Volume 52 – Number 4 Wednesday, October 3, 2007 TechTalk S e r v i n g Th e MIT Co mm u n i t y A dream fulfilled Robert M. Randolph installed as first chaplain to the Institute

Greg Frost News Office

Robert M. Randolph was officially installed Sept. 30 as MIT’s first chaplain to the Institute, an appointment that underscores the role of religious life at MIT and fulfills a dream originally laid out more than a half-century ago. Randolph, who most recently served as senior associ- ate dean for student life, was installed in his new posi- tion during a ceremony at Kresge Auditorium attended by hundreds of members of the MIT community. Speakers at the service included President Susan Hockfield and the Rev. Peter J. Gomes of the Memorial Church of Harvard University. As chaplain to the Institute, Randolph will be charged with working alongside the members of the Board of Chaplains, who represent many religious traditions, in fos- tering interfaith discourse and educating the MIT com- munity about the history and role of religions around the world. His portfolio includes coordinating pastoral response in times of crisis at the Institute, raising the pro- file of religious life at MIT, and leading reflection on issues of social justice and core values. In an interview with Tech Talk, Randolph said he sees his new role as particularly relevant at a time when reli- gion is a dominant force in global events. “At this time of a clash of cultures, it is clear that reli- gion has become the point of the sword,” he said. “My job will be to help knit together the fabric of faiths that already DONNA COVENEY PHOTO / transcend our community.” State of the Institute Randolph said MIT’s preeminence in science and tech- nology means religion and matters of faith have a com- MIT President Susan Hockfield greets Lawrence Neeley, a postdoctoral associate in mechanical engineering, follow- ing the Oct. 2 State of the Institute Forum in Kresge Auditorium. Hockfield reported a strong year for MIT in fundrais- See CHAPLAIN ing and admissions, and she lauded the progress of the MIT Energy Initiative. Provost Rafael Reif, Chancellor Phillip Clay and Executive Vice President and Treasurer Theresa Stone also spoke at the forum. Page 6 MIT, Novartis form partnership Venture aims to transform pharmaceutical manufacturing

Patti Richards to achieve a quantum leap in the production of pharma- News Office ceuticals, a field which has received rather little attention in the past,” he added. Novartis and MIT expect the technologies created Swiss-based drugmaker Novartis AG and MIT launched in this collaboration will benefit patients and healthcare a long-term research collaboration Sept. 28 aimed at trans- providers through a positive impact on supply availability forming the way pharmaceuticals are produced. and the quality of medicines. These technologies will also The 10-year partnership, known as the Novartis-MIT seek to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing Center for Continuous Manufac- activities. turing, will work to develop new “The Novartis-MIT Center for technologies that could replace Continuous Manufacturing has the conventional batch-based sys- the potential to revolutionize drug tem in the pharmaceuticals indus- development and production,” try—which often includes many interruptions and work at said MIT President Susan Hockfield. “We are delighted separate sites—with continuous manufacturing processes to collaborate with Novartis to help improve the way that from start to finish. drugs are manufactured so that patients have quicker and The Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufactur- more reliable access to the medications they need. The ing combines the industrial expertise of Novartis with new educational opportunities that this program will pro- MIT’s leadership in scientific and technological innova- vide for our students make this partnership even more tion. Novartis will invest $65 million in research activities exciting.” at MIT over the next 10 years. The pharmaceutical industry currently uses batch- “This partnership demonstrates our commitment based manufacturing that has been common for several to lead not only in discovering innovative treatments for years, even though other industries have moved to con- patients but also in improving manufacturing processes, tinuous manufacturing. which are critical to ensuring a high-quality, efficient and In this often time-consuming process, pharmaceutical PHOTO / DAN BERSAK reliable supply of medicines to patients,” said Dr. Daniel active ingredients are synthesized in a chemical manufac- Vasella, chair and CEO of Novartis. Robert M. Randolph addresses a crowd of hundreds of “Our collaboration with MIT, a worldwide leader in See NOVARTIS people Sept. 30 at Kresge Auditorium during his installation developing cutting edge technologies, holds the promise Page 6 as MIT’s first chaplain to the Institute.

NEWS ENERGY RESEARCH

CANCER RESEARCH ENERGY PARTNERSHIP FROM SIGNALS TO ACTIONS Angelika Amon, Todd R. Golub to share Paul Marks Ford becomes inaugural sustaining member of MIT aids creation of neural prosthetic devices. Prize. MITEI. Page 4 Page 2 Page 3 SUPERCONDUCTIVITY EXPLORED GREEN CENTER FOR PHYSICS SOLAR HOUSE Physics professor and colleagues track Cornerstone of building project to be dedicated this MIT team, building head to Washington for contest. individual atoms. week. Page 3 Page 5 Page 8 PAGE 2 October 3, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk OBITUARIES Amon, Golub win cancer prize Oct. 4 memorial for Paul Marks Prize recognizes significant research contributions

Stephen M. Meyer Elizabeth Thomson “Her work has had a deep and lasting News Office impact on our understanding of mecha- A memorial service for Stephen M. nisms crucial to proper cell division, Meyer will be held Thursday, Oct. 4, at which has helped to shape our insight 4 p.m. in the MIT Chapel, the Department MIT Professor Angelika Amon and into how defects in these processes con- of Political Science announced. A recep- Todd R. Golub of the Broad Institute of tribute to cancer and other disorders.” tion will immediately follow the service MIT and Harvard will share the 2007 Golub’s group has made important in the Brown Living Room of McCormick Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, discoveries on the molecular basis of Hall. an award of $150,000, with Gregory J. several types of leukemia, some of which Meyer, a political science professor, an Hannon from Cold Spring Harbor Labo- have resulted in genetic tests that are expert in national security issues and a ratory. now standard at most major medical cen- passionate advocate of global biodiversity, The prize, from the Memorial Sloan- ters worldwide. His team was among the died last year of cancer at the age of 54. Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), first to use microarrays (also known as Meyer focused his teaching and recognizes significant contributions to DNA chips) for the classification of can- research on the interaction of science, eco- the basic understanding and treatment cer. “The goal of our work is to develop a nomics and politics in policy-making, par- of cancer by scientists no more than 45 new molecular taxonomy of cancer,” said ticularly in the areas of natural resource years old at the time they are nominated. Golub, an HHMI investigator who is also exploitation, land use and wildlife habitat Amon was cited for her work in study- affiliated with the Dana-Farber Cancer preservation. ing how chromosomes segregate during Institute. “It is not enough to say some- His last book, “The End of the Wild,” cell division, while Golub was cited for one has breast cancer or lung cancer, on the extinction of wildlife species and developing genomic approaches to better for example. There is a real need to sub- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY human responsibility, appeared in Decem- classify subtypes of cancer. Hannon won classify patients, so that we can match Angelika Amon ber 2006. for using model systems to study the bio- patients very closely with targeted drugs chemistry and biology of the RNA inter- and conduct smarter clinical trials.” ference mechanism. “Todd Golub has made important con- Nancy Vandom Sotak, 73 A current focus of Amon’s laborato- tributions—both conceptual and techni- ry is studying the effects of aneuploidy cal—that have had wide-ranging impact Nancy Vandom Sotak, 73, former secre- on the way that cells proliferate. Aneu- on cancer research,” said Eric Lander, tary to the associate head of optics in Divi- ploidy, in which a cell has an abnormal founding director of the Broad Institute sion 5 at Lincoln Laboratory, died Sept. 17 number of chromosomes, occurs if chro- and a professor of biology at MIT. “In my at Lahey Clinic following a cerebral hem- mosomes do not separate properly. “Our opinion, he is one of the most creative orrhage. A member of the MIT Quarter recent work has dealt with the question and accomplished cancer scientists of his Century Club, she joined Lincoln Labora- of how aneuploidy affects the yeast cell’s generation.” tory in 1973 and retired in 1999. physiology,” explained Amon, a profes- MSKCC President Harold Varmus She was born in Los Angeles and raised sor of biology at MIT, member of the described the winners as leaders in in Reseda, Calif. She is survived by her MIT Center for Cancer Research (CCR) their respective fields. He said the sci- husband of 54 years, Arthur E. Sotak, two and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute entists had made major contributions to daughters, a brother, and two nieces and a (HHMI) investigator. “We are now eager the biological understanding of cancer, nephew. to investigate how aneuploidy affects shedding light on what causes cancer A service was held Sept. 20 at Westview mammalian cells.” and offering promising solutions that Cemetery in Lexington, Mass. Donations “There is no doubt that Angelika may someday provide benefits to patients in her memory may be made to the Ameri- Amon is a true star in basic cancer everywhere. can Parkinson Disease Association. research,” said Tyler E. Jacks, director Jacks shared the Marks Prize in 2005 of the CCR, a professor of biology at the for his work in advancing the understand- PHOTO / BROAD INSTITUTE / L. BARRY HETHERINGTON Institute, and an HHMI investigator. ing of the pathogenesis of cancer. Todd Golub CLASSIFIED ADS

