Volume 51 – Number 7 Wednesday – November 1, 2006 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY Lander Engineer named one launches review of energy use in of America’s manufacturing ‘best leaders’ Deborah Halber News Office Correspondent U.S. News list of 20 Timothy G. Gutowski’s mission is to includes Stata architect help the manufacturing industry lighten up, energy-wise. Frank Gehry With a grant from the National Science Foundation, the MIT professor of mechan- Sasha Brown ical engineering is reviewing energy use in News Office manufacturing processes such as machin- ing, grinding, injection molding, advanced machining methods and microelectron- ics fabrication methods. The goal is to Professor Eric Lander, founder and PHOTO / NIKOLA KOJIC director of the Eli and Edythe L. Broad compare the environmental performance Institute, is featured as one of America’s MIT researchers hope the golden silk spider will help them figure out how to produce of traditional methods to alternative pro- 20 best leaders in the Oct. 30, 2006, issue strong, durable silk artificially. cesses, alternative product designs and of U.S. News and World Report. proposed new processes. A m e r i c a ’ s The work is important because manu- Best Leaders is Researchers probe spiders’ polymer art facturing plays a big role in U.S. energy use. Industry accounts for around 30 a special section Deborah Halber Fluid Dynamics research group in MIT’s of the weekly percent of the total, and manufacturing News Office Correspondent Department of Mechanical Engineering. magazine, joint- is responsible for around 80 percent of Non-Newtonian fluids behave in strange industrial use. In addition, the manufactur- ly produced by and unexpected ways because their vis- U.S. News and ing industry designs and builds all of the A team of MIT engineers has identified cosity, or consistency, changes with both World Report equipment used in the other major energy two key physical processes that lend spi- the rate and the total amount of strain and the Cen- use sectors. der silk its unrivaled strength and dura- applied to them. ter for Public “Manufacturing processes can be bility, bringing closer to reality the long- Spider silk is a protein solution that Leadership at thought of as products with a huge ener- sought goal of spinning artificial spider undergoes pronounced changes as part of Harvard Uni- gy appetite,” he said. This contributes to silk. the spinning process. Egg whites, anoth- versity’s John F. global warming but is not as visible to the Manufactured spider silk could be er non-Newtonian fluid, change from a Kennedy School public as gas-guzzling SUVs or images used for artificial tendons and ligaments, watery gel to a rubbery solid when heated. Eric Lander of Government. of melting polar ice caps. “Many people sutures, parachutes and bulletproof vests. Spider silk, it turns out, undergoes similar A committee of are not aware of the energy requirements But engineers have not managed to do irreversible physical changes. government, community and private sec- for many manufacturing processes,” said what spiders do effortlessly. tor leaders convened by the center select- Gutowski, who, after extensive work in In a study published in the November Stickiness and flow ed the honorees. U.S. News does not have aerospace materials and composites, issue of the Journal of Experimental Biol- McKinley and Nikola Kojic, a graduate a vote. switched fields seven years ago to satisfy ogy, Gareth H. McKinley, professor of student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Lander, 49, is founding director of the a need “to contribute to society in a bigger mechanical engineering, and colleagues Health Sciences and Technology, studied Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and a way.” examined how spiders spin their native the silk of Nephila clavipes, the golden silk The problem isn’t that industry isn’t silk fibers, with hopes of ultimately repro- See LANDER ducing the process artificially. See SPIDERS See MANUFACTURING Page 6 McKinley heads the Non-Newtonian Page 5 Page 4 MIT survey: Climate change tops Americans’ environmental concerns

Nancy Stauffer Herzog, principal research engineer in MIT’s Laboratory Laboratory for Energy and the Environment for Energy and the Environment (LFEE), LFEE research Public opinion about the need for action to address global warming associates Thomas E. Curry and Mark de Figueiredo, and Professor David M. Reiner of the University of Cam- According to a recent MIT survey, Americans now rank bridge. climate change as the country’s most pressing environ- The findings are a result of two surveys, the first admin- mental problem—a dramatic shift from three years ago, istered in September 2003 and the follow-up in September when they ranked climate change sixth out of 10 environ- 2006. Each survey included about 20 questions focusing mental concerns. on the environment, global warming and a variety of cli- Almost three-quarters of the respondents felt the gov- mate-change-mitigation technologies. ernment should do more to deal with global warming, and In designing and administering the surveys, the individuals were willing to spend their own money to help. research team collaborated with Knowledge Networks, a “While terrorism and the war in Iraq are the main company that specializes in Internet-based public opinion issues of national concern, there’s been a remarkable surveys. More than 1,200 people answered each survey increase in the American public’s recognition of global (with no overlap between the two groups of respondents). warming and their willingness to do something about it,” Comparing results from the two surveys provides said Stephen Ansolabehere, MIT’s Elting R. Morison Pro- insights into how public awareness, concern and under- fessor of Political Science. standing have changed—or not changed—during the past The survey results were released Oct. 31 at the sev- three years. enth annual Carbon Sequestration Forum, an international The environment continues to rank in the middle of the list of “most important issues facing the U.S. today.” How- GRAPHIC COURTESY / THOMAS E. CURRY meeting held at MIT that focuses on methods of capturing and storing emissions of carbon dioxide—a major con- The graphic above shows how American attitudes have tributor to climate change. See SURVEY changed from doubt to acceptance of global warming. Ansolabehere’s colleagues on the work are Howard Page 3 NEWS RESEARCH HUMANITIES

SOMEPLACE LIKE HOME OIL OF THE FUTURE INSIDE THE BOX Housing Group panelists compare cost, quality of Energy experts predict new fuels will mimic nature CMS’ Machinima stock with ‘ideology of home ownership.’ instead of mine it. Group harnesses Page 2 Page 4 3-D game engines to create ‘in-world’ movie RX: HUMAN RIGHTS GREEN DESIGN characters and action. World health expert equates AIDS treatment with Faculty across disciplines, departments work on Page 8 ethical action. environmental projects. Page 2 Page 4 PAGE 2 November 1, 2006 NEWS MIT Tech Talk

Fred Sanders, pioneer storm forecaster, dies DIGITALK: WHERE IT’S AT

Frederick Sanders, professor emeritus interacting with students. He influenced Choral Society and more recently with a Forum on E-mail of meteorology and mentor and friend to his field not only through his own research choral group in Marblehead. an entire generation of weather research- but also through nurturing the talents of “I don’t think we will ever see his Migration ers, died on Oct. 6 after a long illness. He his students. Sanders took entire classes equal—not just for his scientific insight, In response to sugges- was 83 and had been a longtime resident for outings on his sailing yacht, Stillwater, but his outgoing nature, his helpfulness, tions from colleagues and of Marblehead. bringing joy as well as knowledge to the his sometimes acerbic wit and without fail customers, IS&T will host Sanders was pre-eminent in the field study of weather. remaining the consummate gentleman at a Community Forum on E-mail Migration of synoptic meteorology, which seeks to Sanders was a passionate sailor and all times,” said his friend and colleague, on Thursday, Nov. 2, in Room W20-307 understand weather systems such as participated in many ocean races, includ- Ed Zipser. from 2 to 3:30 p.m. This forum will give fronts and cyclones by careful analysis and ing the Newport-Bermuda and Marble- Sanders is survived by his wife, Nancy IS&T the