Volume 131, Number 37 Tech.Mit.Edu Friday, September 16, 2011
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WEATHER, p. 2 Fri: 64°F | 46°F MIT’s Sunny. Oldest and Largest Sat: 66°F | 48°F Newspaper Mostly sunny. SUN: 65°F | 48°F Mostly sunny Volume 131, Number 37 tech.mit.edu Friday, September 16, 2011 173 bids given as Alchemist to call MIT home Questions recruitment ends raised over Panhel says 2011 saw increased startup’s interest and recruit retention By Wyliena Guan sixth of the girls who went through integrity were sophomores.” Sorority recruitment wrapped The number of bids issued is Clean energy prize up on Sept. 7 with 173 women re- usually the same or very close to ceiving bids. Recruitment this year the number of bids accepted. winner CoolChip was marked by a higher retention Sorority recruitment is a five- rate — the number of people who day process open to female stu- faces scrutiny, MIT stick through formal recruitment dents from any class year. During — and by more women applying the first two days, potential new will ‘review the facts’ for recruitment sooner. members visit all six chapters on “This year was really great be- campus: Alpha Chi Omega, Pi Beta By Anne Cai cause there was more publicity Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Phi, ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR earlier, so … more girls signed up Sigma Kappa, and Alpha Epsilon earlier,” said Kimberly M. Sparling Phi. Winning the Grand Prize in MIT’s ’12, Panhellenic Council president. Recruits spend the first day $200K Clean Energy Prize contest in She believes that the earlier a girl talking with each sorority for 30 May was only the beginning of an MIT signs up, the more likely she is to minutes. On the second day, the re- startup’s success. CoolChip Technolo- stick with recruitment. cruits visit all of the houses, where gies, which develops cooling systems Though Pi Beta Phi acquired a the sisters show them around and for electronics, was automatically en- residence at 405 Memorial Drive get to know them. During the next tered as a finalist in the MIT $100K this year, the recruitment num- two days, all of the chapters except Business Plan Contest as a result of bers for their third fall recruitment Alpha Epsilon Phi conduct formal winning the CEP. CoolChip has also were not significantly affected. The recruitment; on the third day, re- been covered by CNN Money, the Wall building will open to residents next cruits can return to as many as Street Journal, the Boston Globe, and year. four participating chapters, two of Electronic Engineering Times since Anne P. Runkle ’11, vice presi- which they may revisit for longer their CEP win. At the end of August, dent of Panhel for recruitment, periods of time on the fourth day. however, an article in the Chronicle of said that the number of bids this During this revisitation period, Higher Education cast a shadow over year was average, given that so- each recruit is matched with a ELAINE M. KUNG the success of the young company. rorities had in total about 190 bids sister who can best introduce her The Chronicle pointed out that for each of the previous two years to the sorority. Finally, recruits Alchemist, originally on loan for the duration of MIT’s 150th anniver- CoolChip’s prizewinning cooling tech- and 120 bids in the fall of 2008. She rank their top two sororities. The sary celebration, can now call the Institute home. The sculpture, which nology was actually Sandia National added, “A couple of juniors went sits between the Student Center and Massachusetts Avenue, represents a Laboratories’ own device, designed by through this year … [and] about a Recruitment, Page 22 thinking man comprised of numbers and math functions. researcher Jeffrey Koplow. According The sculpture was commissioned by an anonymous alumnus and was to the article, CoolChip CEO William gifted to the Institute “in honor of all the alumni who have helped sup- R. Sanchez ’05 approached Koplow in port MIT over the years.” According to Associate Provost Philip S. Khoury, February asking to use the unpatented the alumnus did not plan to make the donation permanent, but after Sandia cooler for CoolChip’s CEP sub- Castillo death ruled suicide visiting the campus during the 150th anniversary celebration, he “was so mission. Koplow told Sanchez he did moved by the events … that he decided to gift the sculpture.” not have the authority to make that According to an article 13, 1993 in Bogotá, Colombia. The sculpture is now covered under MIT’s art insurance policy, and decision and directed him to Sandia’s published by the Boston He entered MIT in fall 2010 maintenance costs will be paid using a fund provided by the donor. technology-transfer department. Ac- Globe on Tuesday, the death and planned to major in Alchemist is the latest