October 4, 2006

Volume 51 – Number 4 Wednesday – October 4, 2006 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY MIT alumni win Nobel prizes in physics and in physiology Astrophysicists’ work supports Big Bang theory Colleagues discovered gene regulator RNAi

Elizabeth Thomson this kind—in the range of a hundred-thou- Elizabeth Thomson “the most important and exciting break- News Office sandth of a degree—offer an important News Office through of the last decade, perhaps mul- clue to how the galaxies came into being. tiple decades,” when the phenomenon The variations in temperature measured was named “breakthrough of the year” by MIT alumnus George F. Smoot has by COBE show us how the matter in the Andrew Z. Fire, who received the Ph.D. Science magazine. Fire and Mello “have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in universe began to “aggregate.” This was from MIT in 1983 while working with changed the future of biological science physics, together with John C. Mather, for necessary if the galaxies, stars and, ulti- Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp, has been by providing work that looks mately, life forms like us were to be able awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology insights into back into the to develop. or medicine for 2006. Fire and Craig C. the ability of infancy of the Smoot received B.S. degrees in math- Mello shared the prize for their discovery RNA to regulate universe and ematics and in physics in 1966 from MIT. of RNA interference (RNAi), a fundamen- gene expres- attempts to gain He also received the Ph.D. in physics in tal mechanism for controlling the flow of sion,” Sharp some under- 1970 from the Institute working with the genetic information. said at the time. standing of the late Professor David Frisch, who was on “This is an absolutely revolutionary dis- The genome origin of galax- the MIT faculty for some 40 years. Smoot covery, as indicated by the fact that (it) operates by ies and stars. is currently a professor at the University of was made in 1998 and is being recognized sending instruc- The work, with this prize only eight years later,” said See SMOOT tions for the based on mea- Sharp, an MIT Institute Professor. manufacture of surements of Page 2 In December 2002 Sharp called RNAi proteins from the cosmic DNA in the PHOTO / STANFORD UNIV. PHOTO / U.C. BERKELEY microwave back- nucleus of the Andrew Z. Fire George Smoot ground radia- cell to the pro- tion made with tein-making machinery in the cytoplasm. NASA’s COBE satellite, provides increased These instructions are conveyed by mes- support for the Big Bang theory of the ori- senger RNA (mRNA). gin of the universe. The COBE (Cosmic In 1998 Fire, now a professor at Stan- Background Explorer) measurements also ford University’s School of Medicine, and mark the inception of cosmology as a pre- Mello, a professor at the University of Mas- cise science. For the first time, cosmologi- sachusetts Medical School in Worcester, cal calculations could be compared with published their discovery of a mechanism data from real measurements. that can degrade mRNA from a specific According to the Big Bang scenario, gene. This mechanism, RNAi, is activated the cosmic microwave background radia- when RNA molecules occur as double- tion is a relic of the earliest phase of the stranded pairs in the cell. Double-stranded universe. Immediately after the Big Bang RNA activates biochemical machinery itself, the universe can be compared to a that degrades those mRNA molecules that glowing body emitting radiation at a tem- carry a genetic code identical to that of the perature of almost 3,000 degrees Celsius. double-stranded RNA. When such mRNA Since then, the radiation has cooled molecules disappear, the correspond- as the universe has expanded. The back- ing gene is silenced and no protein of the ground radiation we can measure today encoded type is made. corresponds to a temperature that is bare- RNAi, which occurs in plants and ani- ly 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. The mals, including humans, is key in regu- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY new Nobel laureates were able to calculate lating gene expression. It protects against this temperature thanks to the COBE mea- Walking tall RNA virus infections, especially in plants surements. and invertebrate animals, and secures COBE also had the task of seeking Architecture Professor Wendy Jacobs, left, graduate student Hope Ginsburg and small variations of temperature in the sophomore Adelaide Fuller cross Mass. Ave. on stilts they designed and built for cosmic background radiation in different Jacobs’ Center for Advanced Visual Studies course. See FIRE directions. Extremely small differences of Page 2 Voting experts will explore registration, security Stephanie Schorow be held Oct. 5-6 at MIT, will delve into the crucial issue of professor and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Tech- News Office Correspondent how to effectively register and/or identify voters so they nology Project, which was launched in December 2000 will be able to walk into their polling places and cast bal- to promote new technology for elections. “Two to three lots efficiently and securely. million voters were lost in 2000 because of registration The web is awash with conspiracy theories about vot- A host of nationally recognized experts, academics issues.” ing machine hacks and trickery. And with the midterm and researchers are scheduled to participate, including Indeed, key sections of the Help America Vote Act of elections approaching, even many mainstream politicians Paul S. DeGregorio, chair of the U.S. Election Assistance 2002 focused on registration reforms, Selker said. For are voicing concern about ensuring that every ballot will Commission, who will give the keynote address; and Marc example, as of Jan. 1, 2006, all states were required to be counted correctly on Election Day. Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy have a statewide registration database available. The goal, But, as an upcoming conference at MIT will show, Information Center in Washington, D.C. MIT President purportedly, is to help local election officials ensure a per- efforts to ensure the integrity of the American electoral Emeritus Charles Vest will welcome participants. son is not registered more than once or that someone who system must begin long before the polls open. “In the 2000 election, we found that two to three times The Voter Identification/Registration Conference, spon- as many errors were caused by registration than by any See VOTING sored by the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, to other problem,’’ said Ted Selker, MIT Media Lab associate Page 6 NEWS RESEARCH ARTS

HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARD GENERATING SAVINGS ‘PUNKIE NIGHT’ AT KRESGE Freshman engineering student wins Hispanic MIT Energy Club presents design for an innovative Peter Child discusses new work. Heritage National Youth Award. generator. Page 7 Page 2 Page 4 L’HIPPITY-HOP FULL PROFESSORSHIPS PERCHANCE TO DREAM French choreographer Franck II Louise performs Seventeen faculty members are promoted. HST researcher studies anesthesia. today. Page 3 Page 7 Page 8 PAGE 2 October 4, 2006 PEOPLE MIT Tech Talk OBITUARY Hispanic Heritage winner sets sights high

Sasha Brown dents. Still, she made a conscious decision Arthur Jones, News Office to pursue her goals with unusual fervor. “I asked myself: ‘Do I want to let life just happen to me?’” Flores said. “Without a strict former Setting high goals and achieving them plan of what you want to do, you end up is crucial, says Freshman Eletha Flores where it takes you.” of Maryland, the recipient of the 2006 In recent years, she has found inspira- News Office Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s National tion from her older brother, an engineer- Youth Award for Engineering and Math- ing student at Texas A&M University. “He ematics. is very creative and has really inspired me director, More than 13,000 high school students to be more into engineering,” she said. from across the country applied for the “He taught me not just to enjoy the cell awards. Only nine students were selected phone but to actually take it apart and see dies at 61 in the various categories. MIT freshman how I might make one.” Luis Flores (no relation) also received one One of her older brother’s most valu- Arthur Jones, a former deputy White of the awards in the sports category. The able lessons was teaching her to drive a House press secretary who served as award winners receive $8,000 plus a laptop car with standard transmission. “Not many director of the MIT News Office, died on computer. girls can do that,” she said. “It means a lot Oct. 2 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Eletha Flores’ commitment to excel- to me.” following com- lence started early. “Either I go all the way Through the years, Flores kept her plications from or I don’t do it,” said Flores, who set her sights set on MIT. “It was always at the treatment he sights on MIT at the beginning of her high PHOTO / MICHAEL MALYSKO end of my tunnel,” she said. When she was receiving school career. “I knew it was the top engi- received the MIT acceptance letter earlier for leukemia. neering school in the country.” Eletha Flores this year, she was thrilled. “I felt like MIT He was 61 and Throughout high school, Flores main- was inviting me to come help make a dif- had lived in tained a 4.2 grade point average and con- such a perspective on what life could be.” ference in the world.” Newton. sistently challenged herself with sum- Flores’ Mexican heritage has also pro- While she is at MIT, Flores said, she K a t h r y n mer programs such as MIT’s Minority vided motivation, she said. As a very young hopes to dance—“especially Latin danc- Willmore, who Introduction to Engineering and Science child, she attended a Spanish immersion ing,” she said. She also wants to study recently retired (MITES) and an internship in space robot- school, but after the family moved to Japanese and go to Japan. “Japan just feels as a vice presi- ics at NASA. Maryland, her mother was unable to find right to me,” Flores said. Eventually, she dent at MIT, As