opportunity to hear more about interpretation of weather observations. head-Halifax races. He also loved to cruise (Brown) Sanders; two sons, John Sanders customers’ experiences and requirements He made important contributions to the the coast of Maine and the Canadian and Duncan Sanders-Fleming; a daughter, as the e-mail landscape evolves. analysis, understanding, and prediction of Maritimes with his family and friends. An Christopher Sanders; and several grand- Continuing an e-mail migration process fronts, low pressure systems, hurricanes, accomplished tenor, he sang with the MIT children. that began last January, IS&T will retire squall lines, and flood-producing storms, support for the Eudora e-mail application and he coined the term “bomb” to describe effective Dec. 31, 2006. With the support explosively intensifying winter storms. of IT colleagues around campus, IS&T Sanders helped develop one of the strongly endorses migrating from Eudo- first successful computer models for fore- ra to Outlook 2003, Outlook Express or casting hurricane tracks, as well as new Apple Mail. Also, Qualcomm, the vendor techniques for forecasting rain and snow for Eudora, recently announced that it will amounts. He pioneered methods for evalu- discontinue selling a commercial version ating the skill of both human and comput- of Eudora early next year, although MIT’s er weather forecasts, stressing the need existing site license will be honored until it for quantifying the uncertainty of the fore- ends in June 2007. casts; this work also led to improvements IS&T provides several types of assist- in numerical weather prediction models. ance to support the community in the Together with his colleague, Richard e-mail migration process. For details, go to Reed, he elevated the field of synoptic web.mit.edu/ist/topics/email/migration. meteorology to the status of a respected html. science, to the benefit of the field and to generations of students. He was the recipi- R.S.V.P. for AdminIT breakfast ent of many awards and was a fellow of the American Meteorological Society as IS&T’s Departmental Information well as the American Association for the Technology Resource (DITR) Team runs Advancement of Science. In 2004, the the AdminIT Program, which offers desk- American Meteorological Society held a top computing maintenance services to scientific colloquium in his honor. administrative members of the MIT com- Born in Detroit on May 17, 1923, Sand- munity at no charge to the department. ers spent much of his childhood in Bloom- PHOTOS / DONNA COVENEY These services cover a range of needs, field Hills, Mich. After attending Amherst including standardization of desktop appli- College, where he studied mathematics, Dealing wheeling cations, semiannual preventive mainte- economics and music, Sanders enlisted in MIT’s annual auction of abandoned bikes, organized by Campus Police, always brings nance visits and specialized support. The 1941 in the Army Air Corps, which was bright smiles to lucky bidders. Above, MIT Police Sgt. Craig Martin runs the Oct. 27 auc- related Administrative Desktop Renewal recruiting math and physics students to tion. Below, Alison Derrick, crew coach, delights in her newly won three-speed mobility. Program provides options for replacing be trained as weather forecasters. He older computers. spent 15 months at MIT studying math, If you think your department could physics and meteorology and graduated benefit from participating in the AdminIT as a second lieutenant shortly after D-Day Program, come join members of DITR on in Normandy. He was assigned to Green- Wednesday, Nov. 8 for an informational land, where he made weather predictions MIT Medical breakfast meeting. The event, which starts to assist flight crews. at 9 a.m., will be held in Room W20-491. To After World War II ended, Sanders R.S.V.P., e-mail to Chuck King, AdminIT worked briefly as an air inspector at Head- offers flu shots program coordinator, at [email protected]. To quarters Eight Weather Group at Greni- As the flu season approaches, learn more about the program, visit web. er Air Force Base in New Hampshire. In MIT Medical reminds you to con- mit.edu/ist/services/hardware/adminit. 1946, he decided to become a professional sider getting immunized. You may weather forecaster rather than join his get a flu shot when you visit your NameConnector upgrade father’s candy manufacturing business. He clinician for a regular appointment spent two years as a transatlantic aviation or you may make an appointment IS&T has upgraded NameConnector, forecaster for the U.S. Weather Bureau at for one of several vaccination clin- the automated voice response system for La Guardia Field then returned to MIT, ics taking place in November at MIT’s telephone switchboard. This tech- where he earned an Sc.D. degree in 1954. MIT Medical in Cambridge. Please nology lets callers to MIT’s main number, He then joined the faculty of MIT’s Depart- note that one of the clinics is being 253-1000, say the name of the person or ment of Meteorology, where he remained held on Veteran’s Day, an Institute department they wish to reach and then until his retirement in 1984. holiday. be connected automatically. Sanders preferred to spend most of his • Wednesday, Nov. 1, 3 to 7 p.m. The upgrade, from Parlance Corpora- professional time preparing lectures and • Thursday, Nov. 2, 7 a.m. to tion, mitigates background noise and 7 p.m. improves name recognition for callers with strong accents. It will also allow IS&T • Monday, Nov. 6, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to add some features over the next few OBITUARY • Veteran’s Day, Friday, Nov. 10, months. These include “barge in” (where 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Stevens worked for the Magnet Lab, a caller can interrupt the prompts and say Robert H. Stevens now known as the Francis Bitter Magnet • Friday, Nov. 17, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. the name) and support for hands-free oper- Robert H. Stevens, a retired employee Lab, until his 1982 retirement. Call your primary care pro- ation by recognizing specific words such of MIT’s Instrumentation Lab and the Born in 1915 in Lebanon, N.H., Stevens vider’s office (if you do not have a as “OK” or “cancel.” IS&T also expects to Francis Bitter Magnet Lab, died July 3 at had lived in Milton for more than 60 years. primary care provider, please call simplify the initial prompt so that callers Milton Hospital after suffering a stroke. He served in the Massachusetts Army 617-253-4481) Monday through Fri- can say either a person’s name or a depart- He was 90. National Guard during World War II, and day between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to ment name, without having to select which Stevens began a 25-year career at MIT in his retirement, he volunteered at the make an appointment to get your flu option they want. in 1957, when he first started work for the Museum of Science and gave tours at the shot at one of the Cambridge clinics. NameConnector allows up to five differ- Instrumentation Lab at MIT, which was Church of the Presidents in Quincy. The vaccination is a covered ben- ent versions of a person’s name (e.g., Tho- working on guidance gyroscopes for the Stevens is survived by his wife, Audrey efit for all students, MIT Health Plan mas Smith/Tom Smith). If callers are hav- Polaris submarine missile program and (Munch) Stevens; a son, Jeffrey L. Stevens members and members of the MIT ing trouble reaching you or your depart- space programs. of Roslindale; and a daughter, Janet H. Ste- community covered by Medicare. ment, send e-mail to nameconnector@mit. In the 1970s, he worked with Profes- vens of Quincy. All others will be charged a $35 fee edu, or call 253-1000 and ask to speak to sor Gene Simmons in the Department Donations may be made to either the for the vaccine, payable at the time an operator. To learn more about Name- of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Shriners Burn Institute of Boston, 51 of the vaccination. Cash, checks and Connector, see web.mit.edu/ist/services/ Sciences as an administrator and techni- Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, or to the credit cards will be accepted. telecommunications/nameconnector. cian on geological projects involving plate Schepens Eye Research Institute, 20 Stani- Digitalk is compiled by Information tectonics and seafloor spreading. ford St., Boston, MA 02114. Services and Technology.

