11 10 9 8 7 6 You Are Here

Maps are for unfolding. Which is to say, knowing what path appeals to you matters more than being sure of your 1 destination. (Who put the destiny in destination, anyway?) Every year, 1,000 amazing young people like you make their way to MIT from every point on the compass — 1,000 individual cartographers mapping the landscape that matters most to them.

In these pages, we offer a number of different maps of the MIT experience (and even one that looks sort of like the campus, inside the cover). We point out the landmarks and milestones, the roadside attractions, the heart-stopping vistas, 2 the occasional patches of quicksand.

But much more interesting will be the map you make of MIT.

If MIT is right for you, it can be the start of the most challenging, exhilarating, unforgettable journey you’ve ever made — and it will feel like home.

3

4

5

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

LeVon Thomas Freshman The Road to MIT Wheatfields, Arizona Mechanical Engineering

A few people get to MIT without ever using their turn signals. Others seem In chess, a grandmaster can visualize the first Native American college. Obviously, Fueling your journey pleasantly surprised that the last fork in the road brought them here. Still board 20 to 30 moves ahead. Fortunately, LeVon isn’t the first in the family with ambi- To help make MIT a realistic in real life, long-term strategic calculation tion and drive — yet he wasn’t well served financial option for every others feel it was uphill all the way, but the view now makes it all worthwhile. isn’t the only way to win. One day, LeVon by the local primary schools. student — whether US Whatever your path, if you’re looking for new ideas and incredible people Thomas stumbled upon a chessboard in a or international — we offer classroom at his tiny high school and started Luckily, his distant high school was different. extensive financial aid who share your passions but hail from a different quadrant, you may want to packages and other forms a game against himself. A few months later, His teachers were inspiring, and his college find your way to MIT. of support. For more he and some friends were playing so much counselor ultimately urged him to apply for information, visit My.MIT.edu. that LeVon and his teacher had to buy more a Gates Millennium Scholarship. And then boards. By the next fall, they had started a teacher told LeVon about MIT. Although a team. Three years later, competing at getting in seemed like a long shot, he figured Finding your match Amber Hess Freshman the Arizona state level, they were beating it couldn’t hurt to apply — in life, as in chess, Getting into college is really Carmel, California schools five times their size. Check. And daring is often the secret. A few months about the match between Chemical Engineering now — Checkmate — LeVon is at MIT. Nice later, one after the other, both MIT and the you and the school. Along opening, nice finish. But it wasn’t necessarily Gates Foundation said yes. with our website, this Amber Hess has made an astonishing empir- viewbook is our chance to Of the students who were a plan. ical discovery: Science fairs =/ insufferable introduce MIT to you. Think admitted for fall 2005 To help smooth the transition to the inten- of your application as your • 67% attended public conventions of hopeless geeks. “Actually,” A full-blooded Navajo, LeVon grew up in a sity of MIT, LeVon spent the summer at chance to introduce yourself high schools says Amber, “I’ve made so many friends at small community on a big reservation in Project Interphase, the Institute’s on-campus to us. And don’t worry • 23% attended private or science fairs now, it’s insane. It’s been amazing the mountains of Arizona, with a glorious academic enrichment and community- about trying to seem like parochial high schools to find cool people my age who love to lakeside view but an hour-long drive to building program. His hopes and dreams someone you think we want. • 9% attended foreign talk about science and ideas in everyday We want to know you just high schools the nearest quality high school. His parents now? “To pass all my classes!” LeVon says conversation.” the way you are. • 1% were home schooled run a road construction company and a wryly. “But eventually, I want to be an store that caters to tourists. Two grandpar- engineer and start a business to help my Steadily, passionately, refining her projects ents hold PhDs, and one helped found the people.” Stay tuned for his next move. year after year in a lab that looked suspi- The MIT Class of 2009 • 995 students ciously like her parents’ kitchen, Amber - Male 53% worked her way up from state science - Female 47% competitions to the prestigious Intel Inter- national Science and Engineering Fair. As a • From senior, she was named one of only 40 Intel - New England 13% Science Talent Search Finalists nationwide - Mid-Atlantic 19% for inventing a unique approach to thin-layer - Southeast 16% chromatography. “I made a mistake in one - Midwest 9% of my photoediting programs — and voilà! - South 10% A whole new technique,” she explains. - West 18% - Abroad 13% (Kitchen table as springboard for life.) At her (representing 64 countries) father’s insistence, she visited MIT, though it seemed a long way from their home • Speak a language other on the California coast. And wouldn’t MIT than English at home: 39% just be nerds, nerds, nerds on parade? Says Amber now, “If you’re even considering • First-generation college MIT, I can only say, visit campus. I met the students: 17% most amazing people and had so much fun. There’s a kind of spirit and unity that’s • Receive some form of just unique. Everyone works together. financial aid (including a * job on campus): 90% I can’t wait to get my Brass Rat!”

* The Brass Rat refers to the dubious renderings of a beaver (MIT’s mascot) featured on the Institute’s official class rings. Each graduating class designs its own, jammed with topical Overnight Program references and naughty hieroglyphics. For a taste of real life on campus, set your sightsi on MIT’s Overnight Program. Visit My.MIT.edu.

2 3 4 5 l The mission of MIT is y to advance knowledge Why We’re Here nar li scip t and educate students erdi bora ion in science, technology, int lla co and other areas of At MIT, you make your own map, but everyone relies on the same compass: scholarship that will a fundamental commitment to use what we learn and invent together to build a best serve the nation better future for humankind. l and the world in the Science 21st century.

It’s the practical, hands-on, do-it-now mission of the Institute, and it animates the campus and the lives of our graduates every day. It’s the compass that helps lead to Nobel Prize-winning breakthroughs, and dazzlingly low-tech answers to daily challenges in developing countries, and groundbreaking environmental ideas, and an old-fashioned passion to teach. And it is the compass that may lead you to MIT. Engineering Management

Amy Smith ’84, SM ’95, Instructor

Here are some things Amy Smith has solve the pervasive, fundamental, real-life come to know through a childhood year invented: a low-cost, highly effective, virtually challenges of struggling people all over in India’s Rajasthan Desert, and a long stint unbreakable grain mill that can be made, the world. in Botswana through the Peace Corps. And Architecture Humanities, Arts used, and repaired without assistance in by cheerfully refusing to waste a moment and Planning and Social Sciences developing countries. An aggressively low- Here’s how she’s done it all: by following her (as in, “Would you mind if we conducted this tech phase-change incubator that finally heart, which refused to believe that as an interview by the spot welder?”). enables field workers in remote areas to engineer she was obliged to spend her life test for contaminated water supplies. An devising incremental performance improve- Here is the gritty, unstoppable, radiant soul ingenious form of charcoal, made from waste ments for luxury sedans. (“The internal of MIT. sugar cane, that serves as an affordable, combustion engine has a lot to answer for,” sustainable cooking fuel in the deforested says Amy.) By applying the skills she gained * D-Lab (Introduction to Development) and nation of Haiti. And a course and a competi- in two rounds of MIT education to solve the annual IDEAS public service competition. Discovery tion at MIT* that inspire students to apply real, pressing daily problems for some of the Analysis their own passion, training, and ingenuity to poorest people on Earth, problems she had Invention

rigor openness hands-on problem learning solving

Serving the public good is central to the mission of hard work the Institute: “We seek to creativity develop in each member of the MIT community l the ability and passion to nerd pride work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.” In that spirit, every year MIT’s Public Service Center connects hundreds of MIT students with amaz- ing opportunities to serve communities near and far — from MIT itself to the cities of Boston and Cambridge, and the wide, wild world beyond.

6 7 l MIT’s mission serves the world

• With funding from the nonprofit One Laptop per Child, the MIT Media Lab is developing the “$100 laptop,” an ultra-low-cost, portable, full-featured personal computer that will revolutionize education for school- children and their teachers worldwide.

• Led by MIT’s Buddhist chaplain, Tenzin Priyadarshi, and Carlo Ratti of MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory (part of Urban Studies and Planning), an MIT team has Susan Hockfield President Bob Langer ScD, ’74 Institute Professor developed “Tsunami Safe® Houses,” a low-tech model for new homes in tsunami- Noted for her research on brain development, Bob Langer likes to play in traffic — the prone areas. In simulations, the design Susan Hockfield is the first life scientist to serve mind-bending traffic at the intersection of withstands water or wind force more as President of MIT: medicine, biology, and engineering. By the than five times greater than a traditional concrete-block Sri Lankan home can. numbers, his accomplishments look like “MIT’s great assignment has always been the typos: 500 patents. 800 scientific papers. • MIT’s new Poverty Action Lab measures hard work of inventing the future — through 130 major prizes. Surely there are decimal the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs science, technology, and innovation. And that’s points missing in there? And how’s this for in developing countries — with a scien- lucky, because the world has never needed practical impact and improving the human tific rigor never applied to such questions MIT more than it does now. condition? More than a dozen biotech firms before. Topics include how well computer- have sprung up from his research, along assisted learning serves poor grade-school “In this uncertain, unsettled age, think how with over 35 products either on the market children in India; the impact of women many of our great global challenges are or in human testing, including a dime-sized village leaders on political decision making; shaped by science, or technology, or quantita- polymer wafer that delivers chemotherapy and which policies work best to reduce the spread of AIDS. tive analysis and complex synthesis: Energy. directly to a brain tumor, and a device Climate change. AIDS. Stem cells. Pandemic that eases the pain of needles and IVs. • When you make a voluntary movement, flu. Urban sprawl. Access to healthcare. Trained as a chemical engineer, Bob jumped it may feel as if your brain is in charge, but Global poverty. With MIT’s can-do, fix-it-now off the obvious petrochemical career MIT neuroscientists, led by MIT Institute attitude and our interdisciplinary, interna- path and signed on to a promising cancer Professor Emilio Bizzi, have discovered that tional problem-solving expertise, we are lab at Children’s Hospital Boston; that leap the central nervous system farms out the uniquely equipped — and obliged — to rise led him to develop “impossible” polymers Yaron Binur Junior work to integrated groups of muscles to the challenge of the day. that could release drugs precisely into Herzelia, Israel and neurons, called “muscle synergies.” the bloodstream. Computer Science The discovery could spawn brain- or spinal “We tackle very serious problems here. But cord-operated neuroprosthetics. if MIT is the place for you, it’s also tremen- His advice to aspiring scientists and engi- By any standard, Yaron Binur has seen At MIT, Yaron’s personal mission was clear: Elected in 1914 to represent the world and its realities: His childhood to find a way to use his talents to make a a school of ambitious • Researchers in the Atomistic Mechanics dous fun: to find people you can run with, neers who want to make a difference in the engineers, the beaver Modeling Group (in Civil and Environmental who play at your intellectual level, who world? “Take some risks.” was divided between his native Israel and serious impact on the world. Freshman mascot has been embraced Engineering) have created an atom-by- inspire you to be better, braver, faster, more Brooklyn, New York, and embroidered year, he plunged headfirst into a new by every subsequent atom simulation of how cracks form and with intrepid family vacations to unpackaged program — the Africa Internet Technology inventive — more serious and funnier at generation of MIT students. spread — helping explain how natural the same time. We harness the momentum precincts of the planet. He spent a year Initiative (AITI), which sends MIT students and man-made materials fail in nanoscale of those shared passions — and we have trekking through Asia with a friend. to African schools and universities to teach devices, in airplanes, and even in earth- the pleasure of pushing the boundaries of He personally witnessed the assassination Java and entrepreneurial skills. That summer, quake zones. our knowledge and abilities every day.” of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, after six weeks in Kenya, he fell in love with has been passionately involved in the teaching. He also found the inspiration he • MIT researchers are using a novel technique Israeli peace movement since he was kid, had been looking for: to use the leverage to calculate an underappreciated benefit and served three years in the Israeli army. of a common interest in learning computer of environmental regulation: the economic value of having a population that suffers science to bring Palestinian and Israeli youth less pollution-induced sickness and death. But he had never known a Palestinian until together, even and especially those who MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and he came to MIT. were not inclined that way before. The result Policy of Global Change, and our Laboratory Inscribed in the Lobby 7 was MEET — a six-week, two-summer for Energy and the Environment together frieze: “Established for That startling degree of separation repre- program (sandwiched around school-year developed a revolutionary analytical method Advancement and sents the norm for almost all young Israelis mentoring) that recruits students from that assesses both the costs and benefits Development of Science; and Palestinians today. But through a across the economic, ethnic, and political Its Application to Industry of pollution control with a single model. program called MEET (Middle East Education spectrums; uses MIT talent to give them an the Arts, Agriculture through Technology) that he launched with intensive introduction to Java and leadership; • MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is an open and Commerce. his sister, Anat (a political science graduate and leaves them with unshakable proof educational treasure trove for faculty, Charter MDCCCLXI” students, and self-learners worldwide — a student at MIT), a childhood friend, and a that their so-called enemies are creative, free, web-based publication where almost lot of enthusiastic champions on campus, amusing, thoughtful, hardworking, fully real- 70 percent of MIT’s professors post their Yaron is working to close that tragic human ized human beings, too. “When the peace syllabi, curricula, and lecture notes. This gap with an unlikely but intriguing tool: treaty comes,” says Yaron, “we will have unprecedented idea sprang from our fac- the lure of computer science. helped create a generation that will already ulty’s passionate belief in the open dissemi- understand how to work together.” nation of knowledge and information.