the middle child between two broth- one. She lost some of her skill in speaking wants to go to graduate school and earn said, “We were ers and a child of divorce, her time at home Spanish, which is something she said she a Ph.D. in electrical engineering. “I am Arthur Jones very fortunate was not always easy, Flores said, adding plans to get back while she is at MIT. extremely excited to be at MIT.” to have attract- that her high school was not as challeng- Flores’ love of engineering and mathe- This year, MIT was named the fourth- ed someone of Arthur’s caliber to MIT, ing as she might have wished. Still, she matics started early when she was enrolled best engineering school for Hispanics by where he brought an extraordinary depth found hardship motivating. “It gave me in programs for academically gifted stu- Hispanic Business Magazine. of experience in many areas.” Willmore described Jones as “exceptional in building relations with faculty, staff, students and administration, as well as his colleagues in the media. When Arthur Jones called, it wasn’t just MIT call- MEMORIALS ing, it was Arthur. And people knew they could count on him to tell the truth.” A native of Baltimore, Jones was an William Dickson award-winning journalist in both television and print media. He worked at the Bos- A memorial service for William ton Globe, sharing a team Pulitzer Prize in R. Dickson, retired senior vice pres- 1975 for meritorious public service, and he ident, will be held Friday, Oct. 6 at received a New England Television Emmy 3 p.m. in Kirsch Auditorium in the Award in 1980 while he was news manager Stata Center. at WBZ-TV in Boston. Jones served as director of communications for the city of Boston in the admin- Elizabeth Whittaker istration of Mayor Raymond L. Flynn and A remembrance service for before that, as assistant press secretary to Elizabeth “Betty” Whittaker, retired Gov. Michael S. Dukakis. associate secretary of the MIT As a spokesman for politicians, Mr. Corporation, will be held Wednes- Jones was a calm presence, Dukakis told day, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. in Killian Hall the Boston Globe. “He was just a solid, (Room 14W-111). A reception will thoughtful guy. The press loved him.” PHOTO / PHILLIP SHARP LABORATORY immediately follow. Inquiries may According to the Globe, Jones met Andrew Fire, right, who earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 1983, won the Nobel Prize in be directed to the MIT Chairman’s Karen Anderson while they were both Office at x3-4661. working at Boston City Hall. They married physiology or medicine for 2006. This photo was taken around 1980, when Fire was 13 years ago. a graduate student in the laboratory of MIT Institute Professor and Nobel Laureate Jones moved to Washington, D.C., in Phillip Sharp. At left is MIT graduate student Mark Samuels. 1993 to serve in former President Bill Clinton’s press office and later as director of public affairs for the court-appointed receiver of the District of Columbia Hous- FIRE ing Authority. Continued from Page 1 that teach us things,” Fire told Smith. SMOOT When he was appointed MIT News “It’s a basic research tool with some Continued from Page 1 Office director, Jones said, “After several genome stability by keeping mobile ele- windows into potential therapeutics. years in public service, it is an honor to ments silent. I’ll be as excited as anybody when it all California at Berkeley. Co-winner Mather join a traditional leader in service to the Today, double-stranded RNA is used pans out.” is currently at NASA’s Goddard Space nation and the world—a voice of authority as a powerful tool to experimentally How did Fire and Mello get into the Flight Center. in science and technology.” elucidate the function of essentially any field? “We were led to it pretty much George Smoot is a distant relative of Jones served as News Office director gene in a cell. The discovery of RNAi by our experimental noses,” Fire told another Smoot in MIT lore. In 1958 that from 2003 until his illness. has already had an immense impact Smith. “I get drawn to unsolved ques- Smoot, Oliver R., was rolled head over He is survived by his wife, Karen, ; on biomedical research and will most tions that don’t make any sense.” heels by his fraternity brothers across the his mother, Ruth Stokes of Detroit; two likely lead to novel medical applications Sharp recalled that Fire entered Harvard Bridge to measure the span in daughters, Kofi of Wilmington and Keely in the future. MIT’s Ph.D. program in biology at the body lengths. That distance was found to of Los Angeles; a sister, Rita Dady of Soon after learning of the prize at age of 19 after earning a bachelor’s be exactly 364.4 smoots plus an ear. Oakland; a brother, Frizelle of Hudson; a “one something” in the morning Cali- degree in mathematics from the Uni- The stunt became so famous that the stepbrother, Eric Stokes of Detroit; and a fornia time, Fire talked to Adam Smith, versity of California at Berkeley. “He’s a new Nobel laureate was often confused granddaughter. editor in chief of the Nobel web site. wonderful, highly principled scientist” with his predecessor. George Smoot wrote A memorial service is planned at MIT “The most immediate benefit (of who is “a wonderful example for young about the experience in a short digest on for a later date. RNAi) is going to be doing experiments scientists,” said Sharp. the web.

News Office Staff Tech Talk is published by the News Office on Wednesdays during term time except for HOW TO REACH US Interim Director ...... Pamela Dumas Serfes most Monday holiday weeks. See Production Schedule at http://web.mit.edu/news- News Office Interim News Manager ...... Sarah H. Wright office/techtalk-info.html. The News Office is in Room 11-400, Massachusetts Institute of Editor Senior Communications Officer ...... Patti Richards Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Telephone: 617-253-2700 Sarah H. Wright Assistant Director/ Postmaster: Send address changes to Mail Services, Building WW15, Massachusetts E-mail: [email protected] Science and Engineering News .... Elizabeth Thomson Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Photojournalist Assistant Director/Photojournalist ...... Donna Coveney Subscribers may call 617-252-1550 or send e-mail to [email protected]. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice Donna Coveney Web Developer/Editor ...... Lisa Damtoft Reporter/Writer ...... Sash a Brown Tech Talk is distributed free to faculty and staff offices and residence halls. It is also available free in the News Office and the Information Center. Office of the Arts Production Operations/Financial Administrator ...... Myles Crowley Anne Trafton Administrative Assistant II ...... Mary Anne Hansen Domestic mail subscriptions are $25 per year, nonrefundable. Checks should be made http://web.mit.edu/arts Administrative Assistant II ...... Patti Foley payable to MIT and mailed to Business Manager, Room 11-400, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Computer Support Assistant ...... Roger Donaghy Editorial/Production Assistant ...... Anne Trafton Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA. Permission is granted to excerpt or reprint any Printed on recycled paper Communications Assistant ...... Heather Manning material originated in Tech Talk. MIT Tech Talk PEOPLE October 4, 2006 PAGE 3 17 faculty members promoted

The Executive Committee of the MIT Corporation has approved promotion for 17 faculty members to the rank of full professor. All appointments were effective July 1.

Frank B. Gertler Mitchel J. Resnick Alexandre Megretski Daniela Rus

Biology Media Arts and Sciences Electrical Engineering Electrical Engineering Education: B.S. 1985, Education: B.A. 1978 and Computer Science and Computer Science Ph.D. 1992 (both from (Princeton), M.S. 1988, Education: M.S. 1985, Education: B.S. 1985 David W. Miller Paula T. Hammond University of Wisconsin at Ph.D. 1992 (both from Ph.D. 1988 (both from (University of Iowa), M.S. Madison) MIT) Leningrad University) 1990, Ph.D. 1992 (both Aeronautics and Chemical Engineering Joined MIT faculty: 1997 Joined MIT faculty: 1992 Joined MIT faculty: 1996 from Cornell University) Astronautics Education: S.B. 1984 Tenured: 2003 Tenured: 1999 Tenured: 2001 Joined MIT faculty: 2004 Education: S.B. 1982, S.M. (MIT), M.S. 1988 (Georgia Tenured: 2004 1985, Sc.D. 1988 (all from Tech), Ph.D. 1993 (MIT) Gertler is a leader in the Resnick’s research focuses Megretski has estab- MIT) Joined MIT faculty: 1995 field of cell motility. His upon rethinking learning lished himself as one of Rus is a world leader in the Joined MIT faculty: 1997 Tenured: 2002 major contribution has and education in the con- the world’s top research- area of self-organizing sys- Tenured: 2002 been to decipher a funda- text of new computational ers in systems and control tems, which may be com- Hammond is a world- mental new mechanism by technologies. He has con- theory. He is well known prised of mobile robots, Miller is an internation- renowned expert in the which signaling pathways centrated particularly on for his work on Integral mobile or stationary sen- ally recognized leader in synthesis of tailored, func- that control remodeling development of new edu- Quadratic Constraints sors and actuators. She the development of tech- tional materials. Her work of actin cytoskeleton can cational technologies that (IQC), a methodology for has built novel hardware nologies, processes and is characterized by inter- have profound effects on encourage and support the analysis and design devices, invented new tools required to produce esting chemical synthesis, cell motility and morphol- learning through design- of feedback systems with algorithms and developed cost-effective designs of careful understanding of ogy. ing and experimenting. nonlinearity, time-variation many of the first reconfig- space telescope missions. the fundamental second- and uncertainty. uring robots. His work has significantly ary interactions that guide increased the resolving polymer self-assembly, power of telescopes and development of novel pro- led to replacement of cesses and the choice of thrusters with electromag- important problems. nets to control spacecraft.

