Massachusetts Vol. XXIX No. 1 Institute of September/October 2016 Technology

MITFaculty http://web.mit.edu/fnl Newsletter

in this issue we offer commentary on the Faculty and Staff Quality of Life Survey (below and page 22); a report on MIT’s overall international activities, “Global MIT” (below) and “The MIT Haiti-Initiative” (page 14); and two articles on Access MIT (pages 16 and 18).

2016 Presidential Candidates Global MIT MIT Asked, We Editorial Answered: The 2016 Presidential Faculty Quality of Candidates Weigh In Life Survey On Science Policy

Krishna Rajagopal, Leslie Kolodziejski, Issues R. K. Lester Christopher Capozzola

THE MIT COMMUNITY IS magnifi- WELCOME BACK FROM WHAT we IN SEPTEMBER, PRESIDENTIAL cently but unselfconsciously multina- hope has been an invigorating summer, candidates Donald Trump, Hillary tional. With 42% of our faculty, 43% of and all best wishes for the new academic Rodham Clinton, and Jill Stein returned our graduate students, and 65% of our year. their responses to a set of 20 key science post-docs hailing from countries other The three of us have spent time over policy issues (Libertarian Party candidate than the U.S., and 151 countries repre- the summer diving into the results from Gary Johnson did not respond). The sented on our campus, MIT is truly “of the 2016 Faculty Quality of Life Survey. questionnaire was prepared by a national the world.” The outcome of the survey provides a science consortium, ScienceDebate.org, We are also, increasingly, in the world. wealth of information and insights about that included the American Association Today MIT faculty and students are the perspectives of the MIT Faculty on a for the Advancement of Science and the working in more than 75 countries, and wide variety of questions. Elsewhere in National Academy of Sciences. 50% of this year’s graduating seniors this issue of the Faculty Newsletter, The issues included were: Innovation; reported having had at least one interna- Institutional Research (IR) has provided Research; Climate Change; Biodiversity; The tional educational experience, up from a synopsis of some of the highlights [see Internet; Mental Health; Energy; Education; 23% in the class of 2006 (see Figure 1, page 22]. These are only a small fraction Public Health; Water; Nuclear Power; Food; page 9). For some students this meant tra- of the data. Much more data, as well as Global Challenges; Regulations; Vaccination; ditional study-abroad programs at other data from earlier MIT surveys, can be Space; Opioids; Ocean Health; Immigration, universities. For many more it meant found on the IR Website (web.mit.edu/ and Scientific Integrity. Unfortunately, practical internships and experiential ir/surveys/index.html), including in par- Nuclear Weapons was not among the issues learning opportunities, often preceded by ticular the highlights from the 2016 presented. The full responses can be found at country-specific cultural and historical survey. sciencedebate.org/20answers. continued on page 9 continued on page 4 continued on page 3 contents The MIT Faculty Vol. XXIX No. 1 September/October 2016 Newsletter Editorial Board 01 Global MIT *Aron Bernstein R. K. Lester Physics Robert Berwick 01 MIT Asked, We Answered: The 2016 Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Faculty Quality of Life Survey Krishna Rajagopal, Leslie Kolodziejski, Christopher Capozzola Manduhai Buyandelger Anthropology Editorial 01 Presidential Candidates Weigh In On *Nazli Choucri Science Policy Issues Political Science Christopher Cummins 14 The MIT-Haiti Initiative: Chemistry An International Engagement Woodie Flowers Haynes Miller Mechanical Engineering Ernst G. Frankel 16 MIT Adminstration “Walking the Talk” Mechanical Engineering on Transit Commuter Benefits *Jonathan King (Chair) Frederick P. Salvucci Biology 18 Access MIT Provides Flexible Commuting Options Helen Elaine Lee Writing and Humanistic Studies and an Opportunity for Meaningful Personal Action Les Norford Stephen J. Lippard (Treasurer) Chemistry 20 An Update on Gender Imbalance in Seth Lloyd MIT Admissions Maker Portfolios Mechanical Engineering Chris Peterson, Hal Abelson Fred Moavenzadeh Civil & Environmental Engineering/Engineering Systems 21 Teaching this fall? You should know . . . Ruth Perry (Vice Chair) Literature Section 22 Highlights from the 2016 Faculty and Staff Nasser Rabbat Quality of Life Survey Architecture Institutional Research Patrick Henry Winston Electrical Engineering & Computer Science 26 MITAC: New Ticket Office Offers Discounted Tickets to Many Activities David Lewis Diane Betz Tavitian Managing Editor 27 Nominate a Colleague as a *Editorial Subcommittee for this issue MacVicar Faculty Fellow

27 Request for Preliminary Proposals for Innovative Curricular Projects

M.I.T. Numbers 28 from the 2016 Faculty and Staff Quality of Life Survey

Photo credits: Page1: uselectionday2016.com; Page 26: Christopher Harting.

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2 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

Presidential Candidates Rapid Response Fund,” with consistent, the military is underfunded and called for continued from page 1 year-to-year budgets, to better enable the waiving the Congressional “sequester” Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. that currently limits increases in the Reflecting her experience in both the Department of Health and Human Pentagon budget, and rebuilding the mili- Congressional and Executive branches of Services, the Federal Emergency tary through even more federal spending. the government, Clinton’s responses Management Agency, state and local It would be very useful in this election exhibit much more specificity in terms of public health departments, hospital year to have a good national debate about programmatic proposals. Among the systems, and other federal agencies to the balance between our domestic and clearer differences between Trump and quickly and aggressively respond to major military spending and the proper balance Clinton were in the responses to the threat public health crises and pandemics.” between them. This should include the of climate change. Trump stated that Trump, much more restrained, issues of education and research as invest- “There is still much that needs to be inves- responded that “In a time of limited ments for our future. In this connection, tigated in the field of ‘climate change.’” resources, one must ensure that the nation we should keep Eisenhower’s admoni- However, his follow-up downplayed the is getting the greatest bang for the buck. tions that a strong economy is essential for issue and suggested that the nation’s We cannot simply throw money at these a strong defense. We should debate the “limited financial resources” would be institutions and assume that the nation need for the modernization of many better spent making sure people have will be well served. What we ought to weapons systems that are currently being clean water, eliminating diseases such as focus on is assessing where we need to be proposed. Indeed, many observers of the malaria, or developing energy sources that as a nation and then applying resources to military budget have concluded that we reduce dependence on fossil fuels. those areas where we need the most work. are spending too much and that this is Clinton’s view was that “When it Our efforts to support research and public reducing our security. Senator Markey comes to climate change, the science is health initiatives will have to be balanced and Representative Blumenauer intro- crystal clear. Climate change is an urgent with other demands for scarce resources.” duced bicameral legislation that would threat and a defining challenge of our Trump and Clinton identified a cut $100 billion from the nuclear weapons time and its impacts are already being felt number of programmatic initiatives that budget over the next decade at home and around the world.” She con- would require Congressional budget (www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ tinued with identification of intermediate authorization. However, they will all be sen-markey-and-rep-blumenauer-introduce goals she would pursue, including gener- constrained by the reality that the single -bicameral-legislation-to-cut-100-billion ating half the nation’s electricity from largest component of the discretionary -from-wasteful-nuclear-weapons-budget). clean energy sources. Congressional budget is Pentagon spend- Last, but not least, we return to the Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candi- ing, some 55% of the total $1.15 trillion, question of nuclear weapons that surpris- date, had the strongest, most detailed about $625 billion dollars last year ingly was not on the list of questions. response on this front: “Climate change is (https://media.nationalpriorities.org/ What is their proper role in our defense? the greatest existential threat that human- uploads/discretionary_spending_pie%2C Do we have the right number or too ity has ever faced.” She called for a WWII- _2015_enacted.png). This excludes many, as well as their proper deployment style national mobilization to respond to Medicare and Social Security, which are and alert status, for our defense needs? the danger, with the implication that a federal Trust Funds. It is this enormous Trump also asserts that he may want to “Green New Deal” could create millions expenditure which constricts investment use nuclear weapons in the Middle East of new jobs in sustainable energy and in every other sector of the federal budget and elsewhere. Clinton has mostly energy conservation. The Clinton addressing social and economic needs of focused on Trump’s temperament to be response on the Energy issue also called Americans – housing, transportation, detrimental to his being commander in for major new investments in sustainable healthcare, education, biomedical chief, but has not enunciated her vision of energy and energy conservation. research, environmental protection, infra- their proper role. These are critical issues Both Trump and Clinton supported structure, and sustainable energy develop- for our future. maintaining nuclear power in the nation’s ment, to name a few. Yet both Donald energy source mix. Trump and Hillary Clinton are silent on Editorial Subcommittee On the Public Health Issue, Clinton this largest payout of taxpayer’s dollars. In proposed creation of a “Public Health fact, Trump’s campaign speeches claim