8 9

Starting Out

Freshmen at MIT When 1,000 people walk down a road together, they all share a bond — but no two share • Participate in athletics (including varsity and quite the same view. At MIT, freshmen make lots of choices for themselves — about intramural): 80% where to live, when to sleep, how to balance work and play. They are, however, spared • Take part in the arts the agony of choosing from the zillions of courses in the MIT catalog, because our community: 52% • Do community service: 56% famously challenging freshman-year curriculum leads everyone up the same tough, exhil- • Freshmen retention arating path to mastery in biology, chemistry, calculus, and physics. rate: 98% • Graduation rate: 92% Because the trail is hard work for everyone, first-semester freshman classes are graded using a miraculously forgiving system called “Pass/No Record.” And your professors are likely to be some of the most exalted and entertaining members of the MIT pantheon, who make a point of choosing to teach freshmen. We also take freshman advising very seriously and offer a range of approaches — from one-on-one advisory relationships to group seminars focused on a variety of academic topics.

important research about low-level radiation. With my radio show, “Nonplus,” I shared my love for French and Baroque music. I took pictures for The Tech, the student-run newspaper — a great way to really see what goes on at MIT, including photographing Frank Wilczek after he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Tell us about your summer experience with the MIT-China Program. I went to Freshman year Scot Frank Freshman Don Sadoway Professor Salt Lake City, Utah teach biology using MIT OpenCourseWare* • No matter their major, all Computer Science at Tsinghua University in Beijing, which If 3.091 (Introduction to Solid State Chem- students at MIT are required is often referred to as the MIT of China. istry) were an opera, Don Sadoway would to take math, science, and A Growing up in Salt Lake City, did you I also got to travel through the westernmost be its dashing hero — the one who rescues engineering, as well as the think that you would end up at MIT? province of Xinjiang, which feels like the a small army of students from the Abyss humanities, arts, and social MIT always sat in the distance. In my child- Middle East. The streets of Urumqi are of Boredom and leads them grinning sciences. MIT’s curriculum hood, I spent hours trying to fix broken lined with sellers of fruit and clothes. The allows students to be well in triumph against the Merciless Problem electronics or getting the latest Linux distri- town center has lambs roasting outdoors, Set. Effervescent, catalytic, and, dare we rounded while they gain vendors of freshly made ice cream, and depth in their field(s) of bution to install. For me, MIT is a playground say it, supercool — he is a kind of walking Jamira Cotton Freshman Yamilee Toussaint, Jamira Cotton, and Ashley Vaughn acrobats overhead. Before that, I spent a few interest. where I can continue exploring technology chemistry lesson himself. He will teach you Longview, Texas at a level that constantly challenges me. days trekking through the desert, doing a not only how chemistry works, but how it Chemical Engineering little soul-searching, each night sleeping on • The no grades policy during B permeates every particle of our history the first term of freshman What was it like to visit the campus? the sand. and our culture, and why you should care, In Jamira Cotton’s East Texas family, people What does she love about MIT now? year gives you a chance After seeing how MIT runs around the clock, and what’s beautiful in the fantastically like to get things done. Like her father, who The snow. (OK, just kidding.) But certainly to find your best balance what it’s really like day to day, the excite- So, how do you say “MIT” in Chinese? eclectic pieces of music he uses to start is a dentist and a pastor. Or her two older her friends, and especially her room- and rhythm for a successful ment of being on campus was too addictive Ma Sheng Li Gong Xueyuan. Or just MIT. every class, and how to open a bottle of siblings, both headed to medical school. Or mates, one from Arizona, the other college experience. This to leave. champagne suavely in a ballroom, and how Jamira herself, who spent high school “taking from Cameroon. The first term “Pass/No Pass / No Record policy you might make oxygen on the moon. AP everything,” and who also helped heal Record” grading system, which gives means that an A is the same * Through OpenCourseWare (OCW), as a B is the same as a Any plans for a major? Computer Perhaps to your own astonishment, you the racial divisions around her by inventing everyone a chance to adjust to the pace science with a minor in biological engi- MIT makes the vast majority of its course

C — they all appear on your C

will find yourself supersaturated with the a program that got students talking to each of the work. Her life-changing chance 3 materials available free online to anyone, transcript as a P. neering. I want to work on treatments contents of the periodic table. Yet you will other. So she was a little disconcerted to to teach in Zambia for six weeks through for disease that can be genetically solved anywhere in the world — a vivid example absorb his most important lesson through find, senior year, that she didn’t know what the Africa Internet Technology Initiative. • For the second term, the by artificial intelligence. of the Institute’s commitment to opening the osmosis alone: how to be a passionate, to do next. With a pile of impressive college And — perhaps because it feels just like system becomes ABC/No doors of knowledge. ocw.mit.edu moral, thinking person let loose upon the acceptances, she actually hoped her parents home — “the spirit of doing things” that Record, so if you slip up Academically, freshman year at MIT problems of the world. would decide — but no. Ultimately, “it came is the essence of MIT. in your transition to college is a challenge. Did you have time down to praying about it,” says Jamira, “and challenges, no record for anything else? I went sailing on the of a D or F will appear on then it just became clear.” Charles River. I helped drop a piano off your transcript.

P the roof of Baker House. I participated in 10 11 28 Finding Your Place Hand & Mind At MIT, we master problems 14 with our hands as much as our minds. Mind & Hand Officially, it’s called learning-by-doing. Whatever academic path you choose, Unofficially, it’s learning MIT just might be while having the time of your life. the most fun your brain has ever had.

32 Same Place, Different Map MIT tackles the arts and humanities with the same enthusiastic, 18 hands-on creativity that inspires our Where the Search Begins engineering and science. Almost everyone here participates in research — and we don’t mean clicking on links.

24 Playing at MIT We aim for excellence in everything we do — including the Having of Fun.

20 Living at MIT Choose where you want to live, and 34 you define your experience of MIT. Guides and Guideposts From academic advice to medical care, formal tutoring to a friendly ear, it’s easy to get the help you need.

12 13 Majors (including joint degrees and Mind & Hand major departures) Aeronautics and Astronautics Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Engineering with Near the start of the journey called MIT, there’s a really big rack of maps, numbered Information Technology 1 through 24. Take one, or two, or stuff all your pockets and decide down the American Studies road. (Some people even tape a few together.) These are the academic roadmaps Ancient and Medieval Studies Anthropology that will define your journey, whether the landscape you love is Aeronautics (16) or Archaeology and Materials Economics (14); Physics (8) or Philosophy (24); Management (15), Materials (3), Architecture Art and Design (with concentrations in or Music (21-M). Architectural Design, Building Technology, Visual Arts, or History, Theory, and Beyond the Institute’s distinctive focus on science Criticism of Art and Architecture) and technology, what really sets MIT apart is Biological Engineering Biology an irrepressible appetite for analytical problem Brain and Cognitive Sciences solving, an academic commitment to Chemical Engineering hands-on learning (check out the Chemistry Civil and Environmental Engineering Materials Science Teaching Lab, the Civil Engineering Language Learning Lab, and Comparative Media Studies Computer Science and Engineering the amazing things they’re building Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in the hangar for Course 16), (with concentrations in Geoscience, as well as a strikingly Environmental Science, Physics of Atmospheres and Oceans, or Planetary noncompetitive, Science and Astronomy) collaborative atmosphere East Asian Studies Economics Vivek Venkatachalam Junior that helps everyone get Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Berkeley Heights, New Jersey over the mountain together. Electrical Science and Engineering Physics Environmental Engineering Science Film and Media Studies As a kid in suburban New Jersey, did In terms of research, what sets Foreign Languages and Literatures MIT feel like an obvious choice? MIT apart? The stunning thing is the sheer The Latin motto Mens et Manus — “mind History My friends claim to have known that I’d go quantity of outstanding research groups you and hand” — and the volumes on the Humanities to MIT far before I did. Basically, I realized can work with. Nowhere else would I have pedestal, Science and Arts, both reflect Humanities and Engineering that I would get an excellent education here had the freedom to choose from three different the ideal of cooperation between knowledge Humanities and Science regardless of what I decided to pursue in the labs — after freshman year! I spent the sum- and practical science. Latin American Studies Linguistics and Philosophy disciplines of science and engineering. That mer helping to construct a low-temperature Literature Boston is an amazing city didn’t hurt either. scanning tunneling microscope. Now, I’m still tion imagina Management (with concentrations in My parents were pleased, too, even though working in the same lab and loving it. I’ll be Information Technology, Operations it entailed turning down a full scholarship at writing my senior thesis on work done here, Research, Marketing Research, or Finance) another great school. and plan to go to graduate school in applied heart Materials Science and Engineering physics. Mathematics How did you choose your major? head Mathematics with Computer Science If I could go through MIT many times, What do you do in your spare time — or Mechanical and Ocean Engineering I’d love to major in everything. As that is is that a theoretical question? I play for the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate impossible, and because I’ve always loved MIT ultimate team. I’ve acted in Next Act, the Music and Theater Arts primary majors Nuclear Science and Engineering physics, I decided to declare Course 8. annual musical staged by the residents of Next • Architecture and Urban life Philosophy Physics is simple, beautiful, and capable of House. I’ve helped out with the Harvard-MIT Planning: 2% Physics answering so many questions. I later added Math Tournament and the Research Science • Computer Science and Physics with Electrical Engineering a second major in electrical engineering Institute for high school students. I also spend Electrical Engineering: 22% Political Science as well as minors in math and economics. a lot of time sleeping. • Engineering h o Psychology (besides CS/EE): 35% m Russian Studies • Humanities, Arts, and i e r w r Science, Technology, and Society Social Sciences: 4% e o v Theater r • Management: 8% e k Urban Studies and Planning • Science: 29% r e Women’s Studies n c Writing and Humanistic Studies • Percentage of students e who double-major: 18%

14 15 Eric Lander Professor

It’s useful to remember that Eric Lander’s “To-Do” list once included Finish sequencing the human genome — and now it doesn’t, because he and his research team were instrumental in getting it done. Today, with an equally audacious roster of goals (Uncover all the functional elements encoded in the genome, all the genetic variation in the human population, all the signatures of the possible cellular responses, and all the mutations that play a causal role in cancer; also develop a complete set of tools to modulate every gene in the genome. And buy a quart of milk on the way home), he continues to teach Jennifer Fang ’05 MIT’s core freshman-year biology course. “Every freshman has to take biology,” says For Jennifer Fang, spontaneously organizing As she pursues her master’s degree in Eric, “so I get to teach students who come “Silkscreens,” the first Asian American film biological engineering, she is working in the in thinking ‘computer science’ — and inspire festival at MIT; keeping her friends abreast same lab and with the same professors who them to apply their computational skills of all the best free-food opportunities on inspired her from the start — professors in biology. This generation doesn’t see a campus; and studying signaling pathways in like Doug Lauffenburger, who has revolu- division between wet-lab science and dry human liver cells are all variations on a single tionized the field of cellular mechanics, and computation; they understand they have to theme: her insatiable passion for logistics, Linda Griffith, a maverick in engineering be bilingual in both.” for inner workings, for the real story behind replacement human tissue. the scenes. Stepping off the plane from Tampa, Florida, Jennifer chose MIT because she felt the how did Jennifer adjust to the atmosphere at best place to learn biology would be at a MIT? Practically speaking, by ditching the top engineering school. Why? “Because two so-called sweaters she’d brought, and otherwise, you’re limited by your research accumulating a batch of real ones — maybe tools — the quality of the microscopy, the 20? Philosophically, the adjustment was a electrophoresis, at what resolution you breeze: “The whole culture,” says Jennifer, can separate the things you’re interested in. “is open source. You can do anything you To get around that, you really want to be want here.” A Taiwanese American, Jennifer with all the other inventors.” is crazy for Punjabi Bhangra dancing. At MIT, anyone can rewrite the code.* In her senior year, MIT announced a new major: biological engineering. “In biology, * Conventional “bioengineering” programs there’s no way to retain the material besides apply engineering to biomedical problems; memorizing it; with biological engineering, by contrast, MIT is defining an entirely you don’t just learn that Protein A interacts new engineering discipline, grounded in with Protein B — you find out exactly how molecular and cellular biology, with applica- much and how often. It’s quantified,” says tions from medicine to manufacturing to Jennifer, with obvious delight. microelectronics.

16 17



18 19

undergraduate. an Undiscovered Frontier Undiscovered

at MIT.” at as research outstanding for award MIT an ∞

a serious published paper is a routine event event routine a is paper published serious a him won work The memory. and learning

? 9 9 8 8 i 7 7 7

coauthoring undergraduate An here. are of a particular protein in the mechanics of of mechanics the in protein particular a of

their feet up and dream. and up feet their research to the degree that UROP students students UROP that degree the to research role the exploring project, own his has

with faculty, do full-time research, or just put put just or research, full-time do faculty, with can undergraduates be part of cutting-edge cutting-edge of part be undergraduates can he Now, student. graduate a of wing the

agendas, pursue independent projects, meet meet projects, independent pursue agendas, have an interesting idea. And nowhere else else nowhere And idea. interesting an have under started He research. for passion he explains, “it stops feeling like work.” like feeling stops “it explains, he

Students are free to set their own educational educational own their set to free are Students like, or how old you are; they care if you you if care they are; you old how or like, Mandayam Srinivasan and British researcher Mel Slater Mel researcher British and Srinivasan Mandayam and music composition) and his growing growing his and composition) music and hours. “Once you find something you like,” like,” you something find you “Once hours.

dose of intellectual sunshine and fresh air: air: fresh and sunshine intellectual of dose Human touch over the Internet: MIT RLE investigator investigator RLE MIT Internet: the over touch Human 2002 •

care where you come from, what you look look you what from, come you where care two major academic interests (neuroscience (neuroscience interests academic major two become to stand at a lab bench for seven seven for bench lab a at stand to become

John Santini, Professors Michael Cima and Robert Langer Robert and Cima Michael Professors Santini, John the month of January. Think of it as a grand grand a as it of Think January. of month the to a true meritocracy. People here don’t don’t here People meritocracy. true a to his between time his divides he MIT, At he can’t believe how much easier it has has it easier much how believe can’t he

researcher HST structure: silicon its into built reservoirs

or IAP, is a special four-week term that fills fills that term four-week special a is IAP, or right place. “MIT is the closest thing I’ve seen seen I’ve thing closest the is “MIT place. right He’s still planning on medical school — and and — school medical on planning still He’s

Microchip that stores and releases chemicals from from chemicals releases and stores that Microchip 1999 •

semesters, the Independent Activities Period, Period, Activities Independent the semesters, appetite for research, you’ve come to the the to come you’ve research, for appetite

absolutely hooked. hooked. absolutely ease. with community Catholic diverse

Professor Leonard Guarente and Dr. David A. Sinclair A. David Dr. and Guarente Leonard Professor