Janet Sonenberg Michael Greenstone Elizabeth A. Wood Gigliola Staffilani

Music and Theater Arts Economics History Mathematics Martin Rinard Diane E. Henderson Education: B.A. 1971 Education: B.A. 1991 Education: A.B. 1980 Education: B.S. 1989 (Tufts University), (Swarthmore College), (Harvard), M.A. 1986, (Università di Bologna), Electrical Engineering Literature M.F.A. 1978 (New York Ph.D. 1998 (Princeton Ph.D. 1991 (both from S.M. 1991, Ph.D. 1995 and Computer Science Education: B.A. 1979 University) University) University of Michigan) (both from University of Education: Sc.B. 1984 (College of William Joined MIT faculty: 1992 Joined MIT faculty: 2003 Joined MIT faculty: 1990 Chicago) (Brown University), Ph.D. and Mary), M.A. 1980, Tenured: 1999 Tenured: 2003 Tenured: 1998 Joined MIT faculty: 2002 1994 (Stanford University) M.Phil. 1983, Ph.D. 1989 Tenured: 2002 Joined MIT faculty: 1997 (Columbia University) Sonenberg focuses on Greenstone is a leader in Wood is at the forefront of Tenured: 2002 Joined MIT faculty: 1995 hands-on work in the the- the field of environmen- an emerging new genera- Staffilani is among the lead- Tenured: 1999 ater. She has developed an tal economics. He is best tion in the field of Soviet ing young analysts in the Rinard is one of the top original method that direct- known for his empirical history. She aims to go study of dispersive nonlin- researchers in three areas: Henderson, a scholar ly engages with the actor’s research on topics related beyond sterile ideological ear wave pde’s, used for program analysis, compiler in Shakespeare and imagination and offers to air pollution policy, debates and pursue inten- modeling wave phenomena. design and programming Renaissance studies, will a rich alternative to the including the Clean Air sive empirical research Two of her recent advances language design. In recent soon publish a book con- necessity of drawing upon Act, and he has made made possible by the include proof of the sym- years, he has made signifi- sidering reworkings of firsthand experience to important contributions recent opening of the plectic nonsqueezing of the cant intellectual contribu- Shakespearean plays and convey character and emo- to the economic analysis Soviet archives. She also Korteweg-de-Vries flow and tions to formal analysis of situations in fiction and tional depth. Her method of pollution policy, house- focuses on the experience proof of global well-posed- programs, object-oriented film from the early 19th has since been adopted hold risk tolerance and the of ordinary people and ness for the critical nonlin- programming and com- century to contemporary by the Royal Shakespeare health effects of varying on how language shapes ear Schrödinger equation puter security. His recent times. Henderson also reg- Company in England. pollution levels. social identity. in 3-D. work on failure-oblivious ularly edits and contributes computing is a novel way to edited volumes, new edi- of improving the reliability tions of Shakespeare texts and security of computing and encyclopedias. Civil and Environmental History systems. Engineering Education: A.B. 1984 Education: Diplôme- (Mount Holyoke College), Ingénieur 1990 (TU M.A. 1985 (UCLA), Electrical Engineering Munich/ENPC), Docteur- Ph.D. 1991 (University of and Computer Science Ingénieur 1994 (ENPC, California at Berkeley) Education: B.S. 1973 Paris), Habilitation 1998 Joined MIT faculty: 1991 (Pennsylvania State (ENS de Cachan) Tenured: 1998 University), S.M. 1976, Joined MIT faculty: 1999 Ph.D. 1986 (both from Tenured: 2003 MIT) Joined MIT faculty: 1995 Tenured: 2002 Franz-Joseph Ulm Anne E.C. McCants

Ulm is the world leader of his generation in the research McCants is an early modern European economic his- Dennis Freeman of cement-based materials. He has made important innova- torian. Her research, which focuses on consump- tions in both theory and experiments, including develop- tion patterns, global trade, and the life of the poor in In his research, Freeman has overcome longstanding ing the nano-indentation tests to provide basic informa- the early modern period, have established her as an challenges in the hearing field, generating breakthrough tion on the smallest scale, and extending the mathematical internationally recognized contributor to the fields understanding of the electrical, mechanical and biologi- technique of multiple-scale homogenization to predict the of economic history, world history, demography, and cal workings of the inner ear. In particular, he has devel- behavior of concrete on the macro scale. women’s and family history. oped and applied new metrology techniques to study the motions of sensory receptor hair bundles, and to study See FACULTY properties of the tectorial membrane. Page 6 PAGE 4 October 4, 2006 RESEARCH MIT Tech Talk Nanoparticles brighten brain imaging Generator Cathryn M. Delude with increased energy requirements. But News Office Correspondent these hemodynamic changes occur sever- could spark al seconds after the neurons actually fire, too slow to study precise neural activity. If you want to see precisely what the Further, the spacing of tiny blood vessels 10 billion neurons in a person’s brain are energy limits the spatial resolution of the tech- doing, a good way to start is to track calci- nique to volumes containing at least 1,000 um as it flows into neurons when they fire. neurons, too coarse for discrimination of To that end, Alan Jasanoff at the savings highly specialized functional areas within McGovern Institute for Brain Research a brain region. Sasha Brown at MIT has developed a new nano-sized PHOTO / ALAN JASANOFF calcium-sensing contrast agent that is Calcium, however, provides a direct News Office detectable by magnetic resonance imag- measure of neural activity because calcium Nanoparticles coated with two proteins (red ing (MRI) scanners, machines that can be almost instantly enters neurons when they and green) form mixed aggregates when used for detailed noninvasive brain imag- fire, and the faster the rate of firing, the calcium levels rise. MRI machines can An innovative residential generator ing. higher the calcium level. Thus, tracking detect the aggregates, allowing research- that can produce both heat and electric- The work is reported in the early online calcium levels in the brain actually follows ers to monitor calcium levels in neurons. ity could spark a revolution in energy effi- edition of the Proceedings of the National information flow through the brain’s cir- ciency, said Eric Guyer (S.M. 1974, Sc.D. Academy of Sciences the week of Sept. 25 cuitry. 1977), the CEO of Climate Energy, during to 29. MRI detects changes in magnetic prop- Graduate student Tatjana Atanasijevic a recent MIT Energy Club talk. In an application known as functional erties, so to be visible to MRI, a calcium of nuclear science and engineering, the Guyer described Climate Energy’s MRI (fMRI), MRI machines are already contrast agent must include a magnetically lead author of the paper, is working on micro-combined heat and power unit increasingly used to observe brain func- active “paramagnetic” component. methods to apply the calcium sensor in liv- (micro-CHP) to the crowd gathered in the tions as people—-or animals—undertake So Jasanoff designed the new sensor to ing brain cells. Tang Center as “hopefully, the next big various activities like reading or learning. incorporate so-called “superparamagnetic The contrast sensors Jasanoff is devel- thing in energy.” But Jasanoff notes that current fMRI tech- nanoparticles”—extra-strength molecu- oping “will be tools for making the shift Guyer’s talk was part of the Energy nology has limitations. lar-sized magnets previously designed for from imaging gross functional properties Club’s lecture and discussion series, spon- “Using conventional fMRI to study the ultrasensitive tumor imaging. They proof the brain through its hemodynamic sored by the Graduate Student Council. brain is like trying to understand how a duce large MRI contrast changes capable changes to a fine-tuned analysis based on These biweekly events occur year-round computer works by feeling which parts of of producing very high-resolution images. information flow involving cells and cir- and feature lecturers or student-led discus- it are hot because of energy dissipation in Jasanoff’s sensor is actually made from cuits,” he said. “There are many potential sions on important energy topics. different components,” said Jasanoff, who two similar types of superparamagnetic applications for studying learning, mem- The idea for combined heat and also holds appointments as an assistant nanoparticles that stick to each other like ory and behavior, and we need the new power (CHP) is nothing new, Guyer said. professor in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Velcro-coated balls when calcium levels tools to get to the applications.” “Thomas Edison’s first power plant was Science and Engineering, Department of rise. This aggregation is reversible, which This research is supported by the Ray- combined,” he explained. Still, the idea of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and Biologi- allows the sensor to indicate the temporal mond & Beverly Sackler Foundation, the generating both heat and energy in a way cal Engineering Division. dynamics of calcium-related neural activity, National Institute of Biomedical Imag- that is not only affordable but also quiet The analogy is apt, because fMRI indi- such as the sequence in which populations ing and Bioengineering and a McKnight enough for use in a private home is a more rectly measures neural activity by detect- of cells become active, or the synchroniza- Foundation Technological Innovations in recent development. ing changes in blood flow to brain regions tion of neurons during certain behaviors. Neuroscience award. “On an industrial scale, CHP is used all the time,” Guyer