Volume 50 – Number 4 Wednesday – October 5, 2005 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY MIT chosen for nat’l role fighting cancer The National Cancer Institute today “This is a great opportunity for MIT across a variety of disciplines — chem- drugs and imaging agents to implanting announced it has chosen MIT and Har- to pursue interdisciplinary science at the istry, engineering, biology and medicine. tiny sensors for early detection and can- vard University to share one of seven intersection of cancer research and nano- At MIT they include Langer, Institute Pro- cer monitoring. In addition, other MIT national, multi-institutional hubs it is estab- technology, and hopefully to do some real fessor Phillip Sharp (biology), and Pro- researchers will be involved in smaller lishing to rapidly advance the application good for patients,” said Langer. fessors Tyler Jacks (biology, head of the pilot projects. of nanotechnologies to cancer research. According to the NCI, the Centers of CCR), Michael Cima (materials science), One of the large projects, led by Langer The MIT-Harvard Center of Cancer Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, or Angela Belcher (bioengineering), David and his former postdoctoral fellow Omid Nanotechnology Excellence will be funded CCNEs, were created to provide new solu- Housman (Biology), Moungi Bawendi Farokhzad, now a Harvard Medical School with a five-year, $20 million grant orga- tions to the cancer problem. Nanotechnol- (chemistry) and Sangeeta Bhatia (Har- professor, focuses on using nanoparticles nized and administered by MIT’s Center ogy, the development and engineering of vard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and to transport time-release anti-cancer drugs for Cancer Research (CCR). Principal devices so small that they are measured Technology). directly to prostate cancer cells. “One of Investigators are MIT Institute Profes- on a molecular scale, has demonstrated The investigators will pursue five inno- the problems with cancer therapy is that it sor Robert Langer and Professor Ralph promising results in cancer research and vative cancer research projects spanning goes everywhere in the body,” often caus- Weissleder, M.D., of Harvard Medical treatment. the entire spectrum of nanotechnology School and Massachusetts General Hos- The MIT-Harvard CCNE brings togeth- applications, from fabricating nanoparti- See CANCER pital. er a team of more than a dozen experts cles for targeted delivery of therapeutic Page 4 Author expects avian flu pandemic World is unprepared, Laurie Garrett says Sarah H. Wright News Office The catastrophic potential of an avian flu pandemic ranks just below that for thermonuclear war, and our global lack of preparedness for just one wave of this fierce virus promises death to millions, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author warned at a talk held on Monday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m. at PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY the Dibner Institute. Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global A can-do attitude health at the Council on Foreign Relations, MiHae Chang, a junior in architecture, puts the finishing touches on the can doorway of her team’s portable homeless shelter. delivered her talk, “The Scientific, Health Working in teams of four or five, students had five days to design and build the individual shelters for Professor Jan Wampler’s and Political Implications of an Avian Flu architecture class. Story, additional photos on Page 4. Pandemic,” to a rapt audience. A former science reporter for National Public Radio and for New York Newsday, Garrett won the Pulitzer Prize and the Polk and Peabody awards for her writing MIT launches effort to understand autism on global health systems and infectious diseases. She is the author of “The Com- Deborah Halber terized by impairment in social interaction ent dimensions of brain function — social, ing Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases News Office Correspondent and communication abilities and by repeti- cognitive, visual, motor, language — a full in a World Out of Balance” and “Betrayal tive behaviors. Services for autistic adults understanding involves an analysis of the of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public cost $90 billion a year. Early diagnosis and range of dysfunctions and their probable Health.” MIT brain researchers are undertak- intervention can cut the cost of lifelong causes. Garrett described the avian flu virus, ing an ambitious, multifaceted approach care by two-thirds. “The projects funded by the Simons known to scientists as H5N1, in all its to understanding the genetic, molecular Studies indicate that the disorder may Foundation grant involve MIT researchers pernicious power. She traced its roots to and behavioral aspects of autism, with the involve multiple genes. “A major step who are expert in diverse areas, including Guandong, China, “stewpot of Asia” and help of a $7.5 million grant from the New toward a mechanistic understanding of human brain imaging, visual psychophys- birthplace of SARS, where live