3 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

Faculty Quality of Life Survey Aspects of the MIT environment that Engaging with undergraduates and Rajagopal et al., from page 1 are uniquely attractive with graduate students One of the questions we were asked was: We were also asked how we like to engage This survey is conducted every four “We know that many faculty receive with undergraduates and with graduate years. In 2012, Chair of the Faculty expressions of interest and offers to work students. 304 and 307 respondents Samuel Allen summarized the results by elsewhere. What aspects of the MIT envi- replied, respectively. The answers to the observing that members of the Faculty ronment are uniquely attractive relative to two questions were interestingly, but were “happy but stressed,” noting that the other opportunities [we] may have?” 370 perhaps not surprisingly, different: “generally high measures of faculty satis- faculty members answered this question In general, the replies to the question faction . . . are very encouraging” but that and, overwhelmingly, the most frequent about engagement with undergraduates “at the same time, a significant number replies cited the extremely high quality of can be categorized as involving interac- of faculty report feeling overwhelmed the undergraduates, graduate students, tions as part of one or more of the follow- either often or very often,” “find the and postdoctoral associates that come to ing: teaching; research; advising, workload either heavy or too heavy,” and MIT. With similarly high frequency, mentoring, and providing career advice; “find the integration of work with per- faculty cite the quality of their col- and social engagements. Approximately sonal/family life to be a challenge.” In all leagues – their outstanding scholarship one-third of the comments indicated that these respects, the message from the 2016 and their genuine collegiality. Over half of faculty obtain a high degree of satisfaction survey is very similar to that in 2012. The the comments indicate that the people of from their teaching, both in the classroom overall level of satisfaction with being at MIT (students, faculty, staff, administra- and with laboratory subjects. Associated MIT is even slightly higher than in 2012, tion) are the reason why faculty remain with their teaching activity, members of and substantially higher than in 2008. In here. Our culture is treasured by many the Faculty enjoy interacting with under- 2016, as in the past, the sense of a Faculty faculty who describe MIT as a place of graduates in one-on-one meetings during that is stretched thin comes through in problem solving, a place that seeks to office hours associated with a class or in many ways. For example, we note that impact at the highest level important open, or drop-in, office hours. Faculty “lack of time to think and reflect” and issues facing the world, a place with a also indicated great enjoyment in engag- “lack of time for friends and family” were culture of excellence and a culture of ing with undergraduates as research col- two of the top three sources of stress in hardworking intellectuals without arro- laborators, either in an official UROP four of MIT’s Schools, and the third and gance. The location of MIT in the heart of context or by providing opportunities for fourth sources of stress in the fifth Cambridge – near Boston and as part of research discussion. One-quarter of the School. New England – is also highly valued. comments centered around the opportu- As Officers of the Faculty, we have Faculty enjoy the opportunity to engage nities for research collaboration with access to the answers that members of the with surrounding industry and neighbor- undergraduates. The other two manners Faculty gave to the open-ended questions ing academic institutions. Faculty treasure of engagement with undergraduates – that were embedded within the survey, of the flexibility to choose their research advising and mentoring, and social inter- course without knowing who authored directions, engage in interdisciplinary action – were also viewed as important by any answer, as does the Provost. 544 research, collaborate freely with colleagues faculty, with each mentioned by approxi- faculty members answered one or more of throughout the Institute, and strive to mately 20% of the respondents. In the these questions, and we have read every innovate in the humanities, sciences and replies centered around advising and answer. Doing so was a privilege; the per- engineering, and in educational endeav- mentoring, faculty indicated that they spectives we have gained will be of great ors. Faculty appreciate excellence and find enjoy offering advice about career plan- value, and we want to share some of what it at MIT. The following reply from one ning and applying to medical school or we have learned with you. The answers to faculty colleague sums up why faculty stay graduate school, as well as overall advice two of the open-ended questions – where at MIT: “1. The sense and spirit in my about navigating MIT and college in the Faculty were asked what we each department – and more broadly across the general. Participation by faculty in infor- wished we could spend (1) more time on Institute – of a shared and student-centered mal social events, and even planned and (2) less time on – have been coded mission, for excellence in education and Institute events, were viewed as valuable and reported on by IR in their synopsis. research, and for impact on society. 2. ways to engage with undergraduates in a We cannot summarize everything we have World-class colleagues and students. 3. The meaningful way. More than 10% of the read, but we see it as our responsibility to relative absence of politics in department faculty who responded specifically sug- share with you some of the themes that affairs, and the willingness to experiment gested that lunches or dinners were great appeared frequently in the open-ended and improve. 4. Greater Boston and New ways to build relationships with under- responses. England as great places to live.” graduates.

4 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

As anticipated, engagement around the importance of making it easier to sense of pent-up demand for the teaching research dominated replies to the ques- capture lectures on video, including spaces, technology, and people needed to tion about graduate students, followed greatly increasing the number of class- catalyze and realize their visions for how closely by interest in and activities that rooms in which lectures can easily be best to teach MIT’s students. promote mentoring. Over 40% of the recorded. Faculty also wrote about the Two final open-ended questions asked faculty responding indicated a strong need for classrooms that can better inte- for key areas that MIT could improve to desire to participate in research collabora- grate computer and chalkboard use, and make its environment even better, and tions with graduate students, as well as suggested experimenting with replacing sought suggestions for specific strategies. enjoying meeting graduate students in the familiar nine-panel array of chalk- 335 faculty members offered extensive typical contexts such as one-on-one meet- boards by a nine-panel array of pressure- comments on a wide range of issues. ings, lab meetings, formal group meet- sensitive digital blackboards such that at Nearly a third of respondents mentioned ings, and thesis committee meetings. the end of a lecture, the content of the salary, often calling for comparisons to Faculty frequently commented on the boards could be uploaded. Many stressed peer institutions. For many, salary issues enjoyment and satisfaction derived from the need for classrooms designed for overlap with housing costs and other mentoring graduate students and meeting interactive teaching, for example includ- quality-of-life issues related to living in with them informally – almost a third of ing built-in real time polling software to Boston, including commuting time and the replies. In contrast to ways that faculty make the effective use of clickers seamless. the difficulty of finding satisfactory child- engage with undergraduates, the activities The second theme was the need for care. For many faculty – across Schools affiliated with teaching, including contri- enhanced support for the online compo- and ranks – managing work-life balance is butions to graduate seminars, were cited nents of our teaching. Here the most a significant stressor and one they wish less frequently – about one-sixth of the common suggestion was for greater MIT would do more to address. For many, replies. Social activities, including depart- opportunities and various types of additional administrative support would mental functions and parties, retreats, and support to develop MITx courses. Many smooth their Institute experience. Close Institute-organized events, as well as other examples were also mentioned, to 20 faculty members urged greater lunches and dinners, were also men- including ensuring that online tools from recognition for humanities, arts, and tioned – again by about one-sixth of those the Office of Digital Learning are easily social sciences and more seamless integra- who replied – as ways that faculty enjoy available, and various ideas for enhancing tion of SHASS into the Institute. Funding engaging with graduate students. and supporting different digital supple- for research came up repeatedly, with ments to our on-campus teaching. The more than 20 among these respondents Ways to make MIT even better need for continued advances in the possi- specifically mentioning a desire for greater Three of the open-ended questions focused bilities for flipped classrooms, as well as support for cross-disciplinary research or on ways to make improvements to MIT. the emphasis on making it easy to record for mid-career exploration of a new field The first of these followed up on one of lectures – as mentioned above – also fea- — undertakings hard to fund through the closed-ended questions on the survey: tured in many answers. traditional means. Cross-disciplinary “Do you want to use more technology in The third theme was the need for a sub- exchange was also a goal sought by the your teaching?” 38% of respondents stantial increase in personnel with expertise numerous faculty members who advo- answered in the positive. Those respon- in educational technology, including in par- cated a greater sense of community and dents were then asked the open-ended ticular online technology. What comes more interaction with colleagues, question: “How can MIT most effectively through clearly is that what is needed are exchanges that they hoped would take support you doing so?” 145 faculty people with whom faculty can work place in an improved, and more sociable, members answered this question, provid- directly to develop online materials, includ- campus environment. Finally, almost a ing a wide range of thoughtful remarks. ing edX-style content: contextually savvy tenth of respondents called for improve- Perhaps because this was the most sharply staff located nearby, designated to support ments to the campus climate for women focused open-ended question, its answers each department, with a mission to source, and underrepresented minorities, and in sum are perhaps the most interesting. disseminate, and support relevant tools and several asked specifically for more training Three common themes emerged, in each technological solutions within a depart- opportunities to address gender and racial case appearing in various ways in more ment. In addition, many faculty suggested bias at the Institute. than 40 answers. enhanced training for graduate TAs, teach- The first, and by a small margin most ing them how to use, and support the use Female and male faculty responses to numerous, theme was the need for of, educational technologies. specific closed-ended questions improvements to our classrooms. Many The overarching message that comes We now return to the closed-ended ques- simply stated this as a general goal. The through loud and clear from the 145 tions that formed the bulk of the survey. most common explicit example given was faculty who answered this question is a continued on next page

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Faculty Quality of Life Survey faculty, or underrepresented minority have to say. We have selected 12 questions Rajagopal et al., from preceding page (URM) and non-URM faculty. (However, that all survey respondents were asked none of us can see data for any cell contain- that come at this in different ways, and we On the IR Website, any faculty member can ing fewer than five respondents.) have sliced the data to look at how female see the percentage of faculty across all of We decided to use these data to look at and male faculty answered each of them. MIT who responded in a particular way to the ways in which the experiences of The results are shown in the charts below. each of the many questions. Along with the faculty at MIT, in particular the ways in We also examined variation by URM and Provost, the School Deans and which we each experience our environ- non-URM status, but our initial analysis Department Heads, and their designees, we ment and its climate, are similar or differ- did not yield statistically robust findings. as Officers of the Faculty are also able to ent for male and female faculty. We look We recommend the continued collection slice the data in various ways, looking at the forward to a day when differences by of quantitative and qualitative data differences between how tenure-track and gender are negligible, but each of the three around these issues. tenured faculty answered each question, or of us knows that we are not yet at such a continued on page 8 comparing answers from female and male day. So, we wanted to see what the data

During the past year, how o en have you felt overwhelmed by Please indicate the degree to which you are sasfied with your all you had to do? ability to integrate the needs of your work with those of your personal/family life. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 27% 38% Female 41% 19%

Male 15% 27% Male 42% 26%

Very often Often Occasionally Never Very Somewhat Somewhat Very dissatisfied dissatisfied Neutral satisfied satisfied

I have a voice in the decision-making that affects the direcon of In my workplace everyone is treated with respect. my department.

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 37% 44% Female 33% 40%

Male 36% 48% Male 30% 44%

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree agree disagree disagree Neutral agree agree

6 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

I can navigate the unwrien rules concerning how I should conduct myself in my posion at MIT. I feel excluded from an informal network in my department.

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 39% 30% Female 20% 6%

Male 37% 38% Male 13% 6%

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree agree disagree disagree Neutral agree agree I feel supported when trying to take acons/make change. My workplace is free from bias and discriminaon.

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 35% 18% Female 25% 28%

Male 40% 20% Male 32% 42%

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree agree disagree disagree Neutral agree agree Source of Stress: Bias/discriminaon Source of Stress: Abrasive behavior by colleagues or supervisors

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 8% 37% 56% Female 15% 28% 57%

Male 2% 9% 89% Male 9% 23% 67%

Extensive Somewhat Not at all Extensive Somewhat Not at all I have to work harder than some of my colleagues to be taken I feel that the climate and opportunies for female faculty in my seriously. department are at least as good as those for male faculty. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female 35% 16% Female 22% 37% 2016 2016 Male 12% 5% Male 34% 46%

Female 25% 15% Female 25% 36% 2012 2012 Male 11% 6% Male 36% 48%

Female 23% 11% Female 20% 10% 2008 2008 Male 11% 3% Male 33% 29%

Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree agree Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree Neutral agree agree

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Faculty Quality of Life Survey period. In most cases we found consis- replies offered by MIT faculty. In this Rajagopal et al., from preceding page tency across the three surveys; we did find way – as well as in others – we will do our changes over time in two cases, shown in part to further advise leaders at MIT in There are some questions where the the charts. We hope that in the 2020 ways that rely upon the insights we have responses from male and female faculty survey we will see change – in the direc- gained by carefully examining the out- are similar. However, in too many cases tion of fewer differences between the comes and faculty comments. there are substantial differences and, in all experience of female and male faculty at As faculty officers, we played a small such cases, the experience of female MIT, and fewer faculty reporting bias role in the development of the 2016 Faculty faculty is either more negative or less pos- and/or discrimination as a source of Quality of Life Survey. We recognize that itive. While male and female respondents stress. the survey was long, and we are very grate- generally felt similar about having a voice ful for your time and thoughtful response in decision-making and their ability to In sum to the questions. We welcome any addi- navigate unwritten rules at the Institute, Slicing the data, for example as we have tional thoughts you might have as you considerable discrepancies emerged done above, or so as to look at the experi- peruse the survey outcomes yourself. We around perceptions of bias and discrimi- ence of URM faculty members, or in look forward to further enhancing MIT nation and the extent to which bias, dis- other ways, is helpful in many instances with your guidance and participation. crimination, and abrasive behavior are and we can see a variety of ways in which sources of stress for male and female Department Heads and Deans will be able faculty. We think it is important for all of to use the data to identify specific oppor- Krishna Rajagopal is a Professor of Physics, a MacVicar Faculty Fellow, and Chair of the us to take a close look at these data, which tunities for improvement and ways to Faculty ([email protected]); indicate that MIT has more work to do, address them. The three of us will be Leslie Kolodziejski is a Professor in the both in understanding these variations meeting with the Deans’ group, chaired by Department of Electrical Engineering and and responding to them. For 7 of the 12 the Provost, to discuss the outcomes of the Computer Science and Associate Chair of the questions, there were similar enough 2016 survey and, while maintaining confi- Faculty ([email protected]); Christopher Capozzola is an Associate questions asked in 2008 and 2012 that we dentiality around individual responses, Professor of History and Secretary of the could look for changes over this time will share our perspectives on the text Faculty ([email protected]).