said. A natural gas-pow- ered micro-CHP unit has the potential to save the consumer money by using the Data mining same fuel they buy anyway to generate both heat and electricity with greater effi- ciency. helps predict The micro-CHP systems are driven by heat demand, delivering electricity as the byproduct. “This is all about providing crystal structures thermal comfort to homeowners,” Guyer The same computer methods used by said. online sales sites to suggest books to cus- The unit is composed of two parts, one tomers can help predict the crystal struc- that acts as the generator and another that tures of materials, an MIT team has found. acts as a traditional air-handler or furnace, These structures are key to design- blowing hot air into the home. ing new materials and improving existing Currently being used in close to 30,000 ones, which means that everything from homes in Japan and 20 beta test spots batteries to airplane wings could be influ- around Massachusetts and New York, the enced by the new method. micro-CHPs have been very well received. The scientists report their findings in a Although the initial cost is more than dou- recent online edition of Nature Materials. ble that of a traditional furnace, the micro- Using a technique called data mining, CHPs can save users up to $700 a year in the MIT team preloaded the entire body of electric bills, Guyer said. They even come historical knowledge of crystal structures with a backup power supply if the electric- into a computer algorithm, or program, ity goes out for any reason. which they had designed to make correla- The machines also have the advan- tions among the data based on the under- tage of being far superior at conserva- lying rules of physics. tion, Guyer said. “Two-thirds of the power Harnessing this knowledge, the pro- in a central station is thrown away,” he gram then delivers a list of possible explained. The micro-CHP utilizes more crystal structures for any mixture of ele- than 85 percent. “Micro-CHP in the home ments whose structure is unknown. The is one of the biggest things someone could team can then run that list of possibilities do to reduce their carbon footprint.” through a second algorithm that uses Outside the Tang Center, a truck from quantum mechanics to calculate precisely Guyer’s company, Climate Energy, was which structure is the most stable ener- running free demonstrations of its micro- getically—a standard technique in the CHP unit, which will be available this fall. computer modeling of materials. “So far people seem very happy,” Guyer “We had at our disposal all of what is said. known about nature,” said Professor Ger- “Many were surprised to see how quiet brand Ceder of the Department of Mate- the generator was and how much heat it rials Science and Engineering, leader of produced that could be used for space the research team. Ceder compared the heating,” said graduate student Derek Sup- database of crystal structures to the user ple of the MIT Energy Club. “The talk was database of an online bookseller, which just as we intended: relevant to a broad can make correlations among millions of group of disciplines and exciting due to customers with similar interests. “If you the innovative nature of this residential- tell me you’ve read these 10 books in the scale technology.” last year and you rate them, can I make some prediction about the next book you’re going to like?” The data-mining algorithm captures PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY the physics of crystal structures in nature Professor Gerbrand Ceder holds up a model of a perovskite crystal. Ceder and his team of know the structure,” he said. (Bandgap (provided by the preloaded database) and researchers have used data about such crystals to come up with a method for predicting determines many properties such as elec- makes sophisticated correlations to gener- the structure of materials. trical conductivity.) “And if I calculate the ate an informed list of candidate structures bandgap using the wrong structure, I may based on historical knowledge. These can- of just a few days, atomic structures that bility. The key was realizing we didn’t need have a totally irrelevant answer. Properties didate structures were previously assem- might take months or even years to eluci- more than that. With a short list of candi- depend on structure.” bled by scientists manually in a time-con- date in the lab. In testing on known struc- date structures, I can solve the problem Contributing to the work were graduate suming and subjective process that often tures of just two elements, Ceder’s group precisely with quantum mechanics.” students Christopher Fischer and Kevin amounted to guesswork. The new algo- found the new algorithm could select five According to Ceder, the new technique Tibbetts, both of materials science and rithm, combined with a quantum mechan- structures from 3,000-4,000 possibilities will enable a big leap forward in true com- engineering, and former postdoctoral asso- ics algorithm, forms a two-pronged strat- with a 90 percent chance of having the putational design of materials with specific ciate Dane Morgan, now at the University egy that will make the process faster and true structure among the five. properties. For example, “If somebody of Wisconsin at Madison. more accurate. “It’s all about probability and correla- wants to know whether a material is going This work was funded by the National Ceder’s team of computational model- tions,” Ceder said. “Our algorithm gives us to have the right bandgap to be a solar Science Foundation and the Institute for ers can already determine, in the space the crystal structure with a certain proba- cell, I can’t calculate the bandgap if I don’t Soldier Nanotechnologies. MIT Tech Talk RESEARCH October 4, 2006 PAGE 5 1st alumna walks in space John Tylko referred to as the “bends,” when the astro- received its Most Valuable Player Award News Office Correspondent nauts perform space walks in a spacesuit in 1982. that is pressurized at a significantly lower Stefanyshyn-Piper participated in MIT’s pressure than the space station. Navy ROTC Program and received her NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefa- “One of the things about doing EVAs commission as a U.S. Navy officer upon nyshyn-Piper became the first MIT alumna in space is you have the opposite effect of graduation in June 1985. She gained exten- to walk in space during the successful STS- going diving,” she said in a recent inter- sive experience as a diver and salvage offi- 115 space shuttle mission, Sept. 9 through view. “When you go diving, you go from cer and currently holds the rank of captain Sept. 21. the Earth’s atmosphere to a higher atmo- in the U.S. Navy. Stefanyshyn-Piper spent more than sphere and so when you come back up you She was chosen as a NASA astronaut 13 hours on two extravehicular activities have to decompress. Well, the same thing in May 1996 and trained for more than a (EVAs) outside of space shuttle Atlantis happens when you go out on a spacewalk decade for her first mission into space. The while it was docked with the Internation- because you’re inside the space station at STS-115 crew was selected in February al Space Station. She was responsible for 14.7 psi nominally, and when you go out on 2002, one year before the Columbia acci- assembling a major truss segment, which your spacewalks, you’re only at 4.3 psi.” dent, and spent more than four years train- includes a new set of photovoltaic solar Stefanyshyn-Piper was also the prime ing for its mission. arrays that provide power to the space sta- operator of the space station’s robotic arm Only six other women astronauts and PHOTO COURTESY / NASA tion. and was the overall lead for transferring one woman cosmonaut have walked in Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper Stefanyshyn-Piper and fellow astronaut supplies from the shuttle’s cargo module to space. Since the space station assembly Joseph Tanner were also the first EVA crew the space station. effort began in 1998, a total of 72 EVAs to spend the night in the space station’s Stefanyshyn-Piper received an S.B. in have been conducted by 63 astronauts and Quest airlock module as part of a new pro- mechanical engineering in 1984 and an cosmonauts from six different countries. MIT logs cedure to help purge nitrogen from their M.S. in mechanical engineering in 1985. Stefanyshyn-Piper is only the fifth woman bloodstreams. This procedure helps pre- As an MIT undergraduate, she was a mem- astronaut to walk in space in support of the 40 years vent decompression sickness, commonly ber of the women’s varsity crew team and space station assembly effort. of flight

NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin (Sc.D. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1963) became the first MIT graduate to walk in space during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. Three years later, on July 20, 1969, Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Arm- strong conducted the first extra-vehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission. Three other MIT graduates, David Scott (S.M. and E.A.A. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1962), Charles Duke (S.M. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1964), and Edgar Mitchell (Sc.D. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1964) conducted a total of nine more lunar surface EVAs during the Apollo program. Russell Schweickart (B.S. and M.S. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1963) conducted the first EVA in the Apol- lo program in 1969. During the space shuttle program, seven other MIT graduates completed a total of 21 EVAs including Franklin Chang- Diaz (Sc.D. in nuclear engineering, 1977), Mark Lee (S.M. in mechanical engineering, 1980), Jay Apt (Ph.D. in physics, 1976), John Grunsfeld (S.B. in physics, 1980), Edward Fincke (S.B. in aeronautics and astronautics and S.B. in earth, atmo- spheric and planetary sciences, 1989), Michael Massimino (S.M. in 1988, M.E. in 1990 and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, 1992, and S.M. in technology and policy in 1988), and Daniel Tani (S.B. in 1984 and S.M. in mechanical engineering, 1988). MIT professor and former NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman completed four PHOTO COURTESY / NASA spacewalks, including the first EVAs to service the Hubble Space Telescope on a NASA mission specialist Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper pauses for a moment during her Sept. 12 spacewalk, during which she assembled space shuttle mission in 1993. a major truss segment of the International Space Station. Genetic ‘roadmap’ charts links between drugs and human disease

