Volume 51 – Number 19 Wednesday – March 7, 2007 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY

MacVicar Day celebrates variety among learning strategies Deborah Halber News Office Correspondent

Some people learn better when they are being graded; some do worse. Some like to go over classroom material by saying it out loud to themselves; some like to teach it to others. Some said they learn best when they look, some when they listen and some when they draw pictures. If there’s one thing clear from the 2007 MacVicar Day event “I learn best when…,” it’s that learning is never a one-size-fits-all matter. On March 2, the MacVic- ar Faculty Fellows spon- sored MIT’s annual rec- ognition of undergraduate education with a roundtable discussion moderated by Duane S. Boning, professor and associate department head of electrical engineer-

PHOTO / CHRISTOPHER CLEAVER ing and computer science, during which students, Environmental studies David Wallace faculty and alumni shared A program to teach environmental studies at the Hindu Girls School in Mauritius was one of many international proj- ects supported by MIT Public Service Center expedition grants. Story, page 5. See MacVICAR Page 3 ‘Just Jerusalem’ design competition AgeLab founder outlines technology’s focuses on peace, livability in 2050 new role in the lives of those over 50 Ruth Walker of the School of Architecture and Planning, Deborah Halber Contrary to prevailing notions, older News Office Correspondent is a director of Jerusalem 2050. As she News Office Correspondent adults are the leading adopters of new explained the Just Jerusalem competition technology. Wearable and implantable at its launch Friday, March 2, “The key devices that check blood chemistry and Can MIT help engineer a break with motivation was how to think about mak- The houses of the future will monitor pressure and dispense medications, robots history in Jerusalem? ing Jerusalem a more peaceful, sustain- our bodily functions through sensors in in nursing homes and refrigerators that The steering committee of Jerusalem able and just city, a place that’s welcoming the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens monitor what we eat are among new tech- 2050, a joint initiative of MIT’s Center for and satisfying for all its residents, no mat- and relay that data to drugstores that will nologies for the aging population. International Studies (CIS) ter their politics or religious, not only fill prescriptions and While some changes seem and the Department of Urban nationalist or ethnic identities. sell toothpaste but also connect like no-brainers—for instance, Studies and Planning, hopes Now that’s no small task.” us with health professionals. expanding originally assis- that the answer is yes. Richard J. Samuels, Ford The demographics of aging tive technologies like garage To that end, the commit- International Professor of are bringing about massive door openers—others raise tee has just launched a design Political Science and director changes in society in the indus- disturbing questions about competition called “Just Jeru- of CIS, introduced the com- trialized world, said Joseph F. privacy, dignity and personal salem: Visions for a Place of petition as an effort to “start Coughlin, founder and director responsibility. Peace.” thinking new thoughts” about of the MIT AgeLab. He spoke Soon, 80 percent of older The idea is to get purchase Jerusalem. at a Program in Science, Tech- adults will be living by them- on the problems of this frac- The light-bulb moment for nology and Society (STS) col- selves. Would you prefer to tious city by looking at them the group struggling to launch loquium, “A New Look at Old live independently even if as challenges in urban design the Jerusalem 2050 project Age: Science, Technology and it meant having a smart toi- rather than in international was this realization, Samuels Choosing How We Will Live let gather data on your body diplomacy. Richard J. Samuels explained: “Perhaps if the con- Tomorrow,” on Feb. 26. Joe Coughlin weight, glucose and fiber The name of the competi- flict could be taken out of its Coughlin predicts that, by content and upload it to your tion is a bit of wordplay, meant to suggest national context and put into a more quo- the time we’re 50, we’re not likely to move. doctor? Should insurance companies have not only Jerusalem as a city of justice, but tidian one—daily life in the city—perhaps Our houses will enable us to live indepen- the right to dictate how we live if they also “Jerusalem alone.” The competition then we could imagine a better time and dently for longer by providing a variety of believe that certain health choices will is based on the question, What if justice perhaps we could imagine a better way.” technologies designed to keep us healthy save money on medical care in the long and urban livability, instead of competing Samuels conceded that the Just Jerusa- and provide help if necessary. Modular run? nationalist projects, were the organizing lem competition turns on its head the con- houses, already fitted with grab bars in the Affordability is also a concern. How principles of Jerusalem? shower and wheelchair ramps, could be See AGELAB Diane E. Davis, professor of urban stud- See JERUSALEM dropped into the backyard to accommo- ies and planning as well as associate dean Page 7 date elderly relatives. Page 4

NEWS RESEARCH HUMANITIES

TUITION ANNOUNCED STEM CELL ADVANCES HIP-HOP PLANET Financial aid increases nearly 12 percent. Bioengineer’s work widens horizon for adult stem Japanese hip-hop skips guns, goes for world peace. Page 2 cell research. Page 7 Page 4 FACULTY PROMOTED SPEAKS The MIT Corporation accepts 41 faculty promotions. POWER AID The -based video artist will visit MIT. Page 3 Simulation reveals how nanomaterials pump up. Page 7 Page 5 PAGE 2 March 7, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY Tamako Harrington, Judy Daniels, President Susan Hockfield, Jim Harrington, Elizabeth Pierre and Jamie Fabianski celebrated after Jim Harrington won an Excellence Award. Excellence Awards ceremony applauds MIT staff The annual MIT Excellence Awards Research Laboratory of Electronics; Anne ceremony was held Feb. 28 in Kresge Deveau, administrative assistant, history, Auditorium. Seventeen members of the theory and criticism of architecture and Institute staff were recognized. They are, art, School of Architecture and Planning; by category of award: Anne C. Maloney, senior stock clerk, Fostering Community: Janet E. Fisch- Laboratory for Nuclear Science; Cynthia er, special assistant, Office of the Provost, McLain, associate staff, Group 62, Informa- and Helen Rose, associate director, Office tion Systems Technology Group, Lincoln of Development Research and Systems. Laboratory; Dieter Willner, senior staff, Creating Connections: Edward Mori- Group 34, Intelligence, Test and Evalua- arty, technical instructor, Edgerton Cen- tion Group, Lincoln Laboratory. ter; Christopher Resto, administrative Innovative Solutions: Sabin Dang, director, Undergraduate Practice Opportu- technical assistant, McGovern Institute nities Program (UPOP); Daniel A. Trujillo, for Brain Research; Christine L. Moulen, associate dean, Community Development library systems manager, MIT Libraries. and Substance Abuse Program. Unsung Heroes: Gary Pascucci, driver Bringing out the Best: Jim Har- procurement and travel services, Lincoln rington, facilities manager, School of Archi- Laboratory; George V. Petrowsky, systems

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY tecture and Planning; Ronald Hasseltine, administrator, Information Services & assistant dean, School of Science. Technology; Patricia Shea, administrative Janet Fischer of the provost’s office, center, and her parents Jack (S.B. 1959) and Margaret Serving the Client: Joseph F. Con- staff, Group 61, Net-centric Integration at the reception held for honorees Feb. 28 at Kresge Auditorium. nolly, assistant director for administration, Group, Lincoln Laboratory.

