MIT San Club of Diego

February 2014 Newsletter

Editor's Note: This is the second iteration of our new visual and content approach. Comments are always welcome, especially if we can improve your mobile experience. If you would like to participate in this project to improve our communications, including our social media communications, please email me. Thanks, Ollie

Table of Contents President's Message Coming Events FIRST Robotics Competition Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar Recognizing Our Club's Membership MIT Strong Honors Sean Collier Our Club and Tim the Beaver 2014 in Photos

President’s Message Jerry Feitelson '75 SB VII

We have had a continuing series of excellent Programs during the past two months, including:

• Another superb Holiday Party at the Electra Conservatory on 4 Jan, • Toast to IAP at Crush, Solana Beach on 23 Jan, • Two Whale Sails on 25 Jan and 22 Feb, • Toast to Friends with U. Chicago and Cornell at the Uptown Taverns on 6 Feb, • “Investing Insights” with Horacio Valeiras on 12 Feb, and • Two Group Tours of the US Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan on 15 Feb. • On February 23rd, Carol King opened her home to Area Alumnae.

As spring approaches I want to make you aware of five upcoming events and initiatives:

1. Toast to Friends with UC Berkeley and Ohio State On 6 March at R-Gang in the Gas Lamp. Go here for more information and to register. 2. FIRST Robotics Competition Club members and friends will go backstage to tour the competitors as part of our STEM Project. Take a look at Craig Monsell's Programs Report below to see all of what will be happening this spring. 3. Chuck Vest’s Memorial Service A memorial service to honor the life of MIT's 15th president, Charles M. Vest, is scheduled at MIT on Thursday, March 6, 2014, and all alums are cordially invited to attend. Dr. Vest's many contributions to MIT range from improvements in student life and women faculty's resources support for a stronger entrepreneurial culture, and a new generation of architecturally striking campus buildings. The memorial service will be held at 4:30 p.m. in . Dr. Vest's portrait will be unveiled at 6:00 p.m. on the Charles M. Vest Student Street at the Ray and Maria and a reception will follow. Shuttle service will be provided from Kresge to the Stata Center. Many of you may have personal memories and condolences you would like to share with the Vest family. Please do so via the electronic guest book, Remembering Vest. If any of you are able to attend President Vest’s Memorial Service and would like to share the experience, please contact Ollie Smoot our VP Communications who will help you draft a news item for the Club. 4. 2014 Membership Campaign Bill Collins, our VP of Membership, and his Committee are hard at work planning our 2014 Membership Campaign that will begin as spring arrives. If you would like to help Bill, please contact him directly at VP Membership. While our Club is among the better in terms of percentage of area alums who are members, we would like to be among the top clubs, if only because membership growth demonstrates that we are doing the things you want and value. If you have been a member before, come on back. If you have never been a member, take a look at the Website, including going to the Events History page and seeing the many and varied events we have held as well as those coming up that are summarized on our Events Corner. 5. Club Elections I am in the process of recruiting our 2014 Nominating Committee. The Committee will have a challenging task to replace at least five Officers and Board members. If you would like to volunteer or participate in drafting our new slate, please email me at President, MIT Club of San Diego. The Nominations will be made public well before the balloting begins. As usual, our Club’s Annual Meeting and Election will be held in June, this year on the twenty-first of June at San Dieguito County Park. That is where it was held last year, and the facilities are excellent. Join us.

Jerry

Coming Events Craig Monsell '77 SB X, VP Programs In addition to the events already in Jerry's letter above, we have great events scheduled. Here is what is scheduled so far for the rest of this Club Year:

 UCSD Professor Todd Coleman Lab Tour - DATE Changed - Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - UCSD. Organizer: Craig Monsell  Weekday Play Group - Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 10 AM to Noon at La Jolla Rec Center - Contact Nikki Truitt for more information.  MIT EAPS Professor Kerry Emanuel Visit - Thursday, April 3, 2014, 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Takeda. Organizer: Craig Monsell  Third Anniversary Toast to Friends - Thursday, April 10, 2014 - details TBD  UCSD Nanotechnology Lab Visit - Monday, April 14, 2014 - details TBD. Organizer: Jerry Feitelson  Weekday Play Group - Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 10 AM to Noon at La Jolla Rec Center - Contact Nikki Truitt for more information.  May Toast to Friends - Thursday, May 1, 2014 - details TBD.  Weekday Play Group - Wednesday, May 21, 2014, 10 AM to Noon at La Jolla Rec Center - Contact Nikki Truitt for more information.  MITAA "View From the Top" Program - Wednesday, May 28, 2014 - details TBD.  June Toast to Friends - Thursday, June 5, 2014 - details TBD  Weekday Play Group - Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 10 AM to Noon at La Jolla Rec Center - Contact Nikki Truitt for more information.  Annual Meeting and Picnic - Saturday, June 21, 2014 - San Dieguito Park. Organizer: Craig Monsell

Many of our best event ideas come from alumni who can share an interesting technical contact, who can share their work with the MIT community, or just know how to party. If you have ideas, please drop an e-mail to the VP of Programs. Here are some thoughts to stimulate your thinking:

 Professor Visits are always popular–Do you have a connection with an MIT Professor who might be visiting the San Diego Area? We will always make room for a professor presentation.  Tech Businesses–Does your business have a technical story that you would like to share with MIT Alums?  Share Your Research–Are you working on research that might interest others in the MIT community?  Share your tech passion–Whether it's a hobby, a skunk works project or just a personal obsession, share your passion with other MIT Alums.  Military / Defense –base and military tech visits and talks are always a big draw.  Biotech company tours–are always interesting, especially to those not in the sector.  Family activities–like play dates or hiking that involve whole families.  It is good for the MIT Club, good for stimulating connections among alums and networking, and it might also be good for your business or area of work.