Sandwiched in between the fall and spring spring and fall the between in Sandwiched

But if you’ve got the temperament and and temperament the got you’ve if But in computer science. And Christian was was Christian And science. computer in parents every evening and fitting into MIT’s MIT’s into fitting and evening every parents *

Identification of yeast cell aging mechanism: mechanism: aging cell yeast of Identification 1997 •

UROP his about raving started them to his family and his roots — calling his his calling — roots his and family his to

Artificial skin developed: Professor Ioannis Yannas Ioannis Professor developed: skin Artificial 1996 •

things I’ve discovered is our planet!” our is discovered I’ve things coming back at it anyway.” anyway.” it at back coming brothers home for spring break. One of of One break. spring for home brothers

grounds. He has also managed to stay true true stay to managed also has He grounds.

isolated atom: Dr. Michael S. Feld and Kyungwon An An Kyungwon and Feld S. Michael Dr. atom: isolated

As she says with a laugh, “One of the best best the of “One laugh, a with says she As

thwarted all the time, and you have to keep keep to have you and time, the all thwarted older friend had brought 12 of his fraternity fraternity his of 12 brought had friend older - back and cultures different many from single, a using laser a operates that device a Microlaser, 1994 •

camping. the Mexico: New in Array Large to love the science. In research, you get get you research, In science. the love to dreaming of doing research at MIT. An An MIT. at research doing of dreaming assignments at MIT has been to find friends friends find to been has MIT at assignments program: Tim Berners-Lee, MIT Senior Research Scientist Research Senior MIT Berners-Lee, Tim program:

starry places like Arizona, Chile, and the Very Very the and Chile, Arizona, like places starry rules,” she explains. “And you really have have really you “And explains. she rules,” beach near home that he first started started first he that home near beach Invention of the first World Wide Web server and client client and server Web Wide World first the of Invention 1990 • American. One of his personal research research personal his of One American.

found a side benefit to doing research in in research doing to benefit side a found Discovery of oncogenes: Professor Robert Weinberg Robert Professor oncogenes: of Discovery 1982 • your own ideas more than in other people’s people’s other in than more ideas own your from Brownsville, Texas, it was on a beautiful beautiful a on was it Texas, Brownsville, from Mexican entirely almost is school high

Theory of the inflationary universe: Professor Alan Guth ’68 Guth Alan Professor universe: inflationary the of Theory 1981 • A member of the Outdoors Club, Emily has has Emily Club, Outdoors the of member A big advantage. “You have to keep believing in in believing keep to have “You advantage. big Camargo, Christian for But beach. a on would bump into Mexico; Christian’s public public Christian’s Mexico; into bump would

Ulrich Becker, and Min Chen Min and Becker, Ulrich

minded and pigheaded” turns out to be a a be to out turns pigheaded” and minded being of dream you lab, the in Sometimes If Brownsville rolled over in its sleep, it it sleep, its in over rolled Brownsville If

that binds together quarks: Professors Samuel C.C. Ting, Ting, C.C. Samuel Professors quarks: together binds that

scale is the cool part.) cool the is scale Nancy says with a twinkle, being “single- being twinkle, a with says Nancy

Evidence of the gluon, a particle that forms the “glue” “glue” the forms that particle a gluon, the of Evidence 1979 •

(Emily still thinks the novel temperature temperature novel the thinks still (Emily

By contrast, to succeed in science research, research, science in succeed to contrast, By Brain and Cognitive Sciences Sciences Cognitive and Brain

Adi Shamir, and Len Adleman Len and Shamir, Adi

and another kind of star gazing altogether. altogether. gazing star of kind another and

student to play their game as best you can.” can.” you best as game their play to student Brownsville, Texas Brownsville,

RSA public key cryptography: Professors Ron Rivest, Rivest, Ron Professors cryptography: key public RSA 1977 •

Times, York New The and CNN came Then Camargo Christian makes the rules; and it’s your task as a a as task your it’s and rules; the makes Sophomore

Khorana and team and Khorana

the data — and they realized that it was real. real. was it that realized they and — data the

in high school,” says Nancy, “someone else else “someone Nancy, says school,” high in Complete synthesis of a gene: Professor Har Gobind Gobind Har Professor gene: a of synthesis Complete 1972 •

made a mistake. So, they drilled back into into back drilled they So, mistake. a made effective scientist. “Especially when you’re you’re when “Especially scientist. effective conversion of RNA to DNA: David Baltimore ’61 Baltimore David DNA: to RNA of conversion

ever reported. The team thought they’d they’d thought team The reported. ever an make that those as same the always Reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that catalyzes the the catalyzes that enzyme an transcriptase, Reverse 1970 •

seemed to describe by far the largest stars stars largest the far by describe to seemed Jerome Friedman Jerome the qualities that make a good student aren’t aren’t student good a make that qualities the

Evidence of quarks: Professors Henry Kendall and and Kendall Henry Professors quarks: of Evidence 1968 •

colossal stars. When the data came in, it it in, came data the When stars. colossal not always a stellar student at MIT. Luckily, Luckily, MIT. at student stellar a always not

Charles Stark Draper ’26 Draper Stark Charles

the first effective temperature scale for such such for scale temperature effective first the was she out, point to quick is she as but

landing: moon Apollo for used system, guidance Inertial 1953 •

analyzed their findings, trying to establish establish to trying findings, their analyzed tenured professor in cognitive neuroscience, neuroscience, cognitive in professor tenured

Kenneth J. Germeshausen ’31 Germeshausen J. Kenneth

perfectly clear nights, she and her colleagues colleagues her and she nights, clear perfectly

This will cheer you up: Nancy Kanwisher is a a is Kanwisher Nancy up: you cheer will This

photography: Professor Harold E. Edgerton ’27 and and ’27 Edgerton E. Harold Professor photography:

supergiants. After gathering data over five five over data gathering After supergiants.

Electrical circuitry that enabled high-speed strobe strobe high-speed enabled that circuitry Electrical 1934 •

summer. Her focus: massive stars called red red called stars massive focus: Her summer. Professor

William Coolidge ’96 Coolidge William

which took her back to Lowell the following following the Lowell to back her took which

Nancy Kanwisher Kanwisher Nancy ’80, PhD ’86 PhD ’80, lamp: incandescent for tungsten Ductile 1908 •

Experiences for Undergraduates program, program, Undergraduates for Experiences Patent for catamaran: Nathanael G. Herreshoff ’70 Herreshoff G. Nathanael catamaran: for Patent 1877 •

the National Science Foundation’s Research Research Foundation’s Science National the

Through her IAP activities, she heard about about heard she activities, IAP her Through Cool things MIT people put on the map the on put people MIT things Cool

Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Arizona. Flagstaff, in Observatory Lowell

at at IAP (Independent Activities Period) Activities (Independent IAP *

Sophomore year, she spent the month-long month-long the spent she year, Sophomore

year round. round. year

hobby,” and threw herself into research all all research into herself threw and hobby,”

be kind of hard to do astrophysics as a a as astrophysics do to hard of kind be

would “it that concluded she end, the In

violin. the playing and stars the studying

get in to MIT. She arrived still torn between between torn still arrived She MIT. to in get

thing except the idea that she might actually actually might she that idea the except thing

Massachusetts, prepared her well for every for well her prepared Massachusetts, -

Taunton, in school high public big Her

you got all the outrageous gear you can imagine. What we need now is is now need we What imagine. can you gear outrageous the all got .

Opportunities Program. We’ve got a wind tunnel. We’ve got a nuclear reactor. We’ve We’ve reactor. nuclear a got We’ve tunnel. wind a got We’ve Program. Opportunities universe. universe.

right along with us, through a program we call UROP, the Undergraduate Research Research Undergraduate the UROP, call we program a through us, with along right managed to capture the biggest stars in the the in stars biggest the capture to managed

at the sky. Now, she’s the MIT junior who who junior MIT the she’s Now, sky. the at MIT. More than any other research university, we bring our undergraduates into the lab lab the into undergraduates our bring we university, research other any than More MIT.

drag out his old monster telescope and look look and telescope monster old his out drag

the only terrain worth traveling — and research is a big part of what we’re about at at about we’re what of part big a is research and — traveling worth terrain only the

eye whenever she convinced her father to to father her convinced she whenever eye

Where the map stops, research begins. For some people, that undiscovered frontier is is frontier undiscovered that people, some For begins. research stops, map the Where

the A on her math test, and the gleam in her her in gleam the and test, math her on A the

jar, the in bug the with kid the was Emily

Where the Search Begins Begins Search the Where

Physics Physics

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton,

Levesque Emily Junior Kelsey Byers Sophomore Sudbury, Massachusetts Living at MIT Biology

Kelsey Byers didn’t have to find MIT; her MIT may boast the most varied landscape of housing options of any college mother and stepfather had worked at in America — a magnificent hodgepodge of big and small dorms, as well the Institute for years. They would even invite UROP students for supper. But when as fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs). Together, Kelsey happened randomly upon Random they supply a comfortable niche for everyone — no matter how long you Hall in the last zany hours of REX1, it felt like to study or how loud you like your music; whether you love to cook like coming home. Says Kelsey, “I thought, or just love to eat; whether you don’t mind sharing a bathroom or you really, ‘My God, there are people in the world like me.’ ” Meaning people who see the value, really do. Every student is guaranteed Institute housing for all four years, in a four-story dorm with a basement and all our dorms are led by one or more housemasters or resident tutors laundry, of creating a special server that tells who help create a warm, balanced sense of home — enhanced by the lure you from your desktop which washers are running and how soon they’ll be free. of snacks. People who know that the proper response to the first snowstorm is to run screaming to the roof for snowballs and boffing 2, and then head inside for tea. People who make their ice cream using liquid nitrogen. People who love their own majors as much as Kelsey loves biology, and who relieve the strain of their problem sets by staying up until 3AM making jewelry, brownies, or a gigantic potato gun. People, um, acquainted with the art of hacking. (See page 29.) Kelsey wouldn’t live anywhere else. Hashem Dabbas Sophomore Amman, Jordan 1 REX is short for “Residence Exploration,” Materials Science and Engineering the week in August when every dorm at MIT tries to woo incoming freshmen — and What do they serve for dinner at the coed the freshmen roam around pretending fraternity called “No. 6 Club”? Whatever to be interested in every offer and sampling delicious spread their professional chef outrageous amounts of free food. dreams up — plus a bright, tangy conversa- 2 tional salad of English, French, Chinese, Farsi, According to the Random Hall website, Whistler (far right) and Casey take their charges out to Wes Harris Professor and Housemaster Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi, Swedish, boffing is “the ancient Samurai art of hitting play: Sandra and Wes Harris (in red coat and blue shirt, Sandra Harris Housemaster Urdu, Italian, Gaelic, and Nepali. For Hashem people with foam weapons.” respectively) and MIT President Susan Hockfield and Dabbas, born in Jordan but raised in both her husband, Dr. Thomas Byrne. All in all, it’s a good thing that you can’t take Manhattan and Amman, the flavor is perfect. your parents with you to college. But in those moments when you need the warmth “It’s all about the chemistry, and about and wisdom of home, right here, right now, Living by numbers respecting other people’s points of view,” you might drop in on Housemasters Wes says Hashem, a Materials Science major • Housing is guaranteed for and Sandra Harris. Wes has the seriousness minoring in management. Just knowing that all four years one would want in the head of MIT’s Aero/ the other 41 members of your house have • 93% of students live in Astro Department. (It is, after all, rocket such different life experiences and perspec- MIT housing science.) Sandra has a warmth and efferves- tives “is the fabric of a great conversation.” cence that bespeak her Southern roots. • You choose from: They both have the kindness and perspective – 11 residence halls No. 6 is rightly renowned for its cosmopol- that come from raising a family. And now, – 5 independent living groups itan parties, from the Halloween Masquerade they both have a certain irresistible young – 27 residential fraternities to their Valentine’s Day bash. But as Hashem golden retriever named Whistler. – 5 residential sororities points out, citing his own rising GPA, when you live with other people who also have a • 67% of students in singles Wes and Sandra always strive to make all the whole lot of work to do, you work together, • 30% in doubles members of New House feel comfortable, and you push each other. At least until it’s feel welcome, feel they have a real home at time for dinner. • 27 live-in faculty MIT. “Now,” says Sandra, “even the students housemasters who were hesitant or too busy to open • 78 resident tutors up to us will stop and play with Whistler.” Another way that MIT is just like home.  20 As MIT’s newest undergraduate residence, Simmons Hall proudly defies the laws of thermodynamics by proving that it’s 21 possible to be really warm and really cool at the same time.  22 23 Playing at MIT

At MIT, you will learn to navigate the great highway of homework — but you will miss something crucial if you ignore the quirky, alluring side roads of fun. Exit your problem sets, and you’ll find the most tempting landscape of activities, A gifted soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician as an undergraduate, Sean Sutherland ’00 now works athletics, amusements, and phantasmagorical ways to avoid a in intellectual property law but continues to feed his differential equation ever yet devised. New ones pop up all passion for piano. the time. If you want something, we probably have it — or you can start it and we can help.

Professor Janet Sonenberg (left), MIT faculty in Theater Arts

As one of America’s most promi- nent contemporary composers, Institute Professor John Harbison (inset, below) has won both a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur “Genius” Award.

By day, MIT’s Kresge Auditorium (below) hums with every variety of intellectual discourse; by night, it surrenders to the rhythms of MIT’s many music, theater, and dance groups, as well as visiting performers.