News Office Staff Tech Talk is published by the News Office on Wednesdays during term time except for HOW TO REACH US Interim Director ...... Pamela Dumas Serfes most Monday holiday weeks. See Production Schedule at http://web.mit.edu/news- News Office Interim News Manager ...... Sarah H. Wright office/techtalk-info.html. The News Office is in Room 11-400, Massachusetts Institute of Editor Senior Communications Officer ...... Patti Richards Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Telephone: 617-253-2700 Sarah H. Wright Assistant Director/ Postmaster: Send address changes to Mail Services, Building WW15, Massachusetts E-mail: [email protected] Science and Engineering News .... Elizabeth Thomson Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Photojournalist Assistant Director/Photojournalist ...... Donna Coveney Subscribers may call 617-252-1550 or send e-mail to [email protected]. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice Donna Coveney Web Developer/Editor ...... Lisa Damtoft Reporter/Writer ...... Sash a Brown Tech Talk is distributed free to faculty and staff offices and residence halls. It is also avail- able free in the News Office and the Information Center. Office of the Arts Production Operations/Financial Administrator ...... Myles Crowley Anne Trafton Administrative Assistant II ...... Mary Anne Hansen Domestic mail subscriptions are $25 per year, nonrefundable. Checks should be made http://web.mit.edu/arts Administrative Assistant II ...... Patti Foley payable to MIT and mailed to Business Manager, Room 11-400, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Computer Support Assistant ...... Roger Donaghy Editorial/Production Assistant ...... Anne Trafton Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA. Permission is granted to excerpt or reprint any Printed on recycled paper Communications Assistant ...... Heather Manning material originated in Tech Talk. MIT Tech Talk NEWS November 1, 2006 PAGE 3 Housing panelists explore unit supply, quality and cost

Ruth Walker well be rental housing. But in the over- News Office Correspondent heated housing market of the past few years, many people were pushed into mortgage commitments they weren’t real- Students and off-campus visitors who ly ready for. gathered for the third session of the The MIT Housing Group was launched Affordable Housing Forum heard that, this year by Ari Goldstein, a master’s despite the much-ballyhooed “slump” student in city planning who is to gradu- of the real estate market, the total value ate this spring. “We’re hoping that MIT of housing stock in the United States is will continue to produce leaders in hous- around $20 trillion—down only a trillion ing design, policy and development,” or two from a few years ago—and most he explained in an interview before the Americans are pretty well housed. Briggs-Apgar panel. “I started the group Two panelists, Xavier de Souza Briggs, because I felt a need that wasn’t being associate professor of urban studies and filled.” planning, and William C. Apgar Jr., senior Goldstein, who comes to MIT after scholar at Harvard’s Joint Center for Hous- some time working on housing issues for ing Studies, discussed the state of the New York City, sees a lot of potential in the nation’s housing and what national hous- cross-pollination across the disciplines rep- ing policy should be in the session, held resented by the group, which has attract- in Room 10-485 on Oct. 23. The evening Xavier de Souza Briggs Ari Goldstein ed about 50 students, with a solid core of event was organized by the MIT Hous- about 20. To ensure continuity into next ing Group, a new student organization Angeles, for instance, with its large popu- the victims.” year, the group is set to elect Erica Sims, launched this year. lations of immigrants and day laborers, to On the positive side of the ledger, an M.B.A. candidate at the Sloan School, Although the panelists agreed Ameri- what is found in parts of the developing Briggs identified some hopeful signs that as co-chair at its next meeting. cans are relatively well housed, they also world. local politicians, even in some traditionally “Student initiative is incredibly impor- noted that millions of the working poor • Affordability: It’s not a problem conservative communities, are acting to tant in this area,” said Briggs, who pre- find that the high cost of housing con- everywhere, but where it is, it’s serious, ease the affordability crisis. He told, for dicted that the student group will have an sumes most of their income. Who in such Briggs said. “You’ve got an outrageously instance, of going to Orange County, Calif., effect on campus. circumstances can afford health insurance bad problem in a few dozen of the fast- to “meet face to face with the America that “Housing is a tremendously broad and on the pocket change left over after the est-growing or otherwise most important needs to be converted” and finding surpris- constantly evolving area, one that touches rent is paid—or a new set of wheels with metro areas in this country,” he said. ing receptivity to “density bonuses,” which every major public issue and some of which to seek a better job? • “Spatial concentration” of affordable can help hold housing prices in check. humanity’s deepest values and institutions: Briggs, who is also editor of the 2005 housing or, at its extreme, “ghettoization”: Both Briggs and Apgar, a former Clin- community, family, security, aesthetics, book, “The Geography of Opportunity: Local zoning regulations simply exclude ton administration colleague of Briggs’s, status and success, access to opportunity,” Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan many types of affordable housing from attacked the “ideology of homeowner- he said. America,” identified three key problems certain jurisdictions. And research has ship.” “It’s crucial to have students working on the current housing scene: shown that racial and ethnic discrimina- Homeownership has been given too together, across specialties, as they pre- • Unit quality: “We would love to think tion is still very much a problem, Briggs much credit, they said, for creating stable pare for careers that can help redefine this is a bygone problem … but in fact sub- said. “It’s not the brute, overt discrimina- neighborhoods and better citizens. Rather, housing’s future around the globe. I expect standard housing is still a striking prob- tion of years past. It’s more subtle. Some the panelists maintained, stable housing it will encourage significant curriculum lem.” He compared the situation in Los people may not even know they’ve been is what makes a difference, and that may innovations at MIT as well.” AIDS expert equates treatment, human rights Smallpox and polio prove global efforts can work Stephanie Schorow News Office Correspondent

Jim Yong Kim, the former HIV director at the World Health Organization, asked an MIT audience to recall the time when many health experts believed the best approach to AIDS in Africa was to let people die. “It’s very hard to imagine a very few years ago, the con- sensus was not to treat,” said Kim, who gave the Arthur Miller Lecture on Science and Ethics Oct. 23 on “Human Rights, Ethics and the Global Response to the AIDS Pan- demic: Why We Can’t Wait.” The talk was sponsored by the Program in Science, Technology and Society (STS) and held in Bartos Theater. GRAPHIC COURTESY / THOMAS E. CURRY Citing reasons varying from “it’s too expensive” to “Africans are too ‘primitive’ to deal with complex treat- Chart, above, displays how Americans responded in 2003 and in 2006 to MIT surveys asking them to rank 10 environmental ment,” to “treatment will take attention away from preven- issues in order of importance. Numbers represent percentages. tion,” many world health officials did not jump to distrib- ute new anti-AIDS drugs in Africa during the late 1990s, Kim said. But Kim, now director of the Francois-Xavier Bag- SURVEY noud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health, argued passionately that treating Continued from Page 1 solve this problem—and they’re willing to pay,” he said. those with AIDS was a matter of human rights. The failure The MIT team undertook the original survey in 2003 to to treat—as well as prevent—the disease is “duplicitous ever, among 10 environmental problems, global warm- find out what the public thought about carbon capture and and cowardly,” he told his audience. ing (or climate change) now tops the list: Almost half the storage (CCS), an approach that Herzog and his LFEE Moreover, new antiretroviral drugs could be effectively respondents put global warming in first or second place. colleagues had been studying for more than a decade. The distributed and used even in developing nations, he said. In 2003, the destruction of ecosystems, water pollution team was not surprised to find that more than 90 percent To dramatize his point, he displayed slides showing before and toxic waste were far higher priorities. of the respondents had never heard of CCS. The 2006 sur- and after pictures of AIDS patient Joseph Jeune. The first There is also an increased sense that global warming vey showed similar results. photo showed an emaciated, near skeletal figure; the sec- is an established problem. In the 2006 survey, 28 percent In general, the respondents’ understanding of climate ond, a smiling, more robust man. of the respondents agreed that it is a serious problem change and possible mitigation technologies showed little Kim, who was a founding trustee of the internation- and immediate action is necessary—up from 17 percent change between 2003 and 2006. In terms of their technol- al group Partners in Health and also a 2003 MacArthur in 2003. All together, almost 60 percent of the 2006 respon- ogy preferences, in 2006 most still recommended using “genius” award winner, recounted the history of the dents agreed that there’s enough evidence to warrant more wind and solar energy and increasing efficiency, but change in attitudes about AIDS to illustrate his sugges- some level of action. more were willing to consider CCS and nuclear energy as tion that we “re-think the entire world of human rights” to The other big change is a substantial increase in peo- possible approaches. focus on “human rights in the doing.” ple’s willingness to spend their own money to do some- “It’s not that people have learned something funda- Certainly the AIDS situation is grim. Three million thing about it. In 2003, people were willing to pay on