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Global MIT 60% Lester, from page 1 50.0% 50% education and language training. A big part is played by MISTI, which last year arranged almost 1000 student placements 40% in 30 countries (70% for undergraduates) – a fourfold increase in the last 10 years (see Figure 2). Other important contribu- 30% tors to our hands-on international offer- 23.4% ings include D-Lab, IROP, the Public 20%

Service Center, the Tata Center for Percentage ofGraduates Technology and Design, and Sloan’s Action Learning programs. Mens et manus 10% is alive not just in Cambridge but around the world. 0% Digital learning is helping to expand 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016* Year of Graduation our international reach. Since its launch in *preliminary 2003, the pioneering OpenCourseWare Figure 1. Percentage of MIT Undergraduates Graduating With Website has received nearly 200 million At Least One International Experience visits from every country in the world, and 3.5 million learners – 75% of them from outside the U.S. – have signed up for MITx courses since 2012. 1200 MIT researchers themselves range 992 almost as widely, like EAPS professors 1000 895 Olivier Jagoutz and Leigh Royden and their 835 students measuring tectonic displacements 800 690 in the wilds of the Himalayas, or political 664 591 scientist Fotini Christia braving wilds of a 600 489 different kind to study conflict and cooper- 439 ation in Afghanistan and Yemen, or the 400 365 team of MIT physicists contributing to 311 244 197 216 epochal discoveries at the Large Hadron 169 173 171 200 142 Collider on the Franco-Swiss border. 117 118 64 85 MIT has also been deeply involved in major institution-building projects around 0 the world, including the Singapore University of Technology and Design, the Figure 2. MISTI Annual Placements 1996-2016 (MISTI year runs from September 1- August 31. 2016 represents the 2015-2016 year.) Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), the Masdar Institute development of the Asia School of Business growing in many countries, even as U.S. in Abu Dhabi, and Russia’s new Skolkovo in Malaysia (by the Sloan School) and the support for R&D falters. And MIT itself, Institute for Science and Technology. collaboration with King Fahd University of at the top of the international university Another major MIT program, to help Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia rankings and widely recognized for its upgrade engineering research and educa- (Mechanical Engineering.) strength in combining innovation with tion in Portugal, is now in its tenth year. International engagements have been research and education, is much in During the last decade, 419 MIT faculty the fastest-growing part of MIT’s portfo- demand as a partner by governments and members – or roughly 40% of the faculty – lio over the last decade (see Figure 4, next universities around the world. have participated in at least one of these five page), and further growth is all but International firms are also showing big projects (see Figure 3, next page). Other certain. Our students are seeking more increasing interest, and now account for large international institution-building high-quality opportunities to learn about more than half of all corporate R&D projects have been coordinated at the and engage with the world. Our faculty funding on campus. school or department level, such as the are well aware that research funding is continued on next page

9 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

Global MIT Lester, from preceding page [100% = 419 Total Faculty]

These trends raise important ques- 6% Engineering (271) tions. Collectively, what are we trying to 9% do in the world? What impacts do we 9% Science (47) seek, and with what priorities? How suc- cessful have we been thus far? How can we 11% 65% Architecture & Planning (38) ensure that our international efforts don’t deplete but rather sustain and strengthen our Cambridge campus, the “mother SHASS (39) ship” and source of our excellence, cre- ativity, and energy? Sloan (24) Of course, much of what we do inter- nationally will continue to grow out of individual faculty initiatives. That is as it * SUTD, SMART, Skoltech, Masdar, Portugal should be, and a major part of my job as Associate Provost for international activi- Figure 3. Faculty Participation in Five Major International Programs, by School (2006-2015)* ties is to support individual faculty activi- ties and help ensure that our faculty and students can do their best work, wherever they are in the world. $180 But some of our international initiatives are larger in scale and require more coordi- $160 nation. Many international research projects $140 undertaken by our faculty – for example, on clean water, public health, environmental $120 sustainability, low-carbon energy, and urbanization – have this character, and so do $100 our institution-building projects. There are many more of these kinds of opportunities $80 than we can accommodate. So we need to $60 set institutional priorities. Another role for Amounts dollarsin ofMillions my office is to help in this task. $40 With this in mind I launched a strate- gic review at the beginning of the year, $20 and will complete it by year’s end. As part $0 of this review, our team has been seeking 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 the views of faculty, staff, students, and *Campus Only Sponsored Research Sponsored Funds administrators on what MIT has been doing and what we might do in the future. Figure 4. International Sponsored Research and Other Sponsored Activity* The team has also been consulting with colleagues at other universities and with * * * * * • providing educational opportunities to outside advisors and partners. I myself help prepare our students to become have discussed this subject with more Writing in these pages a few years ago, global leaders; than 300 members of our community in then-Provost Rafael Reif described MIT’s • applying discoveries, inventions, and recent months. This article is a brief approaches to international engagement, innovations at the frontiers of knowl- progress report. My main purpose is to and his article remains the most compre- edge to help solve the world’s biggest share with the faculty a few observations hensive statement of what we are doing problems; about certain strategic questions that MIT and why [MIT Faculty Newsletter, Vol. • attracting the most talented students, must address in the international arena, XXIII No. 3, January/February 2011]. faculty, and staff to MIT from around and to invite your comments on these When we engage overseas, our goals the world; important subjects. include:

10 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

• enabling our faculty and students to ship, and by inviting us to help them build eration. Strategic rivalries will intensify in engage with the world’s most out- entrepreneurial, impact-driven universi- different parts of the world, and economic standing researchers the best scientific ties modeled after ours. competition will aggravate political capabilities; • Third, we are a global problem-solver. strains over trade and technology. At the • accelerating and magnifying the impact Our entrepreneurial, outward-looking same time, cooperation on climate change of our research and educational activities; faculty will go wherever in the world mitigation, clean energy, environmental • strengthening MIT by diversifying and expanding our international funding sources. But while our individual faculty indeed go almost It usually isn’t possible to achieve all of everywhere in pursuit of their intellectual and these goals in a single international educational objectives, MIT itself must be more engagement. But, broadly speaking, the larger the engagement, the more of them strategic in its institutional engagements. we might hope to realize. My review has highlighted three kinds important problems are to be found, and sustainability, and other issues will likely of international activity that seem partic- where their knowledge, insights, methods, increase. We must expand our engage- ularly important to our community and and rigor can help to solve them. ment with China, while being prepared that to some extent differentiate us from But while our individual faculty indeed for periods of political confrontation and our peers. go almost everywhere in pursuit of their the risk of arbitrary government action. • First, to help prepare our students for intellectual and educational objectives, We must also recognize that China is not productive, rewarding, and consequential MIT itself must be more strategic in its moving towards an open innovation lives and careers, we are building out a institutional engagements. We can economy any time soon, and that the global classroom for them. But this isn’t a enhance our impact by committing to Chinese government will try to maintain a conventional classroom. We want our stu- being present in a particular place on a tight grip on its scientific and technologi- dents to learn about the world in the same significant scale and for an extended cal infrastructure. MIT thus faces the way they learn at MIT itself – by doing. So period. But when we do this we also incur challenge of operating in an asymmetric MIT’s global classroom similarly empha- opportunity costs both at home and else- information environment, in which new sizes hands-on learning and practical where, especially with a faculty of more or scientific knowledge, including new problem solving. MIT may be unique in less fixed size. A brief and partial tour knowledge we ourselves help to create the extent to which these experiences have d’horizon suggests what is at stake: through our collaborations with Chinese been integrated into our undergraduate colleagues, may not flow as freely in China education programs. Today about half of China. We must expand our engagements as here. Our longer-standing engagements our students are participating. Perhaps, as in and with China, for the simple reason elsewhere in Asia, including Japan, Korea, with UROP, we should encourage all of that Chinese researchers will increasingly Taiwan, and Singapore, are free of most of them to do so, though a new funding be present at the frontiers of science and these complications, and will continue to model may be needed to accommodate technology, where MIT faculty and stu- be important to us even as we consider the needs of students with fewer financial dents must also be. China’s breathtaking new possibilities in China. means. (We are simultaneously develop- economic rise over the last two decades ing a different kind of global classroom – has been accompanied by an equally India. MIT has a long history of deep a low-cost digital or blended classroom remarkable expansion of its research engagement with India, including suc- for non-MIT learners all over the world infrastructure. China is now second only cessful post-independence institution- who aspire to MIT-quality education.) to the U.S. in total R&D spending, building projects at IIT Kanpur, the • Second, we are a global catalyst of accounting for 20% of the world’s total in Indian Institute of Management in innovation. The greatest agents of our 2013, compared with 27% in the U.S., and Calcutta, and the Birla Institute for impact are, of course, our alumni – now by the end of the decade China may well Technology and Science. Today the Tata more than 130,000 strong, many of them become the world leader by this metric Center and the Jameel Poverty Action Lab living and working overseas. In addition, [National Science Board, Science and (JPAL) are both very active there. India’s governments, universities, and philan- Engineering Indicators – 2016, Chapter 4, openness, democratic government, enor- thropists around the world are asking us Research and Development: National mous population of young people with to contribute directly to their human Trends and International Comparisons]. aspirations for higher education, deep tra- development goals, by importing MIT But America’s future relations with China ditions of scientific excellence, huge devel- policies and practices for education, are likely to grow more complicated, with opment and modernization challenges, research, innovation, and entrepreneur- new potential for conflict as well as coop- continued on next page