Arts At a campuswide block party for Susan Hockfield’s Freshman Howard Kellogg overcomes structural • 50 music, theater, and arts inauguration, Jake Abernethy ’02 demonstrates the skills Bryan Owens Sophomore flaws in his Jenga tower by employing the time-tested student groups required for the Red Sox to win a third World Series. Houston, Texas method of Personal Force Field Projection. • 500 arts-related events on Mechanical Engineering campus each year • $1.5 million in arts grants 1 given by the Council for It involved a paper cup and a light bulb, and to spend your whole life eating ice cream or FAQ from the website for MIT’s Time Traveler Convention: the Arts it didn’t actually work. But the robot Bryan lemons.” You also need a sense of what’s Q: I’m from the future, and I’d like to attend! • MIT has more composers Owens built at age five was still powerful really important. As Bryan observes, “I’ve only A: We’re not sure how you’re emailing us from the on its music faculty than enough to launch him on the trajectory pulled two all-nighters — and one was for future, but we’d love to have you! Come as you are! many conservatories that landed him at MIT. As he says now, Mystery Hunt4 during IAP. If I’m up until No dress code whatsoever. We do request that (9, including Pulitzer Prize “I showed the symptoms early.” For Bryan, 2AM, I’m playing TextTwist with my friends.” you bring some sort of proof that you do indeed winner John Harbison) science and engineering were always fun. come from the future, and haven’t just dressed • The MIT Museum boasts When he got into MIT, he knew it would be The oldest of four brothers, Bryan has the like you do. We welcome any sort of proof, but the world’s largest fun, too — a view not widely shared by easy, cheerful manner of the truly wise — and things like a cure for AIDS or cancer, a solution for collection of holograms his classmates in suburban Houston, nearly a deep affection for the superb unpredict- global poverty, or a cold fusion reactor would be • MIT bought its first harpsi- chord in 1956 with money all of whom headed for college in-state. ability of sharing daily life with a whole lot particularly convincing as well as greatly appreciated. raised from parking fines of other people. No surprise, then, that he (No RSVP required.) • MIT students have Bryan, however, was right. So, what’s the loves his fraternity. “It’s like MIT,” says Bryan, performed the premiere difference between MIT and some other “just a little more concentrated. We’re 2 The Sodium Drop is a delightfully meaningless amateur production of places you could go to school? “We have a 40 very different people, and we get to know optional ritual during orientation, involving a brick of several notable shows, Time Traveler Convention1, an annual Sodium each other very well.” sodium, a river, and a really big boom. including the world Drop2, and a Seamless Fashion Show3,” he premiere of Gilbert and explains, “but we don’t have a homecoming As Bryan sees MIT, “It’s not a question of 3 A grassroots Media Lab project, the Seamless Fashion Sullivan’s last operetta, parade.” ‘Do you fit?’ It’s ‘Do you want to participate?’ Show showcased intriguing collisions between media, The Grand Duke (1901), There’s a fit here for everyone.” technology, and fashion. the national amateur premiere of Stephen Bryan happily rakes in screenfuls of spam Sondheim’s Company just to uncover the coolest things happening 4 (1972), and the East on campus. He also maintains quite respect- Coast amateur premiere able grades. His strategy? “Composing of Tony Award-winning your day should be like composing a meal. Urinetown (2006). You want something sour, something sweet, different flavors and textures. You don’t want

24 25 Mystery Hunt Doria Holbrook Freshman Held every year during tap their knowledge of Yakima, Washington IAP, Mystery Hunt is a everything from science to Mechanical Engineering wicked complicated, science fiction to seduko, round-the-clock three-day and they dig for clues in a OK, so Doria Holbrook is supposed to be pool, an oasis of calm in MIT’s bustling scavenger hunt that host of real and conceptual Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center. Doria tests every mental muscle maps. The grand prize? well into her pole-vaulting career at some of every team that tries Naturally, it’s the chance Division 1 school an acceptable distance had dived for a few seasons, but she’d never it. In their quest for a to design the Hunt for from her home in Yakima, Washington. really done three-meter diving. Once she single coin — very well next year. Except that instead, she’s 3,011 miles away got to campus, her coaches inspired her to hidden somewhere on in Cambridge, Massachusetts, majoring in try it; she wound up as Division III Diver of campus — participants Follow the trail of Mystery Mechanical Engineering and making waves the Year. “My coaches are like my surrogate crack dozens of codes that Hunts past: (or, rather, little tiny entry splashes) as MIT’s parents here,” says Doria. “I’ve never had web.mit.edu/puzzle first national champion diver. It was her coaches this good.” As for the “Z-Center,”

Maggie meets George Lucas, after a minor college counselor who suggested that she she still loves it: “There’s always someone attack of the cones. apply to MIT. Recalls Doria, “When I got in, I know there. Sometimes I go in just to smell I said, ‘Shoot, what do I do now?’” Her the chlorine.” Maggie Oh ’01 father insisted that she visit — and then everything just fell into place. Intrigued by Who is DJ Zealot? Is she the cool, wild, work is really intense,” says Maggie, “but taking a hundred calls and emails from the campus tour, she fell in love with the fascinating empress of electronic music that’s what you have to do to get an educa- Turkey, from Worcester, from prison. Or who for three years running ruled the tion.” Her college experience was an ideal how to turn the tunnels under East Campus Friday 10-to-midnight party hour on WMBR, preparation for the work she does now as into a colossal bass drum by setting up MIT’s category-defying radio station? Or an assistant technical director for Industrial a speaker at each end. Or how to stay is she the serious musician and artist who Light & Magic (ILM), the movie industry’s connected to her friends: “Sometimes, you composed sonatas for violin and piano, and leading visual effects house, where she has just have to stop emailing and walk your cross-registered for watercolor classes at been working feverishly on Chicken Little 3-D butt over to see someone. The bonding is MassArt? Is she the one-time premed, or the and Pirates of the Caribbean II. At MIT, she so much better.” Above all, she learned eventual computer science graduate? The mastered new skills on the fly and learned the value of immersing yourself in things aspiring cartoonist, or the thriving special to be fearless about taking risks in the name you really love: “Some of my friends may effects creator who had a hand in the dusty, of creativity — which sounds a lot like what be making more money — but I’ve already smoky, burning parts of Star Wars: Episode she does at work all day. got three movies!” III? DJ Zealot is all these things — and she is also just Maggie Oh from Chicago. But Maggie always tempered her work with DJ Zealot. Maggie Oh. Exploding with a serious schedule of fun. And she learned happiness into eleventy zillion particles on For Maggie, MIT was emphatically about a lot from that, too. Like how to keep a a big, big screen near you. academics and fiercely about fun. “The radio audience happy while simultaneously

Athletics • 20% of undergraduates compete in intercollegiate athletics • 73% of undergraduates play intramural sports • 41 varsity teams: - 21 for men - 17 for women - 3 coeducational • 21 intramural sports • 35 club sports teams • 114 All-American citations, the highest total for any Division III program in US

26 27 28 Hand &Mind I liked tobuildstuff, Ihad thescores —and I finishedallthemathandscience they had, dropout? Highschoolwasboring. Is ittruethatyou were ahighschool Slocum hokum: curriculum. Here’s alittlesliceofhomemade small-group take onthefreshman-year Experimental StudyGroup, analternative, freshmen every year asco-director ofthe Alex alsoworks closely withseveral dozen competition amongstudent-builtrobots, class thatendsinaboisterous public sophomore-year mechanicalengineering Best known for teaching2.007, afamous and shirt” “KISS posteronofficewall.” “Professor” andreplace itwith “Hawaiian demolish your tweedy olddefinitionof It ismerely your neurons smilingasthey deep inyour brain. Donotbealarmed. first time, you experience aticklish feeling When youAlex Slocum, meet Sr., for the Alex Slocum, Sr. “hack” —MIT’s distinctive,highlyirreverent,oftenengineeredapproachtocampusprankdom. Research OpportunitiesProgram.Andifyouwantareal education,assignyourselfanambitious front-line researchthroughUROP, MIT’s uniquelybroadandwildlypopularUndergraduate If youcravenotonlyhands-onaction,butalsoreal-world challenges,youcanworkwith facultyon machine shop,itmaybetimetoheadNASA. the NanoLab.Ifyouneedtobuildsomethingcan’t makeinthepro-gradePappalardo Laband snacks withtheLabforChocolateScience.Ifyouoryour projectsarevery, very, verysmall,try shops. You canmakeartfrommoltensandintheGlassLaborassemblescientificallyrigorous lot ofpeoplewhoknowhowtouseasabersaw. Manyofourdormsfeaturewell-equippedhobby remarkable arrayofresourceshereformakingthings,and for makingthingshappen — andawhole On theroadtorealunderstanding,yousometimeshavewalkonyourhands.You’ll finda

’82, Professor Can educationreally befun? to real problems. you couldapply whatyou were learning anything you wanted, and theUROPs, where Especially theshops, where you could make MIT wasFUN—like finally beingliberated. high schooldegree tocomeMIT. nowhere diditsay thatyou hadtohave a it funwhilelasts. frequent fliermiles—so you’d bettermake trips around thesun—andyou don’t get thing outofit.You only getafew dozen about whatyou’re doingtogetsome- really learn.You living —andifyou’re notliving, you can’t If you’re notreleasing endorphins, you’re not There’s nohighlike anintellectualhigh. have tobereally passionate At MIT?

and minty. competition. That’s how we keep itfresh the ideas?Thewinnersdesignnext every year. Whocomesupwith The 2.007competitionisdifferent just by tinkering.It takes abalanceddiet. ties. You can’t getitalljustby reading —or ideas,- andtoseeseizenew opportuni later onyou’re prepared tosynthesizenew seeing, hearing, touching, smelling—sothat ways ofdrinkingintheworld —reading, pathways between theneurons, multiple be areally great creator,you needmultiple you’re born, you learnwithyour hands. To on hands-onlearning?From theminute Why doesMITputsomuch emphasis  drinking arts. drinking Also ahotspotfor thecoffee- linguistics, andphilosophy. intelligence,science, artificial engineering,electrical computer of reactor for practitioners Center, adelightfulintellectual The Stata(rhymeswithbeta)

 Much toocheap!” Ken Campbell.“Only $6.9billion? the price,” saidMITspokesman was ahackassoonIsaw MIT for $6.9Billion.”“I knewit page read:“Disney to Acquire 1998, theheadlineonMIT’s home On Fools’April Day morning, Monsieur Magritte. Put thatinyour pipeandsmoke it, thatitwasnotahack. vertibly banner thatdeclaredincontro- later, a the GreatDomesported on Fools’April Day.Two days hacks students oftenperpetrate thatMIT observed Globe story On March30, 2000, aBoston

Hacks At MIT, theword“hack”atMITrefers hacking (whichwecall“cracking”). nothing todowithcomputer(orphone) rest oftheworld!).Notethatthishas community (andsometimeseventhe perpetrators andamusingtotheMIT joke, whichisbothchallengingforthe to aclever, benignprankorpractical online hack gallery athacks.mit.edu. online hackgallery For afulllistofMIThacks, visitthe StealtheShow.” Pranksters “MIT 1—Harvard-Yale 0. Tech The BostonHerald headlineread: rocket engine. The nextday, post, propelledaloftby amodel zero-yard lineandover thegoal “MIT’’ shotoutofthe the letters to scoreafieldgoal, abannerwith later,years just as Yale prepared mid-field. Atthesamegamesix introduced itselfby poppingup game, anMITweather balloon at the1982Harvard-Yale football theplayerDuring introductions

“As akid, I’d take thingsapart fewer leftover.” parts I doajob, Ihave fewer and it over theyears. time Every it. AndI’ve gotten betterat do itandactually chargefor enjoy it. Exceptnow Ican again, over andover. Istill and putthembacktogether Tom ’58, co-hostsofNPR’s CarTalk Ray Magliozzi’72, withhisbrother,

* giant piece of nerd art on thewall.”giant pieceofnerd art —ortheyof nerd canadd art ittoour square andtake ithomeasacoolpiece “Students cancomesoldertheirown as Conway’s GameofLife.As Scottexplains, rules ofthecellularautomatonknown 5,000 LEDs, programmed toplay outthe top it.” The new plan: awall-sizedgridof thing: “Ofcourse, now we’re to trying of theDiscoDanceFloormeansjustone Torborg andhisco-conspirators, thetriumph according tothefire marshal. For Scott East Campuslounges, semi-permanently Dance Floornow animatesoneofthe the humanyo-yo. totheground.” straight and crash Past example: IAP, “whereyour ideascanreally take wing designheldduring concepts andirresponsible A weekend-long, of dubious hands-oncelebration Scott Torborg annual BadIdeas Competition thatwraps upthedorm’sat theparty no reason butthefunofit. Firstunleashed with 512individualLEDtiles—for exactly x16-foot fully automateddiscodancefloor 8 of solder, sawdust, andcoding, intoan into a10-day, 30-person, multi-pizza fiesta into asemester-long designobsession, you canturnawacky, late-nightsuggestion believes inescalation—aplacewhere hatch someseriouseggs. It’s aplacethat ideas comehometoroost —andthey East Campusisadormwhere outlandish Electrical EngineeringandComputerScience Seattle, Washington Junior * , theDisco

29 30 31 Same Place, Different Map

Through the rugged terrain of MIT surges a swift, gorgeous river of understanding — a whole different way of reaching the horizon. At MIT, the arts and humanities are everywhere — in course- work with our inspiring faculty and visiting artists; in classical drama and raging comedy improv; in a field of blown-glass pumpkins and a club devoted to origami; in the Balinese rhythms of Gamelan Galak Tika, the stirring Senegal drums of Rambax, and the harmonies of a host of a capella groups with deliciously nerdy names; in the startling choreography of the Kinaesthetics Lab; and in the remarkable museums and performances that make Boston one of America’s most art-rich cities.

At MIT, the arts and humanities are as integral as oxygen in water — and they’ll take you places you can’t get to any other way. Whenever you’re ready, dive in.