aver- mental about the science, but they’ve come to understand people die each year from AIDS, and 40 million people age $14 more per month on their electricity bill to “solve” that this problem is real,” said Ansolabehere. “It takes a are infected, with about 80 percent of them living in the global warming. In 2006 they agreed to pay $21 more per prolonged discussion of a complex topic like this really to world’s poorest countries, Kim said. The high infection month—a 50 percent increase in their willingness to pay. move public concern, and what’s happened over the past rate in many African countries means that if the death toll Could $21 make a real difference? Assuming 100 mil- three years has got to continue.” is not halted, “in two generations you will face social col- lion U.S. households, total payments would be $25 billion The researchers plan to analyze the survey results in lapse,” he said. per year. “That’s real money,” said Herzog. “Whether it more depth, in particular to test for correlations between Kim noted that many health workers who advocated can solve the whole problem or not is, I think, still a ques- answers to questions and the economic, political, geo- against treatment were not bad people; rather the grim tion. But it can certainly make significant strides.” graphical and other demographic characteristics of the work and horrific situations had forced many to make For context, Ansolabehere pointed out that the total respondents. federal budget on energy R&D is now about $1.4 billion This research was supported by the MIT Carbon per year. Sequestration Initiative (sequestration.mit.edu/CSI/index. See AIDS “Another reading of this outcome is that people want html). For more details about the surveys and their results, Page 6 not a little bit more spent but rather a lot more spent to go to sequestration.mit.edu/research/survey2006.html. PAGE 4 November 1, 2006 RESEARCH MIT Tech Talk Next energy technologies may mimic nature MIT offers Deborah Halber any toxic materials and they Nocera talked about the News Office Correspondent don’t add toxic materials necessity of finding alternative back to their environment. energy sources. new medical “Why didn’t organisms “What will be the oil of the New technologies will play a major make solar cells and future?” Nocera asked. “Water role in providing the world’s growing batteries? They just haven’t plus light.” population with the energy it will need in had the opportunity yet,” Mimicking photosynthesis, sciences the coming decades—that was one of the Belcher said. Belcher Nocera proposes to store the messages of the MIT Museum’s second engineers bacteria and high-energy bonds of light of three “Soap Box” events devoted to viruses with the genetic for later use. That’s what energy. programming to build solar photosynthesis is all about: program Daniel Nocera, W.M. Keck Professor of cells and batteries. Given When we eat plants, we release Energy and professor of chemistry, and a certain genetic code and energy originally gathered MIT graduate students interested in Angela M. Belcher, professor of biological the right ingredients, the Angela M. Belcher from sunlight. “You’re getting integrating their research in the life sci- engineering and materials science and organisms self-assemble powered by sunlight. That’s ences with experiences in clinical medi- engineering, spoke Oct. 25 about “The into tiny, nanoscale where our future has to evolve cine are encouraged to apply to the newly Role of New Technologies in a Sustainable working devices and structures such as to,” he said. established Graduate Education in Medi- Energy Economy.” semiconductors. When the process is Photosynthesis splits the hydrogen Before the event, Belcher, who applies complete, there is no longer any living and oxygen bonds in water and stores the cal Sciences (GEMS) program. An infor- natural processes to the creation of new entity in the component, although it does energy as a solid. But currently available mational session will be held at 5 p.m. on materials, handed out delicate abalone contain organic parts. photovoltaics, or solar cells, are too Wednesday, Nov. 8 in 32-G449 in the Stata shells lined with iridescent mother of pearl. Human beings are themselves expensive, “so science has to deliver new Center. “Around 500 million years ago, organisms “examples of self-assembling, self- materials,” Nocera said. “We would take MIT was one of 13 universities to based in changing ocean concentrations correcting systems,” she said, so it’s not so these materials and store the sunlight in receive GEMS awards from the Howard starting making hard materials, because all far-fetched to think of such systems being batteries.” Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Some of the sudden, they had the opportunity,” put to use. Using the same materials (such A human being, considered as energy 51 universities applied. she said. “Male and female abalone make as yeast) that produce beer, Belcher aims “A growing volume of research at MIT millions and millions of baby abalone and See SOAP BOX to create environmentally friendly sources is related to the life sciences. Much of this build beautiful materials. They don’t use for electronic devices. Page 6 work is motivated by an interest in advanc- ing human health, yet there are very few opportunities for those working in the area to learn about human pathophysiology Green design and medicine,” said Elazer Edelman, the Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Profes- research unites sor in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. The GEMS program seeks to “facilitate Institute across development of training programs that improve the understanding of medicine and pathology by Ph.D. scientists conduct- disciplines ing biomedical research,” said William Galey, director of graduate education pro- Teresa Hill grams at HHMI. Laboratory for Energy and the Environment Ten students will be selected for admis- sion to the first GEMS class of February 2007 from already enrolled Ph.D. students Green design research at MIT has one in MIT’s Schools of Science and Engineer- focal point in the Department of Mechani- cal Engineering, where Professor Timothy ing. The GEMS program runs concomi- G. Gutowski works on environmentally tantly with the normal course of an MIT benign manufacturing processes, system PHOTO / HEIDEMARIE M. STEFANYSHYN-PIPER graduate education and can be completed analysis for environmental performance in one and a half years without prolonging and product design for recycling, among High-flying flag a normal Ph.D. career. other related topics. In the same depart- NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper (S.B. 1985), the first alumna to fly The GEMS curriculum includes a ment, David R. Wallace, associate professor in space, took this photo during her September mission aboard the Atlantis space human pathology course, including molec- of mechanical engineering and engineering shuttle. Her assignment: installing solar power structures on the outside of the ular and cellular mechanisms of disease; systems and co-director of the MIT CAD- International Space Station. A Navy captain, Stefanyshyn-Piper rowed for MIT varsity a medical pathophysiology course; and a lab, focuses on environmentally conscious crew while in ROTC. This year, 17 MIT midshipmen belong to a Navy ROTC unit with clinical experience where students work product design and integrated computer- members from several local universities. —Domenico Pellegrini aided design, including aesthetics. with experienced mentors who move Faculty members from the depart- seamlessly between clinical medicine and ments of materials science and engineer- basic biological research. Two additional ing, urban studies and planning, chemistry seminars will focus on the skills needed to and architecture, and the Engineering Sys- MANUFACTURING succeed in interdisciplinary research from tems Division, are also addressing aspects the scientific, medical and ethical perspec- of “green” materials and production. Continued from Page 1 tives. Research ranges from targeted work on interested in being environmentally several others: Composite materials would The Harvard-MIT Division of Health basic science to interdisciplinary methods Sciences and Technology (HST) “has bringing social and technological knowl- friendly. In fact, in an MIT Laboratory for increase waste because they are currently been extraordinarily successful in facili- edge to bear on issues such as conserva- Manufacturing and Productivity working not recyclable, have no feasible recycling tion and recycling. paper from earlier this year, Gutowski technologies on the horizon and increase tating productive engagement and fruit- MIT research on, for example, alter- wrote that the World Business Council manufacturing costs. ful working relationships with physicians native energy or improved engine design for Sustainable Development includes 180 Meanwhile, microelectronics has differ- in improving human health across a wide holds promise in the search for a low-car- international corporations, and the Global ent issues. Computers are used for approx- range of applications,” wrote Deans Thom- bon energy regime. Reduced energy use is Environmental Management Initiative has imately two to three years, compared with as L. Magnanti (School of Engineering) a critical objective of green design; others members in 22 business sectors totaling around 10 years for a car, and the recy- and Robert J. Silbey (School of Science) include waste management, efficiency, air $915 billion in annual sales. And, he added, cling rate for all electronics is quite low. in a joint letter. “This program to foster and water quality, health impacts of pollu- many leading corporations have adopted In addition, the manufacture of integrated sustainable development as a major corpo- circuits—the devices at the heart of all translation is of great social importance, tion and policy tools. and we are very pleased that HST will Randolph E. Kirchain, assistant profes- rate strategy. electronics products—requires the use of ultrapure materials and energy-intensive leverage this experience so that graduate sor of materials science and engineering But there are paradoxes systems, has been investigating the sus- manufacturing processes. students pursuing Ph.D. training in the tainability of current and emerging materi- For one, because of increased effi- Furthermore, new technologies such biological sciences in departments