MIT announces 2007-2008 tuition; financial aid to increase almost 12 percent MIT has set tuition and fees for 2007- making MIT affordable for all who qualify the Institute’s Undergraduate Research In December, Hockfield announced 2008 and has budgeted an additional $7 for admission has been unfaltering. This Opportunities Program (UROP) for all MIT’s intention to launch a major fundrais- million for financial aid enhancements, year, as in seven previous years, MIT has upperclassmen who receive financial aid. ing effort to support undergraduate and bringing its total undergraduate financial increased funds available for financial aid About 85 percent of MIT undergraduates graduate education and student life. Over aid budget to $68 million, President Susan by a factor greater than the increase in participate in UROP over the course of the next five years, MIT plans to raise sig- Hockfield announced. tuition. The result: The net price an aver- their studies at the Institute. nificant funds to support undergraduate “The world needs the kind of leaders age student or family pays for an under- One of the earliest programs of its kind scholarships, graduate fellowships, initia- and thinkers who graduate from MIT. By graduate MIT education has actually in the , MIT’s UROP invites tives growing out of the report of the Task finding innovative ways to enhance our dropped,” Hastings said. undergraduates to participate in research Force on the Undergraduate Educational strong, entirely need-based financial aid Overall, the average MIT scholar- as the junior colleagues of Institute facul- Commons and programmatic and capital program, we are ensuring that an MIT ship is more than $28,000, supported by ty. The UROP program has given genera- investments in student life. undergraduate education is affordable endowed funds, gifts from alumni and tions of undergraduates their first hands- MIT took a leadership role in the to all of our admitted students, without general Institute funds. Sixty-four percent on experiences with research and has national debate on financial aid just one regard to their economic circumstances,” of undergraduates qualify for need-based opened the doors to ongoing relationships year ago, when it became the first private Hockfield said. financial aid. In 2006-2007, 23 percent of with faculty, Hastings noted. university to announce a Pell Grant match- Tuition and fees for the upcoming aca- undergraduates pay no tuition, thanks to The new UROP funds will help stu- ing program to ensure the accessibility demic year will increase 4.1 percent to the Institute’s financial aid program, Hock- dents who are interested in term-time and affordability for all qualified students. $34,986, while undergraduate financial aid field noted. work to earn money by doing research Fourteen percent of MIT undergradu- will increase 11.7 percent. A new program beginning in the 2007- as junior members of MIT’s faculty. “MIT ates receive Pell Grants, which usually are Daniel Hastings, dean for undergradu- 08 academic year will further amplify is taking its undergraduate financial aid awarded to students from families earning ate education, noted that the Institute has MIT’s financial aid portfolio. Beginning program to a new level through coherent, less than $40,000 a year. Since 2006, it has steadily increased financial aid over the next year, MIT will guarantee funding guaranteed financial aid awards such as been possible for Pell Grant recipients to past eight years. “Our commitment to for a paid research opportunity through these,” Hastings said. graduate from MIT with little or no debt.

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Permission is granted to excerpt or reprint any Printed on recycled paper Communications Assistant ...... Heather Manning material originated in Tech Talk. MIT Tech Talk NEWS March 7, 2007 PAGE 3 Robbin Chapman, diversity recruiting manager, foresees sustainable inclusiveness for MIT Robbin Chapman (Ph.D. 2006) has joined the School of into people staying, people being satisfied, people doing Architecture and Planning as manager of diversity recruit- well. You want to be sure you’re connecting with people ing, the first person ever to hold that position in the School and talking about their entire lives here. of Architecture and Planning. Q: How did your educational path prepare you for this In announcing Chapman’s appointment in February, role? Dean Adèle Santos said, “We have an aggressive set of A: All of the time I’ve been at MIT I’ve been work- goals to accomplish in this area and will need the assis- ing with students, helping with peer counseling, listening tance of all members of the skills, conflict resolution, stuff like that. And I’ve also been school with this effort. I couldn’t doing a great deal of work around diversity and diversity be more pleased to have some- recruitment, separate from my graduate work. one of Robbin’s caliber to lead Q: What kind of training have you directed? PHOTO / STEPHANIE SCHOROW this activity, to help meet our A: I have taught listening skills, how to work diplo- Annette Kim, assistant professor, urban studies and plan- goals and to make enhance- matically with students from varying backgrounds, in a ning, left, Elliot Hui, postdoc, Harvard-MIT Division of Health ments to the solid foundation way that’s inclusive of everyone. Also, I have taught skills Sciences and Technology, and Troy van Voorhis, assistant that many of you have worked about how to teach people when they have differing ways professor, chemistry, discussed faith and development. so hard to build.” of thinking and learning. Q: What is your goal as man- Q: That sounds like it relates to your dissertation work. ager of diversity recruiting? A: It does. I was interested in the different ways that Panel explores links among A: My responsibility is to people learn and how that feeds into an existing frame- increase the faculty and gradu- work of learning called constructionism. Seymour Papert faith, academia and aid PHOTO / JUDITH M. DANIELS ate student pool of underrepre- is the founder of that framework. It’s based on the idea that Robbin Chapman sented minority talent. For the people learn best when involved in building or creating School of Architecture and Plan- something that is then made public so others can see it. in the developing world ning, at this point, it means African-Americans, Latinos, Q: And how does your new role build on that work? Stephanie Schorow Chicanos, women, Native Americans and Alaskan natives. A: A critical role I have played was as a community News Office Correspondent Q: Do other schools have people in this role? builder. I’m trying to serve in a similar role here. I don’t A: Yes. There are different models. But the most want the fact that I’m here to signal that we can just sit important thing is visibility. It needs to be clear that this back and let me take care of increasing diversity at the A forum on the links between faith and development person is connected at the highest level of her institution School of Architecture and Planning. That’s not a sustain- in the Third World became a frank discussion on whether or department. This work has to be viewed as integral to able or robust model. The point is we are all responsible MIT students and faculty could—or should—link their everything that’s done here. for our environment. I’m going to do a lot of the legwork, faith to their careers as scientists and educators. Q: So you have the dean’s full support. but together we are going to go through the difficult pro- Students and others attending “Faith, Academia and A: Yes. Adèle wants to be clear that this effort is being cess of building a community of practice around inclusion. the Developing World: Finding Linkages,” held Saturday supported at the highest level of the school. The School of Q: What are the challenges ahead? as part of the March 1-3 Veritas Forum at MIT, pressed Architecture and Planning is really serious about increas- A: We all have baggage that we bring into our interac- the three presenters for answers on topics like the mean- ing diversity in the school, and it’s about more than just tions with others. Sometimes it’s difficult to unpack that ing of altruism, how to balance belief with science and counting heads. Even if you could just bring in higher baggage. But we’re MIT! We’re really good at figuring even if aspects of MIT life were “evil.” Others wondered if numbers of people, that’s not necessarily going to translate things out, building something new and better. those who seek to help the poor should use their status as MIT professionals to press for policy change. The free-wheeling discussion pleased presenters Troy Van Voorhis, assistant chemistry professor, Annette Kim, Corporation accepts 41 faculty promotions assistant professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and Elliot Hui, a postdoctoral fellow in the At a meeting held on Feb. 2, the Executive Committee theater arts, Sarah Song of political science, David S. Jones Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, of the MIT Corporation accepted President Susan Hock- of science, technology and society, Jared R. Curhan, Shane who had hoped for an informal exchange. All three also field’s recommendations for the promotion of 27 assistant Frederick, David Gamarnik, Dirk Jenter and David McAd- talked personally and openly about the religious faith that professors to associate professor without tenure and of 14 ams of the