the piano. Their currently on view through Jan. 22 at the of strapping it on, all that suppressed need to perform unleashed careers have united again. Zacheta National Gallery of Art. The itself.” He performed on the accordion at a dance merely three Pixton says that playing for dances is a lot of fun. “It’s an inter- exhibition’s title, “Monument Therapy,” weeks later, and hasn’t stopped since. active sport, where the musicians connect musically with each refers to a phrase coined by Wodiczko to In 1992, Pixton founded Flying Tomatoes, an ensemble devot- other and with the dancers, and the dancers in turn transmit their describe two concepts central to his art: ed to providing live music for international folk dancing. That energy, if they are appropriately inspired, back to the musicians,” the memorial and therapy. The Nov. 19 same year, the Folk Arts Center of New England asked Pixton he says. “It’s a very rewarding kind of performance art.” opening was preceded by a projection to organize the music for their summer dance camps. Under his Dancers can interact with Pixton and his Pinewoods Band at onto the gallery’s facade that represented leadership, the Pinewoods Band was reorganized to play for all the Folk Arts Center of New England’s party on Dec. 31 from the problems of female victims of violence the dance sessions, and the band has since become legendary. It 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church (11 Homer St., in contemporary Poland. The screening of is the first international folk dance band to be engaged to play at Newton Center). Admission is $20, $17 for FAC members, $10 a filmed documentary of this opening pro- festivals throughout the United States and Canada. students, free for children under 6. For more information, call 781- jection is included in the gallery as part of It was natural to Pixton to start his own ensembles. “I had my 662-7475 or visit www.facone.org. the show. own strong ideas about how the music should be interpreted and For more information on Tom Pixton, visit www.pixton.org/. IAP courses open windows on art, music and more Much of MIT is quiet during January’s here on campus — where they’re usually the 16th annual salute to Dr. Seuss. Independent Activities Period (IAP), but free or dirt-cheap. January offerings range Exhibitions opportunities for creativity and learning from Anime Club screenings of some of Been to the MIT Museum lately? Now’s abound — often in areas not normally the finest animation in the world to Quen- your chance. Except for Dec. 24 and 25, associated with academia. You can sculpt tin Taratino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Also on when all of MIT is closed, the museum will with chocolate, consider the literary tech- tap: an MIT film and video marathon ret- be open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to niques of Dr. Seuss and examine creativity rospective, which will feature vintage foot- 5 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m. in a class titled “It’s All in Your Head.” age of the 1926 frat house gang of Phi Beta throughout December and January. The following is a sampling of this year’s Epsilon, profiles of Doc Edgerton and Doc “COLLISIONbox #2: Cars and Stars,” arts-related offerings. For more IAP list- Draper, and more. Hands-on types can cre- a new multimedia installation, opens at ings, see page 1 or visit web.mit.edu/iap. ate their own films in “Storytelling and the museum on Friday, Jan. 20. The show Music Games in the Digital Age.” Student teams features Andy Zimmermann’s multimedia The Department of Mathematics and in that class will develop story concepts installation “Cars and Stars,” which proj- the Experimental Study Group are host- for various media, including motion pic- ects digital animation and video onto a ing concerts. And a couple of workshops ture visual effects and computer games. three-dimensional sculpture with accom- are being offered for drummers: one, on Visual arts panying digital sound composition. Zim- Middle Eastern rhythms, centers on using Winter is a good time to tap into your merman describes the installation as “a an hourglass-shaped drum called the dara inner artist. IAP courses offer opportunities song cycle; a meditation on the circadian bukka/dumbeg; another focuses on the tra- to paint, silkscreen, create ceramic rattles rhythm of traffic jams.” ditional Korean art form called Pungmul, and whistles, and develop your photograph- You can still catch the tail end of a cou- which includes rituals, drumming, dance ic and darkroom skills. Learn to combine ple of other MIT exhibitions in January as and acrobatics. animation, video and sculpture in a three- well: Nonmusicians can chime in with ses- dimensional space in a course called “Sculpt- Scott Globus’ “Scientific Settings: Pho- sions on “change ringing,” a traditional ing With Light.” Or, get out of the studio for tos of MIT Labs” is on view at the Comp- British style of ringing bells. Participants ‘Man with Hat,’ a 1984 woodcut by Aaron an architectural tour of the Boston Public ton Gallery through Jan. 6. Postdoctoral will visit the towers of Boston’s Old North Fink, is part of an exhibit opening at The Library, the magnificent 1895 Renaissance associate Max Berniker’s exhibition of Church and the Church of the Advent Dean’s Gallery in the Sloan School of Revival building that features mosaics, wall figure drawings, “10 Minutes With Max,” near Beacon Hill and will have a chance to Management on Jan. 3. paintings, and murals by Pierre Puvis de runs through Jan. 11 at the Wiesner Stu- make music. A single rope controls each Chauvannes and John Singer Sargent. dent Gallery. bell, which can weigh up to a ton. Those Shakespeare Ensemble’s scene night. Something completely different Meanwhile, on the opposite side of who want to tintinnabulate with less ton- For movement more elegant than stomp- White, milk or dark chocolate? Gob- campus, poker players, coffee cups, nage can join an introduction to change ing the slush off your boots, try lessons in ble up your creations in such classes as knives, forks and cigars will be among the ringing on handbells. waltz, salsa, tango, swing and folk dancing. “Experimental Chocolate Truffle-Making” mundane items portrayed in “Aaron Fink: Theater and dance Sessions in contra or square dancing can and the “Battle of the Brownies.” IAP also Elements, and Other Prints,” opening at Looking for some drama? Learn the also help ward off the chill. offers a chocolate sculpture workshop, a The Dean’s Gallery in the Sloan School of basics of improv comedy with Roadkill Film class on how to make chain mail (the flex- Management on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Located Buffet. Want something more tradition- IAP is always a good time to catch some ible armor made from metal rings that was in Room E52-466, The Dean’s Gallery is al? Listen for iambic pentameter during movies, not only in the theaters but right used in combat for more 1,000 years), and open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PAGE 8 December 21, 2005 YEAR IN REVIEW MIT Tech Talk