11 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

Global MIT Africa. Out of all the world’s regions, we U.S. relations with Latin America. Lester, from preceding page have been least active in Africa. Here it is Strengthening our academic and indus- surely funding constraints that have been trial partnerships in Mexico and else- and a generally cooperative political rela- primarily responsible, rather than an where in Latin America can thus help to tionship with the U.S. make it a natural absence of challenges. Indeed, Africa – the advance MIT’s domestic and interna- focus for MIT collaborations. So, too, do world’s fastest growing region in recent tional objectives simultaneously. the interests of many of our current years – contains a multitude of important faculty. But bureaucratic and financial problems of great interest to many MIT * * * * * hurdles are significant, and progress in building institutional partnerships is likely to be slow. Out of all the world’s regions, we have been least active in Africa. Here it is surely funding constraints that have Europe. MIT’s closest international ties historically have been with Europe, and been primarily responsible, rather than an absence of today we continue to have important aca- challenges. Indeed, Africa – the world’s fastest growing demic, industrial, and government part- region in recent years – contains a multitude of nerships with many European countries, important problems of great interest to many MIT faculty including France, Spain, Portugal, and students. . . . Switzerland, Germany, the U.K., Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Last year European firms provided more funding faculty and students, including public So where should we be in the world? for on-campus research at MIT than did health, water and environmental quality, During a recent discussion of this ques- American firms. Europe will continue to rapid urbanization, the spread of social, tion with an MIT advisory committee, struggle with the challenges of integration digital, and transportation networks, and one strongly-expressed view was that we and slow economic growth, but it will access to education. To succeed in future should focus on places and partners that remain a global leader in higher education engagements in Africa we will need to find are excellent in research and strong in and science, and new opportunities for a sustainable funding model. We will also innovation, ideally with strengths com- collaboration will continue to emerge. need to identify long-term strategic part- plementary to ours, from whom we can ners who can compensate for gaps in our learn and with whom we can jointly max- Middle East. MIT has become much own know-how and experience. And, as imize our impact. Another view, equally more active in this region over the past in other parts of the world, concentrating forcefully expressed, was that we should decade. The recent sharp decline in the our efforts in countries with democratic concentrate on locations where the chal- world oil price is creating serious fiscal leanings and a strong commitment to lenges and needs are greatest, where we problems for several governments, but it education and STEM development will can most effectively pursue our mission of is also driving efforts to accelerate the increase the likelihood of success. working for the betterment of transition to less oil-dependent, more- humankind. The best answer is likely diversified economies. Reforming leaders Latin America. In Latin America, too, we some combination of the two, but in the region see MIT’s presence as a valu- have been less active than in other parts of perhaps with somewhat greater emphasis able catalyst of technological, economic, the world, and again it is funding con- on the latter – including Africa and Latin and social transformation. The involve- straints that have been the primary America – than we have managed until ment of American universities is also reason. A major target of opportunity is now. This, however, will require new prized as evidence of broader American Mexico, whose economy is so tightly inte- funding models, possibly involving commitment to the region, and current grated with ours – especially in important resource transfers from richer to poorer uncertainty about the direction of U.S. manufacturing sectors, where the two parts of the world. policy is likely to encourage efforts by gov- countries will largely sink or swim Another question: How should we ernments in the region to engage with us. together. More broadly, the U.S. has an operate in regions of the world with cul- So the opportunities for MIT in the enormous stake in the prosperity, security, tural values different from ours – in the region will grow. But strong resistance to and political development of the Latin Gulf, for example, where we’re seen as an modernization will persist in some coun- American region, and for MIT there may agent of social and economic transforma- tries, and it seems certain that sectarian also be a related opportunity to tion, but where our own students and conflict will continue to destabilize the strengthen our connections to the domes- faculty may face restrictions on their region for many years if not decades to tic Latino community, which will likely ability to operate? The fundamental prin- come. become more active in helping to shape ciple here is clear: our international activ-

12 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

ities must be an integral part of what we auspices. However, I do not think that we * * * * * do, not something separate. So wherever should require others in that society to we are working in the world, we should be adhere to our values as a condition of our Our strategic review encompasses guided by the same core values that institutional engagement. In other words, other important questions too. For inform life and work on our own campus. when we work overseas we should take example, under what circumstances, if To my knowledge there is no official every opportunity to “export” our values. any, ought MIT to consider a permanent recitation of these values, but I think most But the right way to do this is to show by presence overseas? (It is worth noting faculty colleagues would concur with the our own example how we do things at that we have now been present in majority of the following statements: MIT, not to insist on persuading others to Singapore on a substantial scale for do things our way. almost two decades. Only at Lincoln • We generate, disseminate, and preserve A third topic: If, as seems certain, MIT’s Laboratory, less than 20 miles from knowledge for the betterment of future will lie increasingly in the interna- Kendall Square, have we been continu- humankind. tional arena, what does this mean for our ously present at an off-campus location status as an American institution? As a for longer.) Ought we to consider raising • We engage our students in rigorous aca- faculty, the most important work that we the cap on international students in demic study and introduce them to the do is inherently international. Collab- undergraduate admissions? Should we excitement of discovery. orating with colleagues to advance the fron- actively seek to increase the international tiers of knowledge; educating and involvement of faculty from those of our • We collaborate with others to bring mentoring our excellent students from Schools – especially SHASS and the knowledge to bear on the world’s great around the world; preparing them for lead- School of Science – that have been less challenges. ership: this work can thrive only in a world represented in MIT’s international in which information and people move engagements to date? Are our on-campus • We seek excellence in everything we do. freely and openly. But the notion that we intellectual and administrative capabili- could exist as a purely global university, ties adequate to support our international • We encourage intellectual risk-taking jurisdictionally unmoored and owing alle- goals? And as we work to strengthen our and experimentation. giance only to the universal laws of science own innovation ecosystem based here in and reason, is illusory. Even as our interna- Cambridge, should we also be engaging • We insist on: tional engagement grows, we will continue jointly with other participants in that • honesty and integrity in all academic to depend on the American taxpayer for ecosystem in our international activities? and personal dealings; much of our research funding. No less Should we be looking for opportunities • respect for others; important, we are the beneficiary of not only to partner with universities else- • a commitment to diversity; American laws, regulations, and other public where, but to build international partner- • fairness and equity in the treatment goods – including safety and security – that ships at the ecosystem level – perhaps of all individuals and groups; our government provides. What obligations even a network of some of the world’s • faculty autonomy and institutional does this create for us in the international most dynamic innovation hubs, each independence; and arena? Of course, we must always comply with a comparative advantage in a differ- • freedom of expression, communica- with the relevant federal and state laws. ent area, working together to address tion, publication, and movement of Beyond this, when ought we to consider the some of the world’s great challenges – like people. national interest, and what exactly would climate change mitigation, or clean water, that mean? To be sure, our institutional or physical and cybersecurity? I believe that if MIT’s name is going to preferences will sometimes differ from the Many of these topics will require be used in association with an interna- policies of the government of the day. And thoughtful and rigorous consideration by tional activity we must be confident that where we disagree with such policies we our faculty. I plan to report to the faculty these values will guide the conduct of that should make this clear to our government, in a few months on what concrete steps activity. So, for example, MIT ought only so that there are no surprises. But as an we might take to advance our goals for to enter into research or other academic institution that is both in the world and international engagement and how best engagements in a society whose cultural worldly, we may encounter situations where to consider and develop these. In the norms appear to us to be biased against competing national interests are at stake. In meantime, I welcome your comments women if we are confident that these such cases I believe that there should be no and suggestions. activities will be carried out with no doubt, either at home or abroad, that as far restrictions of any kind on our women as our own actions are concerned we will R. K. Lester is Associate Provost and faculty and students, or on female collab- never put any other country’s interests Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering orators if they are working under MIT ahead of those of the U.S. ([email protected]).

13 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

The MIT-Haiti Initiative: Haynes Miller An International Engagement

I HAD THE FOLLOWING DREAM the writing in Kreyòl also, because until quite of Sciences at the State University of Haiti, other night. I was getting my 10-year-old recently Kreyòl orthography was rarely and rectors or presidents from a number daughter ready for school. School was taught in schools. In a sad affirmation of of public and private institutions, as well important: an education was the only the status quo, it is widely held that deep as high-tech industry and telecommuni- pathway to a better future for her. She or technical ideas cannot be expressed in cations representatives. showed me her homework from the night this language. The relationships and plans forged by before. I thought it was well done, though The use of French as a language of this conference led to the first MIT-Haiti I couldn’t understand most of the words. instruction in Haiti is inextricably linked workshop, in Port-au-Prince, in March It was hard to have my child being taught with a reliance on a conservative teaching 2012. This pilot led to a substantial grant in German. Of course this was my educa- methodology at all levels. It’s often said by from the U.S. National Science tional background too, but things fade; I teachers that they speak Kreyòl when they Foundation, with Michel DeGraff and never really learned to speak the language. want their students to understand and Vijay Kumar as Principal Investigators, On the other hand, I never really learned participate, and French when they want which has funded a very active program of to write English either, or read it fluently, them to obey and keep quiet. engagement between MIT and Haitian since it was not taught in school. Maybe it An ongoing initiative based at MIT is faculty. The focus has been on fostering didn’t matter, since there was so little liter- helping to provide training and resources active learning in Haitian higher educa- ature published in English. And of course for higher education that are founded on tion, supported by technology and the use it really wasn’t fair to expect the school to contemporary educational theory and of Kreyòl. teach – mathematics, say – in English, active learning methods, and, as a conse- A main element of this collaboration since all the published textbooks were in quence, predicate the use of Kreyòl in the has been a series of workshops – eight, so German. This is the way it’s always been. It classroom. My own association with this far. They have reached some 263 Haitian was always hard for me to express myself initiative has been among the most faculty and administrators, with around in German, and the school rarely asked rewarding experiences in my career at 100 attending more than one of them. more than rote learning. I’m sure that this MIT, and I think I speak for all the partic- They have a standard format: three or four is the case for my daughter as well. But ipants in the project in thanking Professor days; lectures in the morning on modern after all, most courses are taught in this Michel DeGraff for his passionate and educational theory, active learning language. I gave my daughter a hug and visionary leadership. In this brief article, methods, and lesson design, followed by sent her on her way. I’d like to report on this initiative. disciplinary sessions in the afternoon in Luckily, this dream of mine is fictional. A founding symposium was held at which active learning strategies are exem- But this is exactly the nightmare faced by MIT in October 2010, at the Cambridge plified, discussed, and then created by the almost all Haitian parents today, with the Marriott Hotel. Convened by Professors participants. Sessions have been con- German of the dream replaced by French Michel DeGraff and Thomas Kochan ducted on biology (highlighting the and English by Haitian Creole (then Chair of the Faculty) along with StarBiochem and StarGenetics tools), (“Kreyòl”). All Haitians speak Kreyòl, Vijay Kumar (then Director of the Office mathematics (highlighting the MIT while less than five percent speak French of Educational Innovation and Mathlets and GeoGebra), statistics, physics at home. Both are official languages, but Technology), it drew a highly distin- (using PhETs and hands-on kits), and there are great impediments to using guished group of Haitian academicians, chemistry and bio-chemistry. Sometimes a Kreyòl in educational settings. And very including a former prime minister panel of Haitian educators or academic often the teacher is insecure with his or (Michèle Pierre-Louis from the FOKAL administrators discusses examples of her own French. A further tragedy is that Foundation in Haiti which co-sponsored effective teaching strategies or educational most literate Haitians are insecure about the symposium), deans from the Faculty initiatives. One of the outcomes of these