animal York-based Simons Foundation founded autism will be to establish the function of ics, brain development, neuronal plasticity, markets and human and animal migration by James and Marilyn Simons. the candidate genes and molecules,” said cortical physiology and mouse genetics. confound surveillance, record-keeping and Autism, which affects as many as 1.5 program director Mriganka Sur, head of This is a novel and unique combination of disease containment. million people, is considered the fast- the Department of Brain and Cognitive strengths to be brought to bear on a single H5N1 originated in migrating aquatic est growing developmental disability in Sciences at MIT and Sherman Fairch- America. Typically appearing during the ild Professor of Neuroscience. “Because See AUTISM See FLU first three years of life, autism is charac- autism’s symptoms involve many differ- Page 5 Page 3 NEWS RESEARCH ARTS LIBRARY FOR IRAQ BE PREPARED NUESTRAS VOCES Faculty members ship 300 pounds of books to the At a hurricane symposium, MIT experts weigh in on The 2005 New England Film and Video Festival University of Baghdad. how to improve disaster response. will feature a documentary produced by Latina MIT Page 2 Page 3 students and alums. PROFESSORIAL TUTORIAL IT’S A BUG’S LIFE Page 4 Workshop helps women negotiate the path from MIT mathematicians take a giant step forward in ON THE BEAT graduate study to a career in academia. understanding the tiny leaps of water bugs. MIT’s African drumming ensemble Rambax reports Page 4 Page 5 on its summer study tour to Senegal. Page 7 PAGE 2 October 5, 2005 NEWS MIT Tech Talk NEWS YOU CAN USE Faculty ship books to Baghdad Grad life grants Scott Campbell that have been destroyed by the war. Mail is delivered, and for a shipment of The Graduate Students Office is seek- School of Architecture and Planning The gift came about because of an MIT 300 pounds that amounted to a significant ing proposals for Graduate Student Life visit last spring by Abdelwehab Ahmed, cost. The remaining books will be shipped Grants. Grants will be awarded for creative head of the environmental planning depart- when mailing restrictions are lifted. ideas for enhancing the graduate student The faculty of MIT’s Department of ment at the University of Baghdad. Ahmed Initiated by Larry Susskind, Ford Pro- experience. The deadline for proposals is Urban Studies and Planning recently hadn’t been out of Iraq for 17 years, since fessor of Urban and Environmental Plan- Oct. 14. For more information, visit web. shipped 300 pounds of books to the Insti- the rise of Saddam Hussein, nor had he ning — who also helped arrange Ahmed’s mit.edu/gso/community/grants.html. tute of Urban and Regional Planning at the had contact in all that time with the wider visit — the gift was one of many such ship- University of Baghdad in an effort to help planning community. Faced now with the ments from around the world, as univer- Housing relocates replenish its devastated library. challenge, along with his colleagues, of sity colleagues try to help rebuild Iraq’s The housing office is moving from its Roughly 200 books and journals were rebuilding Baghdad, he spent a semester libraries. There are 22 universities and present location in E32 to E19-429 on Oct. sent, covering economic development, here taking full advantage of all the oppor- 42 technical colleges in Iraq, all of which 6. E32 is being completely vacated over environmental protection, infrastruc- tunities MIT afforded. have faced decline over the last 20 years. the fall term, and the building is slated to ture planning, remote sensing, landscape When he went home at the end of the And in the looting and fires that occurred be demolished. architecture and geography. Some books term, faculty members combed through during and after the fall of Hussein, many Housing covers many areas, includ- were even historical urban planning books their private libraries to put together a gift classrooms, libraries, buildings and labora- ing undergraduate, conference and guest focused on the infrastructure of Middle to send after him. They collected nearly tories were burned, while computers, fur- housing; graduate and family housing; Eastern cities, including Baghdad and twice as many books as they shipped; niture, fans, windows, doors — everything off-campus housing; and maintenance and other historically significant areas of Iraq because Iraq is a war zone only Priority of value — were taken or destroyed. renovations for residential facilities. To accommodate the move, the hous- ing office will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 6, and Friday, Oct. 7, but staffers will check voicemail during that time. If anyone has Hockfield will an emergency requiring immediate atten- tion, please call x3-1500 and an appropriate housing employee will be located. take place in For more information, please contact Linda Patton in E32-216 or x3-4449. Academy of Draper Tech Expo MIT faculty and students are invited to Arts, Sciences visit Draper Lab’s Technology Exposition to see Draper projects and technologies President Susan Hockfield will be and discuss them with staff members.