Nicole Davis an associate professor of pediatrics at Har- the scientific community,” said Justin Another key finding suggests a new Broad Institute vard Medical School, and an investigator Lamb, the lead author of the Science paper way to overcome drug resistance in cancer. at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. and a senior scientist at the Broad. “By Using the Connectivity Map, a team led by “These connections are notoriously dif- analyzing just a small fraction of available Scott Armstrong, an assistant professor at A research team led by scientists at the ficult to find, in part because drugs and drugs, we have already confirmed several Harvard Medical School and Children’s Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has diseases are characterized in completely biological connections between drugs and Hospital Boston and an investigator at the developed a new kind of genetic “road- different scientific languages.” human disease, and made entirely new Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, identified the map” that can connect human diseases A key challenge in biomedicine is to ones, too.” FDA-approved immunosuppressant drug, with potential drugs to treat them, as well connect each human disease with drugs Like other scientific databases, the sirolimus (also known as rapamycin), as a as predict how new drugs work in human that effectively treat it while understanding true value of the Connectivity Map lies in therapeutic candidate for overcoming drug cells. the molecular basis for the drugs’ effects. its capacity to be queried by nearly any resistance in a form of human leukemia. Called the “Connectivity Map,” the new To solve this problem systematically, the researcher with a computer. The genom- “Although this first version of the Con- tool and its uses are described in the Sept. scientists described the effects of drugs ic signature of a particular disease, drug nectivity Map is limited mainly to drugs, 29 issue of Science and in separate papers and diseases in the common language of or other aspect of human biology serves the same concepts could be applied univer- in the Sept. 28 early edition of Cancer Cell. “genomic signatures,” meaning the full as the “search word.” Potential functional sally across all facets of human biology,” The three papers show the map’s ability complement of genes that the drugs turn connections are revealed through a rank- said Eric Lander, an author of the Science to accurately predict the molecular actions on and off. ordered list of reference compounds in the paper, director of the Broad Institute and of novel therapeutic compounds and to sug- To create a first-generation Connectivity database that have matching signatures. MIT professor of biology. “Expanding gest new applications for existing drugs. Map, the scientists measured the genom- One of the surprising results to emerge this initial map to encompass all aspects Based on these initial results, the research- ic signatures of more than 160 drugs and from the Connectivity Map involves of human biology would provide a valu- ers propose a public project to expand other biologically active compounds. They gedunin, a plant derivative that, despite a able public resource for the scientific com- the Connectivity Map—in the spirit of the next developed a computer program to long history of medicinal use, is not well munity. Such an effort would parallel the Human Genome Project—to accelerate the compare the signatures of the drugs with understood molecularly. The researchers sequencing of the human genome, both in search for new drugs to treat disease. each other and also with the signatures identified gedunin as a molecule that dis- its scope and in its potential to accelerate “The Connectivity Map works much like seen in diseases. In this way they were able rupts hormone signals in prostate cancer the pace of biomedical research.” a Google search to discover connections to discover the mechanisms underlying a cells. They then used the Connectivity Data from this work are publicly avail- among drugs and diseases,” said senior novel drug candidate for prostate cancer, Map to help uncover its precise molecular able at www.broad.mit.edu/cmap. A web- author Todd Golub, the director of the and that a drug currently used to treat one action. As confirmed through additional based tool for scientists to perform their Broad Institute’s cancer program, an inves- disease may be useful in another. work, gedunin disrupts a key quality con- own analyses using the Connectivity Map tigator at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, “This is a powerful discovery tool for trol mechanism in the cell. is also freely available at this site. PAGE 6 October 4, 2006 NEWS MIT Tech Talk IS&T gets eco-friendly with hybrid van FACULTY Diana Hughes gy conservation led it to work in partnership with MIT’s Information Services and Technology Industrial Liaison Program to find a corporate partner to Continued from Page 3 assist in the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. Kyle Pope, manager of the IS&T Departmental Information Technology In cooperation with the Ford-MIT Alliance, MIT Infor- Resource Team (DITR), worked to gain the sponsorship mation Services and Technology (IS&T) has acquired a of Chancellor Philip Clay, and Simon Pitts and Joe Saleh, 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid as the first step in replacing all co-executive directors of the Ford-MIT Alliance, to assist IS&T vehicles with more fuel-efficient and “environmen- in the purchase of the Ford Escape Hybrid. The Ford-MIT tally friendly” cars and vans over the next several years. Alliance contributed funds to cover the difference in pur- The Escape Hybrid replaces a 1997 Ford Econoline cargo chase price between a hybrid and nonhybrid vehicle. This van. The Escape Hybrid has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city mileage rating of 36 miles per gallon contribution allowed IS&T to pass the initial cost hurdle of versus 14 mpg for a new Econoline van. hybrid ownership and focus on the fuel savings and ben- In keeping with President Susan Hockfield’s vision of efits to the environment. MIT’s leadership in the energy research and conservation If the Econoline van had been replaced with a new van fields, IS&T has been evaluating alternatives to standard of similar type, IS&T could expect EPA gas mileage rat- cars and vans as it goes through the normal cycle of vehi- ings of around 14 mpg in the city, where the majority of cle maintenance and replacement. IS&T examined several the department’s driving is done. The Escape Hybrid’s gas Hari Balakrishnan Alexander Byrne options for “green” vehicles including biodiesel, electric, mileage rating is 36 mpg in the city. This means with an compressed natural gas, hydrogen and hybrid technology. expected driving profile of 5,000 miles per year, the Escape Electrical Engineering Linguistics and Hybrid technology has the advantage of being available Hybrid will emit only 28 percent as much carbon dioxide and Computer Science Philosophy commercially and offering both increased gas mileage and as the Econoline van, with a similar reduction when com- Education: B.Tech. Education: B.A. 1988 reduced pollution. pared to a new cargo van. 1993 (Indian Institute of (Birkbeck College, One of the challenges in purchasing an alternative- The Ford Escape Hybrid has been designated a U.S. Technology, Madras), London University), M.A. energy vehicle is the high cost of the technology. After EPA-certified SmartWay vehicle. The SmartWay label is M.S. 1995, Ph.D. 1998 1989 (King’s College, reviewing the driving profile for IS&T use (vehicles are given to those vehicles that score six or better on both (both from University of London University), used by network, telephone and customer support staff to the Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Scores, and have a California at Berkeley) M.A. 1991, Ph.D. 1994 deliver computers, respond to service calls and perform total score of 13 or better when adding the two together. Joined MIT faculty: (both from Princeton other related activities), IS&T determined the savings Vehicles that receive this designation are very good envi- 1998 University) in per mile costs from the hybrid technology would not ronmental performers relative to other vehicles, according Tenured: 2003 Joined MIT faculty: offset the added cost of acquiring the hybrid vehicle for to the Green Vehicle Guide, www.epa.gov/greenvehicles. 