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MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

between reading comprehension and the MIT participants in the MIT-Haiti workshops use of Kreyòl in the classroom. The Konbit (with current positions) visited this school in February 2016 and Lourdes Alemán, Program Coordinator for Curriculum Innovation, ODL conducted a workshop with its faculty. Deborah Ancona, Seeley Distinguished Professor of Management In June 2014 a large proportion of the Paul Belony, President, Belony Scientific leadership of the government of Haiti, Jonathan Bloom, Computational Biologist, Broad Institute including then Prime Minister Laurent Alison Brauneis, Associate Director of Instructional Design, Stanford Lamothe, attended a three-day workshop Jean-Michel Claus, Javascript Programmer on leadership and team-building in Port- Michel DeGraff, Professor of Linguistics au-Prince led by Sloan School Professor Kirky DeLong, Senior Project Manager, ODL Deborah Ancona. In a speech at the Sloan Cecilia d’Oliveira, Associate Dean of Digital Learning, ODL School in April 2015, Lamothe gave a pas- Peter Dourmashkin, Senior Lecturer, Physics sionate account of the importance of the Ruthly François, International Health Department, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of use of Kreyòl in Haitian schools, and a Public Health thank you to the MIT-Haiti initiative for Mary Grenham, Administrative Officer, Department of Linguistics & Philosophy “even daring to do what others would not Chris Kaiser, Professor of Biology even think of doing – trying to push the Vijay Kumar, Associate Dean of Digital Learning, ODL boundaries a little bit.” Judith Leonard, Administrative Analyst, ODL More than 200 million children world- Suzana Lisanti, Web Producer wide are being “educated” today in a lan- Haynes Miller, Professor of Mathematics guage that they don’t speak, and 40% of Brandon Muramatsu, Associate Director of Strategic Education Initiatives, ODL the world’s population (more than 2.3 Christopher Naylor, Systems Administrator, Department of Linguistics & Philosophy billion people) speak languages that are Rebecca Rosemé Obounou, Program Coordinator, MIT Sloan School of Management still marginalized at school. The MIT- Jeremy Orloff, Lecturer, ESG and Mathematics Haiti Initiative is forging a model of the Glenda Stump, Consultant for Educational Research use of local languages such as Kreyòl as Elizabeth Vogel Taylor, Lecturer, Concourse and Chemistry the primary language of instruction at all educational levels. We believe that this is workshops is a convincing demonstration Henri Christophe of the State University not only desirable from a pedagogical per- that there is no real obstacle to conducting of Haiti. This is a newly built and very spective, but actually necessary for the technical discussions in Kreyòl. Along the attractive university campus near a town psychological and cultural wellbeing and way we have been contributing to the glos- picturesquely named Limonade, not far the socio-economic and political sary of technical terms in the language. from Cap Haïtien in the north of the advancement of large sectors of the In September 2015, six of the most country. Following that workshop, the world’s population. The Haitian example committed Haitian participants spent two president of this university applied for and is particularly poignant. In many cases the weeks at MIT. They enjoyed a rich won a grant from the U.S. Embassy in marginalized local language is spoken program of talks and classroom visits, and Haiti to fund a further workshop, followed only by a very small group or fragment of worked on syllabus enrichment. When by a week of intensive engagement by the the population. Haitian Creole on the they returned to Haiti, five of the six MIT team with the Limonade faculty. This other hand is spoken by all 10 million formed a “Konbit” – a Kreyòl term for an visit occurred in June 2016. We established Haitians. It is a unifying language, and as agricultural practice common in Haiti as close relationships with much of the such it offers a tremendous national it was in an earlier era in the U.S., in which faculty at this campus, and look forward to resource, one so far underutilized. neighbors cooperate to work their various continuing our involvement with them. For more information about the MIT- fields. The Konbit immediately ran a We are involved in a proposal to create a Haiti Initiative, please visit the Website series of workshops in Haiti, amplifying center of pedagogy at that institution, for haiti.mit.edu. We welcome your partici- the work of the MIT team. We regard the which we would serve as consultants. pation in this ongoing international Konbit initiative as a mark of the coming The MIT-Haiti Initiative has several engagement. of age of the MIT-Haiti Initiative. other components. Michel DeGraff has a Editor’s Note: For a Kreyòl translation The MIT-Haiti Initiative has recently longstanding relationship with Lekòl of this article see: web.mit.edu/fnl/ broken new ground, establishing a collab- Kominotè Matènwa, a Kreyòl-based K-10 volume/291/miller_kreyol.html. oration not just with individual academics school in rural Haiti (on the island of Haynes Miller is a Professor in the but rather with an institution. In August Lagonav). He has conducted research Department of Mathematics 2015 we ran a workshop at the Campus there demonstrating a strong correlation ([email protected]).

15 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

MIT Administration “Walking the Talk” on Frederick P. Salvucci Transit Commuter Benefits

THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY EXECUTIVE and remarkable. Inspired by the afore- and Transportation Office, participated Vice President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz mentioned speech of President Susan directly with the students, and provided that beginning September 1, MIT Hockfield, a young Masters degree student the institutional perspective of the MIT employees received free use of transit as a named Ursula Hester in the Department commuter benefit program. CEE benefit provided by MIT, is a very positive of Urban Studies and Planning decided to Professor Nigel Wilson, leader of the and very significant example of “thinking globally and acting locally.” About a decade ago, then-President The students participating in the seminar identified the Susan Hockfield held a day-long sympo- opportunity provided by the MBTA introduction of the sium at Kresge on the energy problem of the planet and announced that MIT “smart” CharlieCard to insert a CharlieCard chip in the would not only do excellent research, but MIT employees’ MIT ID cards . . . . With both a would also “walk the talk” and lead in its CharlieCard chip and an MIT parking chip in the ID, it own practice. In the new MIT-subsidized became a “mobility pass.” free transit benefit action, President Rafael Reif and Israel Ruiz have demonstrated that this was not just a throwaway line in a do her thesis research on the hypothesis Transit Lab, also provided his long-term speech, but a real commitment to lead by that MIT could afford to improve the perspective on the MIT commuting bene- example. By changing the incentive struc- incentive to use public transportation for fits program. Professor Wilson had served ture of the commuting benefits it provides employees commuting to MIT, by broad- as a faculty representative on the adminis- to its employees, MIT is setting an ening employee benefits to provide free tration Transportation and Parking example of how major employers can use of public transit to all employees, while Advisory Committee for years, and had incentivize a more sustainable public financing the subsidies through savings successfully advocated for “levelling the transit-oriented commuting pattern and from not building new parking garages. playing field” between auto and transit finance the expanded employee benefits (Ursula Hester’s thesis: “A transit pass in commuter choices, by gradually increas- through savings realized by not building everyone’s hand?” implementing Universal ing the price of employee parking to the increasingly expensive garage parking Employee Transit Pass programs as a strat- closer to market rate, and by initiating a spaces required to support auto commut- egy to increase transit ridership, 2004.) program of MIT subsidies for the MBTA ing. This is the largest and most ambitious Ursula’s thesis showed that the working monthly transit pass, so that MIT employ- employer-led initiative in the region to hypothesis is compelling. ees could have similar pre-tax employer help employees shift their commuting The following year another Masters provided subsidy available for transit towards lower impact transit. As an MIT degree candidate (Tegin Teich Bennet, commuting as for parking, while provid- research associate who has often been crit- now the City of Cambridge Transit ing more environmentally friendly ical of MIT policy in the Kendall Square Planner) requested that John Attanucci, a options for commuting. area, as well as of MIT’s failure to provide research associate in the Transit Lab in The students participating in the much more graduate student housing at Civil and Environmental Engineering seminar identified the opportunity pro- prices that are affordable, I am delighted (CEE), organize a faculty and student vided by the MBTA introduction of the to be able to say that this time the admin- seminar on how to implement the Ursula “smart” CharlieCard to insert a istration has really stepped up to the plate. Hester thesis concept. In addition to aca- CharlieCard chip in the MIT employees’ The process through which the admin- demic participants, Larry Brutti, MIT ID cards, to make using public istration adopted this policy is also unique, Operations Manager of the MIT Parking transit customer friendly, and to provide