Consider coming to a future Programs Committee Meeting if you want to get involved and enjoy a nice dinner while we work. Just email me.

Craig

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San Diego Regional FIRST Robotics Competition

Bring a brown bag lunch and bring the family to tour some of the MIT-alumni-connected projects and watch the competition with other MIT alumni and their families and guests. Your event guide will be Dan Oliver '60 SB II. MIT is providing safety-glasses, etc.

The 2014 FIRST Robotics San Diego Regional competition will be held at Valley View Casino Center (formerly known as San Diego Sports Arena), 3500 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego, CA on Saturday, March 8, 2014, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. MIT alumni are involved in several of the teams including FRC4738, Patribots from Patrick Henry HS and FRC2102, Paradox from San Dieguito Academy. Come see our future innovators in a fun setting. We will be meeting alum Dan Oliver on the steps of the entrance (at the side away from Sports Arena Boulevard) at 11:00 AM for a tour of the pit area. Please wear closed-toe shoes; safety glasses will be provided. After the tour we will gather for a brown bag lunch and those who like to can stay for the finals of the competition. There is no admission fee.

Contact Information: Dan Oliver or Craig Monsell. Date & Location: 3/8/2014, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Valley View Casino Center, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, San Diego, CA. Return to Top

Special Opportunity: Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar

Volunteers needed for "Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar", a new outreach program by the Reuben H. Fleet Center

…. What sounds like the beginning of a rather bad joke is a new, unique and fun outreach program by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

We will place 2 scientists/engineers, clad in white lab coats, with a sign “We are Scientists, ask us anything!” in local bars or restaurants. Preferably this would take place on a Wednesday or Thursday night when the venue is well attended but not too crowded.

We want to offer scientists/engineers and the public the opportunity to meet each other in a relaxed and open setting. This program has been done successfully in Philadelphia and guests enjoyed the opportunity to have a relaxed one on one conversation with a scientist/engineer about any and all scientific topics.

We are looking for volunteers to participate in this fun program which we want to kick off with a big bang on March 20th by placing 50 scientists in 25 bars or restaurants all over San Diego County from 6:30-8:30 on that one night! After the kick off we will continue the program on a regular basis and will work with the venues and scientists individually to set it up.

We hope you will consider being part of this program, even if you only want to participate once on the big kick-off night!

To participate in the program, please contact Andrea Decker from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center at [email protected] or at 619.685.5717. Return to Top

Recognizing our Club’s Membership By Bill Collins ’65 SB II,’67 SM Sloan School, VP Membership A Prosperous and Healthy New Year to you! This article is the third in a series of Membership Memos I will be writing for the Club’s Newsletter in my role as Vice-President, Membership of the MITCSD. One of the Club’s goals in 2013 was to increase membership above the then level of 127 alums. I am happy to report we accomplished our goal. Membership in MITCSD now stands at 154. Thank you all for your renewed affiliation. Below is a

graphic which summarizes our membership distribution:

We are diligently working for our Regular and All Members with programs, events, and contacts that a true “club” aspires to achieve for the benefit of its members. We are especially grateful for the support of our Benefactors, Patrons and Sustaining Members. We welcome Recent Grads for their fresh inputs, and we treasure the sage knowledge and advice which our Seniors provide. Your fellow Club Members on the Membership Committee, listed below, are hard at work on new Membership initiatives for 2014.

Mary Ann Beyster ’90 SM Sloan School mailto:[email protected] Laura Robinson ’80 SB Course III mailto:[email protected] Kevin Ver Hage ’87 SB Course XV mailto:[email protected] Carol Willing ’89 SM Sloan School mailto:[email protected]

Updates on current initiatives

 As I mentioned previously, we are working on the first “Affinity Group” within MITCSD, for Sloan School Grads. Stay tuned for details. Raise your hand if you want to get in on the ground floor.  Organization for our Spring Campaign for Membership Renewals will start soon. This will emphasize the option for multi-year renewals and other time-savers. Is there anything else you would like to see?

An Additional Benefit of membership In the last Memo I mentioned one of our members received a discount on her insurance just for being a member of the MIT Club of San Diego! In addition to AAA, I am told USAA also has a similar policy. If this works for you with your insurer, I can provide you with an affidavit. Just need your name, degree, and class year. We can always use additional participants on the Committee. I invite you to send me an email at [email protected], or phone me H: 858 794-5320, or C: 858 353-9582.