Members of the MIT community may submit one ad each issue. Ads should be 30 words New executive Airline Data Project launched maximum; they will be edited. Submit by e-mail to [email protected] or mail to Classifieds, Rm 11-400. Deadline is noon Wednesday the New web site compiles key airline data week before ­publication. director of MIT MIT’s Global Airline Industry Pro- and competitive factors that affect this FOR SALE Careers Office gram and the International Center for industry.” Suunto Altimax Wristop Computer combines Air Transportation launched the Airline The ADP was created in conjunction altimeter, barometer, watch & stopwatch. Melanie Parker was named executive Data Project (ADP) Oct. 1 featuring an with the MIT Airline Industry Consor- Regular price $199. I bought it new for $149. director of the MIT Careers Office in July online databank that provides a compre- tium and with support from the Indus- Used 1 week. Will accept BO. Contact corkin@ 2007. 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News Office Staff HOW TO REACH US Tech Talk is published by the News Office on Wednesdays during term time except for Assistant Director/Photojournalist ...... Donna Coveney most Monday holiday weeks. See Production Schedule at http://web.mit.edu/news- office/techtalk-info.html. The News Office is in Room 11-400, Massachusetts Institute of News Office Operations/Financial Administrator ...... Myles Crowley Editor Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Telephone: 617-253-2700 Greg Frost Web Developer/Editor...... Lisa Damtoft Postmaster: Send address changes to Mail Services, Building WW15, Massachusetts Executive Director ...... Pamela Dumas Serfes E-mail: [email protected] Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Photojournalist Administrative Assistant II ...... Patti Foley http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice Subscribers may call 617-252-1550 or send e-mail to [email protected]. Donna Coveney News Manager...... Greg Frost

Administrative Assistant II ...... Mary Anne Hansen Tech Talk is distributed free to faculty and staff offices and residence halls. It is also avail- Office of the Arts Production Director, Media Relations...... Patti Richards able free in the News Office and the Information Center. Carol Demers http://web.mit.edu/arts Senior Science & Domestic mail subscriptions are $25 per year, nonrefundable. Checks should be made Engineering Editor...... Elizabeth Thomson payable to MIT and mailed to Business Manager, Room 11-400, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Writer...... Anne Trafton Printed on recycled paper Senior Writer...... Sarah Wright Periodical postage paid at Boston, MA. MIT Tech Talk ENERGY October 3, 2007 PAGE 3 MIT, Ford announce energy partnership Ford becomes inaugural sustaining member of MIT Energy Initiative

MIT and the Ford Motor Company announced a major dent—sustainability, environment and safety engineering. new energy research partnership Oct. 1 that will focus on “We are delighted to work with MIT toward sustainable new powertrain, fuel and energy technologies to deliver solutions.” sustainable transportation for consumers. “Ford and MIT have a long history of innovating The new energy research partnership builds on the together,” said Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Ford existing Ford-MIT Alliance. With the establishment of research and advanced engineering. “Focusing our com- this partnership, Ford becomes the inaugural Sustaining bined efforts on energy challenges is crucial and timely.” Member of the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), which The partnership will also support MITEI’s energy was formally established in November 2006 to address research “seed fund” to promote the development of a global energy issues. broad range of novel, innovative energy technologies and “Ford and MIT have a long and productive history of Company will have the initial seat on the MITEI Execu- concepts from innovators across the Institute. working together to meet critical national needs through tive Committee, which is responsible for the overall stra- “The development of new transportation technologies research,” said MIT President Susan Hockfield. “This tegic direction of the initiative. This five-year collabora- is critical for meeting the world’s energy needs,” noted expansion of the Ford-MIT Alliance will pair innovators tion will support Ford’s research program to develop new Professor Ernest Moniz, director of MITEI. “As the first at Ford and MIT to help meet the world’s energy chal- technologies and will include Ford’s sponsorship of two mover for the automotive technologies of the 20th cen- lenges. We are excited about Ford’s support for the MIT named MITEI fellowships—the Ford Alliance Energy tury, Ford Motor Company transformed the world. This Energy Initiative and its key role as the initiative’s first ­Fellows. research collaboration is designed to support Ford’s com- Sustaining Member.” “Energy related issues pose some of society’s greatest mitment to providing similar transformational technolo- As the inaugural Sustaining Member, Ford Motor challenges,” said Sue Cischke, Ford’s senior vice presi- gies for a new century.” Make hay (and a lot more) while the sun shines MIT team aims to win annual solar house contest in Washington

