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Campaign for Students Launched Volume 53, Number 5 TechTalk Wednesday, October 8, 2008 S ERVING THE MIT CO mm UNI T Y MIT creates Campaign for Environmental Students launched Research Campaign highlights MIT students’ creativity, passion Council Sets stage for Institute environment initiative MIT has announced the launch of the Envi- ronmental Research Council to elevate and expand the Institute’s leadership in this critical area of study. MIT President Susan Hockfield told the community at the recent State of the Institute Forum that the council will draw together the significant environmental work already under way in many different labs and departments to Tom Witkowski greatly enhance our ability to offer an enhance their combined efforts. The goal is Resource Development MIT education to the most qualified Campaign web site to create a robust Institute-wide collaboration students regardless of their families’ showcases the comparable to the MIT Energy Initiative. MIT publicly launched its Campaign ability to pay,” Hockfield said. “The world faces increasingly urgent envi- for Students on Oct. 3 with a goal Recently, MIT increased financial ‘Human Factor’ ronmental challenges, deeply intertwined with of raising $500 million or more for aid to cover tuition and fees for a larger equally complex and pressing problems in energy. undergraduate scholarships, graduate fraction of students. Under the new The Campaign for Students Given the caliber and depth of MIT’s intellectual fellowships, curriculum innovation and plan, families earning less than $75,000 connects alumni and friends with resources on these topics, we have an obligation student life. The campaign highlights a year will have all tuition covered. compelling, diverse student stories to lead the way in developing solutions,” Hock- MIT students’ brilliance, creativity, Edward Linde ’62 and his wife Joyce through web, print and video. field said. drive and passion — human factors that announced last week that the Linde Student narratives showcase personal will power solutions to the Family Foundation will make passions — the Human Factors world’s most-challenging a $25 million gift, one of the — that combine to create leaders who problems. See photos largest pledges to under- exemplify MIT’s unique approach to “The Campaign for from the graduate financial aid in the problem-solving. Students will help sustain Institute’s history. The Linde Prior to the campaign’s public the excellence of MIT’s launch Family Foundation supports unveiling, student videos were shared living and learning experi- celebration. educational opportunities, with small groups of alumni and ence and increase our abil- particularly in the areas of friends via e-mail and at regional ity to attract and challenge Page 3 mathematics and science, and events. More than 25 video vignettes the young innovators who the arts. The foundation has are now available at http://thehuman- will be crucial to this coun- benefited MIT students in the factor.mit.edu. try’s global competitiveness,” said MIT past by supporting graduate students in As the videos illustrate, students President Susan Hockfield. various departments who are members contribute energy, passion, inspira- The campaign also addresses the of the prestigious Society of Presi- tion, creativity, ambition and intel- dual strains of rising costs and declin- dential Fellows program, as well as ligence to academics, research and ing federal support for students in students in the Department of Civil discovery. Students build more higher education. Approximately 17 and Environmental Engineering who efficient and alternatively fueled cars, percent of MIT undergraduates come are also members of that program. research spinal-cord injuries, study from families with incomes below “The trustees of the Linde Family asteroids to learn the origin of the The council emerges directly from the recom- $45,000, and about 90 percent of Foundation believe very deeply in universe, design life-saving devices for mendations of a special committee chaired by undergraduates receive aid in some MIT’s dual policy of need-blind admis- the soldiers, and examine the effect of Maria Zuber, the E. A. Griswold Professor of form, with 60 percent receiving schol- sions and need-based financial aid,” music on memory. Geophysics and head of the Department of arship aid from MIT. U.S. News & said Edward Linde. “We want to help These are just a handful of the Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. The World Report recently ranked MIT as worthy students receive the rigorous thousands of stories that show MIT committee assessed the Institute’s research and one of the top five most economically educational experience MIT offers students and alumni working to solve teaching activities related to the environment diverse universities in America. the world’s complex problems. and recommended that MIT launch a research “The Campaign for Students will uPlease see CAMPAIGN, PAGE 3 initiative focused on the development of new insights into Earth’s natural systems to support science, technology, design, policy and manage- ment of interventions