16 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

free occasional use of public transit, (“carrots” not “sticks”). Experiments were potential role of employers in shaping encouraging more public transit use. organized with the MBTA’s cooperation to commuter preferences goes back to the With both a CharlieCard chip and an test the actual behavior of about 1,000 insights of MIT Professors Alan Altshuler MIT parking chip in the ID, it became a employees with the CharlieCard chip and Daniel Roos in the 1970s. The poten- “mobility pass.” One participant in the embedded in their identity cards. tial to replicate and expand on this expert- seminar (David Block-Schachter, now the Another Master of Science in ise with other major employers will Chief Research Scientist at the MBTA) did Transportation thesis, conducted by continue to be examined by John his Masters thesis on improving under- Dianne Kamfonik, identifies the positive Attanucci and Professor Jinhua Zhao of standing of the commuting behavior of MIT employees, based on the employee survey which MIT conducts every two years pursuant to the U.S. Clean Air Act If the MBTA would be willing to use the information now regulation. The analysis showed signifi- available with the CharlieCard to identify actual use, and cant variance from day to day within the charge MIT for the actual use, then MIT could afford to commuting pattern of many individual provide free transit to all employees, and finance the employees. But the employee benefit costs through regularly increasing parking fees and program then in place did not reflect this variability, and actually encouraged an savings from avoiding further expensive construction of employee to either always drive, or parking garages. always use transit, once the employee had chosen either a monthly parking or a monthly transit pass. This led to the revenue consequence for MBTA resulting DUSP as an example of mutual nudging hypothesis that if all employees had a from employer subsidies of transit pass of behavior requiring collaboration by the daily choice of parking for a daily charge programs. This information helped to MBTA, major employers, and their or using public transit “for free,” many design a “win-win-win” program where employees. more employees would choose public the MBTA, MIT employees, and MIT will In conclusion, this is a really large and transit, reducing the demand for added all gain from a new employee transit pass significant contribution by President parking, and reducing auto congestion structure. More recently, a thesis by Rafael Reif and Executive Vice President and air pollution in the area. Matthew Hartnett, uses the availability of and Treasurer Israel Ruiz. It places MIT But the MBTA monthly employee pass fine grained data available from the in the forefront of progressive employers price structure then in place required MIT CharlieCard and commuter surveys over a taking direct action to improve the envi- to pay the monthly price for each period of 10 years to analyze the outcomes ronment, and reduces negative externali- employee, even those who used the T of the pilot program, which further veri- ties associated with driving, while infrequently. If the MBTA would be fied the incentive to shift mode to transit securing the Institute’s core responsibili- willing to use the information now avail- provided by the “mobility pass”. Matthew ties as a university. The responsibility able with the CharlieCard to identify even identifies what appears to be a slight now shifts to the faculty and staff, to actual use, and charge MIT for the actual reduction in automobile ownership by “think globally and act locally.” First, by use, then MIT could afford to provide free employees, providing environmental ben- taking advantage of the new incentive transit to all employees, and finance the efits from reduction of auto dependency structure provided by the Institute to costs through regularly increasing parking generally. shift our travel patterns to drive less and fees and savings from avoiding further All of this intensive interaction and use public transit more. This case should expensive construction of parking pilot testing with the MBTA has enjoyed also inspire all of us to become active and garages. the strong support of the MBTA, and engaged in Institute policy matters, and MIT is not primarily in the transporta- most recently, Secretary of Transportation stick to it, as Professor Nigel Wilson and tion business, and prioritizes employee Stephanie Pollack. The research was John Attanucci have in this case. With satisfaction. So intensive focus groups funded through the “Cambridge Living sound technical analysis and persistence, were then conducted with all MIT Laboratory” program sponsored by the it is possible to move Institute policy employees invited to participate. These University Transportation Center transit towards socio-economic and environ- focus groups reinforced the conclusion research program and a Federal Highway mental sustainability. from the survey analysis that employees Administration grant overseen by John Frederick P. Salvucci is a Senior Lecturer in would respond favorably to more options, Attanucci of the MIT CEE Transit Lab. the Department of Civil and Environmental particularly if the incentives were positive But some of the early insights about the Engineering ([email protected]).

17 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

Access MIT Provides Flexible Commuting Les Norford Options and an Opportunity for Meaningful Personal Action

ON JUNE 14, 2016, Executive Vice use of commuter rail and ferry services 2. Peace of mind. Some parents or others President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz are not yet included, only because current with caregiving responsibilities drive to announced the inception of Access MIT, a ticketing does not work with the existing campus so they can quickly help family new vision for commuting to and from chip technology that is embedded in MIT members if needed. MIT pays for emer- MIT. Its initial phase provides more day- IDs. gency rides home for those who walk, bike, to-day commuting choice to faculty, staff, The Institute Committee for ride the T, or take other shared modes. and postdocs on the Cambridge campus Transportation and Parking, comprised and makes a strong effort to align the of faculty, staff, and students, was pleased 3. Economics. Parking facilities at MIT are financial and environmental objectives of to develop the Access MIT initiative after increasingly expensive. Those with memo- individuals and the Institute. In short, for the Committee had been charged to ries of campus in past decades or an eye employees who park in lots with elec- boldly redefine commuting at MIT. The for historical photographs know that the tronic gates, parking will no longer be an Committee worked with stakeholders to days of ample surface parking on campus annual sunk cost. Instead these parkers develop a vision that prioritized flexibil- are long over. The price the Institute will pay by the day and have access to zero ity, urban mobility, and environmental charges for parking has increased steadily cost subway and local bus right inside and community health as part of the and significantly over the last decade, their MIT ID cards. Taking public transit, commuting experience. As noted by Fred though it remains well below the current biking, or sharing a ride with a colleague Salvucci in his article in this issue of the market rate. The cost to build under- on days you don’t park becomes the Faculty Newsletter (page 16), the work of ground parking, as found in large garages cheapest option, making the savvy finan- the Department of Civil and at Stata and Sloan, now runs about cial choice also an environmentally Environmental Engineering Transit Lab $150,000 per space to build. In the future, friendly one. The Institute benefits as well, faculty, staff and graduate students has garages will provide an increasingly large because lowering the demand for parking provided the foundation for the new suite fraction of the total inventory. The total also reduces traffic congestion and pro- of programs. During the development capital, interest, and operating cost amor- vides an opportunity to rethink how stage, the Committee received input from tized over a 40-year life of a garage parking much space we dedicate to parking lots in focus groups and continues to invite spot is over $7,500 per year. The programs future planning efforts. feedback from members of the Institute that are part of Access MIT represent a Details of the program are summa- community. financial carrot to complement rising rized in the table. Faculty, staff, and post- parking prices: a cost-saving incentive to docs who opt-in will enjoy unlimited use Several aspects of the new program consider taking transit, biking, walking, or of MBTA subway lines and local buses. merit brief highlights: carpooling when possible. Faculty and staff who park in gated MIT lots will pay a daily cost of $10, or $5 in an 1. Choice. Some members of our commu- Some might argue that changes to parking economy lot – both have a cap to ensure nity use cars every day, for a variety of fees discourage driving to work, and that parkers do not pay more than the reasons. Access MIT does not penalize therefore limit the interaction of faculty, regular annual rate. Those who use com- those who cannot or choose not to find staff, and students that is at the heart of a muter rail, express buses, and ferries will alternatives to driving. The accumulated brick-and-mortar institution. Access MIT, enjoy an increased monthly pass subsidy. cost of daily parking costs will be capped however, seeks to encourage this vital Those who park at MBTA stations will at an annual total that is based on the interaction by providing free bus and receive a 50 percent subsidy for parking annual parking fee still in place for subway rides to the Institute for employ- fees, subject to a monthly cap. Occasional ungated lots. ees. Further, it provides this same benefit

18 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

Summary of New Programs 2016-2017 programs elsewhere, as assessed by the Transit Lab) that these subsidies will lead Changes to Parking Fees to lower costs to develop parking infra- New in 2016-2017 structure. The announced goal of the revised parking benefits and costs is to Parking Rates Parkers in gated lots pay $100 permit reduce on-campus demand for parking by fee plus $10/day (capped at 10 percent in two years. A 10 percent $1760/year); $5/day in economy gated decrease roughly translates into leaving lots (capped at $880/year). the car at home two days per month and First Time Parking Fee New parkers pay $100 one-time fee to saving parking fees and operating register their vehicles in addition to $100 expenses for the car. The program will be annual permit fee. shaped in coming years by careful study of Changes to Public Transit shifts in mobility.

New in 2016-2017 6. Interactive data. Student researchers in the Transit Lab, in collaboration with the T Pass (subway/bus) 100% subsidized for employees and post-docs, commuter pays $0, Parking and Transportation Office, embedded in MIT employee ID card. helped develop and pilot an online dash- board to enable the MIT community to Commuter Rail, Express Bus, and Ferry Monthly Passes are 60% subsidized better manage their commutes. Services (increase of 10%). “AccessMyCommute,” which is now MBTA Station Parking 50% discount up to $100/month. accessible via an individual’s Atlas com- muting page, allows each of us to track to walkers, bikers, and those who already Access MIT provides an opportunity for and plan our commutes, identify other use public transportation, encouraging meaningful personal action. MIT employees interested in carpooling even short visits to campus on any day of in our area, and win prizes for more sus- the week and at any time. Cars are also a source of traffic conges- tainable commutes. In the coming year, tion, noise and (non-carbon) pollution, the Transit Lab will continue to work with 4. Environment. Getting to campus on including NOx and particulates. Airborne MIT faculty and staff to launch contests, foot, by bike, or on the T benefits the local pollutants have health consequences, even develop new features, and better under- environment and contributes to the when concentrations are below those stand what motivates commuter behavior. Institute’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas specified in EPA’s National Ambient Air emissions. A gallon of gasoline weighs Quality Standards. The City of MIT has attracted a booming biotech about 2.9 kg, 87% of which is carbon. Its Cambridge in particular will be a better and infotech community in East combustion produces 8.9 kg of CO2, home for its residents if Access MIT Cambridge and the assembled intellectual which will linger in the atmosphere and lessens urban traffic. capital has global importance. Access oceans for a very long time. MIT represents an evolving vision about 5. Living Laboratory. Access MIT is a how faculty, staff, and postdocs can reach MIT’s Climate Action Plan affirms the need campus-wide experiment. At one point in campus – and travel through the Boston for scientific discovery but also emphasizes its development, the Transportation and area – in ways that acknowledge the vital- that technology alone is not sufficient. The Parking Committee considered a smaller ity of our dense urban neighborhood and Plan states: “Addressing this global problem experiment, which would compare the provide choices of how we contribute to will take deep societal change. That means commuting choices of two or three and interact with it. With the participa- there is a role – and a personal responsibil- cohorts, one of which would have been tion of the MIT community, the program ity – for everyone: every nation, every subject to existing (and lesser) benefits. will realize its potential to become a sector, every institution, every firm, every Instead, there was a decision to imple- model for other institutions in our sur- individual human being. We aim to help ment the new program for the benefit of rounding area. inform and inspire a broad societal move- all. The Institute will spend an apprecia- Les Norford is a Professor of Building ment to find climate solutions. We hope ble amount of money to encourage alter- Technology, Department of Architecture; you will find your own opportunity, in our natives to driving, with the hope Member of the Committee for Transportation plan or elsewhere, to make a difference.” (bolstered by evidence of the efficacy of and Parking ([email protected]).