1994 several years. While there were significant environmental The Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle is a shared vehi- Balakrishnan is a world Tenured: 2002 advantages associated with the hybrid, there also would cle between IS&T DITR and PC Services. Further pur- leader in three distinct be increased costs. chases of hybrid or other new technology vehicles will be areas: computer network- Byrne’s main research IS&T’s commitment to being at the forefront of ener- reviewed as each vehicle comes up for replacement. ing, mobile systems and interests are color, per- databases. In computer ception and self-knowl- networking his new con- edge. He has achieved tributions include verifi- influential status in these able Internet routing, areas partly through VOTING and in mobile systems having co-edited the Continued from Page 1 some sense gotten more systematized and how to look at his contributions include canonical sourcebook on unintended consequences of the new laws on registration energy-efficient wireless the philosophy of color, should not be registered is kept off the rolls. and what should be done in future, especially considering protocols. He has recent- and partly through his However, Selker said, improvements may actually dis- other changes to technology,” Selker said. “The biggest ly become a force in the defense of a scientifically enfranchise some people, deliberately or by bureaucrat- one I’m thinking about is poll books, that is, having access database community due informed realism about ic bungling. Selker cited a recent case in California in to registration databases as opposed to just having a list, a to his research in stream- perceptual conciousness which people who had recently moved were in danger of page, a piece of paper.” ing databases. and its objects. being kicked off the rolls because of differences in their The second day of the MIT conference will focus on addresses between voting databases and motor vehicle whether a system of voter identification, such as a voter ID license records. card, can or should be adopted, as some have proposed. The first day of the two-day conference will focus on “A lot of people in this such registration issues; speakers include Alexander Keys- country are worried about that The last panel of the conference will feature Ross sar, professor of history and social policy at Harvard’s because it’s very costly and it Underwood of Diebold and Howard Cramer of Sequoia John F. Kennedy School of Government; Jonathan Nagler, can be used in various ways,’’ Voting Systems. Voting-machine makers—Diebold in par- professor of politics at New York University; and Stephen Selker said. “For example, I ticular—have come under scrutiny over security issues. Ansolabehere, MIT professor of political science. just spoke with the Pakistani While voting machines may be the latest wrinkle in “Voting has to be addressed in a multidisciplinary government last week; they election concerns, registration and voter eligibility have way,” said Ronald L. Rivest, the MIT Andrew and Erna said fake IDs account for 5 to been issues throughout U.S. history, as debates raged Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer 10 percent of the voting in Paki- over whether the right to vote should be determined Science, who will moderate several conference panels. stan. That’s pretty bad. So it can by property ownership, race, sex or competency. While “Voting is not a simple problem. The constraints and the go either way, as a lot of these America wishes to be a beacon of democracy, this country requirements of voting are tough. You’re trying to make things can.’’ has the world’s most complex voting process, Selker said. sure the votes are actually private but that the voter can Speakers on voter ID include “We are not the example of the best voting practice.” verify that (his or) her vote really is accounted for in the Jonathan Katz, professor of Rivest welcomed voting controversy as a way to open final tally—really contradictory requirements.’’ Ted Selker political science at Caltech, and debate on improvements. Of special interest are “poll books,” or portable infor- Eric Fisher, senior specialist in “One realizes that the voting system we have in this mation databases brought into polling places, and how science and technology at the Library of Congress. Dan country is full of vulnerabilities and we need to pay more they would be used. “We hope we will help the Election Greenwood, MIT Media Lab lecturer, will speak on “Real attention to improve the quality,’’ Rivest said. Assistance Commission think about what would be a good ID,” a “hugely controversial” proposal that all Americans For information on the Oct. 5-6 Voter Identification/ direction forward in a world where registration has in get identity cards, Selker said. “We’re all intrigued.” Registration Conference, go to www.vote.caltech.edu. CLASSIFIED ADS Tech Talk runs classified ads in the first issue natural color tabletop, blue legs on table & to Runkle School’s area. Exceptional neighbor- of each month. Members of the MIT commu- chairs, $150/bst. HP Pavilion computer system, hood. Very quiet, great sunlight in the afternoon. VACATION nity may submit one classified ad per month. Pentium II 166 mhz running W98, HP 600 print- Call 617-713-0982, 617-595-6908, e-mail For sale: Deeded, life-long time-share week, early Ads should be 30 words maximum; they will er, Hitachi 17” monitor, loads of software, $50/ [email protected]. May. 5-star Westgate Resorts, Kissimmee, Fla. be edited. Submit by e-mail to [email protected] bst. E-mail [email protected] or call 781- For sale: pristine renovated Colonial in Jamaica Modern, fully-furnished, ground floor villa, 2 BR, or mail to Classifieds, Rm 11-400. Deadline is 981-5407 8 to 4, M-F. sleeps 6, hot tub, health club. Call Joe at 617- noon Wednesday the week before publication. Plain’s Bourne neighborhood, designed for New Ralph Lauren black strappy simple dress, indoor/outdoor entertaining. 6 rooms, 3 BR, 436-5663. $50. Falls below the knee; size 6-8. Perfect con- 1 1/2 baths. Updated systems include exterior Hilltop Cabins, 2,000’ above sea level, 56 acres, VEHICLES dition. Pics avail. Contact [email protected] paint, heat, roof, central air. Lorna Gibson 3- 10,000 acres state wildlife area, fully-equipped 3 or x2-5687. 2503. BR, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, foliage views. Travel Trailor, 1994, 13’ 9”, trails easily, low mile- Wonder Horse (spring rocking horse), free with Lexington, 6 rm contemporized cape, $649,000, $450/wk. Other rates av. Call Joe 781-893-5224 age/use, great shape! Sleeps 4, 12,000 BTU pickup in Acton. About 25 yrs old, used but master BR suite, study, 2 BR’s & bath upstairs, days. furnace, quick recovery water heater, stove, 2 loved. Ginny Siggia, [email protected] (e-mail only skylights, hdwd flrs, AC, 2 car gar. 781-981- way refrigerator, shower/Porta Potti, skylight, please). 2671. rubber roof. Call 339-237-0960 or e-mail STUDENT EMPLOYMENT [email protected]. Futon w/ yellow cover $45, file cabinets, wood, Paris. Marais 2BR apt. Spacious, sunny, attrac- each $50; mahogany small chest, four drawers, tive. Fully furnished & equipped. Elevator. Positions for students with work-study eligibility 2002 Dodge Ram 2500, quad cab, 41K, loaded. new condition $200. No reasonable offers on Minimum five months. Available 2007. $2500/ Excellent condition $16,500. Pictures avail. E- the furniture rejected. Oriental rugs, $150 and month. Call 617-247-2922. Cambridge Community Center is searching for mail [email protected]. up. someone to come in 1-2 times/week to teach science to after school students grades 3-8. Minivan for quick sale - $800. 1996 Ford Girls bicycle, Made by Jeter, Reactor & Hours between 3:30-5:30 but are flexible. Wage Windstar LX, quad seating, 114K. Crack on the Manufacturing, double hand breaks, adjustable MISCELLANEOUS can be discussed. Requirements: 18 years of windshield, starts every day, engine sounds reflectors, lug frame, high ten tubing, in very Balloons for holiday office parties avail. on age or older, pass a CORI background check, strong. For more information or to test drive, call good condition, asking $30. Contact 781-893- motivated & enjoy working w/ children. Contact 617-258-3458 days, 978-535-0270 nights. campus. I am an experienced (10 years), cre- 3377 or [email protected]. ative balloon artist, avail. for holiday parties. [email protected]. 1992 Honda Civic, 4D, 5 speed, AC, AM/FM cas- Moving sale: organ (Minnet 544, built-in speak- Centerpieces, arches, balloon trees. Contact Jen Public and Community Affairs Dept. of Federal sette, 165K, has rust but runs great, > 35 mpg er), bed, microwave oven, fridge (medium), table, at 452-3522 or [email protected]. Reserve Bank of Boston seeks research intern for highway. $1000. E-mail [email protected]. chairs, lamps, carpets, kitchen items. Call x8- Do you need an assistant, help with research, fall 2006. Intern provides support to senior staff 1994 Oldsmobile Delta 88, good condition, 97K 7372 or e-mail [email protected]. data entry, typing notes or getting organized? on current research activities. Responsibilities miles, $2500/bst. Call 781-724-3343. I’m an MIT administrative assistant available include: search/obtain data, present data in for weekend and after 5 p.m. work. Email at charts, prepare written summaries, proofread, [email protected]. others as required. Qualifications: strong analyti- HOUSING cal, communication and organization skiils. Prior FOR SALE 3BR apt. in pristine condition, Arlington Heights, 2 cats need new home. Adult domestic short research assistant experience prefered. Junior or senior w/ course work in community develop- Old spruce top bass, $1,500. Not plywood, bass walk to bus, nice town and school. $1850/ hairs, brown & white, friendly, cuddly, good ment, economics, finance or related fields. $18/ can be seen in Cambridge. Has gig bag, bow month. E-mail [email protected]. health. Must go b/c of allergies. Pics avail. Must hr. Contact [email protected]. needs re-hair. go to healthy, good home. E-mail kculver@mit. 3BR, 2 bath in top floor, three-story condo. Very edu. Wood kitchen table w/ 5 chairs, fold out leaf, close to Cleveland Circle (Green line). Belongs MIT Tech Talk PEOPLE October 4, 2006 PAGE 7 Composer Child HST professor explores anesthesia offers insights Lora Maurer Harvard-MIT Division of on music Health Sciences and Technology New work to