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Tech Connection - A monthly e-newsletter for MIT Alumni

June 2005

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MIT News: Stories about MIT People and Discoveries

New MIT Energy Research Council Takes on Global Crisis
New Group to Lead MIT's Initiative on Energy Problems

Professor Designs Self-Sufficient African AIDS Clinics
Architectural Design Boosts Affordability

Math Optimizes Kidney Matches
Kidney-Paired Donations Can Speed Matches

Heywood Family Fights Disease Together
Alumni Family Focuses on ALS Cure

Commencement Speaker Irwin Jacobs SM '55, ScD '59 Addresses 2,308 Graduates

MIT awarded 1,107 undergraduate and 1,464 graduate degrees at the 139th MIT Commencement exercises held Friday, June 3, in Killian Court under sunny blue skies. A slide show offers images of the celebration. Jacobs, the co-founder and CEO of Qualcomm, traced his career from educator to telecommunications industry leader as he urged graduates to prepare for an unpredictable future.

Tech Reunions Draw 3,067; Classes Contribute $138 Million

Alumni and guests - totaling 3,067 participants - came to campus June 2-5, for Tech Reunions 2005. At the Technology Day Luncheon, classes announced contributions totaling $138,563,600 and four outstanding individuals were named Honorary Members of the Alumni Association. A depicts some of the 110 events from Technology Day to the senior week dive-in movie.

Alumni Web Exclusives

What Matters: Fostering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
MIT's success in commercializing new technologies depends on multi-faceted and evolving entrepreneurial ecosystems, says Joseph G. Hadzima Jr. '73, chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum Board.

Alumni Profile: Meredith Warshaw '79 on Nurturing Gifted Kids with Learning Disabilities
Warshaw's struggle to find educational resources for her own twice exceptional child has led her to develop a growing body of Uniquely Gifted online resources.

Watch MIT World's Free Online Videos of MIT's Best Lectures

MIT World hosts hundreds of videos of key MIT lectures and symposia available online for free. You can learn from streaming videos of MIT faculty, alumni experts, and international scholars 24/7. Check out In Charlie's Vision: the Future of Engineering at MIT by Perot Systems Executive James A. Champy '63, SM '65, or lectures about the future of the automobile from Tech Day 2004, the origin of the universe, or democratizing innovation.

Last Call: Donors Needed to Break Participation Record

The fiscal year ends June 30 and just 1,997 donors are needed to break the Alumni Fund's record-breaking participation goal. If you have not yet made your annual gift, it's not too late. Make your gift online today or call 617-253-8270. MIT depends on the regular, annual support of alumni like you. Thank you for your continued support of MIT!

Apply Yourself: MIT Credit Cards Benefit Both Ways

Apply for the MIT Alumni Association MasterCard credit card now and get WorldPoints rewards. With this no fee card, you can earn points for cash advances, travel, merchandise, and gift certificates and MBNA contributes funds to the Alumni Association when you make a purchase. Get more information and apply for special MIT Web rates. Or call 1-800-437-0180 and mention priority code K3D1 for alumni and friends of MIT.

Take the First Step to Volunteer for MIT

Interested in joining the 7,000+ volunteers worldwide who help connect alumni to the Institute and to one another? Opportunities include working with your class on events, reunions, or building a Web site. Connect with a local MIT club or affinity group to plan social gatherings or talks by MIT faculty. Work with students by arranging internships or externships, becoming a career mentor, or interviewing prospective students as an educational counselor. Hone your business edge through MIT Enterprise Forum activities. If you like, take the Volunteering Self-Assessment Tool (PDF) to find the best fit. You'll meet new people, have fun, and help represent MIT in the world.

Travel: Jewels of the South Pacific, Jan. 21-31, 2006

Join MIT Professor Emeritus Samuel Jay Keyser HM and fellow alumni for an exploration of the South Pacific on board the 114-passenger Spirit of Oceanus. Travelers visit Tahiti; the Marquesas, a group of volcanic islands with dramatic peaks; and the Tuamotus, a collection of low-lying atolls. In the evenings, Jay will read from his daily travel journal and lead group discussions. A travel/photo journal including Jay's writings and stunning photographs will serve as a memento. An Easter Island extension is available.

Career Change Ahead? Build on Your MIT Connections

Thinking of making a career change? Why not hook up with fellow alumni to explore the options? The Alumni Association provides information and programs to help you make these connections. Check out the Career Services pages and search the Institute Career Assistance Network (ICAN) for a volunteer in your field. View the job listings posted by fellow alumni. Boost your network by attending MIT events such as a regional club or Enterprise Forum gathering.

IRDF Gifts Help around the House

MIT's new Giving site features Fraternity, Sorority, and Independent Living Group (FSILG) needs prominently. The Independent Residence Development Fund (IRDF), including the new educational operating grants program, is one way that MIT and its alumni can help keep this community strong. Also online, the What Matters column by Drew Jaglom '74 describes the enriching FSILG experience of Drew and his son Peter '05. FSILG living enhanced their time at MIT, he says, and makes for active, involved alumni.

About Tech Connection

Tech Connection, a monthly e-newsletter for alumni and friends of MIT, is available in HTML and text-only formats. To receive the text-only format, please email alumnirecords@mit.edu.

Please email comments to techconnection@mit.edu.

Cheers!
Nancy DuVergne Smith, editor