in the al systems in the life cycles of automobiles ciency, energy use per kilogram of prod- as those used to produce and process Schools of Science and Engineering will and electronics. uct produced by major industrial sectors nanoscale materials and other advanced be afforded the opportunity to integrate Joel Clark, professor of materials sci- has been declining. But, Gutowski pointed manufacturing processes exceed the ener- medical knowledge within their graduate ence and engineering systems, is develop- out, efficiency and increased production gy use of older technologies by six to eight education.” ing a framework to analyze the dynamic go hand in hand. And usually, increased orders of magnitude on a per-unit-of-mate- The GEMS program is offered under behavior of supply, demand and prices in production more than offsets any gains in rial-processed basis, Gutowski said. efficiency. “Hence, energy efficiency alone Gutowski hopes these challenges can the auspices of HST through a collabora- mineral markets. tive effort between MIT, Harvard Medical Jeffrey I. Steinfeld, professor of chem- has not resulted in an absolute reduction be overcome through the development School and three Harvard teaching hos- istry, is a leader in the study of high sen- in energy use,” he said. of new technologies, the creation of new sitivity spectroscopic techniques for the Further, in the United States, the bar- policies and, maybe most important, the pitals (Massachusetts General Hospital, measurement of trace gas components in riers to “environmentally benign manu- public’s willingness to foster change and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth the atmosphere. His group is also investi- facturing” differ from industry to indus- absorb some of the costs. “People will pay Israel Deaconess Medical Center). gating the application of supercritical flu- try and can be frustratingly complex. For more in the short run for environmentally GEMS leverages HST’s 36-year infra- ids as environmentally acceptable reaction instance, Gutowski said, automobiles, friendly products,” he said. “There will be structure designed specifically to integrate media. compared with other products, are already a cost to this, but I don’t think it will be medicine, science, engineering and busi- In the Department of Urban Studies recycled very effectively, with only around something we can’t manage.” ness within its own degree programs. 15 percent of the average car ending up in Gutowski added that one of the most and Planning (DUSP), Karen R. Polen- Additional information and applications ske, professor of regional political econ- a landfill at the end of its life. So a suggest- important things we can do is “educate ed manufacturing alternative—using light- our students and citizens about the high for the incoming class of 2007 are available weight composites instead of steel—would cost of our large-scale production and con- online at hst.mit.edu/gems. For questions See GREEN solve one problem (making cars lighter sumption on the ecosystems that presently regarding the academic program, please Page 6 and more fuel-efficient) while creating support life as we know it.” send an e-mail to [email protected]. MIT Tech Talk RESEARCH November 1, 2006 PAGE 5 Mars group launches high-flying fundraiser ... ka-ching! Sasha Brown more than To that The logos and names will be printed on News Office 450 student end, the stu- aluminum panels with an ink jet printer, participants dents from said Combs-Bachmann, who called YNIS from univer- MIT and the “a great way to get visibility and support Those who cannot afford the million- sities around Georgia Insti- student research.” dollar price tag attached to space tourism the world. tute of Tech- As for who might fund such a project, will be happy to learn that at least their Thus far, nology have Combs-Bachmann said she expects YNIS names—and their logos—will be able to the program designed a to appeal to a wide range, including corpo- travel into space for a much smaller fee, has received unique fund- rations and “individuals who are interested thanks to a group of MIT students work- funding from ing scheme in space exploration or student research.” ing on the design of a small research partner uni- IMAGE COURTESY / MIT MARS GRAVITY BIOSATELLITE PROGRAM that will The biosatellite group is also open to the spacecraft. versities, A chart, above, divides the proposed 100,000-square cen- allow com- idea of one donor who would be willing to For the past five years, students from NASA and timeter Mars biosatellite into ‘Your Name in Space’ price panies and pay for all 100,000 square centimeters. MIT’s Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program many corpo- i n d i v i d u - Donors who choose a location on the and from around the world have worked rations. But sections to facilitate fundraising. als to buy outside of the spacecraft for their logos together to create a satellite design that, the program square centi- will receive photographs of their “name” when built, will be able to simulate a trip needs a lot of money to continue, especial- meter sections of the spacecraft that will from space. to Mars by sending mice into orbit around ly if the students want to meet their goal of be marked with their logo or name. They Donors who choose a location inside the Earth. launching from Earth in 2010. The satellite have dubbed their fundraiser “Your Name the return vehicle will receive their very The biosatellite group will study how will remain in orbit for five weeks. into Space” (YNIS). own piece of the spacecraft hardware after Martian gravity—about one-third that of “Most of it is funding dependent,” said The entry price is just $35 for one the mission. Earth—will affect the mammalian body. Rosamund Combs-Bachmann, assistant square centimeter of space, said Combs- “It is great way not only to raise money, They hope their work will pave the way for program coordinator for the project. The Bachmann. There will be at least 100,000 but also to get people excited about space future manned missions to Mars. students need to raise an estimated $30 square centimeters of space, but in order exploration,” said Combs-Bachmann. The program is the largest known stu- million to design, implement, launch and to make the name legible, donors should To learn more, please visit www.your- dent-led spacecraft design program, with operate the mission. buy at least four, she said. nameintospace.org or marsgravity.org. SPIDERS Continued from Page 1 into a filament and dries. mond, an MIT professor of chemical engi- The key to spider silk is polymers. neering, McKinley’s laboratory will use orb-weaving spider. One species of golden Plastics, Kevlar (used in bulletproof the new insights about spider silk to team orb spider creates a web so strong it can vests) and parts of the International Space up with MIT’s Institute for Soldier Nano- catch small birds. In the South Pacific, Station are some of the many items made technologies to emulate the properties of people make fishing nets out of this web from polymers. The proteins in our bod- silk through polymer processing. silk. ies are polymers made from amino acids. “We’re interested in artificial materials The researchers chose the golden silk From the Greek for “many” and “units,” that emulate silk,” McKinley said. Tailor- spider because of the formidable strength polymers are long linked chains of small ing the properties of the liquid artificial of its web. But Kojic was taken aback molecules. They can be flexible or stiff, spinning material to match the properties when the first palm-sized spider crawled water-soluble or insoluble, resistant to heat of the real thing “may prove essential in out of the box he received in the mail from and chemicals and very strong. enabling us to successfully process novel an accommodating employee of Miami’s Silk protein solution consists of 30-40 synthetic materials with mechanical prop- MetroZoo. (She simply gathered some up percent polymers; the rest is water. The erties comparable to, or better than, those PHOTO / JOSE BICO from the grounds; the zoo does not exhibit spider’s silk-producing glands are capable of natural spider silk,” the authors wrote. golden orb spiders.) of synthesizing large fibrous proteins and This work was supported by the NASA The golden silk spider produces a gel-like silk “This is pretty scary,” he said. “I’d processing those proteins into an insoluble Biologically Inspired Technology Program, solution in the peanut-sized major ampullate never seen a spider this big. I never grew fiber. the DuPont-MIT Alliance and the MIT gland, above. Manufactured silk could be up around anything with furry knuckles.” “The amazing thing nature has found Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. used for artificial tendons and ligaments. But he quickly settled into dissecting the is how to spin a material out of an aqueous peanut-sized protuberance on the spider’s solution and produce a fiber that doesn’t back containing its silk-producing gland re-dissolve,” McKinley said. Like a cooked and spinneret. egg white, dry spider silk doesn’t revert to its former liquid state. What started out as Inside Charlotte’s web a water-based solution becomes impervi- Spiders don’t actually spin (“spinning” ous to water. refers to the age-old art of drawing out and The silk protein’s long molecules are twisting fibers to form thread); instead, like tangled spaghetti. They form a vis- they squirt out a thick gel of silk solution. cous solution but are slippery enough to (One teaspoonful can make 10,000 webs.) slide past each other easily and squeeze They then use their hind legs as well as through the spider’s ampullate gland. As their body weight and gravity to elongate the silk gel flows from the gland through the gel into a fine thread. an S-shaped, tapered canal to the outside Kojic, who first practiced on silkworms, of the spider’s body, the long protein mol- learned how to extract a microscopic ecules become aligned and the viscosity amount of the gel-like solution from the (or resistance to flow) drops by a factor of spider’s silk-producing major ampullate 500 or more. gland. As the resulting liquid exits the abdo- The researchers used devices called men through the spinneret, it has the char- micro-rheometers—custom-made to han- acteristics of a liquid crystal. It’s the exqui- dle the tiny drops of silk solution—to test site alignment of the protein fibers, Kojic the material’s behavior when subjected to said, that gives silk threads their amazing forces. The team tested the thick solution’s strength. viscosity, or how it flowed, by “shearing” While the silk stretches and dries, it it, or placing it between two rapidly mov- forms miniscule crystalline structures ing glass plates. They tested its stickiness that act as reinforcing agents. Engineered by pulling it apart, like taffy, between two nanoparticles—tiny materials suspended metal plates. in artificial silk—may be able to serve the The magic that makes silk so strong, same purpose. the researchers discovered, happens while In conjunction with the polymer syn- it flows out of the spider’s gland, lengthens thesis and analysis work of Paula T. Ham-