addition to MIT’s extensive public art collec- cording to a Sandia spokesman, that of Nicolas E. Del Castillo ’14 mathematics. In an obituary tion. The many works around campus show that “the arts matter at MIT was the last “substantial communica- has been ruled a suicide by written by the MIT News Of- … the arts are really all about the creative process, and that’s what we do tion” Sanchez had with Sandia — no the medical examiner’s of- fice, Chancellor Eric Grimson in math and science and engineering [as well],” said Khoury. deals were made and no permissions fice. Castillo’s death certifi- PhD ’80 called Castillo’s death Jaume Plensa, the renowned Catalan sculptor behind Alchemist, has were granted to CoolChip to use San- cate, filed on Monday, lists “a tragedy for the MIT designed several similar sculptures. His works Nosotros, Nomade, House dia’s cooling technology. The technol- his cause of death as asphyx- community.” of Knowledge, and I, You, She or He all utilize the same body structure as ogy was also not open for licensing at ia. Castillo’s body was found A memorial service was Alchemist, but are comprised of different symbols. Plensa’s sculptures can the time. in his room on the 4th floor held on Sunday at the MIT be found all over the world from Paris to the United Kingdom to Japan. In a presentation as part of the MIT of East Campus’ West parallel chapel. Castillo’s parents Alchemist, already a familiar sight to students, can now be recognized $100K Business Plan Contest, Sanchez on Sunday, Sept. 4. were in attendance. as a permanent landmark on campus. did not refer to Sandia while he used Castillo was born on Aug. —Stan Gill —Janelle Mansfield Energy prize, Page 10 IN SHORT We’re number five! This year, USNWR ranked MIT as the MIT was also ranked as having the Comedian John Oliver Vote for the UA Senate MIT is in a five-way tie for fifth place th best national #1 graduate engineering will be performing at and 2015 Class Council in U.S. News and World Report’s 2012 na- university in the program in the US the Fall Festival, spon- today via paper ballot in tional university rankings. The Institute sored by the UA Events the Student Center. took the No. 5 spot along with Caltech, United States. of MIT’s graduate engineeringengineering Committee. Stanford, UChicago, and UPenn. Havard departments were ranked #1 and Princeton tied for the No. 1 spot, fol- Four5 other schools tied with MIT for fifth 6 Balfour will be on cam- Aerospace engineering Chemical engineering lowed by Yale in third and Columbia in place: Caltech, Stanford, University of Chi- Sunday is the last day pus next week for ques- cago, and UPenn. Computer engineering Electrical engineering to waive the student tions or concerns about fourth. Materials engineering Mechanical engineering MIT was 7th in the 2011 rankings — Chemistry health plan! Waivers are Brass Rats. Stop by Walk- of MIT’s graduate also tied with Caltech — but most of the Computer science Other high-ranking graduate accepted at http://med- er from 6 to 7 p.m. or W20 science programs Earth science top ten’s rankings fluctuate a little from programs include economics (#1), web.mit.edu/. on Wednesday from 10 5 were ranked #1 Math a.m. to 3 p.m. if you need year-to-year. Harvard has maintained its Physics biology (#2), and business (#3) The MIT Career Fair is a resize or replacement! No. 1 spot since the 2011 rankings. INFOGRAPHIC by COnnOR KIRSChbaUM next week on Wednes- And while the Institute was not top day, Sept. 21, a student Send news information dog overall, MIT did claim first in many science and engineer- chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics, and holiday. Bring your and tips to news@tech. ing graduate school rankings, released earlier this year. USNWR physics (some were ties). résumés! mit.edu. anointed MIT the best engineering school, followed by Stanford Sloan was ranked the third best business school, behind and UC Berkeley. MIT was also No. 1 in the science specialties of Stanford and Harvard. —Ethan A. Solomon The Good, the When DEX Met EM The BeaUtifUL and FootBALL is SECTIONS World & Nation . .2 And the 20 years that followed. Bad, the tastY the nerdY finaLLY BacK Opinion . .4 ARTS, p. 8 A new Maseeh resident See where Tech And this season is Arts . .7 shares his thoughts on HAVE YOU caUGht CONTAGION? photographers went this already shaping up to Fun Pages . .18 the controversial dining summer! be an interesting one. Sports . .24 plan. OPINION, p. 4 This is one bug worth getting. PHOTO, p. 13 SPORTS, p. 24 ARTS, p. 7 2 The Tech Friday, September 16, 2011 CIA kills top Al-Qaida D operative in drone strike China consolidates grip on WASHINGTON — An armed drone operated by the CIA this week killed a top al-Qaida operative responsible for plotting terror attacks inside Pakistan, two U.S.