Junot Díaz Professor Molly Bright Junior Thomas DeFrantz Professor Your short stories often center on No one is required to take my class; every Bayport, New York people whose lives ricochet between student I teach at MIT, I earned — someone Physics Any weekday at noon, step into MIT’s Infinite the US and the Dominican Republic. who suddenly appreciates literature and Corridor* and try to imagine yourself as an Where is home for you? I was born sees the value of critical thinking. It feels like “Only masochists play the oboe,” explains electron in a linear particle accelerator. You in the Dominican Republic, but we moved an honest day’s work. Molly Bright with a knowing grin, sitting will not have to try very hard. It is precisely to a town outside Perth Amboy, New Jersey, down briefly after one rehearsal and that zooming jostle of bodies, brains, and when I was six — a very tough, very What about your colleagues? By nature checking her watch to calculate when to faces that makes Professor Thomas DeFrantz immigrant place. We are a very Dominican I’m a grump, so it’s not easy to get me leave for the next one. “Technically, it’s very so happy teaching dance at MIT. Right away family. So home is New Jersey and the excited — but I have never seen a humani- difficult. And the reed is the most delicate he fell for the “chaotic more-ness” of the Dominican Republic. ties department like the one we have. MIT is and temperamental thing I’ve ever dealt place, with the way people move: “They’re so rich in the sciences and engineering, it can with, more than any person.” As serious always in motion. They walk very quickly, and This may sound impertinent — but afford a really beautiful humanities program. about physics as she is about music, Molly I like that urgency, because it’s not imposed it’s not the Massachusetts Institute of surprised herself by choosing MIT; because from outside. Everyone just trusts that what Humanities. What are you doing here? For MIT students, what’s the most Sharing the stage are two signature MIT musical groups, only a handful of students major solely in Rambax, which performs traditional Sengalese sabar is urgent to me will be useful to the future.” I love my damn students. They’re the biggest important thing you teach? The value music here, it’s assumed that everyone has drumming and dancing, and Gamelan Galak Tikka, which nerds on the planet, and I love them. I’ve had of mistakes. It’s the inherent contradiction multiple interests, so orchestra rehearsals plays the distinctive combination of metallophones, He also feels that the faculty — overwhelm- other faculty members chide me for using of being a humanities professor at a place are deliberately set not to conflict with lab gongs, and cymbals known as a Balinese gamelan. ingly practitioners and performers them- that word, but I mean it in the most positive like MIT — to learn anything, the students times — which is not true at every school. selves — is a perfect match for the students: possible way. have to take risks, but we have to grade “Everybody here is pursuing what really them; and some of them are trying to Social chair of the MIT Symphony Orchestra excites them.” One valuable side effect? “At get into medical school, so they tell me. (MITSO), Molly has tons of friends in MIT, the norm is defined by ingenuity and I grade their entire work for the semester, theater, too. And she really understands the enthusiasm; it doesn’t have anything to do so there’s merit in range and exploration. musical pulse of MIT: “This community with race or gender or sexual orientation,” wants Rite of Spring! When we play Stravinsky, says Thomas, who is gay himself. “There’s Do you learn things from your we pack the hall,” with a crowd that includes very little time for petty identity politics at students? All the time. When science many MIT faculty. She was a little awed by MIT. Everybody has so much to do!” and engineering come up, they treat her legendary math professor, Arthur me as their campesino cousin whom they’re Mattock — until he happened to hear her And, although MIT’s dance and theater trying to teach to use the remote. wind quintet. “I’ll see him outside class,” says facilities may not be superglamorous, as Molly, “and he’ll say, ‘That was a very nice Thomas explains, the limitations inspire a What will you teach next? solo in the Shostakovich. Have you heard this wonderful guerilla attitude, so that “the MIT Dance Theater Ensemble members Ann Apocalyptic literature. piece by Bartok?’ ” Bergen ’05 (foreground) and Audrey Snyder ’03 organic process of creating a performance” perform in the The Cane Suite, choreographed becomes a perpetual experiment in a by Professor Thomas DeFrantz. campuswide lab — a lab where anything is possible. “In dance,” says Thomas, “practice In our pond is knowledge.” (That’s the way they say • 8 museums and galleries “learning by doing” in DeFrantz.) • 1 lending gallery — with close to 350 items to loan to student living spaces * OK, at 9.1 x 10-15 parsecs, it’s not technically infinite. • 10 libraries with 5,000,000+ items Would you believe “wicked long”? • 11 theater and performance spaces

32 33 35 an RAA herself. In Next House alone, there there In Next House alone, an RAA herself. this job trained for 15 upperclassmen are also they find their way; of helping freshmen “a support for network help each other, if Alexandra feels So, the support network.” connect with a particular student, she can’t to find someone who can. she is sure

thoughtful attention, ice cream, and ice cream, thoughtful attention, assorted fun that she was named the Advisor Associate Outstanding Residential is also spare there (Evidently (RAA). the serious business of varsity time for fun of D-League tennis and the goofball Go figure.) ice hockey. Alexandra is a huge fan of the RAA as which served her so well Program, to be that she was inspired a freshman

Sophomore Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta, Astronautics and Aeronautics With the same energy and ambition that that led her to decide at age seven and at study math in college, she would and be an astronaut, 11 that she would MIT, Atlanta for at 17 that she had to leave little things Alexandra manages a few in aero/astrobesides her coursework and organizing the political science — like (a Boston Harbor Next House formal helping lead her sorority, 250), cruise for advisees so much her freshman and offering Alexandra Coso Alexandra

- - -

Medical’s comprehensive comprehensive Medical’s own religious communities and offering the entire MIT family, counseling, private talks, and students define career choices, identify job opportunities, and pinpoint programs and intern- ships to build their qualifications. The MIT Alumni Association helps students connect with a worldwide network of more than 100,000 MIT alums. health services include full-service medical care, with 23 clinical specialties such as dermatology, and psychiatry. ophthalmology, Almost all are free of charge to registered students. program development. The cam Financial Aid MIT awards all aid based on The MIT Careers Office helps Health services MIT Safety on campus police force consists of MIT’s Spiritual support chaplains serve both their MIT’s Academic support / mentoring / Academic support on guid Every freshman can count Career development 55 sworn, armed, Police Academy trained officers, with full arrest authority on campus. Officers also staff the MIT licensed ambulance service as emergency medical technicians. financial need, and meets the full need of each student for all four years. Approximately 90% of MIT undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. ance from an academic advisor ance from an academic (an upper and an associate advisor classman skilled at helping new classman skilled at helping students feel at home, socially and academically). In-dorm advising includes live-in faculty housemaster families and a team of graduate resident tutors. pus is also home to more than 30 active student religious groups.

i

Evidently, it should Evidently, i MIT’s ecumenical chapel is also an architectural ecumenical chapel MIT’s landmark Eero Saarinen. designed by i MIT’s number-one crime and safety issue: issue: crime and safety number-one MIT’s the kind of petty theft common to every the kind of petty theft common to every “Burnt Number two? urban campus. a night goes Hardly popcorn or burnt rice. “Let me Cheryl. says without a call,” by leaning forward, she adds, now,” right tell you that is all business, with a smile but a voice two minutes and nine seconds to “It takes popcorn.” microwave make question on the SAT. be an extra-credit you

i

Sergeant

At MIT, the network of support and resources is so richly populated, it deserves a map all its own. deserves a map populated, it is so richly and resources the network of support At MIT, a fully system, from academic advising to our strong resident tutors housemasters and From our to computing tutorial services from center, medical force to a full-service campus police empowered Office — it is a campus International Students the Office of Minority Education to support, from the ideas, information, the guidance, comfort, all open hearts, an easy place to find of open doors and care you need. inspiration, and loving

Vossmer Cheryl Guides and Guideposts Guideposts and Guides you gone to where the cops offer to buy the cops offer to where gone you As a member of the Community coffee?” - job to commu Cheryl’s it’s Unit, Policing teach nicate the facts about campus crime, habits to students unfamiliar streetwise and encourage people to with city life, “But really,” shuttle system. use the SafeRide “I’m paid to people-watch.” Cheryl, says think of a And although most of us may as an intimidating barrier, police uniform Cheryl uses it as permission to start as an excuse to ask people conversations, doing and whether she can help. they’re how at of resources a huge number are “There a problem, got “If you’ve Cheryl. says MIT,” feel don’t If you to ask. just have you ask someone getting the right help, you’re call me.” always can always, else — and you “If you’re having a bad day,” says MIT says a bad day,” having “If you’re at Sergeant CherylCampus Police Vossmer don’t If you “call me. Orientation, Freshman I’ll buy a cup of coffee, for the money have what other schools have Now, one. you MIT Campus Police MIT Campus Police 34 Exploring the Territory

38 42° 21' 32'' N, 71° 5' 38'' W MIT is a destination inside a destination: a premier research university smack in the middle of an incredible double city. Come see!

44 The World at MIT In the places we come from and the places we go, MIT is indescribably international. All roads lead to Dome!

42 The World of MIT There is no typical MIT student — but there are more than 330 campus clubs and organizations to call your own.

46 Friends on the Road We work hard, but we work together. If 2 heads > 1, MIT > anything you’ve ever imagined.

36 37 42° 21'32" N 71°5'38"W

To Lowell To Reading, . . . The Alternate Route. Haverhill Daytrips from Cambridge To Newburyport, 93 MIT sits at the junction of two rivers:Rockport the wet, sleepy Charles, which snakes between • Martha’s Vineyard: 85 miles south + 45-minute ferry ride Cambridge and Boston, and the turbulent automotive cascade of Massachusetts Avenue, 2 • Cape Cod:P O80AK miles GRO southVE which conveniently flows both ways. A few blocks in either direction, and you’re in the • Newport, RI: 75 miles south P WONDERLANDONDERLAND West Medford P heart of a lively city; with more than 50 colleges and universities, Boston and Cambridge • Plymouth, MA: 40Malden miles south Chelsea • Loon Mountain, NH: add up to the country’s most magnificent college town. Beyond the growing number Revere Beach Latitude and longitude 100 miles northP coordinates using World Wellington of dining1 choices on campus, you’re 10 minutes from virtually any ethnic cuisine you Belmont Center • Salem, MA: 16 miles north P Geodetic System 1984 Davis Beachmont Brandeis/ • Walden Pond, MA: can imagine, top-notch museums, world-class shopping, and some of the most historic, W W Roberts altham averley Sullivan 15 miles west Square picturesquely cobble-stoned1A Su streetsffolk Downs in America.P And if you think trees are green, just To Fitchburg P ALEWIFE P • Coastal Maine: 60 miles north wait ’til you see our October. Porter Orient Heights P P WeatherLECHMERE Community College Wood Island 95 Harvard • Average temperatures (°F) - January (First Night): 28.6° 128 Science Park AirportShuttle Bus - June (Commencement): 73.4° F4 Central E North Station C D W Maverick A est Newton Newtonville uburndale RestaurantsBOWDOIN AIRPORT TERMINALS Kendall/MIT• 118 within a 10-minute walk Haymarketet of campus B 90 Gov't A al • Cuisines includeCenter Afghan, W Aquarium Logan ashingtonHa Strvard Ave Charles/MGHCaribbean, Chinese, SL1 International U Centr * BOSTON B B State Airport U East Ethiopian, Greek, Indian, . COLLEGE B Park St Italian, Japanese, Korean, ner o Framingham & Worcester adey Ctr T ashington enmoreMediterranean, Mexican, thouser a CLEVELAND CIRCLE W Coolidge K Hynes/ICACopley Arlington T C Square Cor Middle Eastern, Portuguese,Downtown ld D s Crossing Cour or y’ Taiwanese, Thai, and Tunisian W er Line W F1 F2 Mar Fenway Silv St. abanP Eliot • 9 coffee* Boylstonshops W Longwood Prudential Chinatown South oodlandP • 11 pizzerias IM Pei ’4090 SL2 W Reservoir Symphony Back NE Medical Station BOSTON MARINE RIVERSIDEP INDUSTRIAL PARK To Hull P Chestnut Hill Northeastern • 7 IndianBay restaurantsCenter NewtonP Centre Museum of Fine Arts To Hingham Longwood • 6 Chinese restaurantsE. Berkeley St Newton Highlands Beaconsfield Brigham Circle Mass Ave AsBroadway MIT’s most renownedSL3 graduate in illage CITY POINT V Ruggles Newton St architecture, I.M. Pei has left a scissor-sharp mark on cities around the world, from the Brookline Hills Roxbury TransportationMass Ave Crossing Andrew • “The T,” run by the MBTA, glass pyramid adorning the Louvre Museum Brookline HEATH E MMelneaelnea CCassass BBlvdlvd isJ acksonthe nation’s Sq oldestDDUDLEYUD subwayLEY SSQQ in Paris, to the East Wing of the National system: Gallery in Washington, DC, to the John Stony Brook Uphams JFK/UMass F2 LEGEND Green– Fare: St $1.25 Corner Hancock building, a sliver of glass slicing • Buses, also run by Savinthe MBTA: Hill To Needham FOREST HILLS P the Boston skyline. Pei also created several Aayesha Siddiqui Junior Terminal Station – Fare: $0.90 MIT landmarks, from the Green Building Bradenton, Florida vue Fields illage • Total MBTA riders/day: T V Corner (21 stories, topped with a jaunty white o Quincy Transit Station Wheelchair Highland Belle Anthropology Accessible over 1.2 million weather-radar sphere) to the Media Lab • Within 5 subwayShawmut stops and/or Roslindale complex and the decidedly pointy Building Transfer Station Parking 1 bus ride: At MIT, Aayesha Siddiqui learned how to Morton St. 66. How does he like his geometry? – Chinatown ASHMONT walk. And then, oh, man, did she ever learn – The Italian North End Pure and simple. Nhow to dance. – Fenway Park Commuter Rail P – Theater District Cedar Grove North Quincy In her Florida suburb, “If you need to go a As Aayesha says, “When I visited my mother’s Connection Commuter set out to see a live performance at every Aayesha has found an unexpected parallel Rail Service Hyde Park – Symphony Hall Butler third of a mile, you get in the car.” But things family in the Philippines, it was a humbling MATTAPANCapen StV Central Milton 93 Boston theater. (Here’s Hint #2: Usher for with life at MIT: “Salsa dancing is very alley Rd P *Boylston: Fairmount – Logan International Airport Wollaston are different in Boston and Cambridge, experience. Here in the US, we’re very Accessible for Silver Line Washington P 1 Blue Man Group, and see the show for free.) meritocratic,” she explains. “No matter Street only. – Boston Common P *State: Blue line wheelchair access outbound A two cities equally famous for skimpy parking how good you look, people want to see comfortable in our first-world lives, but we Readville ve side only. Inbound riders transfer to outbound – Boston University, Harvard P train at Government Center. Exit State outbound Quincy Center and abundant walkability. Aayesha is now This summer, she shares an apartment if you can dance.” At MIT, the dance may need to work with the whole world.” Readville University,P Northeastern a devoted pedestrian. “For the fastest, with two friends near Cambridge’s funky involve a catchy algorithm, but the attitude Water Transportation Services University, Suffolk University, Endicott P cheapest, most beautiful way to get from Central Square (and, not coincidentally, just is the same. * ...or resist finding out about the wacky way it’s F1 Hingham Shipyard to Tufts University, and more Quincy Adams Rowes Wharf, Boston MIT to Boston,” she says, “how can you steps from the heart of the local salsa measured. (See inside back cover.) F2 Quincy & Hull to Logan Airport & 95 Dedham * Corp. Center • Ratio of colleges to square resist walking across the Mass. Ave. bridge ?” scene). She started salsa dancing junior year Aayesha takes her coursework very Long Wharf, Boston 128 F4 Charlestown Navy Yard to miles in metro Boston: 1:1 (That’s Free Hint #1.) at MIT — and it is now a passion. “Virtu- seriously, too: “I came to MIT because I Long Wharf, Boston Islington (50 colleges within 50 square ally every night, there’s someplace to dance really wanted to make a difference in 93 1 For customer service & travel information miles, the highest concen- P BRAINTREE Aayesha has made a point of exploring if you want,” says Aayesha. “I come home the world” — and she still does, though call 617-222-3200, 1-800-392-6100, To Forge Park Route 128 TTY 617-222-5146 or visit the MBTA tration in the world) 3 the community outside MIT, from seeing soaking wet from dancing for three hours her major has shifted from environmental web site at http://www.mbta.com 95 Shakespeare on the Common to biking along straight.” (And Hint #3: The hottest salsa engineering to anthropology, a switch For MBTA Police call 617-222-1212 To Attleboro, To Middleborough, To Kingston/ Stoughton, Providence 24 Lakeville Plymouth the Esplanade and watching the sailboats venue on Friday night is the Havana Club in she describes as “the best decision of my bobbing on the Charles. Sophomore year, she Central Square.) life.” What lies ahead? Perhaps social Poised between two wonderful entrepreneurship or environmental activism. cities, MIT rocks the world. 38  39 40 41 The World of MIT