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY

PHOTO / NIKOLA KOJIC Professor of Mechanical Engineering Gareth McKinley, left, and HST graduate student The golden silk spider, commonly found in Florida and other southeastern states, is known Nikola Kojic used the micro-rheometer in their lab to study the viscosity and stickiness of for its size, furry knuckles and formidably strong silk. spider silk. The taffy-like ‘thread’ is actually a protein solution, they found. PAGE 6 November 1, 2006 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Black belt means business for MIT Sloan Fellow Amy MacMillan 1999 Canadian University Champion. He gic skills that I have so often applied while Leaders for Manufacturing Program was a runner-up for the 2000 Canadian doing scientific research. It is where I have Olympic team but retired in 2003 after learned to surpass myself from a physical blowing out both of his knees. and mental standpoint,” he said. Like all good Canadians, MIT Sloan Fel- Thibodeau earned both his M.Sc. and Today, Thibodeau still tries to practice low Paul Thibodeau was placed on hockey Ph.D. in radiobiology from the Universi- judo twice a week, although most of his skates at the age of 2. However, by the age té de Sherbrooke in Quebec in 1997 and time is consumed by the Sloan Fellows Pro- of 7, the New Brunswick native was not 2001, respectively. gram. He chose Sloan to further his educa- on his way to becoming the next Wayne In 2001, he moved to Paris to train for tion because of the school’s convergence of Gretzky. the Olympics and conduct his postdoc- business and science, two areas he’s strong- “I was a bad stick handler, and a bad toral research on the role of free radicals ly interested in. Both are in his blood, he skater—for Canadian standards,” he said. in inflammation. He chose France as a said: His mom was a physics teacher, and Furthermore, as a youngster, Thibodeau training ground because there’s a strong his dad was a businessman. Thibodeau’s was a bit hyperactive, and hockey simply culture of judo and many medium-weight ultimate goal is to hold a job that combines didn’t calm him down enough. men in France, which provided him spar- life sciences and business. His parents told him to choose a dif- ring partners at his level and weight. On He’s confident that his former interna- ferent activity, and for the next 20 years, the academic front, he was awarded the tional judo career will help him confront Thibodeau successfully focused his ener- 2003 Best Thesis Award in Life Sciences at future challenges in his business profes- gy into judo, an Olympic sport from Japan the Université de Sherbrooke. sion. “A judo player who has a real fight- whose name means “the gentle way.” He “Judo is probably the best way that I ing spirit does not give up in the face of Paul Thibodeau earned his black belt at 16 and was the learned my perseverance and the strate- challenges,” he says. LANDER AIDS GREEN SOAP BOX Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 3 Continued from Page 4 Continued from Page 4 popular professor of biology who has tough choices and they saw hard deci- omy and planning, has developed a new over time, uses around the same amount taught at MIT since 1993. In 1987, Lander sions as part of the profession. “There was systemic approach to study the impacts of energy as a 100-watt light bulb. In received a MacArthur “genius” award. He a kind of machismo in the public health of coal use in China. Assistant Professor 2050, Nocera said, an estimated global achieved world renown for his leadership world,” he said. JoAnn Carmin studies civic and organiza- population of nine billion will consume 28 role in the Human Genome Project, which Kim took another approach. At WHO, tional engagement in environmental gov- trillion watts per day. Meeting that demand completed sequencing of the human he launched a “3 by 5” program to get ernance. Assistant Professor Judy Layzer would require growing energy-dedicated genome in 2003. three million AIDS victims into treatment focuses on collaborative policy-making crops everywhere on the face of the earth, “Eric Lander’s name is familiar to any- by 2005—“It was no longer a debate, it and ecosystem management. a new nuclear plant being built every 1.6 one who has kept an eye on scientific was a target.” The target was deliberately Leon Glicksman, professor of building days for the next 45 years, or windmills breakthroughs of the past decade or so,” overly ambitious; three million will prob- technology and mechanical engineering covering the entire surface of the planet. said the U.S. News article. “Heading up ably be in treatment by 2008—“not bad” and head of the building technology pro- “It’s got to be the sun,” Nocera said, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, for a health organization, Kim said. gram, leads research on energy-saving because the sun pours more energy onto he’s got a hand in most of the things that Moreover, treatment and prevention building technologies. His group is devel- the Earth’s surface in an hour than the are possible now that the human genome went hand in hand and setting up the oping integrated real-time design tools entire planet uses in a year. is sequenced. The challenge for biology, infrastructure to treat AIDS almost meant to assess energy, lighting and comfort in Audience questions ranged from he says, is no less than to reveal the molec- creating primary care programs for all, he buildings. the potential dangers of self-replicating ular basis of human disease. His to-do list said. The next target is universal access to In the Department of Architecture, organisms (imagine a science-fiction includes discovering the mechanisms of health care by 2010. Leslie K. Norford, professor of building scenario of being overrun by virus cancer, decoding the signals that cells Asked by a member of the audience if technology, is focusing on electric utility batteries) to whether Nocera’s formula use to communicate, and laying bare the his work was overwhelmingly depressing, conservation and control of thermal stor- of future energy needs took conservation sources of genetic variation. He’s equally he replied, “The only thing you have to age systems. Associate Professor John into account. enthusiastic about developing the tech- keep telling yourself is ‘My depression is Ochsendorf assesses the environmental Belcher said that the organisms in her nology and techniques needed to do that not the point.’ Optimism is a moral choice.” impacts of building materials and design laboratory self-assemble but do not self- work.” Kim pointed to worldwide efforts for sustainable construction and infra- replicate, so there is no danger of them The panel that picked the leaders against smallpox and polio as examples structure. proliferating out of control. accepted nominations from a wide range of how health battles can be won. “In a The new MIT Energy Initiative will Nocera said the 28 trillion watt of sources and compiled research on each world in which we’re spending $2 billion bring together existing and projected (terawatt) figure already assumes nominee. According to the magazine, the a day for a war in Iraq that many people research on energy alternatives and cli- “unprecedented conservation” along the committee defined a leader as a person are questioning, why would public health mate change. lines of the current standard of energy who “motivates people to work collabora- officials argue against the kinds of invest- For a listing of MIT faculty members consumption of people in equatorial tively to accomplish great things.” Twenty ments which are very modest in compar- involved in environmental research at Guinea, not the current standard for the winners were selected, including some ison for treating a deadly condition that MIT, contact the Laboratory for Energy industrialized world. teams, from a field of more than 200. affects so many people?’’ he said. and the Environment ([email protected]). “The question is: How much is the “Lander is not one of those research- human global population really worried ers more comfortable dealing with lab rats about this?” Nocera said. “The real than people. His multifaceted background discoveries will come from basic science in (he was trained in mathematics and taught Libraries offer online access to Chronicle academia and the next steps from industry. economics before going into biology) Funding sources tend to be short-sighted, helps him talk across scientific borders The MIT Libraries have purchased an electronic subscription that offers full and this approach will not help us come up and steer notoriously individualistic scien- access to current and back issues of The Chronicle of Higher Education—previous- with a revolutionary technology to impact tists to work together. With his easy meta- energy in the next 50 to 100 years. ly available only to individual subscribers. On-campus users will be automatically phors, he can get even lay audiences excit- “We had better start taking energy recognized as being from MIT and granted access through the Chronicle’s web site ed about concepts that otherwise would as personally as health care. We need to sail over their heads,” the article said. at chronicle.com. Off-campus users with certificates can gain access through Vera engage everyone,” Nocera said. Other winners include ex-U.S. Supreme (Virtual Electronic Resource Access) at libraries.mit.edu/vera. Vera is the Libraries’ The Soap Box energy series is Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and online gateway for the MIT community to more than 33,000 electronic journals and cosponsored by the Energy Research architect Frank Gehry, who designed 400 databases. Council and the MIT Technology and MIT’s Stata Center. Culture Forum.