Yours in Mens et Manus, Bill Return to Top

Dan Oliver '60 SB II, to Run Boston Marathon for "MIT Strong" and Collier Fund MIT Club of San Diego community is invited to participate in Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund On April 18, 2013, while on patrol on Vassar Street, MIT officer Sean Collier was murdered by the admitted Boston Marathon bombers. Although only at MIT for a short time, he immediately joined students and staff in campus life. In tribute to Officer Collier, the Institute created the Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund. Gifts to this fund will be used to establish the Collier Medal—to be awarded to individuals who demonstrate the values and character of Officer Collier— as well as other causes.

In December I spoke with MIT President Reif of my goal that MIT connected runners in this spring's Boston Marathon be recognized in honoring Sean. MIT community runners have joined as the “MIT Strong Team” to represent MIT in honoring the life and memory of Sean in the Boston Marathon 2014 and to raise funds for the Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund.

I have joined “MIT Strong Team” for my 4th Boston Marathon. Please help me exceed my goal of raising funds for the Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund. Donations are tax deductible and count toward your annual MIT contributions.

To follow the “MIT Strong Team” efforts and insure that your contributions are credited to me, go to MIT Strong. To donate online, click on "Donate Now to Dan" and proceed. or To donate by mail, print the pdf form at the link at the bottom of that paragraph. or Send me a check to the address below, made to MIT, and include your name, MIT class or connection, address and email.

Thanks for your support,

Dan Oliver 496 Hillcrest Dr Leucadia, Ca 92024.760 753-0942 [email protected] Return to Top

Tim the Beaver? By Kevin Ver Hage ‘87 SB XV At the Toast to IAP this year MIT also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Beaver as our school mascot. We had beer cozies, coasters, and a 2 foot tall cut-out of Tim the Beaver, all saying, “Happy 100th Birthday Tim!” When Ollie Smoot mentioned to me there was still a question as to how he got the name Tim (besides the obvious if it being MIT backwards), I told him how; he then told me to write it up to share, so here it is.

I was working part time at the MIT Museum when I found the beaver costume in the archives storage area. It smelt like it had been there for years (from the Slice of MIT we find that in 1977 the Class of 52 made it for their 25th reunion). I agreed to wear it to a Museum event; the shoulder height was a tight fit and it still smelt, but getting paid for clowning around in a beaver suit instead of working felt like a no brainer. I don’t know what they called it in 1977, but for the few times I wore it, they called me “the MIT Beaver”.

After just a few Museum events and campus traverses, it became quickly apparent how big a deal the MIT Beaver could become. Unfortunately for me, my 6’4” frame fit too tightly to walk comfortably, and we had to look for another volunteer to wear that extremely hot and still very smelly outfit: enter fraternity brother and fellow Museum worker (and now fellow San Diegan) Timothy McConnell ‘86—he goes by Tim, and there could not have been a more fortuitous choice.

Being tall himself, Tim fit the 7’ + costume well (your view is out the Beaver’s mouth). When Tim took on the role, he brought his naturally ebullient personality (and perfect name) out for all to see, and was an instant hit. Being an outgoing fellow and very smart (he insisted that the costume be professionally cleaned), “Tim the Beaver” was wanted everywhere, and even showed up for graduation and the quasquicentennial (125 years) celebration. (See picture of “Tim” before the 1984 graduation ceremony, we believe). By then, it was called Tim the Beaver no matter who was in the suit.

In 2001 a much friendlier looking Tim the Beaver suit was made (again, from Slice of MIT). I called up the Museum the other day to ask my old boss Don Stidson what he remembered about the beaver suit, and amazingly enough he was just in the process of preparing the old beaver head for display in the Student Center for Tim the Beaver’s 100th birthday festivities! Don told me that the suit was in use for years after we graduated; the only proviso being that whoever borrowed it had to pay for it being professionally cleaned (I really hope the new suit breathes better). Don did recollect also that the only other beaver name he knew of was from a large beaver cutout labled “Chipper Beaver”, made in 1955. Lastly, after consulting with now retired Museum Director (and beaver expert) Warren Seamans, he agreed that the first time he heard it called Tim the Beaver was when Tim McConnell donned the beaver suit. A perfect fit from the beginning! Some links:

Tim the Beaver: An Exclusive Interview (Slice of MIT) The MIT Beaver Through the Years: Photo Gallery (Slice of MIT) TIM the Beaver—MIT’s mascot since 1914: Video (MIT News) A Natural Engineer: The storied history of MIT’s mascot (MIT Technology Review)

Kevin Return to Top

A Hint As To What Is In Our Photo Album Collection

If you go to the Club Website's Photo Albums Tab you can see photos from all our recent events. Here are some from our 2014 events:

To set the mood for our 2014 Holiday Party, Chef Craig constructed a gingerbread model of the Green Building (54) and Calder Stabile.

Louis Cohen took an MIT crew to see the whales and many of the ships in San Diego Harbor.

Demand was so high that we had two tours groups learn about the USS Ronald Reagan.

Horacio Valeiras explains Behavioral Finance Theory.

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