Sarah H. Wright contest) and an information panel in the News Office kitchen that will give feedback on about 40 sensors monitoring light, temperature and energy use. A team of MIT students, faculty and All Solar Decathlon entries must meet volunteers has taken on the challenge of specific livability standards. Each home designing and building a house that relies must retain warmth but not bake its resi- entirely on solar energy to meet the elec- dents. Each must have sufficient light to tricity needs of a typical American family, endure rainy days; it must provide warm from drying towels to cooking dinner. water for showers; it must be handicapped- Being from MIT, they also took on the accessible; it must store enough energy to challenge of being the best: For the first run a dishwasher and an electric car. It time, MIT has an entry in the Department must use commercial building materials of Energy’s annual Solar Decathlon—a vil- and available technologies—no weird sci- lage of 20 off-grid solar homes built by col- ence, no fresh-from-the-lab contraptions. lege students to be assembled and open to “You can’t yank something out of the the public on the National Mall in Wash- lab and throw it up on the roof. You have ington from Oct. 12 to Oct. 20. to use production-grade products,” Keville MIT’s off-grid home, known as Solar7, said. is en route to the capital now. Designed and built at MIT on an asphalt lot at the The consolations of technology corner of Albany and Portland Streets in Since construction began last spring, Cambridge, Solar7 was broken into mod- Keville, Fucetola and construction manag- ules and sent off by flatbed truck. er Tom Pittsley had plenty of technology About 20 MIT students and volunteers and new materials to keep their interest will reassemble the house in Washington and to engage the weekend warriors man- and participate in the DOE contest in vari- aged by volunteer coordinator Arlis Reyn- ous roles. olds. Kurt Keville, faculty advisor to the For any passive solar home, the chal- Solar7 team and a research specialist at lenge is keeping the heat. The Solar7 the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnolo- team built a south-facing light wall made gies, already has his eye on MIT’s worthi- of 1-foot-thick square tiles. Each looks like est opponent. “The University of Colorado a sandwich: Two opaque plastic squares won the past two years; they’re the team to are the “bread” for a filling of water and a beat,” he said. layer of a thermal insulating gel spread on Each 800-square-foot solar home, once the inside of one of the tiles “slices.” assembled in the Solar Decathlon Village, The insulating gel transfers the sun’s vies for points in 10 categories related heat from the outside, through the water, to energy efficiency, design and market- to the inside wall. ability, which the DOE calls “communica- Energy-efficient windows made of three tions.” panels of glass with krypton gas as an As Corey Fucetola, student project insulator are used elsewhere in the house. leader and a graduate student in electrical Photovoltaic cells cover the south-fac- engineering and computer science, said, ing roof of Solar7 and do the heavy lift- “The best way to change human behavior ing, energy-wise. They generate about is give people the information they need nine kilowatts of energy per hour; elec- to change.” tricity will be stored in 24 batteries. These The MIT solar house team will com- can hold about 70 kilowatt-hours and can municate through student tour guides power the house for about 48 hours. PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY (the DOE expects 30,000 visitors to the The batteries must also power the Many hands volunteered in the making of MIT’s solar house.

team’s electric car—a potential deal-break- contest: Each team must be able to heat a er, since the car that goes the ­furthest wins. bucket of water to 11 degrees. Solar7’s south face also holds 60 evacu- Then there’s the dinner party. The ated tubes that will carry solar-heated Decathlon Solar Village is divided into water into the house for showers and neighborhoods of four or five houses, washing and for circulation in the warm- and each solar house team must prepare boards, a radiant heating system based on a three-course vegetarian meal for their a molded subfloor that’s embedded with neighbors, using their stored energy, pow- plastic tubing. ering kitchen appliances, to cook and to The house contains a kitchen, full bath- clean up. room, living and dining area, and a flexible The MIT dinner menu is nothing short bedroom/office space, defined by opaque of sumptuous. It starts with pumpkin crab pocket doors. It has a wide, gracious deck soup, offers meatless sausage kabobs or and ramps for accessibility. spinach tortellini for a main course, and sorbet and chocolate chip pudding cook- It takes a village ies for dessert. The drink menu—minty The 2007 Solar Decathlon is more than “virgin mojitos” or fruity “Safe Sex on the a competition: It’s a community of 20 uni- Beaches”—is alcohol-free. versities, 20 houses, and hundreds of stu- But dinner’s a one-time thing; as in life, dents. Some DOE contests challenge both solar laundry is forever. The DOE requires PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY energy and labor efficiency. each team to wash and fluff-dry a load of Roof of MIT’s solar house being powered up by...the sun! For example, there’s the hot shower towels, just like home. PAGE 4 October 3, 2007 RESEARCH MIT Tech Talk Converting brain signals into action Team demos safety of RNA therapy MIT researchers develop algorithm to help create neural prosthetic devices Research could lead to treatments MIT researchers have developed a new for cancer, many other diseases algorithm to help create prosthetic devices that convert brain signals into action in Anne Trafton patients who have been paralyzed or had News Office limbs amputated. The technique, described in a paper published as the cover article in the Researchers from MIT, Alnylam Phar- October edition of the Journal of Neuro- maceuticals and other institutions have physiology, unifies seemingly disparate demonstrated the safety of a promising ­approaches taken by experimental groups type of genetic therapy that could lead to that prototype these neural prosthetic treatments for a wide range of diseases devices in animals or humans. such as cancer and viral diseases. “The work represents an important The work, which will be published in advance in our understanding of how to the Oct. 11 issue of Nature, describes a construct algorithms in neural prosthetic new approach to conducting the therapy. devices for people who cannot move to act A paper in Nature last year reported that or speak,” said Lakshminarayan “Ram” another commonly used approach caused Srinivasan (S.M., Ph.D. 2006), lead author fatalities in mice. of the paper. The research focuses on RNA interfer- Srinivasan, currently a postdoctoral ence, or RNAi, a key part of the body’s researcher at the Center for Nervous genetic machinery. RNAi works by using System Repair at Massachusetts Gener- short strands of RNA to block the expres- al Hospital and a medical student in the sion of specific genes. Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences “RNAi has huge potential as a thera- and Technology (HST), began working on peutic agent,” said Daniel Anderson, a the algorithm while a graduate student in research associate at MIT’s Center for MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineer- Cancer Research and one of the authors of ing and Computer Science (EECS). the new paper. Trauma and disease can lead to paraly- However, a paper published in Nature sis or amputation, reducing the ability to PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY last year by a different team showed that move or talk despite the capacity to think Lakshminarayan Srinivasan (S.M., Ph.D. 2006) is part of a team that develops standard- large doses of one type of RNA used for and form intentions. In spinal cord injuries, izing math equations to allow neural prostheses to work better. He is currently a medical RNAi, short hairpin RNA (shRNA), dis- strokes, and diseases such as amyotrophic student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology and a postdoctoral rupted another key RNA pathway, the lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), the researcher at the Center for Nervous System Repair at Massachusetts General Hospital. microRNA pathway, and caused the mice neurons that carry commands from the in the study to die. That result worried brain to muscle can be injured. In amputa- matical relationship between the person’s Through a better quantitative under- some RNAi researchers, said Anderson. tion, both nerves and muscle are lost. intentions and the neural manifestation standing of how the brain normally con- “That first paper demonstrated that Neural prosthetic devices represent an of that intention, whether the intention is trols movement and the mechanisms of short hairpin RNA could lead to mouse engineer’s approach to treating paralysis measured by an electoencephalography disease, he hopes these devices could one fatality,” he said. “Researchers were con- and amputation. Here, electronics are used (EEG), intracranial electrode arrays or day allow for a level of dexterity depict- cerned that a second type of RNA, small to monitor the neural signals that reflect optical imaging. These signals could come ed in movies, such as actor Will Smith’s interfering RNA (siRNA), would induce an individual’s intentions for the prosthe- from a number of brain regions, including mechanical arm in the movie, “I Robot.” the same toxicity.” sis or computer they are trying to use. cortical or subcortical structures. The gap between existing prototypes In the current study, the researchers Algorithms form the link between neural Until now, researchers working on and that final goal is wide. Translating an demonstrated that siRNA did not have signals that are recorded and the user’s brain prosthetics have used different algo- algorithm into a fully functioning clinical the same toxic effects as large doses of intentions that are decoded to drive the rithms depending on what method they device will require a great deal of work, shRNA because it does not interfere with prosthetic device. were using to measure brain activity. The but also represents an intriguing road of the microRNA pathway. Further, they Over the past decade, efforts at proto- new model is applicable no matter what scientific and engineering development for achieved 80 percent silencing of target typing these devices have divided along measurement technique is used, accord- the years to come. genes in mice and hamster liver cells. various boundaries related to brain ing to Srinivasan. “We don’t need to rein- Other authors on the paper are Uri “Using chemically synthesized siRNA, regions, recording modalities, and applica- vent a new paradigm for each modality or Eden (Ph.D. 2005), assistant professor in you can deliver sufficient siRNA to achieve tions. The MIT technique provides a com- brain region,” he said. mathematics and statistics at Boston Uni- therapeutically valuable gene silencing, mon framework that underlies all these Srinivasan is quick to underscore that versity; Sanjoy Mitter, professor in EECS without interfering with the cell’s endog- various efforts. many challenges remain in designing neu- and MIT’s Engineering Systems Division; enous microRNA,” said David Bumcrot, a The research uses a method called ral prosthetic algorithms before they are and Emery Brown, professor in brain and director of research at Alnylam (an MIT graphical models that has been widely available for people to use. While the algo- cognitive sciences, HST, and anesthesia start-up) and one of the authors of the applied to problems in computer science rithm is unifying, it is not universal: the and critical care at Massachusetts General paper. like speech-to-text or automated video algorithm consolidates multiple avenues of Hospital. The cover image for the Octo- The research team used a new RNA analysis. The graphical models used by the development in prostheses, but it isn’t the ber issue of Journal of Neurophysiology delivery system developed at MIT, the MIT team are diagrams composed of cir- final and only approach these researchers that depicts this research was designed by details of which will be published in anoth- cles and arrows that represent how neural expect to see in the years to come. More- Rene Chen (B.S. 2007) and Eric Pesanelli. er upcoming paper, to perform the RNA activity results from a person’s intentions over, energy efficiency and robustness This work was sponsored by the interference. for the prosthetic device they are using. are key considerations for any portable, National Institutes of Health and the In many RNAi studies, including the The diagrams represent the mathe- implantable bio-electronic device. National Science Foundation. one that the MIT/Alnylam team was fol- lowing up on, researchers use retroviruses to deliver genes that code for short hairpin RNA, which is a precursor to siRNA. Once Study: Genes influence people’s economic choices the gene is incorporated into the cell’s DNA, short hairpin RNA is synthesized Greg Frost posers for offers perceived as unfair. Economics. and transported from the cell nucleus to News Office To study genetic influence in the game, The research was funded by the Jan the cytoplasm for further processing. Cesarini and colleagues took the unusual Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation The earlier study showed that large step of recruiting twins from the Swed- and the Swedish Research Council. amounts of short hairpin RNA blocked the An international team of researchers ish Twin Registry, and had them play the cell’s ability to export microRNA, which including an MIT graduate student has game under controlled circumstances. uses the same export pathway. Without demonstrated for the first time that genes Because identical twins share the same normally functioning microRNA, the mice exert influence on people’s behavior in a genes but fraternal twins do not, the died. Low doses of short hairpin RNA very common experimental economic researchers were able to detect genetic were not toxic, but the dosage is difficult game. influences by comparing the similarity to control because once the shRNA gene Traditionally, social scientists have with which identical and fraternal twins is incorporated into the DNA of the host been quite hesitant to acknowledge a role played the game. cells, it is expressed for long periods of for genes in explaining economic behav- The researchers’ findings suggest that time, said Bumcrot. ior. But a study by David Cesarini, a Ph.D. genetic influences account for as much as In the current MIT/Alnylam study, student in MIT’s Department of Econom- 40 percent of the variation in how people siRNA was delivered directly to the cell ics, and colleagues in Sweden indicates respond to unfair offers. In other words, cytoplasm, so it did not compete with the that there is a genetic component to peo- identical twins were more likely to play export of microRNA. ple’s perception of what is fair and what is with the same strategy than fraternal “We wanted to demonstrate that if you unfair. twins. go downstream of that (export) step in The paper, published in the Oct. 1 “Compared to common environmen- the pathway, you don’t get interference advanced online issue of the Proceed- tal influences such as upbringing, genet- with the microRNA pathway,” said Bum- ings of the National Academy of Sciences, ic influences appear to be a much more crot. “With synthetic siRNAs, we deliver looked at the ultimatum game, in which a important source of variation in how peo- a defined dose and we know how long the proposer makes an offer to a responder on ple play the game,” Cesarini said. effect lasts. If toxicity issues arise, dosing how to divide a sum of money. This offer “This raises the intriguing possibility can be stopped at any time. It’s much easi- is an ultimatum; if the responder rejects it, that many of our preferences and personal er to control and, therefore, safer.” both parties receive nothing. economic choices are subject to substan- Other MIT authors on the paper are Because rejections in the game entail tial genetic influence,” said lead author Institute Professor Robert Langer and a zero payoff for both parties, theories of Bjorn Wallace of the Stockholm School of Michael Goldberg, a graduate student in narrow self-interest predict that any posi- Economics, who conceived of the study. chemistry. Researchers from the Universi- tive amount will be accepted by a respond- Other members of the research team ty of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technol- er. The intriguing finding in the laboratory include Paul Lichtenstein of the Swedish PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY is that responders routinely reject free Twin Registry and senior author Magnus ogy are also authors on the paper. money, presumably in order to punish pro- Johannesson of the Stockholm School of David Cesarini The work at MIT was funded by the National Institutes of Health. MIT Tech Talk RESEARCH October 3, 2007 PAGE 5 Physics professor probes superconductivity

Richard Anthony difficult problem,” he notes, “and I feel that when we do MIT Office of Communications understand it, that will open up a whole new world, not only in superconductivity but in related systems.” Hudson has probably helped hasten that day. He’s an When Eric Hudson was introduced to high-temperature expert in scanning tunneling microscopy, which is based superconductivity as a graduate student, it was still, so to on the stunning fact that by bringing the right type of speak, a hot topic. tiny metal tip within a few atoms’ width of a surface, and The phenomenon, discovered in the 1980s, reflects the generating a voltage between the tip and that surface, you fact that if you develop the right types of compounds, you can actually map its individual atoms. (To get a notion can create electrical conductors that are completely resis- of the length scales he’s dealing with, consider that an tance-free at temperatures well above the threshold for atom of copper—a standard component of many HTS com- conventional superconductors. pounds—is to a ping pong ball as the ball is to the moon.) “With conventional systems, you get to about 25 Now, Hudson and his co-workers have contributed an degrees Kelvin [-415 F] and then plateau,” says Hudson, advance in the technology that promises new progress now the Class of 1958 Assistant Professor of Physics at in unveiling HTS’s secrets. Given the all-but infinitesimal MIT. “With high-temperature superconductivity, you were size of individual atoms, tunneling microscope users until suddenly at 90 degrees Kelvin.” recently haven’t been able to track individual atoms within That figure is well above the mark at which nitrogen a compound as they lowered the compound’s temperature. gas turns liquid. This meant you could create devices like By tweaking the makeup of a key part of their microscope, the high-powered electromagnets used in many MRI scan- though, the MIT group has solved the problem. That mat- ners without having to use costly liquid helium to cool the ters, says Hudson. magnets’ coils to superconducting temperatures. (Helium, “If you want to understand what’s going on as a func- which liquefies at a hyper-frigid 4 degrees above absolute tion of temperature in these materials,” he explains, “you zero, is a must for conventional superconducting devices.) need to be able to follow individual atoms.” More exciting yet, the discovery seemed to signal The group’s recent studies have already undercut one that room-temperature superconductivity was on its way. popular theory about the changes that affect HTS materi- This triggered claims that problems like electricity line als as their temperature falls. That finding may in turn losses—the­ often-hefty amount of power lost to resis- clear the way for competing hypotheses. tance in electrical transmission networks—would soon Such advances, and the fact that organizations such as ­disappear. the U.S. Department of Energy are again giving priority But tough technological hurdles dampened hopes of a to the HTS phenomenon, show the field is regaining its resistance-free electrical grid. And for physicists like Hud- momentum. Yet while the world’s first-ever HTS electri- son, the prospect of figuring out how high-temperature cal transmission line—an underground Albany-area cable superconductivity (HTS) works at the scale of electrons cooled by liquid nitrogen—went live on test basis last year, and protons also faded. the steps forward so far don’t mean dramatic new applica- “Initially, a ton of people rushed into the field,” he notes. tions are imminent. “But in the late 1990s, a lot of them got fed up and left.” On the other hand, Hudson does think basic research Hudson was one of them, switching to another chal- on the HTS phenomenon is making real head way. “Things lenging physics problem. But the HTS issue continued to are at a point now,” he says, “where I believe we’ll solve PHOTO / Len Rubenstein lure him, and after two years he resumed his studies of this within my professional lifetime.” Eric Hudson and colleagues are trying to understand the the phenomenon. secrets of high-temperature superconductivity by tracking Why? Basically because it’s so compelling. “It’s a very –Reprinted from MIT SPECTRVM individual atoms. MIT student turns hearing Team proves role of microRNAs loss into knowledge gain in movement of cancer cells Elizabeth Dougherty area that relates to me personally,” says Alyssa Kneller the gene. She injected the altered cancer Harvard-MIT Division of Buran. Whitehead Institute cells into the mammary fat pads of mice, Health Sciences and Technology His growing scientific expertise, which soon developed breast tumors that combined with his personal experience, metastasized. allow him to go from talking with a pro- MIT scientists have proved that micro- So what caused this stunning metamor- Brad Buran, a Harvard-MIT Divi- grammer about ways to improve cochlear RNAs, tiny molecules that fine-tune pro- phosis? sion of Health Sciences and Technology implant coding strategies to discussing tein production and play a powerful role MicroRNAs typically disrupt protein (HST) graduate student, lost his hearing linguistics with a speech pathologist in biological processes, can prompt other- production by binding to the messenger to pneumococcal meningitis when he was without missing a beat. And according wise sedentary cancer cells to move and RNAs that copy DNA instructions for 14 months old. Today, the fifth-year doc- to classmate Adrian “K.C.” Lee, hav- invade other tissues. proteins and carry them to “translators.” toral candidate studies in HST’s Speech ing Buran as a classmate, colleague and Labs have been probing the relation- Ma used a program developed in the lab and Hearing Biosciences and Technology friend enriches his own learning experi- ship between aberrant microRNA levels of Whitehead member David Bartel to program is becoming an expert in the ence by revealing to him the nuances of and cancer for several search for the target neuroscience of speech and hearing. social communications, such as how peo- years. They’ve shown of microRNA-10b. Because he is immersed in an environ- ple perceive accents (Lee is Australian) that some micro- She identified several ment filled with researchers investigating or pick up idioms. RNAs cause normal candidates, including hearing loss, speech therapy, linguistics, Buran uses a technique called cued cells to divide rapidly the messenger RNA and cochlear implants, Buran sometimes speech to follow lectures, conversations, and form tumors, but for a gene called becomes the subject of probing conver- and the subtle cues hearing people take they’ve never dem- HoxD10. sations. This constant scrutiny might be for granted, such as the rustle of papers onstrated that micro- Generally involved off-putting for some, but for Buran, it is as the class flips to the next page. This RNAs subsequently in development, fodder for his own musings about the way technique turns sounds—from speech to cause cancer cells Hox proteins control his brain works. to metastasize or many genes active “It’s interesting, because so many peo- See HEARING spread. in an embryo. Some ple in the program are specialists in an Page 6 Working in the lab Hox proteins have of MIT Biology Pro- also been implicated fessor and Whitehead PHOTO / LI MA in cancer. HoxD10, Member Robert Wein- for example, can berg, postdoctoral fel- Small secondary tumors (shown in green) block the expression low Li Ma has coaxed formed in the lungs of mice after human of genes required cancer cells to break breast cancer cells were inserted into their for cancer cells to away from a tumor mammary fat pads. move—essentially and colonize distant applying the brakes tissues in mice by simply increasing the to a migration process. level of one microRNA. To test whether she had removed the The work appeared in the Sept. 26 brakes during her experiment, awakening advance online edition of Nature. the dormant migration process, Ma boost- “Li has shown that a specific microRNA ed the level of HoxD10 in the cancer cells is able to cause profound changes in the with artificially high levels of microRNA- behavior of cancer cells, which is striking 10b. The cells lost their newly acquired considering that 10 years ago no one sus- abilities to move and invade. pected microRNAs were involved in any “I was able to fully reverse microRNA- biological process,” said Weinberg. 10b induced migration and invasion, sug- Ma began with a list of 29 microRNAs gesting that HoxD10 is indeed a functional expressed at different levels in tumors target,” Ma explained. versus normal tissue. She examined their “During normal development, this production in two groups of cancer cells— microRNA probably enables cells to move metastatic and nonmetastatic. Metastatic from one part of the embryo to another,” cancer cells (including those taken directly added Weinberg. “Its original function has PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY from patients) contained much higher lev- been co-opted by carcinoma cells.” HST graduate student Brad Buran investigates the physiology and molecular biology of els of one microRNA called microRNA-10b. This research is funded by the Life Sci- the inner ear, the part of the auditory system where mechanical vibrations are turned into Next, Ma forced nonmetastatic human ences Research Foundation, the National electrical signals in nerve fibers. Here he demonstrates the basics of cued speech, a system breast cancer cells to produce lots of Institutes of Health and the Ludwig Center many students and colleagues have learned. microRNA-10b by inserting extra copies of for Molecular Oncology at MIT. PAGE 6 October 3, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk CHAPLAIN NOVARTIS Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 1 paratively lower profile on campus but turing plant. These ingredients are then nonetheless thrive in their own right. MIT shipped to a manufacturing facility, often is home to 15 chaplains of different faiths at another site, where they are convert- and more than 35 student religious orga- ed through defined processes into giant nizations, he said. In addition, a large num- batches of pills, liquid or cream. With mul- ber of interfaith activities can be found tiple interruptions, including transport to at the Institute; one recent example Ran- separate locations, each batch may take dolph cited involved Muslim and Jewish weeks to produce. In addition, manufac- students breaking fast together after sun- turing design and scale-up for a new drug down on Yom Kippur. are very costly and time-consuming. Since coming to MIT in 1979, Randolph Expected benefits of continuous manu- has worked extensively with MIT’s reli- facturing include accelerating the intro- gious communities. He said he sees his duction of new drugs by designing pro- new role as chaplain to the Institute partly duction processes earlier; using smaller as an extension of what he has already production facilities, with lower building been doing, but with added responsibili- and capital costs; minimizing waste, ener- ties such as resource development. gy consumption and raw material use; Randolph credited Dean for Student monitoring quality assurance on a con- Life Larry Benedict with having the vision tinuous basis instead of postproduction that made it possible for the Institute chap- batch-based testing; and enhancing pro- lain position to be created. But Benedict cess reliability and flexibility to respond to said Randolph’s position was really the market needs. result of a vision laid out more than 50 The initial research of the Novartis- years ago by former MIT President James MIT Center for Continuous Manufactur- Killian. ing will be conducted primarily through Killian felt strongly that MIT pay more Ph.D. programs at MIT laboratories and attention to the spiritual life and to the then transferred to Novartis for further place of religion in human history and development to industrial-scale projects. contemporary society. Accordingly, Killian The partners expect the Center’s pushed for the building of both Kresge work to involve seven to ten MIT faculty Auditorium and the adjacent chapel, both members, as well as students, postdoc- of which were intended to buoy spiritual toral fellows and staff scientists. Novartis PHOTO / L. BARRY HETHERINGTON life on campus. Plans for a chaplain were will commit its manufacturing and R&D also in the works, but were put on hold resources and will pilot new manufactur- Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis, and MIT President Susan Hockfield at the Sept. 28 launch when Killian left MIT to become special ing processes with one of its pharmaceuti- of the Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing, a long-term research collabora- assistant for science and technology to cal products. tion aimed at transforming the way