Section 1: Facts and History (PDF)
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Section 1 Facts and History Fields of Study 11 Digital Learning 12 Research Laboratories, Centers, and Programs 13 Academic and Research Affiliations 14 Education Highlights 16 Research Highlights 21 Faculty and Staff 31 Faculty 31 Researchers 33 Postdoctoral Scholars 34 Awards and Honors of Current Faculty and Staff 35 MIT Briefing Book 9 MIT’s commitment to innovation has led to a host of Facts and History scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of Achievements of the Institute’s faculty and graduates the world’s preeminent research universities, dedi- have included the first chemical synthesis of penicillin cated to advancing knowledge and educating students and vitamin A, the development of inertial guidance in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship systems, modern technologies for artificial limbs, and that will best serve the nation and the world. It is the magnetic core memory that enabled the develop- known for rigorous academic programs, cutting-edge ment of digital computers. Exciting areas of research research, a diverse campus community, and its long- and education today include neuroscience and the standing commitment to working with the public and study of the brain and mind, bioengineering, energy, private sectors to bring new knowledge to bear on the the environment and sustainable development, infor- world’s great challenges. mation sciences and technology, new media, financial technology, and entrepreneurship. William Barton Rogers, the Institute’s founding presi- dent, believed that education should be both broad University research is one of the mainsprings of and useful, enabling students to participate in “the growth in an economy that is increasingly defined humane culture of the community” and to discover by technology. A study released by MIT in December and apply knowledge for the benefit of society. His 2015 estimated that MIT graduates had founded at emphasis on “learning by doing,” on combining least 30,000 active companies. These firms employed liberal and professional education, and on the value approximately 4.6 million people, and generated of useful knowledge continues to be at the heart of annual world sales of $1.9 trillion, or the equivalent MIT’s educational mission. of the tenth-largest economy in the world in 2014. MIT has forged educational and research collabora- tions with universities, governments, and companies throughout the world, and draws its faculty and students from every corner of the globe. The result is a vigorous mix of people, ideas, and programs dedicated to enhancing the world’s well-being. MIT's founder, William Barton Rogers, 1879 Courtesy MIT Museum 10 MIT Briefing Book Facts and History Fields of Study Sloan School of Management Management MIT supports a large variety of fields of study, from science and engineering to the arts. MIT’s five School of Science academic schools are organized into departments Biology and other degree-granting programs. In addition, Brain and Cognitive Sciences several programs, laboratories, and centers cross Chemistry traditional boundaries and encourage creative Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences thought and research. Mathematics Physics School of Architecture and Planning Architecture Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Programs Media Arts and Sciences Computer Science and Molecular Biology Urban Studies and Planning Humanities Center for Real Estate Humanities and Engineering Humanities and Science School of Engineering Mathematical Economics Aeronautics and Astronautics Biological Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Chemical Engineering Computation for Design and Optimization Civil and Environmental Engineering Computational and Systems Biology Data, Systems, and Society Computational Science and Engineering Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Computer Science and Molecular Biology Materials Science and Engineering Design and Management (Integrated Design and Mechanical Engineering Management & System Design and Management) Nuclear Science and Engineering Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Joint Program with Woods Hole Anthropology Oceanographic Institution Comparative Media Studies/Writing Leaders for Global Operations Economics Microbiology Global Studies and Languages Operations Research History Polymers and Soft Matter Linguistics and Philosophy Supply Chain Management Literature Social and Engineering Systems Music and Theatre Arts Technology and Policy Political Science Transportation Science, Technology, and Society MIT Briefing Book 11 Digital Learning the globe via the Internet. MITx in partnership with edX—originally an MIT-Harvard alliance, Practically since the advent of digital computing, which has since expanded to include many top- MIT has been at the forefront of innovation in tier universities worldwide—brings MIT faculty educational technology, whether through indi- and their “MOOC” courses to many thousands of vidual faculty initiatives, departmental projects, learners everywhere. or Institute-wide programs. Literally hundreds of technology projects, each building on the lessons • Open educational resources (OER). The OER of those before, have helped to change the face movement, pioneered in large part by MIT’s of education at MIT and throughout the global OpenCourseWare project—and since joined by academic community. hundreds more institutions worldwide—lowers financial, geographical, and political barriers to But in the last few years, technology-enabled accessing quality educational content. change in how we teach and learn has been accel- erating. We have seen remarkable educational • Learning analytics and educational data mining. experiments throughout higher education that are Online learning systems have the ability to amass resulting in unprecedented breakthroughs: huge volumes of data on student use, navigation, and assessment as they work their way through • New pedagogies. Digital learning technologies courses. In the aggregate, these data can be enable students to do more outside of the class, used to model student learning approaches and so that class time can focus on deeper discus- performance. So, for example, it is now possible sion, hands-on experiments and other forms of to monitor and predict students’ learning perfor- active learning. Digital technology can deliver mance and spot potential issues early so that lecture content, provide students rapid feedback automated or instructor-initiated interventions can on their understanding and even adaptive hints be provided. MIT faculty and other collaborators to foster learning, and foster more active reading use these data for educational research to advance and discussion through annotation tools. Digital understanding of how people learn and identify platforms can also augment understanding, via effective pedagogical strategies. visualizations, simulations and games. These technologies provide flexibility in course delivery, • Online software innovations. New tools such allowing more modularization and enabling as internet labs, gaming, MIT STAR (Software students to access content anytime, anywhere; Tools for Academics and Researchers), and this is especially helpful for students who seek to other resources provide adaptive learning aids access material in courses that are not offered that present educational materials according to every year. Many MIT faculty are experimenting students’ varying needs and learning styles. MIT with these new ways of teaching and learning. faculty have conceived and implemented many teaching tools, simulations, and learning aids. • Scalable teaching. Innovative technologies such One remarkable example: iLabs enriches science as robust learning management platforms with and engineering education by enabling students short videos, embedded quizzes with instant to use real instruments via remote online labo- feedback, student-ranked questions that priori- ratories. Unlike conventional laboratories, iLabs tize topical focus for instructors, automated can be shared via the Internet, delivering the grading and assessment, discussion forums, educational benefits of hands-on experimenta- personalization, etc. make it possible to increase tion both to our own students and to students student cohort size from tens or hundreds in a around the world. campus classroom to tens of thousands around 12 MIT Briefing Book Facts and History In 2012, MIT established the Office of Digital Learning Center for Transportation and Logistics to harness the Institute’s educational technology Clinical Research Center resources to ensure that MIT remains at the forefront Computer Science and Artificial of developments like these. ODL integrates formerly Intelligence Laboratory independent organizational units related to digital Concrete Sustainability Hub learning to focus on these strategic priorities: Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation • Support MIT faculty and students in bold experi- Division of Comparative Medicine ments to enhance our residential education and Haystack Observatory provide resources for those who are interested Initiative on the Digital Economy in exploring how they might do so. Institute for Medical Engineering and Science Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies • Facilitate research on how people learn Institute for Work and Employment Research and on new technologies that might improve Joint Program on the Science and Policy understanding,