Sloan School of Management, Amy E. Keating informs their career choices. associate professors with tenure to full professor. All pro- of biology, James J. DiCarlo of brain and cognitive sciences, “God has a special concern for the poor and oppressed,’’ motions are effective July 1. Alice Y. Ting of chemistry, Kiran S. Kedlaya of mathemat- said Van Voorhis, whose research focuses on modeling Profiles of those promoted to full professor will appear ics, and Nergis Mavalvala and Ian W. Stewart of physics. electron dynamics, but who also volunteers with Habitat in a subsequent issue of Tech Talk. Additionally, the following 14 have been promoted from for Humanity and other organizations. “If God cares about Those who were promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure to full professor: that, I care about that.” associate professor without tenure are John A. Ochsend- Caroline A. Jones and Nasser O. Rabbat of architecture, Kim said that development research should not disre- orf of architecture, Judith A. Layzer of urban studies and Hiroshi Ishii of media arts and sciences, Jonathan P. How gard faith issues, noting that religion may be a factor in planning, Emilio Frazzoli of aeronautics and astronautics, and Brian C. Williams of aeronautics and astronautics, why some development programs succeed and others fail. Forrest M. White of biological engineering, Regina Bar- William H. Green Jr. of chemistry, Rajeev J. Ram and Seth A community’s beliefs are “key to their economic zilay, Karl K. Berggren, Luca Daniel, Dina Katabi, Samuel Teller of electrical engineering and computer science, action,” she said. R. Madden and Asuman Ozdaglar of electrical engineering John G. Brisson II and John J. Leonard of mechanical Hui, who got his B.S. in physics and electrical engi- and computer science, Francesco Stellacci of materials sci- engineering, Daniel Fox and Kai von Fintel of linguistics neering at MIT and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering ence and engineering, Thomas Peacock and Yang Shao- and philosophy, Thomas DeFrantz of music and theater at the University of California at Berkeley, said he chose Horn of mechanical engineering, Jay Scheib of music and arts and Angelika Amon of biology. to forego research that focused on military applications to concentrate on biomedicine. He also sees a trend in research away from health problems of wealthy nations (like obesity) to problems of poorer nations. “Suddenly it’s really cool to do work in the developing MacVICAR world,” he said. Maybe, he admitted, his own choice might Continued from Page 1 self wearing a T-shirt and shorts across the floor. “I learn be perceived as opportunistic; yet he wanted a career that best when I…,” he prompted. “Move around?” someone had more of a social impact. “I think it’s something you learning strategies and tools. guessed. “Push myself,” he said. actively try to explore,” he said. The 2007 MacVicar Faculty Fellows are Yoel Fink, Wallace took a bite out of a hamburger to demonstrate One audience member had a more direct question: “Do associate professor of materials science and engineering; that he likes learning when he “tries new things”; pointed you think there are fields of study that are at odds with Jonathan Gruber, pro- a camera to show he’s your faith?” fessor of economics “focused”; and a “new “I asked these questions as an undergraduate,” Kim and associate depart- and improved” sign said. “I think the answer is: ‘It depends.’” She suggests ment head; Charles E. meant he likes learn- looking at the overall “system” to see if an area is a mor- Leiserson, professor of ing when he believes ally acceptable choice. In school it’s not immoral to study a electrical engineering it will lead to a way to particular field, Van Voorhis said; the question is whether and computer science; benefit society. once in the field, you feel you are “swimming against the James B. Orlin, profes- Wallace, who stream.” sor of management said he was once so The presenters were asked if they acted out of a sense science; and David absorbed in learning of guilt over their well-off lives. “There’s no way to work Wallace, associate pro- that he wrapped a set in international justice and have guilt continue to be your fessor of mechanical of chisels in a pair of motivation,” Kim noted. Asked “What is your definition of engineering. dress pants and stuck altruism and is it possible,” Van Voorhis said his definition Daniel E. Hastings, them in his toolbox, was “doing something of absolutely no benefit to you at dean for undergradu- said he really learns all.” ate education, read best “when it’s fun. For many in the audience, the question was not wheth- student comments When it’s fun, it makes er MIT had an obligation to help developing nations, but about the five fel- all the things I talked how to help. lows: “One of the best about something I “It is important for people in the developed countries to lecturers I’ve experi- really want to do.” actually have contact with the people they think they are enced at MIT,” a stu- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY The roundtable helping,” Hui said. Added Kim, “Instead of just thinking of dent wrote about Fink; Ruth Perry, literature professor, left, and Bryan Owens, senior in mechani- also included Ruth technology, have an in-depth knowledge of what’s happen- Gruber has the “rare cal engineering, discuss learning strategies. Perry, professor of lit- ing on the ground.” ability to turn dry lec- erature; Julie Norman, That knowledge should include, the presenters insist- tures into lively discussions”; a student feels that Leiser- associate dean in the Office of the Dean for Undergradu- ed, a sense of the spiritual—as well as material—needs of son is “walking right beside us in our exploration of the ate Education; alumnus Dedric A. Carter, executive direc- a community. world of algorithms”; Orlin’s classes are “full of fun with tor of the Office of Engineering Outreach Programs and The Veritas Forum at MIT, veritas.org, seeks to explore purpose and include game shows to review the material”; lecturer in electrical engineering and computer science; the practical connections among science, faith and tech- and being Wallace’s student is “like an apprenticeship to a junior Dayán Páez; senior Bryan Owens; sophomore Irina nology. Other forums explored theological issues raised master of the trade.” Shyklar; and Cambridge–MIT undergraduate exchange by the Human Genome project and by intelligent robots, Wallace also participated in the roundtable discussion. whether science and Christianity were at odds and ques- Ever the educator, he turned his remarks into a teachable See MacVICAR tions of truth-telling in the business world. moment. He shoved a life-size cardboard cutout of him- Page 6 PAGE 4 March 7, 2007 RESEARCH MIT Tech Talk Adult stem cell survival, promise advanced MicroRNA found Anne Trafton previously unknown. ing continuous EGF exposure on the cell to regulate gene News Office When EGF attaches to receptors on the surface. stem cell surface, it activates many path- “Putting them on a scaffold is appealing implicated in cancer ways that can influence stem cell prolifera- because then you can control the concen- MIT researchers have developed a tion, migration and differentiation. How- tration and location and so forth,” Griffith Eric Bender technique to encourage the survival and ever, the cell normally absorbs EGF and said. The ceramic and polymer scaffold, Whitehead Institute growth of adult stem cells, a step that degrades it, and the growth factor loses its which remains in the patient’s body dur- could help realize the therapeutic potential power to influence cell behavior. This has ing healing but then resorbs, also provides of such cells. made EGF notoriously difficult to develop structure for the stem cells as they grow Adult stem cells, found in many tissues as a clinical product for wound healing. A microRNA directly regulates a gene in the body, are precursor cells for specific To control this, the researchers decid- See STEM CELLS implicated in human cancers, research- cell types. For example, stem cells found ed to tether EGF to a scaffold, preventing ers from the Whitehead Institute and MIT in the bone marrow develop into blood the stem cells from eating it up and allow- Page 6 reported in the Feb. 22 online issue of cells, bone cells and other connective tis- Science. sues, and neural stem cells develop into MicroRNAs are tiny snippets of RNA brain tissue. that can repress activity of a gene by tar- Those stem cells hold great promise for geting the gene’s messenger RNA (which treatment of injuries and some diseases, copies DNA information and starts the says MIT professor of biological engineer- process of protein production). ing Linda Griffith. The first microRNA was discovered in Griffith is the senior author of a recent 1993, in worms. It took seven years for the study showing that when presented in the second one to be found, also in worms. But right physical context, certain growth fac- then the floodgates burst. Many microR- tors encourage the survival and prolifera- NAs now have been found in diverse tion of bone marrow mesenchymal stem plants and animals, including hundreds in cells grown outside of the body. humans. Moreover, microRNAs found in The work offers hope that one day, mammals regulate more than a third of stem cells removed from a patient could the human genome, as shown in a 2005 be transplanted to an