premiere Raise your hand if you are more afraid of the prospect of general anesthesia than at Kresge Oct. 15 of surgery itself. If you raised your hand, you are not alone, according to Dr. Emery Mary Haller N. Brown, a faculty member at the Har- Office of the Arts vard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). A professor of health sciences and technology and of computational neuroscience “Punkie Night,” a Halloween-like cus- in the Department of Brain and Cognitive tom in parts of England, is the inspiration Sciences (BCS), Brown explores what for a new piece with the same name by happens to the brain during anesthesia. British-born Professor of Music Peter “We say we induce anesthesia and then Child. The piece will receive its world pre- ‘wake up’ the patient,” Brown said. “But in miere by the New England Philharmonic French the patient is réanimé, or brought Orchestra under the baton of music direc- back to life. We haven’t yet begun to think tor Richard Pittman on Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. in precisely about what we do, however. Kresge Auditorium. Anesthesia is not like sleep. It’s not the The recipient of numerous prizes and same process.” commissions, Child recently returned Brown added, “Under anesthesia, one from an artist’s residency in Alaska, where is insensitive to pain. If you were asleep, his commissioned work, “Promenade,” you would wake up if you had pain. Anes- received its world premiere at the Cross- thesia has four aspects: loss of conscious- Sound Music Festival. ness, analgesia, amnesia and loss of move- He is currently the “Music Alive” com- ment—all while remaining hemodynami- poser-in-residence with the Albany Sym- cally stable, i.e., alive.” phony Orchestra, which will premiere These are the basic principles behind another of his works in spring 2007. Other Brown’s investigation into what happens upcoming premieres this season include in the brain as it undergoes anesthesia and commissions by two local ensembles, Bos- later is “reanimated.” ton Musica Viva and Winsor Music. “We have a vast array of questions,” Mary Haller of the Office of the Arts Brown said. “The way we give anesthe- recently asked Child about “Punkie sia now, it is a bit like dumping it into the Night,” his music and his MIT teaching. whole brain so it acts everywhere in the Q: Tell me a little about “Punkie Night.” brain. But if we can pinpoint the areas of A: This is very much an audience- the brain that are affected or need to be friendly piece. It belongs in a genre of affected to free us from pain, we could con- other orchestral works that depict the ceivably think about designing a drug or a Gothic and the supernatural—including, way to administer a drug that, for example, famously, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantas- PHOTO COURTESY / HARVARD-MIT DIVISION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY tique, which will also be performed at the See ANESTHESIA Dr. Emery N. Brown, professor in the MIT-Harvard Division of Health Sciences and October 15 concert. It is spooky and— Page 8 Technology, studies what happens to the brain during anesthesia. hopefully—fun to listen to. Q: What do you say when you’re asked to describe your music? A: There is a pronounced tendency toward transparency and directness in my AWARDS AND HONORS recent music, both in terms of its form and its emotional rhetoric. I have also become Professor Emeritus Alan Davison very interested in folk themes and incor- of chemistry is one of two recipients porating these into my pieces. I think that of the 2006 Jacob Heskel Gabbay in both of these respects I am influenced Award in Biotechnology and Medi- by my English upbringing. cine. Davison and Alun Gareth Jones Q: Do you consider the audience when of Brigham and Women’s Hospital you’re working on a composition? will share the award for their role in A: Very much so. I see composing as a the development of contrast agents communication process among composer, used in cardo-diagnostic procedures. performer and listener—and not just a The award, which consists of a one-way communication either. I am atten- $15,000 cash prize and a medal, was tive to how players and audiences respond established at Brandeis University in to my music and what those responses can 1989 by the Jacob and Louise Gabbay tell me about my own music. Foundation to recognize outstanding Q: Do you have suggestions about how research in the biomedical sciences. to listen to new music? An award ceremony and symposium A: Listen with an open mind and an will be held Nov. 6. open heart. Be curious. Accept some disappointments in the service of those Subra Suresh, Ford Professor of moments in listening that will give you Engineering, will receive an honor- unexpected pleasure, provoke unexpected PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY ary doctorate degree from Sweden’s thoughts. Alumnus Kudzai Takavarasha (S.B. 1999) talks to freshman Bonnie Krenz at the International Royal Institute of Technology in Q: What is some of the advice you give Development Fair, held in Lobby 13 on Friday, Sept. 29. Stockholm on Nov. 17. Suresh was to your composition students? selected in recognition of his pioneer- A: First, that “form” is a verb, not just ing and multidisciplinary research a noun: Think of musical form as a pro- that encompasses materials science cess that has to be reinvented every time, Fair showcases international development and engineering, mechanical engi- rather than as a mold into which you pour neering, biological engineering and your ideas. And, second, a composition is opportunities Sept. 29 mechanics. never completed until it is performed. Q: Are there aspects of the MIT envi- Sasha Brown Honduras to solve community problems Anne M. Mayes, professor of ronment that contribute to your work as a News Office using engineering and science skills. materials science and engineering, composer? “The fair brings students and organiza- will receive the 2007 Carl S. Marvel A: The entrepreneurial and creative tions together, to promote awareness and Creative Polymer Chemistry Award. atmosphere is contagious. I find it liberating. Roughly 50 departments, programs and encourage the exchange of ideas,” accord- She is being recognized for her Q: What do you learn from your stu- student groups highlighted their interna- ing to the event web site. “unique ability to blend theoretical dents? tional work at the fifth annual International For Sandy Pentland, the Toshiba Pro- and experimental studies to elucidate A: Because they are generally so inquis- Development Fair on Sept. 29 in Lobby 10 fessor of Media Arts and Science, whose the behavior of polymers.” She will itive, intelligent and challenging, what I from 1 to 3 p.m. The event was designed to work in DE has been ongoing, the event is receive the award, which consists mostly learn is how to rethink the funda- showcase the many groups, projects and a good opportunity to start conversations. of a plaque and an honorarium of mental principles that I teach them. MIT activities at MIT that provide students with “The idea is to build a broader coalition $2,000, at a symposium held in her is a special place, of course, and I do enjoy an opportunity to work on issues related to so that people who are interested can do honor at the spring 2007 meeting of those moments that happen frequently to international development. everything they might be interested in the American Chemical Society. me—as an artist teaching at a preeminent Offices like the Public Service Center, doing,” said Pentland, who works in the science and engineering school—when the which provides opportunities for students Media Lab. Two MIT students, Rocco Cicco- roles of teacher and student are reversed, to create their own projects, and the MIT The annual fair is organized by the MIT lini and Peter Oates, were recent- when they share their knowledge and Program in Developmental Entrepreneur- International Development Network, a ly honored in Washington, D.C., as expertise about biology or computer sci- ship (DE), which focuses on design and community network developed to promote Environmental Protection Agency ence, etc., with me. implementation of commercially sustain- and share information about activities, pro- Science to Achieve Results (EPA Tickets for the Oct. 15 concert are free able products and services for low-income grams, events and formal academic offer- STAR) graduate fellows. The gradu- to the MIT community with ID and are communities around the world, participat- ings related to international development. ate fellowship program is designed available at the door. Regular prices are ed in the fair along with student-led initia- The fair is the flagship event of MIT’s for students pursuing advanced $25, $20 senior citizens, $15 students. For tives like FloodSafe Honduras, a group of International Development Week, which degrees in environmental sciences. more information, call 617-868-1222. MIT students and affiliates who work in ran from Sept. 21 to 29 this year. PAGE 8 October 4, 2006 ARTS MIT Tech Talk Studio glass artist will give 2006 Hazlegrove lecture Richard Marquis, one of the pioneers of the American studio glass movement, will present the Ninth Annual Page Hazlegrove Lecture on Glass Art on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. in Wong Auditorium. Marquis, from Whidbey Island, Wash., was one of the first American artists to work in the fabled Venini studio in Venice, Italy, where he traveled after receiving a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship. He has shared this knowledge and expertise throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, expanding technical vocabularies, combining Venetian techniques with new and experimental approaches, and redefining glass as an artistic medium. For more information, call x3-5309 or visit web.mit.edu/ glasslab.