At MIT, you are here, and here, and here — a member of as many communities and groups as you choose. No matter what your culture, interests, or background, you will find an open door at MIT.

Who comprises MIT? • African American 6% • Asian American 26% • Hispanic 12% • Native American 2% • White/Caucasian 35% Estevan “Milo” Martinez Freshman • Other 13% Laredo, Texas • International students 7% Comparative Media Studies and Activities Music and Theater Arts Anna Dreyer ’03 • 330 student organizations • 12 media organizations Ask Milo Martinez where he comes from, seminar. (The finale was a piece of do-it- What, exactly, is the “Beaver Dash”? Begin • 64 ethnic, language, and and he’ll say, “Laredo, Texas.” Ask him where yourself performance art: 27 students taking with small teams of local high school stu- international student he belongs, and he’ll name a certain corridor advantage of the 20-second walk signal dents. Give each a bucket of assorted stuff. organizations a dozen light-years away at MIT. In “5th East,” across Massachusetts Avenue, to inexplicably While the clock ticks, watch hopefully as • 30 religious organizations as his East Campus dorm floor is known, mop the crosswalk.) they try to build a working scale. The most • 22 service groups the fact that he favors bare feet, silver accurate team wins — but everybody gets • 21 activism groups serpent jewelry, and long (at this writing, Milo’s advice to incoming freshmen? “Don’t the real prize, which is a zany but serious • 41 varsity athletic teams • 15 academic honor societies green) braided hair extensions is virtually be afraid to ask for help, and take the chance to consider engineering as a career. • 12 student government ho-hum. That he also loves to sew and wear housing process seriously.” And embrace groups elaborate costumes — like the Quidditch the weather: “I’m a big fan of snow. Scoop It’s one of many activities — from networking • 50 music, theater, and arts suit he’s working on, or the gothic floral some off your windowsill, add a little to peer support — that Anna Dreyer helped student groups vampire ensemble he used to spice up a syrup, and you’ve got a snow cone! And the organize as co-president of the Society West Campus formal last year — elicits just cold,” he adds sagely, “is really an opportunity of Women Engineers. A computer science one question: “Hey, do you have a serger?” to wear more clothes.” student, Anna wanted the chance to connect with other women in technical fields, at MIT * Tanya (standing) and friends He’s found other comfortable niches here, MIT’s lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered and beyond. too, like the biological engineering lab where communities come together in the Rainbow Tanya Flores Sophomore he UROPed. And the Rainbow Lounge*, with Lounge through a number of groups, including So how did she feel when Susan Hockfield Los Fresnos, Texas its cozy kitchen and library, “a really nice GaMIT, LBGT@MIT, ULC (Undergraduate LBGT was named to head MIT? “Intellectually, it Management place to be even when things aren’t going Community), and the Rainbow Coffeehouse. shouldn’t matter if the president is female,” on there.” And the Office of the Arts, which says Anna. “But emotionally, it’s motivating, As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, In her heart, Tanya is still very close to Through a LUChA connection, Tanya landed sponsored his art-themed freshman advising and President Hockfield is an inspiring from a town that boasts one traffic light home — “Even now, I can’t talk to my mom a summer internship at an auto parts role model.” and an almost completely Hispanic high without her crying” — but she has made plant in Mexico. The experience reinforced school, Tanya Flores came expecting a a second home at the busy crossroads her growing sense that she prefers working Through the Harvard-MIT Division of dose of culture shock and expecting to dive of MIT’s many different Latino organizations, with people to wrestling with code, and Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Anna into MIT’s active and close-knit Latino several of which she helps lead. Based in her confidence in switching her major to is now pursuing a PhD in “auditory neuro- community. What she wasn’t expecting? the Latino Cultural Center, they range management. Recently, she has also picked science, from a signal-processing point of To find that “Latino” comes in so many from the Society of Hispanic Professional up another interesting sideline: working view — basically how neurons in different wildly different stripes. “When I got to MIT, Engineers (SHPE), where Tanya is fundraising with the Student Minority Admissions brain centers encode auditory stimuli.” I made so many friends — from Guatemala chair and which she recommends as “a Recruitment Team (SMART) to encourage The work is intense (including 48-hour and Puerto Rico. I felt, ‘Wow, you’re so great way to get internships in industry,” other students from the Rio Grande Valley experiments!) but exciting, and could one different!’ ” (Not so different anymore, as to LUChA (La Unión Chicana por Aztlán), to imagine themselves at MIT. day lead to hearing aids that really work. Tanya’s family teases her about the Puerto where she’s vice president and which (Anna’s own ears have served her brilliantly, Rican phrases and cadences she’s picked up.) she treasures for the companionship of first as a child emigrating from Belarus friends who speak each other’s language in and learning to speak accentless English; every sense of the phrase. later as an award-winning vocalist at MIT.)

Her latest foray into community building? “Hibur” — from the Hebrew for “connec- tion” and “friend” — a new Hillel initiative that’s building student / faculty links between MIT and the Technion — the Israel Institute of Technology. 42 43 Darragh Buckley Sophomore Limerick, Ireland The World at MIT Mechanical Engineering

As Darragh Buckley explains with a cheerful If you want to mark a world map with all the countries represented at MIT, we suggest you grin, strangely enough his favorite thing buy your pushpins wholesale. In its students and faculty, its impact, and its point of view, about America is not the very, very imagina- tive leprechaun references “inspired” by his the Institute is spectacularly international — with an open, practical, unpretentious spirit lyrical accent. Nor is it Lucky Charms (which that is 100 percent American homegrown. they don’t sell back home in Limerick, but which his little sister perversely insists that he import just for her). Instead, it’s some- thing so American we hardly notice it: the Anjani Trivedi Freshman sweet, open-hearted tradition of inviting New Delhi, India outsiders to join you for Thanksgiving. Economics and Mathematics “People make sure everyone feels included,” says Darragh. “I got so many invitations.” Thanks to her father’s job with the Indian government, Anjani Trivedi has lived in Because higher education in Ireland is Canada, suburban Virginia, small towns in excellent and free, “going abroad for univer- Central India, and then a private boarding sity is unheard of,” Darragh says. But he school farther north. “We never lived wanted to study engineering with the best anywhere for more than four years,” says minds in the world, and to explore America, Anjani, “so adapting to new situations too. Now that he’s here, he launches a became part of my life.” In the end, India different cultural experiment each semester. is definitely home — but MIT is a very One example: playing American football. MIT OpenCourseWare MIT reaches out to the world • Freely sharing course comfortable stop on her journey, with its A rugby veteran, he made the MIT varsity materials for 1,250 team. Last year, his equally athletic mother wonderful brew of cultures and experiences. MIT courses ran the Boston Marathon — just possibly • Millions of users from an excuse to come see him? Because her older sisters both enrolled MIT International more than 215 countries, at US colleges, and because the MIT name Science and Technology territories, and city-states carries great weight in India, the decision to Although it’s changing, to an American eye, Initiatives (MISTI) come was easy. And though she managed Ireland is still strikingly nondiverse. As • Placed more than 1,700 The world convenes Cambridge-MIT her first semester less gracefully than she’d Darragh observes, “In Limerick, I knew MIT students as interns in at MIT through: Institute (CMI) hoped, she has struck a great balance now. one person who wasn’t Catholic, and knew labs and offices around the • Public Service Center • Established in July 2000 as • International Students of one person who wasn’t white” — which world in the last decade “You can say, ‘I’m just here to work,’” Anjani a strategic alliance between Organization • Currently running programs explains with a smile. “But I want to leave makes the kaleidoscope of cultures and MIT and the University of in China, France, Germany, this place with a more developed personality, backgrounds at MIT a fantastic part of Cambridge, UK Global citizens India, Italy, Japan, and not just an MIT degree.” his education. • 15 MIT departments • 39% of MIT students speak Mexico and nine Cambridge a language other than • 195 students interned in departments participate English at home Anjani finds herself with lots of friends from 10 different countries in the exchange • 7% of MIT undergrads are the US. But she also confesses to a special in 2005 bond with the other 80 overseas freshmen • At least 50 students international students are eligible for the one- she met during International Orientation, year exchange in their including a young woman from Jordan junior year who has become her closest friend. Now, as co-president of the International Students Association (ISA), Anjani has big plans: “International students are 7 percent of MIT undergrads. We can really make a big difference.” And while everyone loves the ISA’s International Fair in the spring, Christine Robson ’04 Anjani aims to do more: “I want us to create a support system, not just a couple As an undergraduate, you spent time How was your Japanese when you got You almost chose a liberal arts college. of events.” working in Japan through MISTI (MIT to MIT? I had spent two summer months Was MIT the right decision? Going International Science and Technology with a Japanese family, so I spoke lousy to MIT allowed me to jump straight into Initiatives). How does MISTI compare colloquial high school slang Japanese — not my current job at IBM Japan, look at a really to the usual notion of “junior year something you’d want to display to a poten- complicated problem, solve it — and get abroad”? It’s so much better. It’s not pack- tial employer. two patents out of it by the age of 24. I don’t aged tours of the countryside or classes think there’s any other school that could with other Americans. It’s real work, real life, When did you start programming? have prepared me as well. in the thick of the culture. You’re completely Fall of freshman year — and I fell madly immersed, working for a local company, in love with it. Eventually, I double-majored doing what you want to do for your career. in math and electrical engineering. No other school has a program like it. 44 45 Friends on the Road the Collaboratrona ton of assembly required At MIT, we believe in knowing as much as you can, in as many ways as possible — and we do it by collaborating like crazy, jaywalking outrageously across the boundaries of communities and fields, and working together on our problem sets beyond what they ever allowed you to imagine in high school. x2 x1 x1 x1 Why is collaboration part of our culture? Because it leads us to answers that none of us would find on our own. And while “interdisciplinary” may not be the most romantic word, from nanotechnology the to biological engineering to artificial intelligence, it leads straight to the heart of the spectacular x2 x2 x2 x1 a ton of assembly required the destination that is MIT. Collaboratron the the x1 x1 x1 x2 x2 x1 x1 x1 Collaboratrona ton of assembly required Collaboratron the Collaboratrona ton of assembly required required assembly of ton a