injury site and study by MIT Professor of Biology David induced to grow into new, healthy tissue. Bartel and colleagues. Bartel is also a The research appears in a recent online Whitehead member and Howard Hughes issue of Stem Cells. Medical Institute investigator. Griffith’s team focused on the potential But given the wealth of microRNAs and for mesenchymal stem cells to grow into the ability of individual microRNAs to tar- new bone in patients with bone cancer or get hundreds of genes, researchers have severe bone injuries. Current treatment for struggled to show the biological impact of such patients involves replacing the bone a particular microRNA on a particular tar- with either cadaver bone or, more com- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY get in mammals (although such connec- monly, a piece of the patient’s hip bone. tions have been shown in plants, worms Ideally, surgeons would like to be able Linda Griffith, professor of biological engineering, is conducting research on adult stem and flies). Several groups have demon- to aspirate bone marrow from the hip, cells, which could one day be used to treat injuries and diseases. strated that over-expression or under- which is a much less painful and invasive expression of a microRNA can play a role process than removing bone, and trans- in certain cancers, but have not clarified plant the stem cells from that marrow into the genes responsible. the injury site. Looking to find a promising target for Although patients’ own marrow has an individual microRNA, Christine Mayr, a been used successfully in certain situa- postdoctoral researcher in the Bartel lab, tions, Griffith and her clinical collaborators picked Hmga2, a gene that is defective in a believe that the inflammatory response wide range of tumors. following transplant may limit survival of In these tumors, the protein-producing cells under many clinical conditions. part of the Hmga2 gene is cut short and To avoid that deadly response, Griffith replaced with DNA from another chro- and her team sought a way to manipulate mosome. Biologists have mostly focused the environment surrounding the cells on the shortened protein as the possible to make conditions more favorable for reason that the cells with this DNA swap survival. They zeroed in on a growth fac- became tumors. But this DNA swap PHOTOS COURTESY / LINDA GRIFFITH tor known as EGF, which plays a role in removes not only the gene’s protein-pro- growth and differentiation of many cells, MIT researchers have discovered that treating bone marrow stem cells with a growth fac- ducing regions but also those areas that including stem cells. However, its ability to tor called EGF promotes their survival and growth when the EGF is tethered to a scaffold. don’t code for protein. And these non-pro- protect stem cells against the sort of pro- At left, stem cells treated with soluble (untethered) EGF are shown, at right are stem cells tein-producing regions contain the ele- death signals found at the implant site was treated with tethered EGF. ments that microRNAs recognize. It turns out that in the non-protein-pro- ducing region, Hmga2 has seven sites that are complementary to the “let-7” microR- Solar power, clean energy inspire NA, a microRNA expressed in the later AGELAB stages of animal development. Mayr won- Norwegian entrepreneur Continued from Page 1 dered whether loss of these let-7 binding sites, and therefore loss of regulation by Deborah Halber largest CO2 capture and storage facility off do we ensure technological benefits are let-7 of Hmga2, might cause over-expres- News Office Correspondent the west coast of Norway by 2014,” Gahr equitably distributed across the social sion of Hmga2 that in turn would result in Støre said. spectrum? tumor formation. Gahr Støre and Robert C. Armstrong, Life expectancy in the United States To find out, Mayr created a series of The fact that darkness prevails over associate director of the MIT Energy has increased from around 50 to around Hmga2 genes in which various numbers northern Norway for months at a time did Initiative, outlined existing cooperative 80 in the past century. In 20 years, one of let-7 sites were destroyed. She found not stop Norwegian entrepreneur Alf Bjørs- programs between MIT and the Norwe- in four people in the United States will be clear evidence that when exposed to let-7, eth from starting a solar energy company. gian University of Science and Technol- over age 60. Those numbers are higher the fewer sites that were intact, the more Norway, a leading oil exporter, ogy (NTNU), Norway’s leading technical in countries such as Germany, Italy, Japan protein was produced. is putting enormous resources into university. Other ongoing collaborations and even China, where birth rates are Next, she tested whether disrupting let- emerging, clean and renewable energy exist between MIT and the Internation- declining. 7’s ability to repress Hmga2 would lead to technologies. Connecting with MIT and al Research Institute of Stavanger, the The paradox of aging is, now that we’re tumor creation. In a standard in vitro test Massachusetts—like Norway, a hotbed of Research Council of Norway and the Nor- living longer, what are we going to do with of cancer-causing genes, colonies of mouse private sector energy-related innovation— wegian oil and gas industry. all that extra time? cells that expressed normal or shortened is high on the agenda of the Norwegian Collaborations around marine science Although most of us will still end up Hmga2 did not grow significantly, while government. and a university chair alternating between with chronic diseases, we will contract cells in which Hmga2 contained disrupted In conjunction with his first visit to MIT and a Norwegian university are them later in life, and chances are they will let-7 sites did. In fact, the more that let-7 Boston, Norwegian Foreign Minister among the other potential joint projects. not incapacitate us until even later. sites were damaged, the greater the num- Jonas Gahr Støre spoke at a March 1 MIT At a panel discussion moderated by Coughlin points out that we live in a ber of colonies. seminar on clean technology and renew- Torger Reve, former president of the Nor- society that says you’re done at age 65. Mayr also worked with MIT Assistant able energy. The event was sponsored by wegian School of Management, panelists Retirement, he pointed out, may just go Professor Michael Hemann of the Depart- Innovation Norway, a state-owned com- Bjørseth, president of Scatec and former away. ment of Biology to inject these cells in pany that promotes Norwegian industrial CEO and founder of Renewable Energy People want to do things, and 30 years mice with a compromised immune system. development and a member of the MIT Corp.; Olav Bolland of the Department of playing golf is not appealing to most. The scientists found that the mice with Industrial Liaison Program. of Energy and Process Engineering at “We’re looking at a (Baby Boomer) cells that expressed the version of Hmga2 Bjørseth and other innovation experts NTNU; Richard Lester, director and found- generation that has greater expectations with the disrupted let-7 sites developed were part of a panel during the event, er of the Industrial Performance Center at that their lives are better and different,” tumors. “Innovation Clusters in Massachusetts and MIT; and David Marks, co-director of the Coughlin said. And boomers whine more, Overall, the results highlight a new Norway: New Opportunities for Transat- Laboratory for Energy and the Environ- he said, and are more likely to demand mechanism for cancer formation. Hmga2, lantic Cooperation in the Transition to a ment at MIT, addressed models for trans- more aggressive treatments. and perhaps certain other genes that are Clean Energy Economy.” atlantic collaboration and how to leverage With a multidisciplinary team, the normally regulated by microRNAs, can Norway’s version of NASA’s Apollo industry and knowledge clusters in Mas- AgeLab is looking at how to address pub- help give rise to tumors if a mutation in project involves diversifying into natural sachusetts and Norway. lic policy, political issues, social issues and the gene disrupts the microRNA’s ability gas from reserves at the Bering Sea, con- Human ingenuity applied to “better technology for a population that may soon to regulate it. In addition, the results show tinuing to tap into rich oil reserves and ways to extract, store and transport ener- be routinely living to be over 100. that the interaction of one microRNA with developing carbon sequestration technolo- gy is the only chance we have to break out “All these technologies make it possi- one of its target genes can produce a cer- gies in underground storage reservoirs. of the triple straitjacket of security, climate ble to rethink the social contract,” he said. tain trait in mammals. “Norway has ambitious goals for capture and cost-and-supply problems,” Lester “Right now, we are not geared to meet the This research was funded by the and storage of CO2. We aim to build the said. needs and demands of an aging society.” National Institutes of Health. MIT Tech Talk RESEARCH March 7, 2007 PAGE 5 PSC grants expand MIT’s global reach Undergraduate and graduate students “to better prepare the rural West African who work in developing regions outside students for today’s high-tech world.” He the United States over Independent Activi- “returned to MIT very aware and apprecia- ties Period or over the summer