19 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

An Update on Gender Imbalance in Chris Peterson MIT Admissions Maker Portfolios Hal Abelson

LAST NOVEMBER, WE RECORDED in much. Below is the data for the prospective As we approach the next admissions cycle, these pages (“Gender Imbalance in MIT Class of 2019 (entering fall 2015) that we the Admissions Office is continuing to work Admissions Maker Portfolios”) a notable published last year, as well as the data for the on improving representation and recruit- difference in the rates at which men and prospective Class of 2020 (entering fall 2016). ment, including an initiative, in partnership women submitted Maker Portfolios as sup- As shown in the figures, the gap between with Maker Media, that will leverage their plements to their freshman applications. the proportion of men and women who sub- intellectual property and community of Specifically, we observed that women sub- mitted Maker Portfolios closed by .6%, and Maker Faires with admissions’ database of mitted the Maker Portfolio – and only the the rate at which female applicants submitted prospective students to help encourage more Maker Portfolio – at a lower rate than men, Maker Portfolios increased by .6%, shifts that women to take up “making” and identify as and far below the rates that they submit any closely track the .5% delta in overall applica- makers. However, the persistence of this other type of supplemental portfolio or tion rates. Indeed, portfolio submission rates pattern, despite several years of prior work to apply to MIT overall. We solicited advice increased across all portfolios for both men improve representation and reach targeted from readers and took additional steps to and women. Any improvement is a good populations, leaves us questioning what other increase the representation of women and thing, but it’s a bit discouraging that, despite dynamics may be in play. Our understanding the diversity of projects featured in public efforts to better represent the diversity of would probably be improved by additional presentations and portfolio materials. people and projects we wish to encounter in qualitative work, including (but not limited After another admissions cycle, we regret the Maker Portfolio, the needle hasn’t moved to) interviews with enrolling women who did to report that the patterns have not changed as much as we would like. or did not submit maker portfolios and other

EY2015 All Men Male % of Pool % of All Men Women Female % of Pool % of All Women

Apply to MIT 18,306 12,750 69.6% 100% 5,556 30.4% 100%

Submit Maker 1,101 946 85.9% 7.4% 155 14.1% 2.8% Portfolio Submit Research 2,056 1,339 65.1% 10.5% 717 34.9% 12.9% Portfolio Submit Music & Theater Arts 1,013 642 63.4% 5.0% 371 36.7% 6.7% Portfolio Submit Art/Architecture 848 372 43.9% 2.9% 476 56.1% 8.6% Portfolio

EY2016 All Men Male % of Pool % of All Men Women Female % of Pool % of All Women

Apply to MIT 19,020 13,131 69.1% 100% 5,889 30.9% 100%

Submit Maker 1,355 1,156 85.3% 8.8% 199 14.7% 3.4% Portfolio Submit Research 2,259 1,451 64.2% 11.1% 808 35.8% 13.7% Portfolio Submit Music & Theater Arts 1,125 660 58.6% 5.0% 465 41.2% 7.9% Portfolio

Submit Art/Architecture 893 396 44.3% 3.0% 497 55.7% 8.4% Portfolio

20 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

fieldwork that might trace the web of reasons money) that might support this kind of Chris Peterson is Assistant Director of that influence whether and which portfolios research to: chris.peterson @mit.edu, cc:ing Admissions ([email protected]); are submitted by applicants. We welcome [email protected]. Hal Abelson is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science suggestions of resources (e.g., people and/or ([email protected]).

Teaching this fall? You should know ...... the Faculty regulates examinations and assignments for all subjects.

View the complete regulations at web.mit.edu/faculty/teaching/termregs.html. Select requirements are provided below for reference. Contact Faculty Chair Krishna Rajagopal at [email protected] with questions or requests for exceptions.

No required classes, examinations, oral presentations, exercises, or assignments of any kind may be scheduled after the last regularly scheduled class in a subject, except for final examinations scheduled through the Schedules Office. The last class day for all subjects is Wednesday, December 14, 2016.

Undergraduate Subjects By the end of the first week of classes, faculty must provide: • a clear and complete description of the required work, including the number and kinds of assignments • the approximate schedule of tests and due dates for major projects • an indication of whether or not there will be a final examination, and • the grading criteria and procedures to be used

By the end of the third week, faculty must provide a precise schedule of tests and major assignments.

Regularly scheduled academic activity between 7 and 10 pm always takes precedence over evening review sessions or exams/quizzes. Hence: • Evening review sessions should be optional, and should be described as such. It is good practice to announce them explicitly as being for those students who do not have classes on the evening in question; some instructors schedule two review ses- sions to provide alternate times. • In the case of an evening exam/quiz, you must make available an alternate time for any students with such a conflict. (Note: Evening exams/quizzes may be scheduled only on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday)

When held outside scheduled class times, tests must: • not exceed two hours in length • begin no earlier than 7:30 pm when held in the evening, and • be scheduled through the Schedules Office

In all undergraduate subjects, there shall be no tests after Friday, December 9, 2016. Unit tests may be scheduled during the final examination period. For each undergraduate subject with a final examination, no other test may be given and no assignment may fall due after Friday, December 9, 2016. For each subject without a final examination, at most one assignment may fall due between December 9 and the end of the last regularly scheduled class in the subject.

Graduate Subjects By the end of the third week, faculty must provide: • a clear and complete description of the required work, including the number and kinds of assignments • the schedule of tests and due dates for major projects • an indication of whether or not there will be a final examination, and • the grading criteria and procedures to be used

For each graduate subject with a final examination, no other test may be given and no assignment may fall due after Friday, December 9, 2016. For each subject without a final examination, at most, either one in-class test may be given, or one assignment, term paper, or oral presentation may fall due between December 9 and the end of the last regularly scheduled class in the subject.

Student Holidays There is a student holiday on Friday, September 23, coinciding with the Fall Career Fair. Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day) and Tuesday, October 11 are also student holidays.

Collaboration Policy and Expectations for Academic Conduct Due to varying faculty attitudes towards collaboration and diverse cultural values and priorities regarding academic honesty, students are often confused about expectations regarding permissible academic conduct. It is important to clarify, in writing, expectations regarding collaboration and academic conduct at the beginning of each semester. This could include a reference to the MIT Academic Integrity Handbook.

21 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

Highlights from the 2016 Faculty and Staff Institutional Research Quality of Life Survey

THE COUNCIL ON FAMILY and Work As with all surveys run by Institutional asked, “Please indicate the degree to which monitors the state of family and work life Research, the survey data are treated as you are satisfied with your ability to inte- at MIT and works to ensure MIT is a place confidential, and the results are never pre- grate the needs of your work with those of where faculty and staff can have fulfilling sented in a way that individual respon- your personal/family life.” Seventy-seven and productive professional and personal dents can be identified. percent of respondents said they were lives. As part of its charge, the Council Below are some of the broad-level somewhat or very satisfied on this sponsors the MIT Faculty and Staff survey results, organized by topic area. measure. Faculty and postdoctoral schol- Quality of Life Survey. The Office of the The Council on Family and Work is ars, however, tended to have lower ratings Provost and the Chair of the Faculty serve preparing a more detailed analysis, which compared to other staff types (66% and as co-sponsors of the faculty portion of should be available later this fall. 63%, respectively). See Figure 3. A higher the survey. percentage of tenured faculty said they In mid-January of this year, Provost Satisfaction were satisfied with their ability to inte- Martin Schmidt and Executive Vice Faculty and staff appear to be quite satis- grate work and family life compared to President Israel Ruiz invited MIT faculty fied in their roles at MIT. Ninety percent tenure-track faculty. In addition, female and staff to participate in a quality of life of survey respondents, overall, said they faculty and underrepresented minority survey. The survey was administered by were somewhat or very satisfied being an faculty reported lower levels of satisfac- the Office of Institutional Research. The MIT employee. See MIT Numbers (back tion compared to their counterparts. purpose of the survey was to examine the page). Ninety-two percent of faculty work-life environment for faculty, other reported being satisfied. Tenured faculty Workload and Stress instructional staff, researchers, postdoc- reported slightly higher satisfaction rates While faculty and staff indicated they toral scholars, administrative staff, than tenure-track faculty. The rates were generally happy in their roles at MIT, support staff, and service staff at MIT ranged from 89% in Engineering to 97% they also reported working hard. On Main Campus and Lincoln Laboratory. in Sloan. average, faculty and postdoctoral scholars Faculty received a similar survey in 2004, The last time this survey was adminis- reported working more hours per week 2008, and 2012. The survey included tered (2012), the same percentage of than other employee types. See Figure 4. other employee types beginning in 2012. faculty said they were somewhat or very On the survey faculty were asked how The survey covered a number of satisfied in their overall role as faculty at they divided their time among various topics, including satisfaction, workload, MIT. However, the percentage of “Very work-related activities. Tenured faculty work-related stressors, departmental satisfied” rose from 57% in 2012 to 62% reported spending more time on adminis- climate, mentoring, integration of work in 2016. See Figure 2. trative responsibilities and less time on and personal/family life, and the tenure When asked about their satisfaction scholarship, compared to tenure-track and promotion process. It was based in with 22 specific items, faculty rated faculty. See Figure 5. part on a core survey developed by “Quality of graduate/professional stu- Nearly 60% of faculty said their work- schools in the Association of American dents,” “Quality of undergraduate stu- load was too heavy or much too heavy, Universities (AAU). dents,” and “Office space” as the top three while fewer than 1% said too light or The survey closed in late February with items. The bottom three items were much too light. For each of the other staff more than 7,000 responses. Fifty-seven “Support for securing grants,” types, a majority answered “about right.” percent of Main Campus staff and 45% of “Committee and administrative responsi- See Figure 6 (page 24). Lincoln Laboratory staff answered the survey. bilities,” and “Time available for scholarly In tandem with the findings regarding The response rate for faculty was 64%, work.” [The ranking of items is based on workload, faculty were more likely than slightly lower than the 66% rate in 2012. mean score.] Faculty and staff were also other groups to report being overwhelmed

22 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Tenure-Track Faculty 43% 10% 2016 31% 62% Tenured Faculty 41% 30%

All Faculty 41% 25%

2012 35% 57% Other Instruconal 38% 40%

Postdoc 40% 22%

2008 30% 51% Research 37% 44%

Admin 40% 39%

Service 40% 43% 2004 32% 47% Support 37% 45%

Neither Neither Very Somewhat dissatisfied Somewhat Very Very Somewhat dissatisfied Somewhat Very dissatisfied dissatisfied nor satisfied satisfied satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied nor satisfied satisfied satisfied Figure 2. Satisfaction with being a faculty member at MIT Figure 3. Satisfaction with ability to integrate the needs of work with personal/family life

Faculty 62 Tenure-Track Tenured Other Instructional 48 Teaching (including preparing materials for 24% 22% Postdoc 53 class, lecturing, etc.) Research 46 Advising undergraduate students 4% 4% Admin 44 Advising graduate students 11% 11% Service 42 Scholarship, conducting research, creating or 32% 25% Support 38 performing artistic work Overall 46 Other communication with students outside of class 5% 6% Figure 4. Average number of hours in Writing and administering grants 11% 8% a typical work week Administrative responsibilities and university service 7% 17% Service external to university 5% 6% Other work-related activities, including paid consulting 1% 3% Figure 5. As you think about how you spend your time, what percentage of your average work week do you spend on each of the following work-related activities? by all they had to do during the past year. Climate percent of faculty who answered Forty-seven percent of faculty said they The survey had a number of questions “Somewhat agree” or “Strongly agree.” felt overwhelmed “Often” or “Very Often”, about department/unit climate. Among compared to 33% for respondents overall. them was one that asked faculty and staff 83% – My primary department is a good Tenure-track faculty reported being more to rate their level of agreement or dis- fit for me. often overwhelmed, compared to tenured agreement with: I have a voice in the deci- 71%–I have the resources (equipment, train- faculty. See Figure 7 (next page). sion-making that affects the direction of ing, budget, etc.) I need to do my job well. The survey asked faculty to rate the my department, lab, or center. Fifty-two 77% – My department’s procedures are extent to which 33 work-related and percent of the overall population said they fair and equitable to all. non-work-related items contributed to somewhat or strongly agreed with this 88% – My chair/director/dean creates a their stress over the past year. The top statement. Seventy-three percent of collegial and supportive environment. six sources of stress were: Lack of time faculty agreed with the statement, up 74% – MIT values my research/scholarship. to think and reflect; Securing funding from 70% in 2012. See Figure 8 (next 66% – MIT values my teaching. for research; Scholarly productivity; page) for a breakdown of faculty results by 84% – In my workplace everyone is Lack of time for friends and family; academic school. treated with respect. Managing a research group or grant Below are additional items asked of 58% – I feel supported when trying to (e.g., finances, personnel); and Teaching faculty in this section of the survey. The take actions/make change. responsibilities. figure next to each statement is the continued on next page

