Established 1881 WEATHER, p. 2 MIT’s Oldest and FRI: 59°F | 50°F Largest Newspaper Showers SAT: 61°F | 48°F Chance of showers tech.mit.edu SUN: 63°F | 48°F Partly cloudy Established 1881 Volume 132, Number 23 Friday, May 4, 2012 MIT & Harvard join forces for edX $60 million project cements MIT’s focus on online education By Ethan A. Solomon major new partnership in the The move cements online atively, increase the vitality of EXECUTIVE EDITOR sphere of online learning, education as a top institutional our campuses — and at the called “edX.” The effort is an -ex priority for MIT from now on. The world has come to ex- tension of MIT’s own MITx ini- “What we will discover to- edX, Page 11 pect great things when the tiative — announced last De- gether will help us do what university titans of Cambridge cember — which is currently we do better — to more join forces. After all, Harvard piloting an online circuits and effectively, more cre- Establishedand MIT led 1881 the international electronics course to 120,000 team that cracked the human students. genome together in 2003. Harvard and MIT hope But now they’re going after edX will enhance on-campus something wholly different — education at both institutions bringing university education while bringing a Harvard/MIT online and making it freely education to anybody with JOANNA KAo—THE TECH MIT and Harvard presidents Susan J. Hockfield and available to the world. an Internet connection. Both Drew Faust announce edX during Wednesday’s press Harvard and MIT an- schools have pledged $30 mil- conference. nounced on Wednesday a lion in startup funding for edX. Presidential search will Urine for a good time! likely concludeEstablished by June 1881 Committee still interviewing candidates By Ethan A. Solomon “The likelihood is we’re going to find EXECUTIVE EDITOR an appropriate candidate certainly by the summer — which is what we had The search process to replace Presi- always hoped,” he said. dent Susan J. Hockfield is on-track to Technically, the search commit- conclude by early June, according to tee must provide a list of names to MIT Corporation officials. the Corporation’s Executive Commit- “I think it’s progressing very well. tee, which in turn formally nominates The search has been intense,” said candidates for president. The full MIT James A. Champy ’63, chair of the Corporation must vote to approve a joint Corporation-faculty presidential candidate. In practice, the search com- search committee. mittee’sEstablished recommendations are the1881 only According to Champy, it is “highly ones given any serious consideration. possible” the search committee will Champy and Reed said that if the complete its work by the June 7 Corpo- committee succeeds in putting forth ration meeting, though he noted that a name by early June, a new president the committee would not compromise could step into office as early as July 1, the thoroughness of the search for the especially if the selection is someone sake of a timing requirement. If nec- already working at MIT. If the Corpora- essary, he said, the committee would tion selects a leader from elsewhere, “it TIFFANY IRA HUang—THE TECH continue its work into the summer. could be a matter of a few months,” but Protagonist Bobby Strong (Trevor J. Mulchay ’15) leads a rebellion in the MIT Musical The- Corporation Chairman John S. “by September we would have a new atre Guild’s production of Urinetown, a “tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution�” The Reed ’61, also a member of the com- play will be performed on both Friday and Saturday evening at 8 p�m� in the Kresge Little Theater� mittee, echoed Champy’s sentiments. Presidential search, Page 13 The Tech IN Short MIT takes a second shot at Kendall May 11 is the last day for tests! Hackathon Anonymously report any end-of Plans for Random’s block, extension to Infinite & riverwalk also -term violations to http://ua.mit. Scan for details and registration edu/committees/scep/violations. By John A. Hawkinson It was not a zoning proposal and con- of MIT and Forest City Enterprises, the A full list of regulations can be STAFF REPORTER tained no concrete language about developers of University Park. found at http://ua.mit.edu/com- zoning changes, housing units, floor- Forest City announced plans in mittees/scep/termregs.pdf. MIT’s new plan for the future of area ratios, etc.; this information will December of 2010 to build a five- the Kendall Square and the Institute’s come later, when MIT presents its ac- story life sciences building at 300 The MITSO concert will take eastern campus envisions an outdoor tual petition, probably on June 18. Mass. Ave.,in the portion of the block place tonight in Kresge at 8 extension of the Infinite Corridor from Marsh and MITIMCo first pre- p.m. Come hear the winner of E25 to E53, and a new open “river- sented these development ideas to the