are eligible tive of all the opportunities and resources to receive grants for up to $1,000 from the available to me. I plan on making full use Public Service Center (PSC). Below is a of everything here and hope to continue brief summary of grant-winning projects contributing to those in need,” he said. students worked on during IAP 2007. Kenya: Water-carrying donkeys Argentina: HIV and sex education empower Masai women counseling in Buenos Aires Zawadi Lemayian, a sophomore in Sophia Kamran, a junior in biological management, traveled to Kenya to try engineering, and Keron Lezama, a junior to improve educational access for Masai in chemical engineering, traveled to Hos- girls, who typically are not allowed to go pital Rivadavia in Buenos Aires to help the to school. Water access is a critical need medical workers develop their HIV and in the area, so Lemayian used some of sex education counseling services. While her grant funds to purchase donkeys for they assisted in improving information carrying water. By working with the chief access for patients, they also improved and other leaders, Lemayian arranged for their own understanding of public health the women to control this resource, which issues in developing countries, learned resulted in both greater access to water about cultural issues related to sensitive and more respect for women. In addition, subjects and gained Spanish fluency. Lemayian worked with the chief to con- PHOTO COURTESY / MIT SOLAR TURBINE GROUP vince three families to send their daugh- MIT students traveled to Lesotho in January 2006 to work on developing a solar micro- Brazil: Improving living standards in ters to school this year. Lemayian said, generator that would provide affordable energy. Rio de Janeiro and Tocantins “You only appreciate what you have when Aimee Beasley, a junior in civil and you realize how much harder other peo- environmental engineering, traveled with ple’s lives are.” D-Lab students and two team leaders to Mauritius: Environmental education Brazil. She worked with the Esçola do Chancellor announces launch of Global MIT site Canuanã, an agriculturally focused board- at the Hindu Girls School ing school, and with local village members Christopher Cleaver, a junior in aero- Global MIT, a web site and data- database already has more than 700 to design simple appropriate technological nautics and astronautics, worked in Mau- base that will enable users inside and entries. Clay asked for “participation solutions to daily health, sanitation, elec- ritius, a small island and a developing state outside the Institute community to and assistance in updating information tricity, water, communication and econom- in the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of learn about the full range of MIT’s on activities with which you or your ical issues in the rural state of Tocantins. Madagascar. His project was the School international engagement, has been group may be involved. We are certain In Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhoods Footprinting Initiative, a three-year envi- launched, Chancellor Phillip L. Clay that you will have additions and correc- of Rhocina, Manguiera de Botafogo and ronmental education project that chal- announced. tions that should be in place before the Bangu, Beasley worked on solar water dis- lenges students to measure and reduce Global MIT is designed to be a pub- site goes live to the world.” infection systems for the urban and rural the environmental impact of their school. licly accessible compendium of all MIT He also thanked contributors in environments. She also helped to imple- Cleaver founded the project, obtained international and global activities in advance for “helping us develop this ment a tin can chimney designed by a high approval from the government of Mau- areas including research, education, resource, which represents MIT’s school student. ritius, and secured a promise of fund- internships and community service enormous global impact.” ing from Shell Mauritius. In addition, he opportunities. The URL for Global Members of the MIT community Ghana: High-tech education conducted a two-week pilot project with MIT is global.mit.edu. can add and edit entries in the data- Xin He, a sophomore in chemical engi- a ninth grade class in the Hindu Girls In his letter to the MIT communi- base using certificates. The Global neering, worked on projects in the rural School, discussing ecological footprinting, ty, Clay noted that the heart of Global MIT editors will review all changes village of New Longoro, Ghana, with six data collection and reporting. The project MIT is a state-of-the-art searchable prior to posting. Questions or sugges- other MIT students and a faculty member. database intended to include all of the tions about Global MIT may be sent to See PSC They taught teachers how to use a laptop Institute’s international activities. The [email protected]. they donated and discussed other plans Page 6 Model simulates atomic processes key to nanomaterials Anne Trafton behave under stress at the atomic level, mance of materials. those grains smaller, typically tens of nano- News Office offering insights that could help engineers Recent advances in nanotechnology meters in average size, metals become design materials with an ideal balance have allowed researchers to manipulate a stronger. Known as nanocrystalline met- between strength and resistance to failure. material’s nanostructure to make it both als, they are several times stronger than Researchers from MIT, Georgia Insti- When designing materials, there is strong and ductile. Now, the MIT-related conventional microcrystalline metals. tute of Technology and Ohio State Uni- often a tradeoff between strength and duc- team has figured out why some nano- However, as nanocrystalline metals versity have developed a new computer tility (resistance to breaking)—properties designed metals behave with that desir- become stronger, they also become more modeling approach to study how materials that are critically important to the perfor- able compromise between strength and brittle (less ductile). For example, cop- ductility. per with a grain size of 10 micrometers The team, led by Subra Suresh, the may have a ductility of about 50 percent Ford Professor of Engineering in the (depending on exact composition), but at Department of Materials Science and a 10 nanometer grain size, the ductility is Engineering, developed a simulation below 5 per- method derived from experimental data cent, according that allows them to visualize the deforma- to Suresh. tion of materials on a timescale of minutes. “In most Previous methods allowed for only a nano- applications, second-scale glimpse at the atomic-level you need opti- processes. mum combina- “It’s a method to look at mechani- tions of strength cal properties at the atomic scale of real and ductility,” experiments without being bogged down Suresh said. by limitations of nanosecond timescales of A few years the simulation methods such as molecular ago, researchers dynamics,” said Suresh, the senior author at the Shenyang of a paper on the work that appears as the National Labo- cover story in the Feb. 27 issue of the Pro- Subra Suresh ratory for Mate- ceedings of the National Academy of Sci- rials Science in ences. China synthesized a novel form of nano- Using the new method, the research- structured metal, nano-twinned copper. ers found that the ductility and strength The material was created by introducing of materials are greatly influenced by controlled concentrations of twin boundar- a special kind of interface known as the ies within very small grains of the metal twin boundary—an abrupt internal inter- using a technique known as pulsed elec- face each side of which is a precise mirror trodeposition. reflection of atoms on the other side. Twin The Shenyang group, working in collab- boundaries can be introduced in various oration with Suresh’s group at MIT, dem- densities, in a controlled manner, inside a onstrated in the last two years that nano- nanocrystalline metal. twinned copper has many of the same For many years, engineers have been desirable characteristics as nano-grained able to tinker with the structure of metals copper, and in addition resulted in a good to make them stronger. Most commonly combination of strength and ductility. By used metals, including copper, silver, gold controlling the thickness and spacing of and aluminum, are traditionally made from twin boundaries inside small grains to micrometer-scale “building blocks” called nanometer-level precision, they were able grains, which each contain many millions to produce copper with different “tunable” IMAGE COURTESY / SUBRA SURESH of atoms. This three-dimensional atomic simulation shows the absorption of a line defect by an exist- About two decades ago, materials engi- See ATOMIC ing twin boundary in nano-twinned copper. neers discovered that when they made Page 6 PAGE 6 March 7, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Doherty professor studies marine organisms Andrea Cohen and ultimately made available to other MacVICAR MIT Sea Grant organisms.” Continued from Page 3 know.” To date, quantifying these microscale Misra-Godwin said students in Cam- interactions has been extremely difficult student Deviyani Misra-Godwin. bridge, England, are less eager than MIT In work that will improve our because they occur on too small a scale Carter said he learns best when he students to talk about class material out- understanding of the marine to be studied in the field, and recreating “taps into the power of analogies” by side the lecture hall. “Students don’t ever microorganisms that are essential to their environmental conditions in the exploring how a specific analogy captures talk about work outside lectures. That’s healthy oceans, an MIT professor is using lab has previously not been possible. To the essence of what he’s trying to learn considered so uncool.” Instead, they take microfluidics to study these organisms in effectively study fluid mechanics at these and where it falls apart. “This creates a part in weekly one-on-one tutorials with the lab under conditions close to what they small scales, Stocker uses custom-tailored mental picture definitely worth more than senior faculty. experience in the wild. microchannel devices. Tiny channels, with 1,000 words,” he said. The event also included demonstra- For his work, Roman Stocker, assistant typical sizes of hundreds of microns, are Páez, a mechanical engineering major, tions and exhibits on how technology can professor in the Department of Civil and sandwiched between a polymer on the prefers to learn “conceptually or intuitively help learning. Environmental Engineering, has been top and a glass microscope slide fused to and not numerically. In engineering, too The MacVicar Faculty Fellows Program awarded the 2007 Doherty Professorship the bottom. Syringes and pumps generate much attention can be drawn to the math. was named to honor the life and contribu- in Ocean Utilization from the MIT Sea flows of varying speeds in the channels, I need an overall sense of what is happen- tions of Margaret MacVicar, professor of Grant College Program. Every year, the and nutrient and flow scenarios mimicking ing physically.” Owens said he learns by physical science and dean for undergradu- program selects one or two new faculty those in the ocean can be created. explaining course material to his immi- ate education at the time of her death in members for a supplemental award of “My work in microfluidics gives grant grandparents. Shyklar, who is major- 1991. $25,000 per year for two years. the biologists the ability to look at ing in brain and cognitive sciences, said Endowed by the Henry L. and microorganisms in their environment in she learns best by asking questions. She Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, a manner that’s impossible in the ocean, said professors should provide students the Doherty Fellowship encourages where the organisms are too small and with more opportunities to ask anonymous ATOMIC promising, non-tenured professors to the conditions too changeable. In the lab questions so they don’t risk feeling stupid Continued from Page 5 undertake marine-related research that we can very carefully recreate typical in the classroom. will further innovative uses of the ocean’s conditions of a microbe’s environment, Perry recalled that as a college student, combinations of strength and ductility. resources. The area of research may and we can accurately track where the she tried to take “perfect” notes and almost Internal interfaces such as grain bound- address any aspect of marine use and/or creatures go by attaching a video camera failed out. She realized, she said, students aries (which occur between grains) and management, whether social, political, to the microscope,” explains Stocker. have to interact with the material and not twin boundaries play a critical role in the environmental or technological. In his Doherty-funded research, Stocker just receive it. In her classes, she likes to strength and ductility of metals. Stocker’s research will focus on will look at whether bacteria can find pose questions she can’t answer. She pro- When there are smaller grains in the the marine microorganisms that are patches of high nutrient concentrations poses a question based on her observation metal structure, and hence more grain at the base of the oceans’ food web and and get to them before they dissipate by of a text and she and the students discuss boundaries for a given volume, there is are essential to the oceans’ healthy diffusion or flow. “If bacteria can rapidly possible answers together. more interaction between the boundaries functioning. “We’re interested in how find and consume nutrients, they will be Perry has undertaken a new path of and dislocations, or string-like defects in swimming microorganisms actively recycling them and ultimately they will be learning for herself: She is studying the the material that move inside and between respond to their environment,” says returned to the food web. These processes history and transmission of folk music. grains during mechanical deformation. Stocker, “as that strongly influences can totally change our estimate of the To learn the field, she apprentices herself The larger proportion of these boundaries how nutrients are recycled in the ocean carbon cycle in the ocean,” he says. to “someone who knows what I want to contributes to the brittleness of the metal. Adding nano-scale twin boundaries, which effectively subdivide the grains, has a similar strengthening effect, but the twin PSC STEM CELLS boundaries do not promote the same level Continued from Page 5 Continued from Page 4 cells she investigates. However, she also of brittleness as grain boundaries do. avoids research with human embryonic “You can trick the material and optimize is being launched in eight schools in 2007, into new bone cells. stem cells following a personal experi- both strength and ductility by modifying with an expansion to 16 and 32 schools “We found that when EGF was teth- ence with in vitro fertilization almost 10 the interactions between dislocations and planned in 2008 and 2009 respectively. ered to the surface it elicited different cell years ago. these nano-scale twin boundaries inside responses than it did when given to cells “Like some other scientists I know, the grain,” said Suresh. Southern Africa: Bringing solar energy in the usual soluble form,” Griffith said. my personal views about creating human The new study reveals that the ductil- to Lesotho “When tethered, it protected the cells from ES cell lines changed when confronted ity of nano-twinned copper can be attrib- Alex Hornstein, a senior in electrical being killed by pro-death inflammatory with the reality of doing so from my own uted to changes in the atomic structure engineering and computer science, trav- signals. The soluble version of the factor embryos. After this experience, I was not of the twin boundaries as the material is eled to Lesotho to work on a solar energy did not protect cells.” comfortable conducting human ES cell deformed. project at the Bethel Business Commu- So far all of the experiments have been research myself, and I have a better under- Metals with more twin boundaries also nity and Development Center with MIT done in vitro, or outside the body, but the standing of why some scientists object to maintain their electrical conductivity better students, alumni and local people. The researchers are currently planning studies all work with human ES cells,” she said. than metals with more grain boundaries, experience affirmed that it is possible, but in animals. She also said she feels her personal views, making them potentially more useful for difficult, to build a sophisticated device in Griffith, who does not work with human and those of others, are respected in the applications such as computer chip com- an isolated rural area, and that creativity embryonic stem cells, believes that adult scientific community. ponents. Nanocrystalline metals that are stem cells offer promising therapeutic Currently, federally funded research is and teamwork are essential for success. both strong and ductile could also be use- possibilities. only allowed on certain established lines ful for many wear-resistant thin-film coat- Tanzania: Prospecting for future D-Lab “I’m very optimistic about the poten- of embryonic stem cells, although a few ing applications and MEMS (micro-elec- projects tial for adult stem cells to be useful clini- states, including California and Connecti- tro-mechanical systems) devices, Suresh Ammar Jiwaji, a sophomore in manage- cally for the problems I work on, since cut, offer state funding for broader embry- said. there are already some clinical successes onic stem cell research. There are no legal ment, spent his IAP in Arusha, Tanzania, The researchers plan to use their new based on these cells,” she said. “Continu- restrictions on funding to study adult stem approach to look at such things as the and surrounding villages to investigate ing, careful, methodical work will lead to cells. structures of other materials and other prospects for future D-Lab projects for improved therapies based on adult stem Griffith’s recent work was funded by types of boundaries. other MIT students. He found interesting cells. We are aiming to expand the range the National Institutes of Health and the Suresh’s collaborators on the paper project possibilities related to wheelchairs, of therapies that work in the clinic.” Harvard School of Dental Medicine. include two former MIT graduate stu- improved cooking charcoal, health educa- Griffith is one of several MIT biological The lead author on the Stem Cells dents, Ting Zhu, now an assistant profes- tion and agricultural development, he said. engineering faculty members who work paper is Vivian Fan, a graduate student sor at Georgia Tech, and Ju Li, now an Tanzania: Replacing stolen computers with adult stem cells but not human in MIT’s Department of Biological Engi- assistant professor at Ohio State. Other and computer education embryonic stem cells. neering and the Harvard School of Den- authors are Amit Samanta and Hyoung Griffith is also one among many scien- tal Medicine. Other authors are Ada Au Gyu Kim, both of Ohio State. Philip Laker-Ojok, a sophomore in tists around the world who have at least and John Wright, graduate students in the The research was funded by the Nation- chemical engineering, worked with Folk- some objections to creation of human Department of Biological Engineering; al Science Foundation, the Office of Naval ers Rojas, a junior in nuclear science and embryonic stem cells, for a variety of Romie Littrell, lab manager in Griffith’s Research, the Air Force Office of Scien- engineering, to gather computer equip- reasons. She says her current focus on lab; Llewellyn Richardson, research assis- tific Research, the Department of Energy, ment to donate to the Loreto School in adult stem cells is driven largely by the tant in the Department of Chemical Engi- the Ohio Supercomputer Center and the Mwanza, Tanzania, replacing computers interesting science and the feasibility for neering; and Kenichi Tamama and Alan Defense University Research Initiative in that had been stolen. near-term clinical use for the types of Wells of the University of Pittsburgh. NanoTechnology. CLASSIFIED ADS

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Contact Willow Rocking Chair (Missouri, c 1950), $400. 1980’s. Will give your furniture a good home. Parking, modern kitchen, 1.5 BA 2BR, parlor, [email protected]. Pictures avail. [email protected] or Marcia 617-258-7851. Please e-mail [email protected]. MIT Tech Talk ARTS March 7, 2007 PAGE 7 Japanese hip-hop: from 50 Cent to mirror balls and world peace Stephanie Schorow differs markedly from the spread of cultur- News Office Correspondent al styles driven by major corporations such as Disney, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart,’’ Condry said. “Indeed hip-hop in Japan is Six months of hanging out in smoky, illuminating precisely because it was ini- grungy “genbas,” or Japanese hip-hop tially dismissed as a transient fad by major clubs, gave cultural anthropologist Ian corporations and yet took root as a popular Condry insight into how American rap style, nevertheless.” music and attitudes were being trans- Condry’s talk was part of “Cool Japan: formed by the youth in Japan. Media, Culture, Technology,” a Feb. 28- But he couldn’t figure out the mirror March 3 conference at MIT and Harvard balls. that explored the power and significance Every club, from large to small, had a of Japanese popular culture. mirror ball that sent glittering light into To illustrate his points, Condry played the sweaty haze above the Japanese hip- the video of the song “911” by King Gid- hop fans, artists, music executives and dra, a Japanese hip-hop group named after first-timers. a three-headed monster in the Godzilla PHOTO / KAMBUI OLUJIMI So “I had to develop my own philoso- movie series. The video movingly jux- phy of the mirror ball,” Condry, associate taposed images of Hiroshima with the Video and performance artist Coco Fusco, at home in Brooklyn, will visit MIT as part of the professor of Japanese cultural studies, told destruction of the World Trade Center on Abramowitz Artist-in-Residence Program. Sept. 11, 2001, as the group rapped about the elusive nature of world peace. Japanese hip-hop—which Condry sees as having the four basic elements of rap- Performance, video artist Fusco examines ping, deejaying, break dancing and graffiti art—quickly jettisoned the use of English, how visual media shape social issues which had lingered in rock music. Japa- nese rapping has almost no talk of guns Coco Fusco, a Brooklyn-based interdis- of Modern Arts Documentary Fortnight and very little mention of drugs but incor- ciplinary artist and writer known for her in 2005. Her 2002 video installation, “Dolo- porates images of samurai or uses Kabuki engaging and provocative video making res from 10 to 10” received an honorable performance style and often focuses on and performance art, will present two pub- mention from the 2003 Transmediale in global political issues. Yet bravado remains lic talks at MIT March 12 and 14 as part Berlin. The exhibition that she curated for crucial: One female rapper uses the eighth- of MIT’s Abramowitz Artist-in-Residence the International Center of Photography century poetry style of waka; “yet she does Program. on racial taxonomy in American photogra- it to say, ‘I’m the number one rapper and I Coco Fusco’s performances and videos phy, “Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions can beat the boys,’” Condry said. have been featured in numerous exhibi- of the American Self,” is currently touring Japanese rappers say they’re not into tions and festivals around the world, the United States. American culture, Condry explained in an including the Whitney Biennial and the Fusco, who teaches at Columbia Uni- interview. “They say they’re into black cul- London International Theatre Festival. versity, is the author of “English is Broken ture. They say, ‘I don’t care abut America Most recently, she participated in a sym- Here” (The New Press, 1995) and “The per se. But I love Spike Lee movies and I posium on feminist art organized by the Bodies That Were Not Ours and Other read the autobiography of Malcolm X … in . Writings” (Routledge/inIVA, 2001) and the PHOTO / STEPHANIE SCHOROW and I appreciate what black Americans Her writings have appeared in publi- editor of “Corpus Delecti: Performance have struggled to achieve.’’’ cations such as the Los Angeles Times, Art of the Americas” (Routledge, 1999) Ian Condry has a new book, ‘Hip-Hop In the late 1990s, Japanese rap became The Village Voice, The Nation, Ms., Art in and “Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of Japan.’ more commercialized but a wide under- America and frieze magazine. the American Self” (Abrams, 2003). ground hip-hop movement also emerged, Fusco examines how visual media On Monday, March 12, she will pres- an audience on March 1 during a discus- which spread throughout the country shape perception of social issues, using ent “What You Don’t Know Can Kill You: sion of his new book, “Hip-Hop Japan: Rap among a wide range of social and eco- ethnographic documentary forms, soap The Art of Coco Fusco” at 8 p.m. in Kirsch and the Paths of Cultural Globalization” nomic backgrounds. Only in the last four operas, talk and variety show formats, sur- Auditorium (Room 32-123, 32 Vassar St.) in (2006, Duke University Press). That phi- or five years, have “poor Japanese found a veillance cameras and closed circuit televi- a program cosponsored by the MIT Office losophy highlights the relationships within voice in hip-hop,” he said. sion as her signature media. of the Arts and MIT’s Visual Arts Program the hip-hop community, he explained. Condry admitted, with a laugh, that Intrigued by the role of women as “vic- (Department of Architecture). The mirror ball illuminated “no single there were moments when hanging out timizers” in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse On Wednesday, March 14, Fusco will star on stage but rather spotlighting and in the genbas when he wondered if this scandal, Fusco is currently developing a discuss “Gender, Sexuality and the Perfor- then passing over all of the participants,” was appropriate field work for a cultural series of new videos and performances mance of Interrogation” at 8 p.m. in Room Condry said, reading from his book. “The anthropologist. Of course, he loves sur- about the role of U.S. female interroga- 6-120 (enter at 77 Massachusetts Ave.). dynamic interaction among all these actors veys as much as the next academic, but tors. For her 2006 film, “Operation Atro- Both events are free; no tickets or res- is what brings a club scene to life. Mir- “You become part of the world. You see pos,” the artist, in a group of six women, ervations are necessary. For more infor- ror balls evoke this multiplicity, splashing what’s important to them,” he said. “To get took a course designed for civilians who mation, call 617-253-ARTS (2787). attention on each individual for a moment into that world, you need to learn a lot.” want to learn techniques both for extract- The Abramowitz Memorial Lecture, and then moving on—not unlike the fur- He also admitted that the Japanese hip- ing information and resisting interrogation presented by the Office of the Arts, was tive glances of desire between clubbers in hop fans began to imitate him, although themselves. established at MIT through the generosity a zone of intimate anonymity.” politeness prevented them from showing “The Couple in the Cage,” Fusco’s 1993 and imagination of William L. Abramowitz Such details were crucial to Condry’s him how he was copied. documentary about her caged Amerin- ‘35 as a memorial to his father. It has been insight into how affluent Japanese youth The “Cool Japan” conference was dian performance with former MIT visit- sustained since his death by the devoted had transformed the music that came sponsored by the MIT Japan Program, ing artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña, has interest of his wife and children. Since straight out of Compton into something Harvard’s Reischauer Institute of Japanese been screened in more than 200 venues 1961, the series has brought renowned distinctly Japanese. Studies, the Harvard Asia Center, MIT around the world. Her 2004 video, “a/k/a performing artists and writers to MIT to “The evolution of the Japanese hip-hop Foreign Languages and Literatures and Mrs. George Gilbert,” was selected for the perform, present public lectures and col- scene reveals a path of globalization that MIT Comparative Media Studies. 