that advance environmen- on tal sustainability. MIT the Dara Entekhabi, the Bacardi and Stockholm Polling questions Water Foundations Professor in the Depart- ELECTION ment of Civil and Environmental Engineer- MIT’s Adam Berinsky breaks down the surveys ing (CEE) and director of the Earth Systems In the run-up to the Nov. 4 presidential election, the News A: Polling has been around in one form or another Initiative (ESI), will serve as chair of the council. Office has asked MIT experts to weigh in on the presidential since the 19th century. In the 1930s, a number of firms The council will engage faculty in all of MIT’s candidates, their policy ideas and aspects of the campaign. In this started conducting the random sample polls we see today. five schools, particularly those in departmental installment in the series, Adam Berinsky, associate professor in Over time, the technology has changed. In the 1930s, all programs focused on environmental research the Department of Political Science, looks at the issue of polling. polls were conducted through face-to-face methods. In and education, and will consult with the MIT the 1970s, telephone polling emerged as the dominant Energy Initiative on important areas of interface, Q: Has the election process become too dominated method. And today we see Internet polls. One thing that including educational programs. The council’s first task will be to develop a proposal, expected by polling? uPlease see POLLING, PAGE 7 uPlease see COUNCIL, PAGE 2 EVENTS RESEARCH NEWS Financial crisis forum tonight Finding a better route Campaigns debate energy MIT economics and business professors will Researchers’ new technology tracks traffic patterns and Representatives of the McCain and Obama debate what has caused the recent market strain. uses WiFi to collect data on the road. presidential campaigns discussed power at MIT. PAGE 2 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 2 October 8, 2008 u PEOPLE MIT Tech Talk Obituaries FOCUS on Kenneth Hoffman, former FINANCE math department head, 77 Former Department of Mathematics Head Kenneth Hoffman, who spent more than 40 years on MIT’s faculty and made signifi- As the financial crunch takes new cant contributions to U.S. education and science policy, died Sept. turns, MIT will be holding several 29 following a heart attack. He was 77. events to discuss the issues surround- Hoffman, who led the math department from 1971 to 1979, ing the crisis and possible solutions. was instrumental in addressing mathematics in U.S. public policy. Currently scheduled events include: After stepping down as head of the mathematics department, he moved to Washington, where he directed the David Committee • Today, “The U.S. Financial on federal support of mathematical research from 1981 to 1984. Crisis: What Happened? What’s He established and ran the math community’s first Washington Next?” A forum including profes- Office of Governmental and Public Affairs from 1984 to 1989. sors Ricardo Caballero (Econom- During that time, media coverage of mathematics increased ics), Bengt Holmstrom (Econom- dramatically, according to the American Mathematical Society. ics), Andrew Lo (MIT Sloan), Born in Long Beach, Calif., Hoffman earned a bachelor’s James Poterba (Economics) and degree in mathematics from Occidental College in 1952. He later William Wheaton (Center for received an MA and PhD in mathematics from UCLA. Real Estate). From 4:30-6 p.m. in Hoffman joined the MIT Department of Mathematics as an 10-250, Huntington Hall. instructor in 1956. He became a full professor in 1964 and served as chair of the Pure Mathematics Committee from 1968 to 1969. • Oct. 15, subprime mortgage From 1969 to 1971, he directed the Commission on MIT Educa- lecture. Speaker: Rachel Bratt. tion, appointed by MIT President Howard Johnson to conduct a 12:30-2 p.m. in 3-401/403. MIT comprehensive review of education, research and governance at alumna Rachel Bratt will show MIT. He retired in 1996. how the subprime crisis takes us Hoffman’s area of research specialization was functional several steps away from positive analysis. Along with Richard Arens and Isadore Singer, he made movement toward a “Right to fundamental contributions to both complex and abstract analysis. Housing.” Among them was a paper (with Singer) that answered many of the questions on commutative Banach algebras raised by I. M. • Oct. 28, “A Conversation with Gelfand. George Soros: The New Para- In 1986, the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics awarded Hoff- PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS digm for Financial Markets” with man its first Public Service Award “for his farsighted and effective Kenneth Hoffman Ricardo Caballero, head of MIT’s initiation of the planning and the implementation of a national Department of Economics. 3:30 mathematical science policy.” decades and became a classic in the field. p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. In 1990, Hoffman also received the first Award for Distin- He is survived by his wife, Alicia Hoffman; former wife Patti guished Public Service of the American Mathematical Society.
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