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Medium brown, Great condo alternative! $339.9k Call Adam, transmission, power everything, 6-CD changer, below hip length, fleece lining, made in Italy. Very nice furnished bedroom for rent, near 617-694-8553. MIT Tech Talk ARTS November 1, 2006 PAGE 7 Group eases Web technology enriches French studies culture shock Robin H. Ray you do if you see a student cheating at an News Office Correspondent exam?”). The classes also read and com- Sasha Brown pare print media (The New York Times News Office and Le Monde); watch videos in tandem, French-language students at MIT are taking advantage of the many French films benefiting from a breakthrough method of that have been remade in English, such For many of the spouses and partners instruction developed by Senior Lecturer as “Three Men and a Baby”; and compare of MIT students, the first semester starts Gilberte Furstenberg and her colleagues. historical documents and literary texts. out exciting, but the second half is often Working in parallel with English classes at The posted responses become fodder when culture shock sets in, said Jessica institutions of higher learning in France, for wide-ranging discussions as students Barton, director of the MIT Spouses and the Cambridge students are using Internet probe differences in attitude, humor and Partners Group, which is holding its bian- forums to explore issues of cultural differ- interpersonal dynamics: An American stu- nual meeting to address the issue. ence that lie deep beneath the surface of dent may comment that the French seem The two-hour meeting will be held Nov. language. to touch each other more than Americans 1 in W20-400 from 3-5 p.m.; it will be an As Furstenberg explained in a talk enti- do, while the Americans are more gener- opportunity for the spouses and partners tled “The Pedagogy of Intercultural Under- ous with the phrase, “I love you”; a French to meet one another and discuss the topic standing,” given on Oct. 20 under the aegis student will respond or ask for clarifica- at hand: “Culture Shock, Delayed Culture of the Center for Bilingual/Bicultural Stud- tion, and these exchanges in turn are used Shock and Reverse Culture Shock.” ies, “Learning entails not just facts and as sources of cultural and language infor- Although the meeting has traditionally knowledge but building understanding of mation. Both sets of students notice right attracted international spouses and part- another culture, a journey of exploration away, for example, that Americans tend ners, it is also open to people from other and discovery.” to use the first person (I, me, my, mine) parts of the United States who also experi- Furstenberg’s innovative National and personal anecdotes, while the French PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY ence culture shock upon arriving at MIT, Endowment for the Humanities-funded students use the impersonal and passive “mostly around driving,” Barton said. program, Cultura—“where the Pont Neuf Gilberte Furstenberg, above, created voice (“It is clear that…,” “One may con- This time of year—a traditional period meets the Brooklyn Bridge”—was spe- ‘Cultura’ so students may see ‘where the clude…”). Postings generally number between 600 and 800 per semester: a large of academic intensity as well as preholi- cifically designed to facilitate cultural Pont Neuf meets the Brooklyn Bridge.’ day planning—can prove to be the most exchange rather than merely build vocab- sample to mull over and analyze. (You can challenging, Barton said, for international ulary or reinforce grammar. It addresses get a glimpse of the Cultura workings at spouses and partners: About 60 percent of some of the new priorities set out in MIT’s American materials that are located on an web.mit.edu/french/culturaNEH/.) Task Force on the Undergraduate Educa- MIT web site and then, through a series the international student spouses at MIT Cultura leads the way have visa restrictions that say they can- tional Commons, which included among of forums, share their comments and per- not work, Barton said. “They need to be its recommendations the strengthening of spectives, with the goal of getting an insid- Since its introduction in 1997, Cultura creative and find ways to structure their intercultural studies and further encour- er’s view of each other’s culture. At the has been adopted at numerous colleges days.” agement of study abroad by undergradu- beginning of their journey, students are and universities, including Brown, Bar- Often it is in the colder, darker months ates. Says Furstenberg, “It’s an educational asked to write down, in their native lan- nard, University of Chicago, the University of late fall when fatigue starts to set in. priority on campuses across the country,” guage, word associations (“suburb/ban- of California at Berkeley and Smith, and “This is a time when people get very busy as greater globalization in education, sci- lieue,” “France,” “freedom,” “success”), put to work in many languages besides at MIT,” said Barton. “It is normal for both ence, law and business demand greater sentence completions (“A rude person French. Educational technical consultants them and their families to feel irritable and willingness to see things from a different is…”) and answers to questions that are Rich Garcia and Carter Snowden, from have trouble adjusting.” cultural point of view. “What we do in Cul- designed to illuminate contrasts in cultur- Academic Computing at MIT, have been The meeting will provide an oppor- tura tackles these issues head-on.” al values and attitudes (“What would you instrumental in facilitating the use of Cul- tunity to chat with people in similar cir- Students on both sides of the Atlantic think if you saw a mother at the super- tura by instructors and allowing it to be cumstances and perhaps spark the kinds compare a variety of similar French and market hitting her child?” or “What do easily exported to other universities. of friendships that help people make it Furstenberg’s sophisticated teaching through their years at MIT. “A lot of our methods grew out of her drive to put the job is to help them network,” Barton said. technologies being developed at MIT to For many, the adjustment is easi- Vogler Quartet joins Mozart homage work in teaching the humanities. Recog- er because they are only here for a few nizing the potential of interactive video to revolutionize language learning, she devel- months at a time. But for those who have Acclaimed violist Marcus Thompson, Mozart’s birth, in which Thompson per- oped an award-winning “virtual immer- spouses in the Ph.D. programs, they could the Robert R. Taylor Professor of Music forms all six of Mozart’s viola quintets sion” software program, co-designed with be at MIT and in Boston for years. “The at MIT, continues his series of guest per- with visiting string quartets. Kurt Fendt, called “A la Rencontre de adjustment all depends on how long peo- formances with visiting string quartets The Vogler Quartet was founded in Philippe,” which pulls students into help- ple will be here,” said Barton. on Friday, Nov. 3, with a performance East Berlin in 1985. With a repertoire ing a young Parisian man with his hous- Currently 30 active members go on the of Mozart’s Viola Quintet in E flat major of more than 200 works from all peri- ing, work, and love problems and which field trips and attend the meetings and with the Vogler Quartet. The concert, at ods, the quartet is widely known for its was recently published by the Paris-based seminars. “A lot of people meet each other which the Vogler Quartet will also per- extraordinary musical intelligence, cre- CLE International. She also designed the through the program and then we might form Haydn’s String Quartet No. 52 in ative playing, homogenous sound, rich concept and pedagogy for “Dans un quart- not see them again,” Barton said. E flat major, Op. 64, No. 6; Berg’s String nuances, powerful interpretations and ier du Paris,” an interactive tour of a Paris In many ways, independence is the goal Quartet, Op. 3; and Webern’s Six Baga- unconventional programming. All four neighborhood, published by Yale Univer- of the program. By providing the spouses telles, Op. 9, will take place at 8 p.m. in members studied at the Hochschule für sity Press, before teaming up with former and partners with a network, the students Kresge Auditorium. Musik in Berlin and came to interna- colleagues Shoggy Waryn and Sabine themselves are also less stressed. “It is a The concert marks the fifth of six tional prominence in 1986 by winning Levet to produce Cultura. great group for everyone,” Barton said. concerts in a two-year series at MIT the International String Quartet Compe- “I believe something like this could For more information go to web.mit. celebrating the 250th anniversary of tition in Evian, Germany. edu/medical/spousesandpartners/. only happen at MIT,” she says. R.D. Lewis Music From Corelli to Cole Porter: MIT posts its favorites Library turns 10 The 10 most frequently bor- 5 Haydn—Quartet for 2 Violins, Heather Denny rowed CDs and musical scores over Viola and Violoncello. Op. 74, No. MIT Libraries the past 10 years show the Institute 1. Eulenburg & Mozart—“Don community is classically inclined yet Giovanni.” Vocal score, Schirmer enjoys a world music beat. (tied at 72 loans) The newly renovated Rosalind Denny 6 Chopin—“Balladen.” G. Henle Lewis Music Library opened its doors 10 Top 10 most circulated CDs: (69 loans) years ago. Thanks to the generosity of Cherry Emerson (S.M. 1941) and other 7 Corelli—Sonate: a violino e vio- donors, the library added a mezzanine, 1 Vivaldi—L’Estro Armonico & lone o cimbalo. Edizioni Scelte new listening/viewing equipment, com- Bartók—String quartets & Beethoven– Klaviersonaten I. fortable study rooms, an audio preserva- (tied at 226 loans) G. Henle & Vaughan Williams— tion room, a special collections room and 2 Schumann—Dichterliebe, Lie- “The Lark Ascending”: Romance new office space for staff. New detailing for Violin and Orchestra. Eulen- derkreis & Corelli—Concerti Cole Porter Arcangelo Corelli included glass panels etched with a canon Grossi Op. 6 (tied at 215 loans) burg & Beethoven—Piano sona- composed by Institute Professor John tas; edited by Heinrich Schenk- Harbison. 