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY OCTOBER: The Bayou Bash brought FEBRUARY: MIT researchers New Orleans musicians to campus reported their work on the ‘Robo- Oct. 30 in one of many initiatives on Toddler.’ The news was picked up campus spurred by Hurricane Katrina, around the world. PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY which devastated the Gulf Coast on JUNE: It was sunny and warm for MIT’s 139th Commencement on June 3. Irwin Jacobs, the Aug. 29. Hurricane Rita hit Sept. 26. co-founder and CEO of Qualcomm, gave the main address. 2005: The year in pictures

The MIT News Office had a busy year in 2005, which started with a January blizzard. President Susan Hockfield’s inauguration was the big news in May, followed quickly by Commencement on a beautiful June day. Professor Richard R. Schrock was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in Octo- ber. And just this month, the extraordinary Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex opened. Although there were too many stories to sum up here, enjoy this glimpse of 2005 as seen through the lens of a camera. Please note: This is the last Tech Talk issue of this year. Tech Talk will resume publication on Jan. 25. But you don’t have to miss any MIT news. The PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY MIT News Office web site continually publishes MAY: MIT marked the inauguration of President Susan Hockfield with a weeklong celebration. new stories at web.mit.edu/newsoffice/ . On May 6, the big day, she shared a moment with her husband, Dr. Thomas Byrne, and their daughter, Elizabeth Byrne.

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY SEPTEMBER: Construction began this summer on a major expansion of the main group, creat- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY PHOTO / ASSOCIATED PRESS ing an ‘infill’ building in the Building 6 court- DECEMBER: MIT dedicates the new Brain and Cognitive OCTOBER: Professor Richard R. Schrock learned he’d won the yard. Obvious to anyone who walks the Infinite Sciences Complex, the largest neuroscience center in the Nobel Prize in chemistry on Oct. 5. He received the prize, above, Corridor, work on this project (photographed in world. on Dec. 10 in Sweden. September) is still under way.

PHOTO / DAN BERSAK, MIT GRAD STUDENT PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY AUGUST: Members of the MIT Campus Police Honor Guard took the JANUARY: Thirty inches of snow fell the weekend of Jan. 22, keeping MIT Ground Services working field at Fenway Park on Aug. 30 to present the flag before a game. around the clock. It was no time for biking.