23 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Tenure-Track Faculty 13% 45% Tenure-Track Faculty 27% 30%

Tenured Faculty 15% 45% Tenured Faculty 14% 30%

All Faculty 15% 45% All Faculty 17% 30%

Other Instruconal 8% 26% Other Instruconal 10% 20%

Postdoc 7% 26% Postdoc 14% 26%

Research 7% 30% Research 10% 21%

Admin 10% 34% Admin 12% 23%

Service 3% 12% Service 5% 10%

Support 6% 21% Support 9% 14%

Much Too About Too Much Very often Often Occasionally Never too heavy heavy right light too light

Figure 6. Overall, how would you rate your workload? Figure 7. During the past year, how often have you felt overwhelmed by all you had to do?

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Tenure-Track Faculty 70% SAP 43% 28% Tenured Faculty 61%

Engineering 28% 40% All Faculty 63%

Other Instruconal 51%

SHASS 31% 47% Postdoc 48%

Research 48%

Science 30% 50% Admin 35%

Support 28% Sloan 31% 40% Service 26%

Yes No Not applicable Overall 31% 43% Figure 9. While at MIT do you feel you have received adequate mentoring? Strongly Somewhat Neither agree Somewhat Strongly disagree disagree nor disagree agree agree Figure 8. I have a voice in the decision-making that affects my department, lab, or center

Mentoring higher than tenured faculty (70% “Yes” ria for tenure were clearly communicated. The survey asked several questions on compared to 61%). See Figure 9. Faculty reported that research/scholarly mentoring, including one about whether work and professional reputation were or not faculty and staff felt as though they Tenure and Promotion most valued in the tenure process. See had received adequate mentoring while On the survey faculty were asked if the Figure 10. When asked how appropriately they were at MIT. More than half of service criteria for tenure are clearly communi- the same items were valued in the tenure staff chose “Not applicable” for this ques- cated, the extent to which various items process, more than a third of faculty said tion – compared to just 12% of faculty. are valued in the tenure process, and how “Advising and mentoring” and “Teaching Faculty were more likely than other groups appropriately those items are valued. contributions” were at least somewhat to say they had received adequate mentor- Tenured faculty were more likely than undervalued. ing. The rate for tenure-track faculty was tenure-track faculty to agree that the crite-

24 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Research/scholarly work

Professional reputaon

Teaching contribuons

Advising and mentoring

Service (e.g., commiee work)

Valued slightly or not at all Somewhat valued Highly valued

Figure 10. In your experience, to what extent are the following items valued in the tenure process?

Open-Ended Comments On the survey, faculty were asked several Nearly three-quarters of faculty said open-ended questions, including “What they wanted to spend more time on do you wish you could spend more time research. More than half of faculty said on?” and “What do you wish you could they wanted to spend less time on admin- spend less time on?” About half of faculty istrative-related duties (e.g., administra- answered these questions. Each comment tion, grants, and email). See two charts was read and assigned to one or more below. response categories.

What do you wish you could spend more me on? What do you wish you could spend less me on? 100% 100%

80% 80% Other Comments

Other Comments Recommendaons Grants Commung 60% 60% Teaching Advising Advising Service 40% 40% Thinking Teaching Publishing Email Research/Scholarship Grants 20% 20% Administraon

0% 0% SAP SHASS SloanSOE SOS SAP SHASS SloanSOE SOS

25 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

MITAC: New Ticket Office Offers Diane Betz Tavitian Discounted Tickets to Many Activities

THE MIT ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE basement of Walker Memorial, a location MITAC offers a wide spectrum of (MITAC) invites all MIT faculty, and the even harder to find than its original home. more than 250 cultural and recreational entire MIT community, to its recently When the Stata Center was opened on events annually to our community. inaugurated new “Ticket Office” along the the site of Building 20 in 2004, MITAC Regularly discounted tickets include those Charles Vest Student Street in the Stata came full circle and set up shop near the for: Center. Discounted tickets to numerous cultural and recreational activities can be • Boston Bruins & Boston Celtics bought for one’s own use, or as gifts for family, friends, and colleagues. The offer- • Movies (AMC, Showcase, Regal, ings are broad and numerous, and the Landmark, IMAX, Chunky’s) savings are significant. MITAC is an employee benefit service • Local attractions (Boston Children’s that was launched in 1983 in Building 20 Museum, Museum of Science, New as a pilot program to negotiate discounts England Aquarium, Harvard to movies, sporting events, museums, Museum of Natural History, Peabody theater productions, etc.; to arrange Forbes Family Café at the east end of the Essex Museum, Gardner Museum) special programs and events for the MIT Student Street traversing Stata. This loca- community to help build community tion was much more accessible to cus- • Broadway shows and employee morale; and, in general, to tomers and sales increased, but the provide employees economical access to open-air desk was less than ideal for cus- • Boston Pops many of the leisure time activities avail- tomers and operations. able in the Greater Boston Area. Since The new “Ticket Office” is a dedicated • Boston Symphony Orchestra then, MITAC has grown to the point office area for MITAC constructed last fall where in the 2015 calendar year it sold on the site of the open-air MITAC desk. • World Music almost 40,000 tickets to over 5,000 cus- The new area provides enhanced cus- tomers who collectively saved more than tomer services and the MITAC staff with • Special family events $285,000 – a savings to the MIT com- more space to do the behind-the-scenes munity of 10% to 60% of the retail value work needed to run the day-to-day oper- For more information, subscribe to of tickets. MITAC is guided by both a ations, and can be closed up at night. MITAC’s weekly and monthly electronic volunteer program committee, which During the day the Ticket Office opens newsletters, and/or visit MITAC online organizes many of the unique special revealing a ticket counter, as well as racks (web.mit.edu/mitac), on campus (Stata events MITAC offers, and a presiden- of activity brochures and literature. Video Ticket Office, Tuesday thru Friday, 11 tially appointed Advisory Council which displays on the outer walls describe am – 4 pm), or at Lincoln Laboratory provides guidance on long-term goals MITAC’s current offerings 24/7. (A109, Thursday and Friday, 11 am –4 and planning, business practices, and Other changes are also coming soon pm). Questions and activity suggestions policies. for MITAC and its customers. The can be sent to: [email protected]. When the Radiation Lab, aka Building Website is currently being revamped, the 20 (“The Magic Incubator”), was torn new site is being made mobile-device Diane Betz Tavitian is MIT Activities down in 1998, the MITAC office moved accessible, and an on-line ticketing service Committee (MITAC) Coordinator from the first floor of Building 20 to the will be inaugurated in coming months. ([email protected]).

26 MIT Faculty Newsletter September/October 2016

Nominate a Colleague as a MacVicar Faculty Fellow

PROVOST MARTIN SCHMIDT is The MacVicar Program honors the life dents, with specific comments about the calling for nominations of faculty as 2017 and contributions of the late Margaret nominee’s undergraduate teaching, MacVicar Faculty Fellows. MacVicar, Professor of Physical Science The MacVicar Faculty Fellows and Dean for Undergraduate Education. • the nominee’s curriculum vitae, Program recognizes MIT faculty who have made exemplary and sustained con- Nominations should include: • a list of undergraduate subjects, includ- tributions to the teaching and education ing the number of students taught, and of undergraduates at the Institute. • a primary nomination letter detailing Together the Fellows form a small the contributions of the nominee to • a summary of available student evalua- academy of scholars committed to excep- undergraduate education, tion results for the nominee. tional instruction and innovation in edu- cation. • three-to-six supporting letters from Please use the template found at MacVicar Faculty Fellows are selected faculty colleagues, including one from web.mit.edu/macvicar/evaltemp.xlsx. through a competitive nomination his or her department head if the For more information, visit web.mit.edu/ process, appointed for 10-year terms, and primary letter is not from the depart- macvicar or contact the Registrar’s Office receive $10,000 per year of discretionary ment head, Curriculum & Faculty Support team at funds for educational activities, research, x3-6776 or [email protected]. travel, and other scholarly expenses. • three-to-six supporting letters from Nominations are due on Thursday, present or former undergraduate stu- November 17.

Request for Preliminary Proposals for Innovative Curricular Projects

The Alex and Brit d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education

THE OFFICE OF THE DEAN for the residence-based curriculum The d’Arbeloff Fund Review Undergraduate Education seeks prelimi- Committee places a high value on assess- nary proposals for faculty-led projects to • Transcend specific departmental curricula ment of educational innovations and enhance the educational experience of encourages sharing of good practices and MIT undergraduates. Projects can be Proposals that make use of innovative results. The process includes a workshop focused at any level of undergraduate pedagogies or best practices to improve on assessment and submission of final education, but priority will be given to student learning and the student experi- project reports by all grant recipients. projects that: ence are encouraged. The d’Arbeloff Fund For guidelines and more information, Review Committee is also interested in visit web.mit.edu/darbeloff or contact the • Improve the first-year academic experience proposals seeking to improve student Registrar’s Office, Curriculum and motivation, confidence, and self-efficacy Faculty Support at x3-6776 or darbeloff- • Enhance the General Institute by providing opportunities to demon- [email protected]. Requirements (GIRs) strate technical accomplishments in Preliminary proposals, with an esti- authentic contexts. mated budget, are due by Friday, • Enrich faculty-student interactions in September 30.

27 MIT Faculty Newsletter Vol. XXIX No. 1

M.I.T. Numbers from the 2016 Faculty and Staff Quality of Life Survey

Satisfaction with being an employee of MIT

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Faculty 31% 62%

Other Instruconal 32% 60%

Postdoc 42% 42%

Research 38% 53%

Admin 38% 52%

Service 26% 70%

Support 40% 52%

Neither Very Somewhat dissatisfied Somewhat Very dissatisfied dissatisfied nor satisfied satisfied satisfied

Source: Office of the Provost/Institutional Research