pharmaceuticals are produced. President Eisenhower. Benedict said the need for an Institute- wide chaplain today is arguably just as pressing—or more so—as it was in 1950s HEARING NEWS YOU CAN USE Cold War America. Continued from Page 5 rhyme. “This is a milestone in the history of Cued speech has played a significant International MIT that will be seen that way for genera- sneezes and even page turns—into hand role in helping Buran reach his potential Development Fair tions to come,” Benedict said. gestures to create a visual likeness of as a scientist by giving him access to the “We really need a chaplain of the Insti- what he is unable to hear. same information as his hearing peers. MIT’s annual International Devel- tute to be a voice for justice, integrity and For instance, the word “bat” involves In this regard, cued speech differs from opment Fair will take place on Friday, ethical conduct on campus,” Benedict said. three sounds: “b,” “a,” and “t.” Cued American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is Oct. 5, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Lobby “At the same time, fostering interfaith dia- speech combines three cues—hand ges- a distinct language, not a way to repre- 13. The fair provides incoming and logue becomes a major priority with an tures paired with locations around the sent English with the hands. Translating continuing MIT students the oppor- increasingly diverse population, with inter- mouth and throat—to convey these dis- English into ASL requires interpretation tunity to learn about ways that they nationalization and with diverse religious tinct sounds visually. These gestures help of the meaning and then approximating it can become engaged in international groups on campus. This is especially true Buran distinguish “bat” from “pat,” two using signs. development through student groups, at a time when there is so much strife and words that look the same to a lip reader. In contrast, “Cued speech is a modal- nonprofit organizations or academic stress in the world among and within vari- At the same time, they preserve similari- ity for language, like speaking or writ- course offerings in and around MIT. ous religions and sects.” ties, allowing him to see that the words ing,” says Tom Shull, a Boston-area cued Groups and organizations of all types speech professional. “When I cue, I’m not set up booths to display their devel- an interpreter. I’m a transliterator.” opment projects and enlist the inter- Transliteration transparently relays ested students who pass through MIT launches Kerberos Consortium language phoneme by phoneme. “The the lobby. For more info, please visit: sounds are just going into the translitera- http://web.mit.edu/idn/idf/. Patti Richards working itself,” said Sam Hartman, chief tor and coming out as gestures. All the News Office technologist for the Kerberos Consortium. decoding happens at Brad’s end,” says Bookmobile “We want to make Kerberos more useful Lee. and available than ever before.” Because cued speech is not a lan- The Humanities Library will hold MIT announced Sept. 27 the launch of As an example, Hartman noted that guage, it is relatively easy to learn. Lee its next Bookmobile from 11 a.m. the Kerberos Consortium, embarking on if Kerberos were available on mobile and more than a dozen of Buran’s class- to 2 p.m. Oct. 5 in Lobby 10, offer- an ambitious mission to create a univer- devices, it would be more attractive in the mates learned cued speech after meeting ing books, DVDs and CDs to Insti- sal authentication platform to protect the health care industry as a mechanism for Buran. In fact, one friend nearly mastered tute community members ahead of world’s computer networks. securing privacy of health records. If made the technique over a weekend. Now, the the three-day weekend. MIT ID is MIT also announced that Centrify Cor- available for consumers, it could make group cues during meetings, classes and required to borrow from the Book- poration, the Financial Services Technology electronic commerce less susceptible to social events. mobile. Consortium, Google, Stanford University, phishing and identity theft. “He’s certainly not isolated by his Sun Microsystems, TeamF1, and the Uni- “We see a number of our customers impairment,” says Buran’s advisor Environment, Health versity of Michigan are founding sponsors asking for open source, stable and interop- Charles Liberman, an HST professor and and Safety open house of the consortium. The consortium also will erable single-sign on technology, based on director of the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory receive generous support from Apple. the Kerberos protocol” said Kathy Jenks, of Auditory Physiology at Massachusetts The MIT Environment, Health, Kerberos is a network authentica- director, Sun Microsystems. “The MIT Eye and Ear Infirmary. “He’s in there, and Safety Office will hold an open tion protocol, originally developed for Kerberos Consortium is an outstanding organizing [things], galvanizing his house Thursday, Oct. 11, from 10 MIT’s Project Athena in the 1980s. Over way to address our customers’ require- classmates to take cued speech classes a.m. to 3 p.m. on the fourth floor of the past two decades, it has grown to ments and a continuation of the work we or to go skiing.” N52 at 265 Mass. Ave. become the most widely deployed system have been doing within the Kerberos com- Buran also has a cochlear implant and The event will acquaint members for authentication and authorization in munity over the last several years.” is learning to use it more effectively. He of the MIT community with the ser- modern computer networks. However, it “The bright future for Kerberos depends aims to communicate well on the phone, vices EHS offers, including its sup- is currently mostly available only in large on our ability to standardize the technolo- in large groups and in noisy environ- port of chemical safety, biosafety, corporate networks. Kerberos’ ability to gies layered above Kerberos—hence the ments. By listening to himself, he is also radiation protection, fire safety and require strong mutual authentication has need for an organization like the Kerbe- improving his speech and intonation. “I emergency response. The open enormous potential to protect consumers ros Consortium,” said Clifford Neuman, can be a very sarcastic person, but you house will feature tours of the EHS doing business on the public Internet from director of the USC Center for Computer have to see it in my face,” he said. “I am lab, free food, giveaways and contest phishing and other types of attacks. Systems Security and the original principal not good at using my voice for that yet.” prizes. For more information, contact “By establishing the Kerberos Consor- designer of Kerberos. “I am delighted to Meanwhile, Buran thinks constantly Robert A. Weker at 617-324-0043 or tium, MIT seeks to permit Kerberos to see industry, academia, and the business about his own research. Though he now visit http://mit.edu/ehs-ms/. continue to grow and develop as a stable community coming together to promote studies the physiology and molecular biol- and universal ‘single sign-on’ mechanism the growth of Kerberos into new areas.” ogy of the inner ear, his real interest is in for the users of modern computer net- The consortium will perform software language cognition. Because he acquired works,” said Stephen Buckley, executive development and the documentation activ- language both aurally and visually and director of the Kerberos Consortium. “The ities necessary to achieve its goal of ubiq- because he speaks with his hands as well No Tech Talk next week consortium will provide a mechanism to uitous support for Kerberos-based single as his voice, he often thinks about how In honor of Columbus Day, there permit greater industry participation in sign-on solutions across all aspects of the this works inside his brain. “When you will be no Tech Talk on Wednes- the funding and development of Kerberos, world’s communication infrastructure. decide to say something, what creates the day, Oct. 10. The next Tech Talk and thus allow it to evolve into the univer- A primary objective of the consortium appropriate motor sequence?” How does will be published on Oct. 17. For sal ‘single sign-on mechanism’ users need is to implement the solutions it promotes his brain pick between moving his mouth but do not yet have.” in the form of open-source reference to speak and his hands to cue? ongoing MIT news updates, please “We foresee a day when Kerberos- implementations that can be used by con- “No one really understands how all of go to the News Office web site, based authentication and authorization sortium members within their products that works,” says Buran. More than likely, web.mit.edu/newsoffice/. will be as ubiquitous as TCP/IP-based net- and organizations without licensing fees. someday, he will. MIT Tech Talk NEWS October 3, 2007 PAGE 7 Students shape materials for their own devices Anne Trafton Ethan Crumlin, Gerardo Jose la O’ and News Office Joseph Walish, and sophomores John Cra- ven and Andrew Hoy. The second-place team was Biogas A team of MIT students has taken the Nicaragua, which included graduate stu- concept of using biomass to generate dent Jonathan Rose, 2007 graduates Chris energy and shrunk it to fit inside a hand- Tostado and Julian Villarreal, and sopho- held device that could be used to charge mores Xavier Gonzalez and Russell Rode- cell phones. wald. Biogas Nicaragua developed a pro- The team of materials science students, totype that uses microbes to convert bio- known as BioVolt, won first prize in the mass such as crop waste and animal dung inaugural MADMEC (MIT and Dow Mate- into methane that can be used for cooking. rials Engineering Contest), held Sept. 25. The team has set up a testing station in The BioVolt device generates electric- Nicaragua and plans to continue the proj- ity from cellulosic biomass for household ect next summer. use in economically underdeveloped coun- Third place went to the Curie Brothers, tries. In particular, the gadget is designed who designed a prototype to improve auto- to charge mobile phones in rural areas mobile engine efficiency. Their redesigned where electricity can be scarce. piston pumps fluid out of the piston, gen- Professor Edwin (Ned) Thomas, head erating electricity that can be stored in the of the Department of Materials Science car’s battery. Team members are seniors and Engineering, said the judges were Vladimir Tarasov and Paul Abel, and junior impressed by the team’s creativity. The Shakeel Avadhany. BioVolt prototype uses anaerobic microor- The prize for second place was $3,000 ganisms to digest cellulose and convert it and the third-place team won $2,000. PHOTO / EDWIN THOMAS to electricity and water in a microbial fuel Judges for the competition were MIT Members of BioVolt, the team that won the MADMEC contest, and judges for the con- cell. Department of Materials Science and test, held Sept. 25, 2007. From left to right, graduate student Gerardo Jose la O’, sopho- “They took risks, and it was really dif- Engineering faculty members Eugene more Andrew Hoy, sophomore John Craven, graduate student Joseph Walish, judge Ted ferent. They had done a lot of materials Fitzgerald, Michael Cima, Yoel Fink and Carnahan of Dow Chemical, judge Cora Leibig of Dow Chemical. Kneeling in front is gradu- work,” Thomas said. Francesco Stellacci, plus two representa- ate student Ethan Crumlin. Five teams reached the finals of the tives from contest sponsor Dow Chemical, MADMEC competition, which challenged who are also MIT alumni—Cora Leibig students to use principles of materials sci- (B.S., S.M., S.M. 1993) and Ted Carnahan results.” holds a similar contest that has led to ence and engineering to build a prototype (Ph.D. 1991). The contest started in April, when stu- development of several start-up compa- device that harvests, stores or exploits Contest organizer Michael Tarkanian dent teams submitted their proposals. nies. Thomas said he hopes this contest alternative energy sources. Teams were (S.B. 2000, S.M. 2003), a technical instruc- Teams spent the summer working on their will become just as successful. judged on the creativity, practicality and tor in materials science and engineering, projects, and six finalists were chosen in “If things go well, we want to expand potential useful impact of their inventions, praised the teams’ work. August (one team dropped out before the it,” he said. said Thomas. “They had some really good ideas, and final round). For more information about the contest Members of the winning team, which some great prototypes were built,” he said. Thomas is also the founder of the Insti- and the teams, visit the MADMEC web took home $5,000, are graduate students “Everybody should be pleased with the tute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, which site at dmse.mit.edu/madmec.

PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY Grand opening of MIT Museum addition Thousands of visitors flocked to the MIT Museum during the weekend of Sept. 29-30 a quiet moment during a reception Sept. 28 to celebrate the opening of the new for the grand opening of its new 5,000-square-foot addition, which features the Mark addition. Epstein (S.B. 1963, S.M. 1964) Innovation Gallery. At right, Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology Nancy Hopkins and husband Dinny Adams At left, Epstein, wife Amoretta Hoeber and grandson Emmett Lewis Hoeber share look at the exhibit of her zebrafish, one of several displays in the new gallery. Great Glass Pumpkin Patch returns

Lynn Heinemann art program connected with MIT’s Department of Office of the Arts Materials Science and Engineering. Pumpkin-making is overseen by glass artist Peter Houk, director of the MIT Glass Lab in the Department of Materials Science It’s a bumper crop you won’t want to bump too and Engineering. hard: More than 1,000 hand-blown glass pumpkins, The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch came to MIT in squashes and gourds in all shapes, sizes, colors and 2001 after a residency in the Glass Lab by 14 mem- designs will be sold as part of MIT’s annual Great Glass bers of the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI). The Bay Pumpkin Patch. Area Glass Institute (a nonprofit corporation located The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch begins with a pre- in San Jose, Calif.), was founded in 1995 by San Jose view reception Friday, Oct. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. on Kres- State graduate Bobby Bowes and MIT alumnus Mike ge Oval. The following day, Oct. 6, between 10 a.m. and Binnard. 3 p.m., shoppers and browsers will be able to purchase Every week or so, beginning, intermediate and their favorite autumnal orb. Prices range from $20 to advanced students work together for a few hours in $200, depending on the piece’s size and complexity. teams of six or seven to produce pumpkins for the sale. Many of the works feature vivid colors, swirls, stripes, Production for the October event continues steadily spots, curlicues and unusual stems. throughout the year in order to achieve the goal of The rain date is Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1,000 to 1,200 pumpkins. The glass pumpkins were created by students and For more information, including an illustrated step- instructors in MIT’s Glass Lab, where members of the by-step description of “How To Make a Pumpkin,” see: PHOTO / PHILIP BAILEY MIT community learn and practice the art of glass- http://web.mit.edu/glasslab/sales_pumpkin.html, or Creations from MIT’s Glass Lab that have sprouted on the blowing. Proceeds from this event benefit the lab, an call (617) 253-5309. Kresge Oval for the Annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch. PAGE 8 October 3, 2007 NEWS MIT Tech Talk Green Center for Physics dedication this Friday Event also celebrates completion of PDSI building project