a ton of assembly required Collaboratron x2 x2 x1 x1 x2 x2 x2 x1 x2 x1 x1 x1 I n y x x x x tthe a TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: 2 1 1 1 w e u 1. put minds together r r t h 2. put hands together the x x x x a ton of assembly required the 3. put hearts together 2 1 1 1 S Collaboratronr y t x x 4. follow your passion n a a 1 1 x x x x l i t 1 1 1 2 c i p e a ton of assembly required d i s a ton of assembly required Collaboratron x2 x2 x2 x1 Collaboratron x2 x2 x2 x1 Unique Junctions at MIT x2 x2 x2 x1 x2 x1 x1 x1 x x x x Fission + Mission = Cure? 2 2 1 1 x2 x1 x1 x1 x2 x1 x1 x1 x1 x1 x1 x2 With a distinctive double major in Nuclear x x x x x1 x1 x1 x2 Engineering and Biology, sophomore Jugal TEAM INSTRUCTIONS:1 1 1 2 1. put minds together Shah went hunting for a UROP — and he 2. put hands together x1 x1 x1 x2 found Dr. Kent Riley, a researchx2 scientist at x2 x2 x1 3. put hearts together 4. follow your passion the Nuclear Reactor Lab, and a pioneering x1 x1 x2 x2 x2 x1 project on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. x2 x2 x2 x1 x2 x2 x1 x2x1 x2 x1 x1 This potential treatment attacks a lethal brain cancer; the tumor cells uptake drugs x2 x2 x1 x1 TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: with boron at higher concentrationsx1 than x1 x1 x2 1. put minds together 1. put minds together normal cells do; irradiating the boron atoms 2. put hands together 2. put hands together zaps the cancer but not the healthy tissue. x1 TEAM INSTRUCTIONS:x1 x1 x23. put hearts together x x x x 3. put hearts together Wey-Jiun Lin Junior 1 1 1 2 1. put minds together x1 x1 4. follow your passion x x 2. put hands together 1 1 4. follow your passion UROP + Hip Hip = Don’t Stop! Los Altos, California 3. put hearts together Bill Hubbard Professor Japanese hip hop is a creative explosion x1 x1 4. follow your passion x x Mechanicalx Engineeringx ignited by everything from African2 American 2 1 1 music to caustic political commentary to the How much can you get acrossx in one x What’s xthe hardest thingx for students Any other ways you foster camara- What would you get if you took a powerful And when I’m working for Apple, it really 2 2 1 1 ancient poetic form of haiku. In a UROP with TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: x2 x2 x1 x1 semester of introductory architecture? to learn? To suspend resolution, to keep derie? During class, the boombox runs, and talent1. put mindsfor mechanical together engineering, wired it to makes a difference that I know the history 1 ofx 2 x 2 x 2 x Foreign Languages and Literatures Professor 2. put hands together We teach the basic craft of it — how to ballsTEAM in the INSTRUCTIONS: air. If they can envision their final the students have to negotiate the music, a mad passion for graphic design, grounded the industry and the company, and that I have Ian Condry, Anna Teytelman researches the 3. put hearts together TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: read a drawing, how to draft, how to make design1. put early minds on,together they’ve missed something. because I ban earphones — you’ve got to be x x it 4.with follow an your MIT passion instinct for problem solving, an art1. put background. minds together It all comes together.” 2. put hands together music’s brief, noisy history — 1and is building 1 a model without cutting off your fingers, They need to learn to discover the design in the room, not in your head! Also, it’s fine 2. put hands together 3. put hearts together a MetaMedia website where music meets and lubricated the whole thing with fluency 3. put hearts together 4. follow your passion how to run some of the basic programs.x1 x1 through the process. to bring in food, but if it’s French fries, you computer science. in English and Mandarin Chinese?x1 You just x1 Last4. year, follow overyour passion IAP, she and two of her sorority But mainly, I try to have students experience have to share. might get a supremely cool summer job sisters entered a classic MIT robot-building what design is. You’ve got to take on three We also use “pinups” to force students, very Artificial Intelligence + Mechanical helping to design the next-generation iPod. contest known as 6.270. “It was kind of crazy, sets of issues: gently, to acquire the habit of collaboration. Imagination = Baby Steps because it’s really computer science oriented. 1. How it’s made; Once a week, you have to pin your work up A student of mechanical engineering and For Wey-Jiun Lin, all the diverse things The mechanical aspects are mostly taken 2. How you move through it; and on the wall, and explain to your nine group- artificial intelligence, senior Ming-fai Fong she loves are connected: “I’m majoring in care of, because the robots are made out of worked with Professor Russell Tedrake 3. What you do in it. mates and your critic what you were trying mechanical engineering and minoring in Legos, but you can do a lot with Legos!” They to teach a charming mechanical “Toddler” When all three things work equally well, then to do — and then talk with them about how history. When you first hear that, you think, to walk. In robotics, mimicking the human may have been crazy, and their design sure you have design. you could improve it. It’s tough for most of gait is an unsolved problem; with a learning well, that’s kind of weird,” says Wey-Jiun, looked different from everybody else’s — but us to learn to share, to really work together, program in its controller, “Toddler” was “but I see them as almost intertwined. they wound up finishing third. x x x x but that’s how real studios are run. the first to teach itself to walk, the way a Technology has had a big effect on pushing 2 1 1 1 child does (but faster). how history develops. 46 47

1 1 x 1 x 2 x 2 x

TEAM INSTRUCTIONS: TEAM put minds together together minds put 1. together hands put 2. 3. put hearts together together hearts put 3. 4. follow your passion your follow 4. 1 x 1 x Changing the Landscape

50 Trajectories and Destinations Whether you prefer to dig deep or aim high, MIT can take you almost anywhere.

54 MIT in the World An MIT education will change you forever — so you can change the world.

48 49 Trajectories and Destinations

When you’re ready, you will fold up the map and start blazing a trail of your own. With its famously entrepreneurial spirit, MIT sets remarkable numbers of graduates on the road to inventing companies and products (and our Entrepreneurship Center helps them learn how). With the extraordinary connections and achievements of our alumni, students have accelerated access to a wide range of career paths, through initiatives like UPOP (Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program) and F/ASIP (Freshman/Alumni Summer Internship Program). And as MIT graduates quickly learn, with the nontrivial discipline and skills of an Institute education, they can go just about anywhere.

Occupations of MIT alumni • Educator/Professor: 6% • Engineer/Architect: 24% • Physician (MD): 7% Helen Greiner, Rodney Brooks • Lawyer: 3% and Colin Angle, the three • Management: 21% co-founders of iRobot Corporation • Scientist/Mathematician: 13% • Computers/Technology: 6% • Writer/Artist/ Entertainer/Athlete: 2%

Graduate degrees held by MIT alumni • MIT graduates earning further degrees: 78% - Master’s degree: 64% - Law degree: 4% - Medical degree: 8% The iRobot PackBot Explorer Tactical Mobile Robot allows - Research doctorate: 20% soldiers to stay at safe standoff distances, while the robot relays real-time video, audio, and sensor readings. • Undergraduates who, upon Julian Iragorri ’90 graduation, will continue Helen Greiner ’89, MS ’90 immediately to work toward a graduate degree at MIT: 24% So one day, your MIT economics class is By 35, Julian would become one of the In 1990, shortly after her MIT graduation, How did the company get started, and What difference does it make that so interrupted because your professor just youngest managing directors in the history Helen Greiner cofounded Artificial Crea- what’s your focus today? We started the much of the iRobot team comes from won the Nobel Prize (departmental ratio of Lehman Brothers. As he says, very simply, tures with fellow student Colin Angle ’89, company on a shoestring, leveraging credit MIT? Having hands-on laboratory experi- of undergraduates to Nobel Laureates: “I owe everything to MIT.” and Rod Brooks, an MIT professor of cards and our passion for robots. Our first ence, coupled with exposure to MIT’s unique 30 to 3). Another time, you find yourself in computer science (and now director of project was Rover for NASA, followed by problem-solving approach, helped us build Bogota with a different professor, discussing He ascribes part of his success to the MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial robots for research laboratories. Today, the character and charter for our company. economic policy with the president of lessons learned from his stint in MIT’s Air Intelligence Laboratory, or CSAIL). By we’re creating robots for the consumer We’re developing an industry, not just a Colombia, incidentally an MIT alum. In case Force ROTC Program: “I still organize 2000, their startup had evolved into iRobot and military markets, including our iRobot robot company. you were getting bored, another professor my clothes the night before and clean my Corporation, one of the most innovative Roomba® Vacuuming Robots and Scooba, proposes that you join him in Beijing shoes the way they taught me! And I and successful robot manufacturers a floor-washing robot. In addition, more As chairman of iRobot, what part of for a summit between the top eight US organize my teams in a very military way.” in the world. than 300 of our iRobot PackBots have been your job is the most fun? Seeing new economists and their Chinese counterparts. deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq for bomb products being conceptualized, designed, And then your thesis advisor turns out But more than anything, MIT taught him how How did you get interested in robots? disposal. They’ve been credited with saving produced, and brought to market. I also to be the lead economics columnist for to think: “My clients and colleagues see it all I saw Star Wars when I was 11, and was the lives of dozens of US soldiers. enjoy the entrepreneurial side — the The New York Times. the time. I think experimentally — in terms captivated by R2-D2. From that point on, process of funding the business, and then of control groups and how you increase I knew I wanted to be involved with robots. taking the company public. If it all sounds borderline implausible, productivity. It sets me apart. If you want to MIT seemed the natural choice; I pursued imagine how it seemed to Julian Iragorri, get someone’s attention on Wall Street,” says an undergraduate degree in mechanical who at 18 arrived on MIT’s doorstep from Julian, “just tell them you went to MIT.” engineering, followed by a master’s degree his native Colombia armed with nothing in computer science. more than a suitcase, an uncanny way with differential equations, and several words 50 of English. 51 Jonathan Lii Senior Manhasset, New York Management

Before MIT, Jonathan Lii was “adamantly opposed to joining a frat. I thought they were a bunch of beer-guzzling buffoons going out and making a ruckus.” Which explains why he joined one and got elected vice president? “I went out one night for steak and lobster, and ZBT sucked me in,” he says with a smile. “They had one of the highest GPAs on campus, half of them didn’t drink Leslye Fraser ’78, SM ’80 at all, and they genuinely cared about my Karen Leider ’72 Darryl Fraser ’80 well-being. I felt I had another family here.”

In the 1970s, emergency medicine was Leslye and Darryl Fraser left MIT equipped What’s the most important thing As it turns out, it was a “family” with neither a television dynasty nor a medical with three degrees in chemical engineer- you got out of MIT (besides Darryl)? connections. In his recent job search, Jonathan specialty — it was just the hospital’s regular ing — and with each other. (They married Leslye: The way you’re taught to think has drawn on a lot of very useful resources, doctors rotating through an assignment five days after their 1980 graduation.) Today, and to solve problems. It’s so broadly including the MIT Careers Office. But for no one really wanted. “Emergency medicine,” Darryl is VP at Northrop Grumman — one applicable — it’s a great tool for your helping him scope out the realities of various observes Karen Leider, “can be hours of of the largest defense contractors in the US, professional and your personal life. As an careers and identify real job leads, none boredom punctuated by sheer panic.” Her and Leslye is a Senior Executive managing the engineer, you learn how to focus on process, has been more important than his network husband, also an MIT graduate, preferred regulation of food and cosmetics safety for on keeping the trains running — whatever of fraternity brothers and alums. surgery. But for Karen, the ER fit was perfect. the US Food and Drug Administration — and your trains may be. “I have the attention span of the average they are both passionate recruiters for MIT. After weighing several options, Jonathan five-year-old,” she says wryly. And the work How did you come to be known as decided on a career in finance (though his was also a great match for her MIT training, How do you make the case for MIT? the Queen of Trash? Leslye: When parents still hope he’ll join the tea company which makes her more goal directed and Darryl: From MIT, you can go anywhere: I was working at the EPA (Environmental that has occupied their Taiwanese ances- analytical as a problem-solver than some of I went to business school, Leslye went to law Protection Agency), I was the attorney tors for nine generations). His approach has her colleagues: “The work is very fast paced. school. My younger brother, Jarrod (class working with engineers to regulate municipal been magnificently systematic: He identified You have to decide on the spot what tools of ’89), went to medical school. In fact, MIT waste combustions, and then medical three promising career paths (fixed-income you need. You have to tackle the problem has a better admit rate to medical and law waste incinerators, and then landfills. To set investing at an investment bank; sales and with spotty, inadequate data. And it’s often schools than a lot of liberal arts institutions, the controls, you have to grasp what the trading; management consulting), applied to true that we never see the same thing because MIT students bring something technology can actually do, and what the law 45 companies, and has completed 14 inter- thrice.” And just as at MIT, working with different to the table. requires — and I had that dual background. views so far — without a wrinkle in his suit. peers side by side, under pressure, creates Though he knows the hours in finance are a wonderful camaraderie: “You’re always For young people who are considering It’s the same in my current job at the FDA. likely to be harsh at first, it’s not all grind- looking out for the other guy, asking for and historically black colleges and universities, You have to have good science in order stones: “Because you have to learn to make giving advice, trying to read between the we also highlight the number of minority to have good laws. You really have to decisions really quickly, some of the training lines of what they need,” says Karen. “It’s students majoring in math, science, and understand the risks, the acceptable level programs are awesome,” says Jonathan. kind of like being married!” engineering at MIT, as well as our black of an impurity — so it’s great to have a “One of them is seven weeks of poker!” fraternities and sororities. You can have science background and a legal background. that kind of community — and get an MIT education, too. Any advice for new students? Darryl: If you’re ever having trouble, ask some upperclassmen. They’d much rather help you with your work than do their own!

Entering Construction Zone • Percentage of MIT graduates going directly into industry: 40% • Most popular employers: McKinsey & Co., MIT, Google, Microsoft, Raytheon, Bain & Co., Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, General Electric • Average number of job offers: 3.07 • Students doing internships while at MIT: 83%

52 53 MIT in the World

Long before MIT engineers and scientists helped put a man on the moon, the Institute and its graduates were exploring uncharted territory. Today, with an eye to our founding mission, MIT is helping to change the landscape of the world itself.