Kendall, Page 12 MITSO’s Concerto Competi- walk” from the Kendall’s Point Park planning board over a year ago, with a tion and the world premiere of along Wadsworth Street to the Charles detailed zoning proposal that was not Schrödinger’s Cat, an original River. well-received. The city subsequently student composition! Free tick- (Point Park is the triangular space started its Kendall-to-Central plan- http://bit.ly/techhack2012 ets can be reserved online at between Broadway, Main Street, Wad- ning initiative, and MIT allowed its pe- http://5-4-12mitso.eventbrite.com. sworth Street, and Third Street. It is tition to lapse while the city’s process Come to The Tech’s Hackathon Tickets are $5 at the door. dominated by Joe Davis’ 1989 sculp- went forward. and work on projects using ture: “Galaxy: Earth Sphere,” a foun- There were other items on the the religion survey data! The first International Devel- tain of water in the summer and steam planning board agenda of interest to opment Career Fair will take in the winter.) the MIT community as well. Completed projects will be place Monday, May 7 in the Bush Steven C. Marsh of the MIT In- FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES released on the Tech website. Room from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. vestment Management Company Changes to Random’s block The north portion of Random presented MIT’s second attempt at a The area of Massachusetts Avenue Hall’s block is slated to become Saturday, May 5, 2012 Send news information and 300 Mass� Ave; a residential build- vision for future east-campus devel- from Landsdowne St. to Blanche St., 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. tips to [email protected]. opment at the Cambridge Planning containing the MIT dormitory Ran- ing is planned for two blocks north, Board meeting on Tuesday evening. dom Hall, is owned by a combination on Sidney St� Tech Office (W20-483) Pro-Life is Putin anD the MEDia the essence of Mit at the SECTIONS World & Nation � � �2 How does the freedom of expression in Pro-woMEN A Portrait acaDEMY Opinion � � � � � � � � �4 Russia measure up? OPINION, p. 5 Standing up for life is Alex Katz’s prints at the MIT professors and Fun Pages � � � � � � �6 standing up for women the VirtuaL CLassrooM MFA capture the depth of alums elected to Arts � � � � � � � � � � � �8 and children� each figure� National Academy of Sports � � � � � � � � �16 LETTERS, p. 4 Two perspectives on MITx and the edX ARTS, p. 8 Sciences� NEWS, p. 14 partnership� OPINION, p. 5 2 The Tech Friday, May 4, 2012 Photographers found D dead in Mexico France and Greece poised MEXICO CITY — The bodies of three photojournalists were found dismembered Thursday in the eastern state of Veracruz, days after a crime reporter for a national magazine was killed for crucial votes on Sunday in her house there. The motives for the killings were not immediately known, By Steven Erlanger We’re not just any country: We can institution. “We see incumbent WORL and few such cases in Mexico are solved. But human rights THE NEW YORK TIMES change the situation.” governments replaced by others groups condemned the deaths as another worrying sign of the He intends, he said in a fierce that carry on with painful adjust- N vulnerability of journalists reporting on the wave of drug and PARIS — France and Greece debate Wednesday night with ments. But how long does it take organized crime violence that has rocked Mexico in the past six vote Sunday in elections that will President Nicolas Sarkozy, “to give for both sides to be discredited years and left more than 50,000 people dead. be closely watched for the future of a new direction to Europe.” in public opinion by the pain of “What we have seen in Mexico in the last years is a systemat- the European Union and the euro. Hollande’s words may have adjustment?” ic attempt to muzzle the press that has been successful in vari- The votes will once again highlight a degree of campaign bravado, The German chancellor, An- ous parts of the country, where the press has been effectively the emerging crux of the euro cri- but he is riding a wave of politi- gela Merkel, struck by the Dutch censored,” said Rosental Alves, director of the Knight Center sis: Will democratic politics offer a cal resistance to austerity that has collapse and stirrings of unease ATIO for Journalism in the Americas, in Austin, Texas. “This unprec- solution to the economic crisis or brought down even the govern- among the opposition Social edented blood bath is fueled by a certainty of impunity, as the just make it worse? ment in the Netherlands, one of Democrats, appears to be listen- cases of crimes against the press usually don’t even reach a Anxieties are rising again over the best-run economies in Europe ing, anxious not to be isolated in court of law.” the shared currency, and these and a close ally of Germany.