Several years ago, a team of scientists from MIT and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell designed and deployed a first-of-its-kind web programming course for incarcerated individuals across multiple correctional facilities. The program, Brave Behind Bars, uses virtual classroom technology to deliver web design training to students behind prison walls. The program brought together men […]
Read MoreTag: Education, teaching, academics
Professor Emeritus Bernhardt Wuensch, crystallographer and esteemed educator, dies at 90
MIT Professor Emeritus Bernhardt Wuensch ’55, SM ’57, PhD ’63, a crystallographer and beloved teacher whose warmth and dedication to ensuring his students mastered the complexities of a precise science matched the analytical rigor he applied to the study of crystals, died this month in Concord, Massachusetts. He was 90. Remembered fondly for his fastidious […]
Read MoreHeather Paxson named associate dean for faculty of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
MIT professor Heather Paxson has been named associate dean for faculty of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), effective July 1. Agustin Rayo, the Kenan Sahin Dean of SHASS, describes Paxson as a leader of exceptional vision. “As section head, she has positioned Anthropology as a key player in the issues of […]
Read MoreNew major crosses disciplines to address climate change
Lauren Aguilar knew she wanted to study energy systems at MIT, but before Course 1-12 (Climate System Science and Engineering) became a new undergraduate major, she didn’t see an obvious path to study the systems aspects of energy, policy, and climate associated with the energy transition. Aguilar was drawn to the new major that was […]
Read MoreKnight Science Journalism Program launches HBCU Science Journalism Fellowship
The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT has announced a new fellowship program that will provide students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) with training, mentorship, and early-career support to report on science, health, and environmental issues. The fellowship’s inaugural cohort will consist of 10 highly accomplished journalism students representing Florida A&M University, Hampton University, […]
Read MoreA crossroads for computing at MIT
On Vassar Street, in the heart of MIT’s campus, the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing recently opened the doors to its new headquarters in Building 45. The building’s central location and welcoming design will help form a new cluster of connectivity at MIT and enable the space to have a multifaceted role. “The […]
Read MoreIs it the school, or the students?
Are schools that feature strong test scores highly effective, or do they mostly enroll students who are already well-prepared for success? A study co-authored by MIT scholars concludes that widely disseminated school quality ratings reflect the preparation and family background of their students as much or more than a school’s contribution to learning gains. Indeed, […]
Read MoreA revolutionary, bold educational endeavor for Belize
When 14-year-old Jahzhia Moralez played a vocabulary game that involved jumping onto her friend like a backpack, she knew Itz’at STEAM Academy wasn’t like other schools in Belize. Transferring from a school that assigned nearly four hours of homework every night, Moralez found it strange that her first week at Itz’at was focused on having […]
Read MoreFor MIT students, there is much to learn from crafting a chair
Design spans disciplines and schools at MIT as a versatile mode of inquiry. Whether software, furniture, robots, or consumer products, design classes at MIT guide students through the iterative process of ideation, planning, and prototyping. “Design is 80 percent problem-setting and 20 percent problem-solving,” says MIT Professor Larry Sass SM ’94, PhD ’00, designer and […]
Read More3 Questions: Progress on updating MIT’s undergraduate curriculum
In late February, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education Ian A. Waitz and Faculty Chair Mary Fuller announced the formation and launch of the Task Force on the MIT Undergraduate Academic Program (TFUAP). The effort fulfills a critical recommendation of the Task Force 2021 and Beyond RIC1 (Undergraduate Program) and draws upon several, prior […]
Read More“Imagine it, build it” at MIT
MIT class 2.679 (Electronics for Mechanical Systems II) offers a sort of alchemy that transforms students from consumers of knowledge to explorers and innovators, and equips them with a range of important new tools at their disposal, students say. “Topics which could otherwise feel intimidating are well-scoped each week so that students come out knowing […]
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