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Tech Connection - A monthly e-newsletter for MIT Alumni

October 2007

	SPOTLIGHTS
		Repainting Smoot Marks What Makes Boston Competitive? Travel: Galapagos with Martin Tang SM '72

In This Issue:

Does Blood Make People Think?

Photo: Donna Coveney/MIT

MIT scientists propose that blood may help people think, in addition to its well-known role as the conveyor of fuel and oxygen to brain cells. "We hypothesize that blood actively modulates how neurons process information," says Christopher Moore PhD '98, a principal investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. This finding could suggest new therapies for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and epilepsy.

RESEARCH & DISCOVERY

• Precisely Measuring Mars Ice
  An MIT-led team of planetary scientists has found that the southern pole of Mars contains the largest deposit of frozen water in the inner solar system, outside of Earth. Find out how density calculations revealed the mystery.

• Genes Influence Economic Choices
  A study by an economics graduate student and Swedish colleagues has demonstrated that genes exert influence on people's behavior. Using the ultimatum game and sets of twins, researchers found that genes play a major role in how people respond to unfair offers.

• New Hearing Mechanism Discovered
  MIT researchers have discovered a hearing mechanism that fundamentally changes the current understanding of inner ear function. This new mechanism, which could help explain the ear's remarkable ability to sense and discriminate sounds, could lead to improved systems for restoring hearing.

What Matters: Lord of the Techies

Brother Guy Consolmagno '74, SM '75, astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory, describes being an ardent techie and a devout Jesuit. His essay is based on his new book, God's Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion. Add your comments to the Discussion Network topic: Can science and religion harmoniously coexist?

MIT Launches Kerberos Consortium

Kerberos, a network authentication protocol originally developed for MIT's Project Athena in the 1980s, is expanding from its current dominance in large corporate networks. The new Kerberos Consortium aims to create a universal authentication platform to protect the world's computer networks.

CAMPUS NEWS

• Hockfield Reports on the State of the Institute
  In short, the State of the Institute is very strong with record admissions, fundraising, and global initiatives. Learn about the latest results and challenges that President Hockfield reported at the Oct. 2 campus gathering.

• $100M Funds Koch Integrative Cancer Center
  The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research--the cornerstone of a major research initiative--will be housed in a new state-of-the-art cancer research facility scheduled to open in 2010, thanks to the support of Koch '62, SM '63. Center director Tyler Jacks discusses the vision.

• Watch Reunion on ZigZag
  Missed reunion? Sample Reunion Row and Class of 2011 comments as you find out how alumni, from last year's graduating class through the 50th reunion class and beyond, continue to make MIT a part of their lives in this six-minute video.

• Hacking Harvard for Halo 3
  MIT hackers adorned the John P. Harvard statue in Harvard Yard with a Spartan helmet and rifle in honor of the release of Halo 3, a popular video game.

MITEI Partners with BP, Ford

The MIT Energy Initiative has major new partners. BP is launching a major research partnership in energy conversion technologies, particularly the conversion of low-value carbon feedstocks such as coal to high-value products such as electricity. A new Ford Motor Company energy research partnership, building on the existing Ford-MIT Alliance, focuses on new powertrain, fuel, and energy technologies to deliver sustainable transportation.

Watch Tech Day on MIT World

President Susan Hockfield and professors Nazli Choucri, political science, and John Fernandez, architecture, share key insights offered at the Technology Day 2007 presentation, Energy in a Global Context.

Link to Entrepreneurial News

The MIT Enterprise Forum has launched Link, an online publication dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs, VCs, MIT alumni, and academics to vital resources about entrepreneurship, innovation, finance, marketing, lifestyle, and technology. The inaugural issue features interviews with Digg founder Kevin Rose, MIT EF Global Chair Joe Hadzima, MIT Venture Mentoring Service director and past Bose president Sherwin Greenblatt, and Pamela Lipson, a 2002 TR35 Young Innovator.

New Fund Goals Aim High

The Alumni Fund Board has convened, and new goals for donors and dollars have been set for FY08, which ends June 30. The fund is seeking $46 million from 34,500 donors. Please help reach these goals by making your gift today. You can contribute online or by calling 617-253-0129.

EVENTS

• Sustainable Building, NYC, Nov. 1
  John E. Fernandez '85, associate professor of building technology, will discuss how choices in building design and technology could bring enormous energy and material savings.

• MIT on the Road, DC, Nov. 3
  What are the energy, competition, and innovation challenges facing American research, product development, and manufacturing in the changing global marketplace? Find out from four MIT faculty members during a day-long session, followed by a reception.

• Nanotech Innovations, MIT & Web Cast, Nov. 15
  MIT faculty members will present their nanotechnology research and describe how MIT is pioneering this exciting field. Attend the MIT event or tune in via to the local Web cast with your local club.

About Tech Connection

Tech Connection, a monthly e-newsletter for alumni and friends of MIT, is available in HTML and text-only formats. Please email mitalum@mit.edu to request the text-only format or to subscribe.

Please email comments to:
Nancy DuVergne Smith
Editorial Director
MIT Alumni Association