Reddy Kilowatt, right, a glass sculpture by Richard Marquis, combines classical and contemporary glass techniques then adds a good dose of whimsy. PHOTO / RICHARD MARQUIS MIT Sloan alum succeeds in business ... of fiction French hip-hop artist will perform Amy MacMillan Popper. Other books in the series include Leaders for Manufacturing Program “Lead a Horse to Murder” and “Dead Mary Haller Canaries Don’t Sing.” Office of the Arts A head for business Procrastination has paid off pretty well for Cynthia Blair, an alumna of the MIT If fiction writing and an M.B.A. from Acclaimed French hip-hop composer Sloan School of Management. MIT Sloan seem incongruous, Blair points and choreographer Franck II Louise will Back in 1977, when Blair was supposed out that as an author it helps to know present a talk and demonstration at MIT to be working on her master’s thesis, she something about the outside world. Her tonight titled, “Konnecting Souls: Hip Hop instead spent first few books were set in a business envi- and New Technologies,” at 7 in Kresge winter break ronment. “Working in business gave me an Little Theater. scratching out understanding of how the world works,” Set to premiere in Paris at the end of the opening she said. October, “Konnecting Souls” transforms 50 pages of a Now 53, and living on Long Island, her dancers into musical instruments using novel. memories of MIT are some of the happiest motion sensors. That first Ballantine Books, dropped her. of her life, she said. She experienced a lot A pioneer of the French hip-hop scene, book, “Once Blair picked up the pieces from the fall- of firsts living in Cambridge—first apart- Louise has composed music for some of There Was a out, and for a while she tried other types of ment, first time living in a city and her first France’s most prestigious hip-hop compa- Fat Girl,” was writing. But she missed fiction. time living independently. “Cambridge was nies and is co-writer of the film “Un Kif à published in Then, inspired by a friend who’s a vet- such a vibrant place. There were so many l’Opéra.” 1981, inspiring erinarian with a clinic on wheels, Blair clubs at MIT—yoga, ballroom dancing, In 2003, he began working with new Blair to quit her decided to base a mystery series on a trav- drama. I couldn’t believe how much there technologies through the Konnecting job to write full eling vet. was to do.” Souls research project. In his latest work, Cynthia Blair time. She man- Her latest book, “Hare Today, Dead Last year, Blair added travel writing dancers are fitted with sensors linked to aged to churn Tomorrow,” is the fourth in her Reign- to her resume. She’s done several travel a musical interface so that they can com- out 29 young-adult books and 13 women’s ing Cats and Dogs Mystery Series, which pieces for honeymoons.about.com and pose the music of the show in real time novels between the early 1980s and the she started in 2004 under the pen name has traveled to Tahiti and Bora Bora. But and become, in effect, instruments. The mid-1990s. Cynthia Baxter (www.cynthiabaxter.com). she said she enjoys fiction writing more event is part of a series, “Hip-Pop in “It really snowballed into a writing Blair chose to publish under a pen name than any other kind of writing. “Nonfiction French: Contemporary Theater, Film, career that kept me going financially,” she because she was writing in a new genre, is easier, because it’s fact. But, in fiction Dance, Comics and Graphic Arts,” spon- said. At least it did for a while. and didn’t want readers to have precon- writing, you create your own world … it’s sored by MIT foreign languages and lit- ceived notions based on her previous almost as much fun as reading, and you eratures section, the MIT Contemporary Mobile vet work. are in control. I find it really exhilarating.” French Studies Fund, and the MIT Center In the mid-1990s, Blair’s steady writing The successful series features persis- Blair and her husband, Michael Bell, for Bilingual/Bicultural Studies. For more career stalled. Smaller publishing houses tent veterinarian Dr. Jessica Popper, who live in Stony Brook, N.Y., and have four information, call x3-4771. were gobbled up by larger companies, and finds herself solving murders in fictional adult children between them. Blair is on the new conglomerates focused on fea- Long Island settings. The fifth book in the the board of the MIT Long Island Alumni turing fewer books by big-name authors. series, “Right From the Gecko,” is due to Association and is also president of the Blair had a following, but had not made a come out in spring 2007, and Blair plans New York/Tri-State Chapter of the nation- ANESTHESIA commercial breakthrough. Her publisher, to write at least two more books featuring al writers’ organization, Sisters in Crime. Continued from Page 7 would not affect the respiratory system, that would allow us to lose consciousness of pain but still allow us to breathe.” His research team explores this by administering more and more of an anes- thetic drug while measuring brain activity using MRI, fMRI and EEG simultaneously. “We see how the regions of the brain stop talking to one another,” he said. “We give subjects an auditory task—they’re asked to click a button with their left hand PHOTOS / DONNA COVENEY when they hear a low tone and click a button with their right hand when they hear Above, the plaque in the President’s a high tone—in order to develop a clinical Garden; left, apple from Newton’s tree. definition of anesthesia. When the subject stops responding, we want to know what the EEG tells us and what the images show us.” Ed Vetter (S.B. 1942) gave MIT an apple ton’s apple tree. Vetter was given the plant as One of Brown’s collaborators is HST tree that is a direct descendant of the tree a gift from the National Bureau of Standards faculty member Dr. Richard Wurtman, under which Isaac Newton sat when he is said when he left office as undersecretary of the professor of BCS and HST, who is looking Newton’s to have conceived the theory of gravity. U.S. Commerce Department in 1977. He pre- for precise locations in the brain that are “I couldn’t think of a better place than MIT sented the young plant to MIT that same year. affected by anesthesia. to put a tree that illustrates a law of physics,” “I’ll be honest with you, whenever I’m “Anesthesiology is being practiced apple tree says Vetter, whose tree stands in MIT’s Pres- at MIT I always stop to see how the tree is today in much the same way it was when ident’s Garden, a sunny spot off the Infinite doing,” he says. “I’ve watched it grow from it was first developed at MGH 160 years Corridor. eight inches to 12 feet. It makes me feel good ago,” he said. “To me, anesthesiology is bears fruit This fall, the beloved tree bore bright, to know that it has flourished and that people one of the most exciting frontiers in medi- healthy fruit—a sure sign of flourishing and a enjoy it.” cine. If you look at the deep question— link between past and present days. It is a fact, he says, that over the years the where did this person go under anesthe- at MIT The MIT apple tree was grown from a cut- tree has become the apple of his eye. sia—we can get insights about conscious- ting of a tree in England’s Royal Botanical Gar- ness, about sleep, about meditation. These dens that was grown from a cutting of New- —Liz Karagianis are interesting, exciting medical and philo- sophical questions.”