Sarah H. Wright News Office

The Green Center for Physics, the dynamic corner- stone of a major building and renovation project, will offi- cially open with a dedication ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5. The community event will also celebrate the comple- tion of the overall major building and renovation pro- gram, known as PDSI, for the departments of physics and materials science and engineering, the George R. Harri- son Spectroscopy Laboratory and infrastructure renewal enhancements. Named in honor of Cecil (E.E. 1923) and Ida Green, the center was designed with the goal of fostering new research collaborations. The center occupies the fourth floor of Building 6, the first (atrium), second, third and fourth floors of 6C (a new “infill” structure replacing 6A), and the third floors of Buildings 4, 6 and 8, in which spaces have been significantly improved. Building 6C has huge win- dows, dramatic interior vistas and sleek glass-walled walk- ways on the second, third and fourth floors that connect it to buildings 4, 6 and 8. “The Green Center fulfills a decades-long dream—to have a place that faculty and students throughout MIT can identify with the Department of Phys- ics,” said Marc A. Kastner, dean Marc A. Kastner of science and Donner Profes- sor of Science. The department’s administrative, academic and some community functions are now in one location, along with educational labs and a reading room. The new center has also brought together MIT’s theoretical physicists, hous- ing the Condensed Matter Theory Group and the Virgil Elings Center for Theoretical Physics. “Theoreticians thrive on explaining their ideas to col- leagues and on lively discussions,” said Edmund Bertsch- inger, department head and professor of physics. “The build- ing’s design and the new environment provide for that.” Kastner agreed that the center facilitates the kind of collaboration that will help spark new research advances. “Faculty and students working in these fields have many common interests, and the accidental discussions PHOTO / GEORGE BOURET that will occur because of proximity in the Green Center are sure to lead to great new insights,” he said. “People Dazzling colors reflect from Sol LeWitt’s ‘Bars of Color Within Squares (MIT), 2006,’ onto both the new Building 6C and will meet each other frequently when they use the under- Building 8, as seen from Building 4. graduate or graduate student common rooms or the vari- ety of conference and seminar rooms.” Architect Payette Associates and program planner Imai Keller Moore worked to assure that the new facility would provide both the space and the spirit for spontaneous meetings. The MIT project managers were John Hawes and Milan Pavlinic. The goals of PDSI, announced in 2002 when the Main Group Master Plan was formulated, included building and renovation projects as well as upgrades for life safety and building services. The Main Group, Institute shorthand for its historic Bosworth Buildings, were designed by William Welles Bosworth and mostly completed in 1916. They are con- nected by the Infinite Corridor and include Buildings 1 through 10. “We are especially grateful that the generosity of the department’s friends—especially Cecil and Ida Green, Neil (E.E. 1964) and Jane Pappalardo, Virgil Elings (Ph.D. 1966) and Jim (S.B. 1953, Ph.D. 1957) and Sylvia Earl— has made the Green Center a reality,” Kastner said. The visual centerpiece of the entire PDSI project is the bold design on the U-shaped ground floor atrium, a 7,000- square-foot artwork by renowned American conceptualist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007). “Bars of Color Within Squares (MIT) 2006,” commis- sioned through MIT’s ongoing Percent-for-Art program, consists of squares of vibrantly colored geometric shapes that reflect on the Center’s windows and walls. LeWitt was selected for the project by a committee including Kastner; Samuel Allen, professor of materials science and engineering; Washington Taylor, professor of physics; Virginia Esau, manager, physics space and reno- vation; Marc Jones, assistant dean, School of Science; Jim Collins of Payette Associates; and Jane Farver, director of the MIT List Visual Arts Center. The Oct. 5 celebration will include tours of the new and renovated spaces for physics, materials science and engi- neering, and the Spectroscopy Laboratory. President Susan Hockfield, Dean of Engineering Subra Suresh, Spectroscopy Laboratory Director Michael Feld, chair of the MIT Corporation Dana Mead and Kastner are PHOTO / GEORGE BOURET scheduled to make remarks. Walkways between Building 6C and Building 8 foster communication, while LeWitt’s atrium floor urges boldness.