3 Corelli—Trio Sonatas (213 er. Universal Edition (tied at 68 Since 1996, the renovated library has loans) loans) served its users well: People entered the 4 Wagner—“Tristan und Isolde” Top 10 most circulated scores: 8 Purcell—“Dido and Aeneas”; edit- library more than 500,000 times; approxi- (209 loans) ed by Ellen Harris. Eulenburg & mately 330,000 items were circulated; more 1 Schubert—Gesänge für eine Sing- Bartók—Music for string instru- than 26,000 books, scores and recordings 5 Mozart—“Don Giovanni” (204 loans) stimme mit Klavierbegleitung, Peters ments, percussion and celesta. were added to the collection and more 6 “Music from Ethiopia” (202 loans) (99 loans) Boosey & Hawkes (tied at 67 than 20 concerts and events were perfor- loans) med in the library by MIT faculty, students 7 Handel—“Messiah” (198 loans) 2 Haydn—String Quartet in B flat and staff. major, Op. 76 No. 4. Wiener Philhar- 9 Beethoven—Klaviersonaten II. G. A total of 26 music oral history inter- 8 Bizet—“Carmen” & Bach— monischer (81 loans) Henle (66 loans) Brandenburg Concertos (tied at 196 views with 16 individuals were also 3 Boulez—“Le Marteau sans Maître,” recorded. loans) 10 Porter—The Cole Porter song book. pour voix d’alto et 6 instruments, Simon and Schuster (65 loans) The library will host a celebration of its 9 “Shona Spirit: Mbira Masters from Universal Edition (77 loans) 10th anniversary on Wednesday, Nov. 15 Zimbabwe” (193 loans) from 2 to 4 p.m. For information on upco- 4 Strayhorn—“Take the ‘A’ train”; edit- For call numbers and additional infor- ming events, please go to libraries.mit. 10 Mozart—String Quartets 14 & 15 ed by Gunther Schuller. Smithsonian mation about Top 10 titles go to: libraries. edu/music/. (191 loans) Institution (75 loans) mit.edu/music/activities/index.html. PAGE 8 November 1, 2006 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Machinima work group animates life ‘in-world’ Robin H. Ray Katherine Kuan, an electrical engineering News Office Correspondent and computer science major at MIT, has been working on the machinima project since February. Said Kuan, “It started Student researchers working with out slow, building characters on my own Beth Coleman, assistant professor in in Second Life,” a virtual world in which comparative media studies and in the people create their own “avatars” and Program in Writing and Humanistic can spend real money to buy virtual sets, Studies, are exploring machinima, one costumes or scripts from other “residents.” branch of the rapidly evolving world of (For more on Second Life, see secondlife. computer animation. As members of com.) She enjoys working in Second Life: the Machinima Work Group, they are “It’s very flexible, you can build whatever experimenting in the medium to find new you like, and it’s kind of like real film modes of cinematic expression. production.” Machinima (pronounced “machine- This October, Coleman organized ima,” the word is coined from “machine” a couple of two-day “cross-university” and “cinema”) is animation that is made tutorials to bring interested parties up to by harnessing 3-D game engines, such speed on the tools and relative merits of as those used in Xbox or PlayStation two different games, and adding original content— 3-D engines, dialogue, dramatic situations, and new or UT (Unreal modified characters. Relative to traditional Tournament computer-generated imagery, in which 2004) and animators must create the characters, S e c o n d scenes (levels) and action from scratch, Life. “We’ve machinima is fast and cheap—though still done some enormously time-consuming. The most experimenting well-known work of machinima to date is as our own “Red vs. Blue,” a comic sci-fi series based production on the popular Xbox games Halo and group,” said Marathon. (You can download episodes Coleman, “now from “Red vs. Blue” at rvb.roosterteeth. we’re getting com/archive/.) But many, including together with Beth Coleman Coleman’s group, are working to expand other people.” the medium above and beyond the genre Participants included two design of parody and to gauge its potential for students from Parsons Design School, artistic and cinematic expression. Mikhail Akopyan and Jenny Yi-Chen, who Coleman explained in a recent interview came up from New York City especially that the medium has really exploded in for the tutorial, as well as Kuan. Rodica the past five years, to the point where you Buzescu, a Harvard graduate who now see ads on television that are made in manages the Second Life presence of the machinima. Berkman Center for Internet and Society “It’s popular because it’s inexpensive at Harvard Law School, gave the group and faster,” she said, “but also there’s a the benefit of her extensive experience “in- preference for the style of video games world.” Among the issues addressed: how PHOTO / JAMES M. LONG for this generation.” People who grew up to get hair to flow naturally and how to Scene outside of time playing Quake and Doom feel comfortable make trees. in virtual game spaces and are stimulated The participants came from diverse James M. Long, an administrative assistant in the Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, visited by the possibility of manipulating them. perspectives and backgrounds. Beirut in March 2006. An architectural and landscape photographer, he remained aware They find, though, that machinima film- While Kuan approached it from a of the political and social currents swirling around him at that time, but chose to set those making has many of the same constraints programming background, Akopyan is issues aside in the pursuit of a strictly aesthetic vision in his artwork. “Photographing and requirements as other kinds of a sculpture student who has used game Lebanon: A Work in Progress by James M. Long” is on view at the Rotch Library (Room film-making: You still have to write a engines to produce not animation but 7-238) through Nov. 30. script, develop the characters, make the sculpture “without material and physical storyboards, and edit and re-edit the work. constraints.” Although his interests “lean away from the technical,” he found the project exciting and worth the trip from New York. Buzescu, meanwhile, noted that Novelist portrays “Machinima is just one of my interests. I used to run a group in-world for people people blinded with Asperger Syndrome, using Second Life as a place to practice their social skills.” by science As the tutorial proceeded, scenes from the Machinima Work Group animation, Cambridge-based novelist Allegra whose working title is “Boba Fett’s Day Goodman has been recognized for her Off,” popped up on Buzescu’s laptop. A achievement in fiction by The New Yorker, cement living space hovered in the air which named her one of the best writers above a green landscape, where a puffy under 40; by Salon; and with a Whiting IMAGE COURTESY / B. COLEMAN white robot mingled with a couple of slim, Writers’ Award. But it is “Intuition,” her In the Machinima Work Group’s animation, well-dressed women. “Hey,” Coleman 2006 novel of love, greed and science, that ‘Boba Fett’s Day Off,’ their robo-avatar-star, remarked, “the basement is floating.” may hold special appeal for members of above, mingles with slim, stylish women in “Why not?” answered Buzescu. the MIT community. a gravity-free yet gritty virtual landscape. “There’s no gravity.” In her March 6 review of “Intuition,” Sue Halpern wrote in The New York Times Book Review, “Goodman has writ- ten an energetic indictment of high-stakes City Science fest seeks project proposals science, presenting it as a system that makes unreasonable demands on young The Cambridge Science Festival, pre- The overarching theme for the inaugu- researchers, promotes cupidity, doesn’t sented by the MIT Museum, is the first- ral Cambridge Science Festival is “Science tolerate dissent. In the end, though, this ever such festival in the United States. To in the City.” Four subthemes—“Innova- argument fails to move (those) who come be held April 21-29, 2007, the city-wide tions,” “Science & the Arts,” “Energy & to realize that despite its failings they’d event will offer a wide range of science the Environment” and “Science in Every- rather do ‘the slow exhausting work of sci- and technology-related activities—creative day Life”—will provide unity and easy-to- ence than anything else.’” exhibitions, concerts, plays, poetry read- understand structure for all festival events. Halpern summarized Goodman’s plot ings, lectures, debates and demonstra- All venues will be in Cambridge and this way: “An anxious, ambitious, down-on- tions—over a period of nine days and in a will include auditoriums, outdoor public his-luck postdoctoral researcher suddenly Comedy Central variety of locations. spaces, theaters, storefronts, private busi- obtains results that look too good to be This pioneering multimedia event is nesses and city streets. seeking contributions of performing, visu- Organizers are looking for ideas that true—the virus he’s injected into cancer- Belgium has the highest con- al or media arts projects connecting art celebrate science and technology in ways riddled mice appears to be melting away centration of comic strip artists per and science. that combine spirit, interactivity and audi- their tumors—and his girlfriend, another square kilometer of any country in Proposals are being accepted for all ence appeal. postdoc in the same lab, comes to suspect the world. Willem De Graeve, direc- aspects of the science festival, including he’s fudged his results. But she doesn’t tor of the Belgian Comic Strip Cen- opening and closing ceremonies, daily Questions? know for sure: There’s no hard evidence, tre, will discuss the history of Bel- events and activities, evening celebrations If you would like to discuss your pro- just some sloppy, discarded lab notes that gian comics and their importance and performances, and indoor and outdoor posal prior to submitting it, please contact seem to suggest it.” in Belgium today. His talk, titled activities. Kate Bernhardt or Ellen Bluestein at 617- Goodman will read and discuss her “Comic strips of Belgium or The Big While the festival is designed to appeal 253-6914; or via e-mail at info@cambridge work on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in Room Success of a Small Country,” will to audiences from preschoolers to senior sciencefestival.org. 6-120. take place on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 citizens, the majority of festival program- Applications and additional information Goodman’s other books include “The p.m. in Room 32-155. Family Markowitz,” “Kaaterskill Falls,” ming will focus on students in grades K-12 are available at www.cambridgesciencefes- and “Paradise Park.” and their families. tival.org.