Jonathan Harris Junior Entrepreneurship by Chicago, Illinois MIT alumni and faculty Urban Studies and Planning and • Companies founded: Comparative Media Studies Over 4,000 • Jobs from MIT companies: 1.1 million If you come to MIT as an audio engineer • New MIT companies each but you wind up majoring in urban planning year : Approximately 150 and comparative media studies, does that • Annual world revenues of mean you’re lost? On the contrary — if MIT companies: $232 billion you’re Jonathan Harris, it means you have (equivalent to the 24th larg- really found your way. est economy in the world)

Working at a summer job back in his native Imagine a world Chicago with Mayor Daley, he learned without: firsthand the challenges of creating change • Campbell’s Soup • Disposable-blade safety in the inner city, through a radical educa- razors tional initiative to focus all city services in • The US Supreme Court the academically lowest-performing wards. building For Jonathan, who graduated from one • Fax machines of the city’s top-of-the-line public magnet • Voice recognition high schools, the educational disparities were technology particularly painful: “You’ll go to a school • Radar (Doppler and where the students ‘aren’t doing well,’ ” microwave) Alex Padilla ’94 says Jonathan, “and the percentage who • Hypertext are meeting state standards is in the single • The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum What’s the first clue that you’ve left the Does an engineering mindset really the sense of how good it feels to work for digits! It just eats at you.” • The World Wide Web universe of MIT and entered the precinct of help in politics? It’s a rare discipline your community. • Lego Mindstorms politics? When people start complaining that to have in public service. I have plenty of So why the extra major in Comparative • Global Positioning you’re too analytical. Yet, however unsettling colleagues who are attorneys or who have How do you keep your perspective? Media Studies? Because one day, he wants System (GPS) it may have been to some of those around degrees in public administration — but I still live in the same voting precinct I grew to run his own socially conscious media • Bose stereo speakers him, that trait (and that training) have served there are not too many engineers. up in. When I visit the parks and the schools company, helping people learn to appreciate Alex Padilla very well, helping to propel him as council president, they’re the same ones other points of view outside the bubble All these innovations were at the age of 23 to a seat on the Los Angeles I’m often accused of being too methodical I went to as a kid. Even when I got to MIT, of their own experience. created by MIT students, alumni, or faculty. City Council. By 28, he was LA City Council about how I make decisions, but it’s part of I knew I wasn’t the smartest of my friends president — the youngest ever. my style of success. You ask yourself, “What back home, which is one reason why I did For Jonathan, finding his way at MIT also are the knowns? What are the unknowns? recruiting for MIT back in my neighborhood. meant finding the right living group: You’re a mechanical engineer — how How do you arrive at a solution?” It applies Chocolate City, a long-standing community did you get into politics? Weren’t you to almost every issue we look at — budgets, And then there’s my family. My dad’s a short- for men of color. “It’s the number-one supposed to go into aerospace? transportation infrastructure, water infra- order cook. The first time I was elected, reason my MIT experience has been so In college, I worked summers at Hughes structure, waste disposal, labor contracts. a TV reporter asked him, “So, how do you enjoyable,” Jonathan explains. “It’s like Aircraft in Los Angeles. But then they moved Within two weeks of being elected, I was feel? You must be so proud of your son!” a brotherhood, like a family. It’s great for to Tucson; and in Southern California, aero- made chair of the IT committee for the city And my dad said, “I’m proud of all my kids. us to be there for whoever’s coming up.” space was clearly in decline. An engineer of Los Angeles. They grew up in this area, and they stayed friend had just decided to run for the state out of trouble.” legislature, so I volunteered for his campaign. How did you come by your commit- All of a sudden, I’m the campaign manager! ment to community service? From my We’re running against two well-financed mother. She reminded us over and over opponents. So there we were, the two that as tough as we had it, other people had engineers, trying to be very strategic and it even tougher. On Saturday mornings, analytical about targeting and profiling all most of my friends got to sleep in or the voter data. watch cartoons, but my siblings and I were always “being volunteered” on community We won by 20 points. And I jumped into service projects! That’s where we developed politics with both feet. 54 55 Some Stars We Could Name Nondiscrimination Policy The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. Nobel Laureates Architecture The Institute does not discriminate against individuals on the basis Akerlof, George A. – Economics, 2001 Cass Gilbert 1880, architect of US Supreme Court building of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, Altman, Sidney – Chemistry, 1989 Lois Lilly Howe 1890, second woman to found US architecture firm Annan, Kofi – Peace, 2001 Robert Taylor 1892, architect of Tuskegee Institute; disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin Aumann, Robert – Economics, 2004 MIT’s first African American graduate in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, Baltimore, David – Medicine / Physiology, 1975 Marion Mahoney Griffin 1894, first female licensed architect in US employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other Corey, Elias J., Jr. – Chemistry, 1990 Raymond Hood 1903, architect of Rockefeller Center Cornell, Eric A. – Physics, 2001 Gordon Bunshaft ’33, architect of Lever House, New York City Institute administered programs and activities, but may favor US * Astronauts Feynman, Richard P. – Physics, 1965 IM Pei ’40, architect, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bank of China, etc. citizens or residents in admissions and financial aid. • MIT has graduated more Gell-Mann, Murray – Physics, 1969 Hartwell, Leland H. – Medicine / Physiology, 2001 Music and Arts The Vice President for Human Resources is designated as the future astronauts than any Horvitz, H. Robert – Medicine / Physiology, 2002 Daniel Chester French 1871, sculptor, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC Sarah Gavit ’83, MS ’85 other private educational Klein, Lawrence R. – Economics, 1980 Carlos Prieto ’58, noted cellist Institute’s Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator. institution. Laughlin, Robert B. – Physics, 1998 Rob Fisher ’61, artist, American Dream at Philadelphia International Airport Inquiries concerning the Institute’s policies, compliance with applicable After about five minutes, all the other kids Cassini Project focused on Saturn, Deep Merton, Robert C. – Economics, 1997 Gus Solomons, Jr., ’61, award-winning dancer, choreographer, critic laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VI, Title IX, and Section Mulliken, Robert S. – Chemistry, 1966 John Miller ’64, principal bassoonist, Minneapolis Orchestra on her street went back to their kickball Space 2, and an initiative on interstellar • More than a third of US Mundell, Robert A. – Economics, 1999 Tom Scholz ’69, leader and guitarist of the rock band Boston 504), and complaints may be directed to the Vice President for Human game. But when Sarah Gavit saw the first travel. Her most recent assignment? An space flights have included Pedersen, Charles J. – Chemistry, 1987 Ned W. Lagin ’71, member, Grateful Dead, 1971–1974 Resources, Room E19-215, 617-253-6512 or to Philip Lima, Coordi- Phillips, William D. – Physics, 1997 Jamshied Sharifi ’83, film composer, Harriet the Spy, Clockstoppers, etc. moon launch, she stayed glued to her neigh- electric nuclear propulsion project to reach MIT-educated astronauts. nator of Staff Diversity Initiatives/Affirmative Action, Room E19-215, Richter, Burton – Physics, 1976 David Bondelevitch ’85, Emmy Award-winning music editor 617-253-1594. Inquiries about the laws and about compliance may also bors’ TV set as long as they would let her. the icy moons of Jupiter. Together they have logged Schrieffer, John Robert – Physics, 1972 Alex Rigopulos ’92, CEO, Harmonix Music Systems video game publishers be directed to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, US Department more than 150,000 hours Shockley, William – Physics, 1956 Jullallan Weber ’00, dancer with Madonna and Paulina Rubio in space. Stiglitz, Joseph E. – Economics, 2001 of Education. A decade later, burning the fuel of pure Why probe deep space? “We need to Wieman, Carl E. – Physics, 2001 Movies

curiosity under the creative pressure of understand our planet as an organic entity Woodward, Robert Burns – Chemistry, 1965 Herbert Kalmus 1903, inventor of Technicolor; star on Hollywood Walk of Fame • Of the 12 Apollo astronauts Tom Scott ’66, Oscar-winning sound mixer, The Right Stuff and Amadeus * The ROTC programs at MIT are operated under Department life at MIT, Sarah launched herself directly to protect it, and we can only do that by who walked on the moon, Science James Woods, actor, left Class of 1969 a semester before graduating of Defense (DOD) policies and regulations, and do not comply fully into what has become a long, happy career studying other planets,” says Sarah. “It also Ellen Swallow Richards 1873, first US woman professional chemist Steve Altes ’84, Brad Pitt body-double with MIT’s policy of nondiscrimination with regard to sexual four were MIT alumni. From Charles Stark Draper ’26, theory of inertial guidance for Apollo moon landing John Underkoffler ’88, science / technology advisor to Steven Spielberg in deep space exploration, first at Martin forces you to be creative technically. Space 1969-1972, they logged a Margaret MacVicar ’65, Founder, MIT UROP Charlie Korsmo ’00, actor, Can’t Hardly Wait, Dick Tracy, etc. orientation. MIT continues to advocate for a change in DOD policies Marietta, and since 1991 at NASA’s Jet is one of the most extreme environments total of 51 hours exploring Alan Guth ’68, developed theory of the inflationary universe and regulations concerning sexual orientation, and will replace Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. possible.” (And she’s been to MIT.) The the lunar surface. Rafael Bras ’72, expert on hydrology / hydroclimatology, real-time flood forecasting Media scholarships of students who lose ROTC financial aid because of Julie Theriot ’88, MacArthur “Genius” Award winner for research on Tom Magliozzi ’58 and Ray Magliozzi ’72, Click & Clack from NPR’s Car Talk these DOD policies and regulations. sweetest reason, though: “We all need a disease-causing bacteria Reid Ashe ’70, former president and publisher, Tampa Tribune, Wichita Eagle “I always wanted to work on deep space dream! If we knew everything about it, we Reid Barton ’04, first winner of four gold medals at Csaba Csere ’75, Editor-in-Chief, Car and Driver International Mathematical Olympiad and planetary stuff,” says Sarah, “and wouldn’t be going there.” Sports no place else on Earth does this on a Computers Jeff Sagarin ’70, sports statistician Cartographers Kenneth Olsen ’50, Founder, Digital Equipment Corporation Larry Kahn ’75, former World Singles tiddlywinks champion consistent basis. JPL is just one neat mission Larry Roberts ’59, Founder, ARPANET, predecessor to Internet Linda Muri ’85, three-time world champion rower MIT Office ofA dmissions after another — and you get paid to do Robert Metcalfe ’68, inventor of Ethernet; Founder, 3COM Ayla Vain ’99, former San Francisco 49ers cheerleader Ben Jones it!” She has had the fun of working on the Denis Coleman ’70, inventor of spell check Jason Szuminski ’00, Major League pitcher Ray Kurzweil ’70, inventor of OCR and speech-to-text technologies Edmund Jones Daniel Bricklin ’73, inventor of the spreadsheet Olympic Athletes Matt McGann Steve Kirsch ’78, inventor of the optical mouse; Founder, Infoseek Thomas Pelham Curtis 1894, 1896 Track and Field, Gold medalist Mitch Kapor ’80, Founder, Lotus Development Corporation Joseph Levis ’26, 1932 Fencing, Silver medalist Mari McQuaid Brewster Kahle ’82, Founder, Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine Henry Steinbrenner ’27, 1928 Track and Field Jenny Rifken Eric Olsen ’41, 1956 Sailing Special thanks, Lorelle Espinosa Technology Ralph Evans ’48, 1948 Sailing, Silver medalist Ivan Getting ’33, inventor of Global Positioning System (GPS) John Marvin ’49, 1956 Sailing Where Are You Going? William (Bill) Weisz ’48, former Chairman and CEO of Motorola Herb Voelcker ’51, 1956 Rifle Concept development, research, and production Alex d’Arbeloff ’49, Founder, Teradyne, Inc. Ed Melaika ’52, 1952 Sailing Tim Blackburn, Elizabeth Brinkerhoff, Martha Eddison, Matt McGann Amar Bose ’51, Founder and Chairman, Bose Corporation Chester H. Riley ’62, 1964 Crew Morris Chang ’52, Founder, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Gary Piantedosi ’76, 1976 Crew Graduating from high school is like liftoff — the roaring thrill of the first booster Andy Viterbi ’56, Cofounder, Qualcomm; inventor of Viterbi algorithm John Everett ’76, 1976 and 1980 Crew Copy Martha Eddison used in mobile communications Elizabeth Bradley ’81, 1988 Crew rocket that launches the great adventure of your life. Raymond Stata ’57, Cofounder, Analog Devices Pat Antaki ’84, 2006 Skeleton Design Tim Blackburn Design Peter Diamandis ’83, Founder and CEO, X Prize Foundation Steve Tucker ’91, 2000 and 2004 Crew Paula Lewin ’93, 1992, 1996, and 2004 Sailing Graduating from college is just as grand. When you reach the end of the galaxy Economics and Finance Illustration Tim Blackburn, Robert Brinkerhoff, Ingo Fast, James Simons ’58, President, Renaissance Technologies Corporation Beauty Pageants Ted Groves, Jessica Rosner, Maris Wicks John Reed ’61, former Chairman, New York Stock Exchange Ellen Spertus ’90, Sexiest Geek Alive 2001 we call MIT, you will have acquired enough intellectual force to carry you anywhere. Arthur Samberg ’62, Chairman, Pequot Capital Management Susan Rushing ’99, Miss Maryland 1997 finalist, You will have tangled with cosmic questions and felt the gravitational pull of whole John K. Castle ’63, Chairman and CEO, Castle Harlan Inc. Miss Massachusetts 1999 finalist Photography Thomas Gerrity ’63, Dean Emeritus, Wharton School Joanne Chang ’03, Miss Massachusetts 2005 finalist People: Kathleen Dooher, Christopher Harting new worlds. And you will have made friends you can journey with the rest of your life. Denis Bovin ’69, Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Bear Stearns Erika Ebbel ’04, Miss Massachusetts 2004 Gregory Palm ’70, Executive Vice President, Goldman Sachs Places: Jim Dow, Andy Ryan Donald Layton ’72, former Vice Chairman, JP Morgan Chase Metrics Various: Andrew Child, Donna Coveney, Stuart Darsch, Lawrence Summers ’75, former US Secretary of the Treasury The Massachusetts Avenue bridge is also notable because it is measured L. Barry Hetherington, Richard Howard, Justin Knight, Lulu Liu Now it’s your turn to expand the universe. John Thain ’77, CEO, New York Stock Exchange in “Smoots” — the length of Oliver R. Smoot ’62, laid end to end 364.4 times (plus one ear). In a gratifying plot twist, after defining his own novel unit of measure, Oliver went on to serve as President of the International Organization Printing WE Andrews Politics for Standardization (ISO). Conveniently, you can use Google’s calculator Clarence Howe 1907, eminent Canadian statesman function whenever you need to convert a distance into Smoots. Project Management Elizabeth Brinkerhoff Luis Ferre ’24, former Governor of Puerto Rico Virgilio Barco ’43, former President of Colombia Note Fortney (Pete) Stark ’53, US Congressman The stars above were Proofreading Linda Walsh Stewart R. Mott ’59, philanthropist, #15 on President Nixon’s “enemies” list all MIT undergraduates, Sheila Widnall ’60, former Secretary of US Air Force except some of the Deeded John Deutch ’61, former CIA Director Nobel laureates, who John Sununu ’61, former Chief of Staff to President Reagan; were graduate students. Printed and bound in the United States of America former Governor of New Hampshire © 2006 Residents of MIT’s Simmons Hall Benjamin Netanyahu ’75, former Prime Minister of Israel All rights reserverd preview infinity from home. John Sununu ’87, US Senator Alex Padilla ’94, past President of Los Angeles City Council

56 57 Zoom in: My.MIT.edu Scout the territory with daily entries from current students and our admissions team. Your passport to everything MIT.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology