Volume 51 – Number 4 Wednesday – October 4, 2006 TechTalk S ERVING T HE M I T C OMMUNITY MIT alumni win Nobel prizes in physics and in physiology Astrophysicists’ work supports Big Bang theory Colleagues discovered gene regulator RNAi Elizabeth Thomson this kind—in the range of a hundred-thou- Elizabeth Thomson “the most important and exciting break- News Office sandth of a degree—offer an important News Office through of the last decade, perhaps mul- clue to how the galaxies came into being. tiple decades,” when the phenomenon The variations in temperature measured was named “breakthrough of the year” by MIT alumnus George F. Smoot has by COBE show us how the matter in the Andrew Z. Fire, who received the Ph.D. Science magazine. Fire and Mello “have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in universe began to “aggregate.” This was from MIT in 1983 while working with changed the future of biological science physics, together with John C. Mather, for necessary if the galaxies, stars and, ulti- Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp, has been by providing work that looks mately, life forms like us were to be able awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology insights into back into the to develop. or medicine for 2006. Fire and Craig C. the ability of infancy of the Smoot received B.S. degrees in math- Mello shared the prize for their discovery RNA to regulate universe and ematics and in physics in 1966 from MIT. of RNA interference (RNAi), a fundamen- gene expres- attempts to gain He also received the Ph.D. in physics in tal mechanism for controlling the flow of sion,” Sharp some under- 1970 from the Institute working with the genetic information. said at the time. standing of the late Professor David Frisch, who was on “This is an absolutely revolutionary dis- The genome origin of galax- the MIT faculty for some 40 years. Smoot covery, as indicated by the fact that (it) operates by ies and stars. is currently a professor at the University of was made in 1998 and is being recognized sending instruc- The work, with this prize only eight years later,” said See SMOOT tions for the based on mea- Sharp, an MIT Institute Professor. manufacture of surements of Page 2 In December 2002 Sharp called RNAi proteins from the cosmic DNA in the PHOTO / STANFORD UNIV. PHOTO / U.C. BERKELEY microwave back- nucleus of the Andrew Z. Fire George Smoot ground radia- cell to the pro- tion made with tein-making machinery in the cytoplasm. NASA’s COBE satellite, provides increased These instructions are conveyed by mes- support for the Big Bang theory of the ori- senger RNA (mRNA). gin of the universe. The COBE (Cosmic In 1998 Fire, now a professor at Stan- Background Explorer) measurements also ford University’s School of Medicine, and mark the inception of cosmology as a pre- Mello, a professor at the University of Mas- cise science. For the first time, cosmologi- sachusetts Medical School in Worcester, cal calculations could be compared with published their discovery of a mechanism data from real measurements. that can degrade mRNA from a specific According to the Big Bang scenario, gene. This mechanism, RNAi, is activated the cosmic microwave background radia- when RNA molecules occur as double- tion is a relic of the earliest phase of the stranded pairs in the cell. Double-stranded universe. Immediately after the Big Bang RNA activates biochemical machinery itself, the universe can be compared to a that degrades those mRNA molecules that glowing body emitting radiation at a tem- carry a genetic code identical to that of the perature of almost 3,000 degrees Celsius. double-stranded RNA. When such mRNA Since then, the radiation has cooled molecules disappear, the correspond- as the universe has expanded. The back- ing gene is silenced and no protein of the ground radiation we can measure today encoded type is made. corresponds to a temperature that is bare- RNAi, which occurs in plants and ani- ly 2.7 degrees above absolute zero. The mals, including humans, is key in regu- PHOTO / DONNA COVENEY new Nobel laureates were able to calculate lating gene expression. It protects against this temperature thanks to the COBE mea- Walking tall RNA virus infections, especially in plants surements. and invertebrate animals, and secures COBE also had the task of seeking Architecture Professor Wendy Jacobs, left, graduate student Hope Ginsburg and small variations of temperature in the sophomore Adelaide Fuller cross Mass. Ave. on stilts they designed and built for cosmic background radiation in different Jacobs’ Center for Advanced Visual Studies course. See FIRE directions. Extremely small differences of Page 2 Voting experts will explore registration, security Stephanie Schorow be held Oct. 5-6 at MIT, will delve into the crucial issue of professor and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Tech- News Office Correspondent how to effectively register and/or identify voters so they nology Project, which was launched in December 2000 will be able to walk into their polling places and cast bal- to promote new technology for elections. “Two to three lots efficiently and securely. million voters were lost in 2000 because of registration The web is awash with conspiracy theories about vot- A host of nationally recognized experts, academics issues.” ing machine hacks and trickery. And with the midterm and researchers are scheduled to participate, including Indeed, key sections of the Help America Vote Act of elections approaching, even many mainstream politicians Paul S. DeGregorio, chair of the U.S. Election Assistance 2002 focused on registration reforms, Selker said. For are voicing concern about ensuring that every ballot will Commission, who will give the keynote address; and Marc example, as of Jan. 1, 2006, all states were required to be counted correctly on Election Day. Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy have a statewide registration database available. The goal, But, as an upcoming conference at MIT will show, Information Center in Washington, D.C. MIT President purportedly, is to help local election officials ensure a per- efforts to ensure the integrity of the American electoral Emeritus Charles Vest will welcome participants. son is not registered more than once or that someone who system must begin long before the polls open. “In the 2000 election, we found that two to three times The Voter Identification/Registration Conference, spon- as many errors were caused by registration than by any See VOTING sored by the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, to other problem,’’ said Ted Selker, MIT Media Lab associate Page 6 NEWS RESEARCH ARTS HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARD GENERATING SAVINGS ‘PUNKIE NIGHT’ AT KRESGE Freshman engineering student wins Hispanic MIT Energy Club presents design for an innovative Peter Child discusses new work. Heritage National Youth Award. generator. Page 7 Page 2 Page 4 L’HIPPITY-HOP FULL PROFESSORSHIPS PERCHANCE TO DREAM French choreographer Franck II Louise performs Seventeen faculty members are promoted. HST researcher studies anesthesia. today. Page 3 Page 7 Page 8 PAGE 2 October 4, 2006 PEOPLE MIT Tech Talk OBITUARY Hispanic Heritage winner sets sights high Sasha Brown dents. Still, she made a conscious decision Arthur Jones, News Office to pursue her goals with unusual fervor. “I asked myself: ‘Do I want to let life just hap- pen to me?’” Flores said. “Without a strict former Setting high goals and achieving them plan of what you want to do, you end up is crucial, says Freshman Eletha Flores where it takes you.” of Maryland, the recipient of the 2006 In recent years, she has found inspira- News Office Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s National tion from her older brother, an engineer- Youth Award for Engineering and Math- ing student at Texas A&M University. “He ematics. is very creative and has really inspired me director, More than 13,000 high school students to be more into engineering,” she said. from across the country applied for the “He taught me not just to enjoy the cell awards. Only nine students were selected phone but to actually take it apart and see dies at 61 in the various categories. MIT freshman how I might make one.” Luis Flores (no relation) also received one One of her older brother’s most valu- Arthur Jones, a former deputy White of the awards in the sports category. The able lessons was teaching her to drive a House press secretary who served as award winners receive $8,000 plus a laptop car with standard transmission. “Not many director of the MIT News Office, died on computer. girls can do that,” she said. “It means a lot Oct. 2 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Eletha Flores’ commitment to excel- to me.” following com- lence started early. “Either I go all the way Through the years, Flores kept her plications from or I don’t do it,” said Flores, who set her sights set on MIT. “It was always at the treatment he sights on MIT at the beginning of her high PHOTO / MICHAEL MALYSKO end of my tunnel,” she said. When she was receiving school career. “I knew it was the top engi- received the MIT acceptance letter earlier for leukemia. neering school in the country.” Eletha Flores this year, she was thrilled. “I felt like MIT He was 61 and Throughout high school, Flores main- was inviting me to come help make a dif- had lived in tained a 4.2 grade point average and con- such a perspective on what life could be.” ference in the world.” Newton. sistently challenged herself with sum- Flores’ Mexican heritage has also pro- While she is at MIT, Flores said, she K a t h r y n mer programs such as MIT’s Minority vided motivation, she said.