2004 Shanghai Biennale and the Museum laborate with students in free programs. JERUSALEM Ruehr concert celebrates CD release Continued from Page 1 the naïveté of a project that’s designed to Lynn Heinemann As for Linney, not only is she a great be utopian in a world that’s obviously not Office of the Arts actress, says Ruehr, “but her dad, Romu- ventional wisdom in dealing with divided that.” lus Linney, a playwright, was an acquain- cities by not dealing with political ques- But keynote speaker Ira Katznelson of tance who helped me with the final libretto tions first. Columbia University described it in terms The titles of MIT Lecturer Elena of ‘Toussaint Before the Spirits.’” So did William J. Mitchell, professor of of a “realistic utopia” that would expand Ruehr’s compositions are almost as evoca- Saturday’s concert will also celebrate architecture and media arts and sciences the limits of the possible. He cited urban tive as her music. In the case of her new the release of “Toussaint Before the Spir- at MIT and one of the international jurors theorist Jane Jacobs’s definition of a “city” work, “Calling Laura Linney,” to be pre- its” on Opera Unlimited’s Arsis audio CD. of the competition. But he continued: as a place full of strangers who must feel miered by flutist Sarah Brady The concert will also fea- “Architecture is a cultural form that safe among each other if the city is to func- this Saturday, March 10 at 8 ture a retrospective of Ruehr’s forces you to be specific about the orga- tion and thrive. p.m. in Killian Hall, Ruehr said flute and saxophone music, nization of daily life. It’s about what goes In Jerusalem, the status of “strangers” that her inspiration came from including the world premiere where, it’s how you move around, what is more permanent than in Jacobs’s New a fascination with the actor’s of a version for 10 saxo- you confront in your daily life. York, he observed. He suggested political process—in particular, that of phones of “The Voyage Out,” “When you put an architectural prop- scientist Susan Mendus’s ideal of “neigh- Linney, star of the films “Kin- “Of Water and Clouds” (per- osition on the table, people can begin to borliness,” rather than full multicultural- sey,” “Mystic River” and “The formed by Sarah Brady, flute, imagine what their lives could be like in ism, as a realistic goal for Jerusalem. Truman Show,” who’s been and Sarah Bob, piano), and the context of that proposition.” Leila Farsakh, assistant professor of nominated for awards for both the New England premiere of But Just Jerusalem is not just an archi- political science at the University of Mas- her stage and screen work. the live version of “The Law of tectural competition. Entrants are asked sachusetts at Boston, a fellow at MIT’s Ruehr, who recently Floating Objects” (performed to address one of four aspects of the infra- Center for International Studies and a co- received a Radcliffe Institute by flutists Lauren Alford, structure of the city: physical, economic, director of Jerusalem 2050, suggested that Fellowship for 2007-2008, said Sarah Brady, Christine Gus- civic or symbolic. the project might help give rise to a new that the process of writing her Elena Ruehr tafson, graduate student Ole The competition is open to the fields of concept of “citizenship” in Jerusalem. 2003 dance opera, “‘Toussaint Nielson and affiliated artist economics, political science, engineering, “We’re trying to engineer a break with Before the Spirits,” made her realize how Sue-Ellen Hershmann-Tcherepnin). architecture and planning, and the arts. history,” Samuels said. “That’s not some- much a composer’s work can be like an While at Radcliffe next year on her The winner in each of the five categories thing that happens very often, but it’s hap- actor’s: to “take a written script and then fellowship, Ruehr will compose a cantata will receive a fellowship of up to a year at pened before, and that’s often enough to with excruciating care interpret the tim- based on Louise Gluck’s most recent book MIT. The deadline for entries is Dec. 31. give us hope that it could happen again, ing and inflection of each line,” as she of poems, “Averno,” for the McGill Univer- Samuels noted, “Some have questioned even in Jerusalem.” described it. sity Orchestra and Chorus. PAGE 8 March 7, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Engineers co-design for clean drinking water

An MIT engineer working toward clean drinking water in Nepal describes in a recent issue of the Journal of International Development how people from developed and developing countries can work togeth- er to solve key humanitarian problems, ultimately meeting the basic human needs for security, broadly defined. Such a collaboration “begins with a rela- tionship among partners in the global vil- lage, taking into consideration the specific conditions of the local culture, environ- ment and location,” said Susan Murcott, a senior lecturer in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Murcott has personal experience of a global engineering partnership of this kind—she calls it “co-evolutionary engi- neering design”—through her work in developing countries. She and students in MIT’s CEE mas- ter of engineering program have worked for years with citizens of Nepal and, since 2005, of Ghana, to design, test and distrib- ute inexpensive household water filters that simultaneously remove arsenic and microbial contamination from the available water supply. Murcott notes that some 150 PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY million people worldwide are affected by A team of eight MIT students and their advisor, Susan Murcott, brought their ingenuity and technical skills to villages in Nepal in 2002 to try arsenic-tainted water, while an estimated to solve a very basic practical problem—the need for clean drinking water at very low cost. Above, a young girl pumps water from a well 1 to 5 billion people worldwide lack access outside Lumbini, Nepal. to microbially safe water. As of December 2006, more than 5,000 such filters are operating across Nepal, serving some 40,000 people. An additional 5,000 filters are slated for sales and distri- bution in 2007 in Nepal, with further out- reach into Vietnam, Cambodia and Ban- gladesh underway. “The students and I are trying to make a positive contribution to people’s lives and to improve our collective chances of devel- opment and security,” said Murcott. With co-evolutionary design, techni- cal designers from developed countries become partners with the user communi- ties, who are experts in their local con- ditions. With the MIT Nepal Water Proj- ect, Murcott points out, “Our team’s part- ners have included university-educated people and illiterate peasant farmers. We have identified a common need—safe, clean drinking water for all—and we have worked together successfully for seven years so far.” Any system to provide clean water should consider factors such as sustainabil- ity, green engineering and World Health Organization guidelines. In addition, the system must meet the requirements of the PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY local women who typically haul and store Heather Lukacs, former MIT graduate student, chats with a villager at her well in Lumbini. Barika Poole, former MIT graduate student, water, as well as being affordable to people tests drinking water. earning one dollar a day. The same gen- eral principles also apply to other co-evolu- tionary design projects. Murcott is currently focusing her ener- gies in the northern region of Ghana, thanks to a two-year grant from the Con- rad N. Hilton Foundation. Here, a social enterprise—“Pure Home Water,” initiated by Murcott with Ghanian partners—is marketing ceramic water filters in one of the poorest regions of Ghana, where cholera, typhoid, guinea worm and other waterborne diseases are rampant. Two Ghanaian social entrepreneurs, together with MIT engineering and Sloan School of Management students, hope to spread ceramic filters to reach more than a mil- lion people in northern Ghana in the com- ing years. Murcott is also leading MIT teams to Nicaragua, Haiti, Peru and Kenya to address water and sanitation issues in those countries. She concludes, “We hope to increase awareness of health and safe water issues among the least educated people in remote areas of Nepal and Ghana, subsidize fil- ters for the very poorest people, insure that locally made units are built correctly, and make sure that future teams will effec- tively and passionately carry the work for- ward. “We are confident that this work pro- vides a model of engaged, cross-cul- tural cooperation that builds self-reliant solutions, at the same time providing a renewed understanding that security for most people in the world relates not to armed conflict but to ‘common good’ social, environmental and economic chal- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY lenges, for example, the simple need for safe water.” Former MIT graduate student Hannah Sullivan takes a water sample from a well in the village of Mahilwari, Nepal, assisted by a villager.