Media (Part I)

In the world of pop culture, MIT tends to connote high intelligence and perhaps a little geekiness. Indeed, movies and television shows are rife with these references. But these associations don't convey the complexity of members of the MIT community. Sure, alumni are smart, and they're also actors, models, award-winning directors, script writers, and behind-the-scenes professionals who help shape media and Hollywood. In this first of a two-part issue, Quick Take looks at members of the MIT community involved with movies and television, both in front of and behind the camera, and celebrates some of the fictional characters who have laid claim to that prized accomplishment—an MIT degree.

MIT in Pop Culture

What do Iron Man and Spencer Tracy (right) have in common? Both claim MIT credentials on the big screen. Photo at left: Suit worn by Robert Downey Jr. in the Iron Man film by Iman1138 on Flickr.

When Hollywood creatives need a genius, they give a character an MIT degree. Here, a salute to Institute pop culture references on the large and small screens.

Movies referencing MIT

21 (2008)
Loosely based on the Ben Mezrich book Bringing Down the House about the MIT blackjack team who outsmarted casinos out of millions. Shots of Killian Court and other MIT exteriors dot the movie, but it was mostly filmed at Boston University, the Christian Science Center in Boston, and in Las Vegas. Some alumni have small credited roles, including Jeffrey Ma '94 (the real-life basis for the movie's main character Ben Campbell) as a dealer at Planet Hollywood; iRobot co-founder Colin Angle '89, SM '91, who provided the movie robot, as Professor Hanes; Henry Houh '89, '90, SM '91, PhD '98 as a Chinatown card dealer; and Hannah Yun '06, MNG '07 as an extra wearing a pink MIT sweatshirt in a lecture scene.

Late Risers Club (2004)
A documentary by filmmaker Marissa Acosta '98 about an innovative punk rock college radio show that has aired on MIT's WTBS/WMBR since 1977. Includes interviews with current and former WMBR luminaries such as Jon Bernhardt '86. View the trailer.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Based on the life of mathematician and Nobelist John Forbes Nash Jr., an MIT faculty member from 1951-59 who later overcame paranoid schizophrenia.

Good Will Hunting (1997)
Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) and Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård) are alumni, Lambeau also an MIT professor, who encounter an MIT janitor/math genius. View a third "Oscar" awarded to the movie in typical MIT fashion.

Fictional alumni—movies

Iron Man (2008): Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and his best friend, James Rhodes (Terrence Howard), both claim to have MIT degrees (although Stark graduated with Latin honors, which MIT doesn't give) and both sport Brass Rats in the movie.

Fantastic Four (2005):
Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) is an MIT-trained scientist specializing in genetic research.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005): John Smith (Brad Pitt) lies to Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie) about having an MIT degree.

National Treasure (2004): Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) has a degree in mechanical engineering.

The Core (2003):
Computer hacker Taz "Rat" Finch (DJ Qualls) allegedly graduated top of his class.

The Recruit (2003): CIA recruit James Clayton (Colin Farrell) is a brilliant hacker and was first in his class at MIT.

xXx (2002)
Gadget guy Toby Lee Shavers (Michael Roof) complains to Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) about being overlooked for a field agent position:

Shavers: "I spent three and half years in some windowless NSA gadget freak room. I mean I got a degree. I got a degree from MIT. And I bet they picked you up pumping iron in San Quentin?"

Space Cowboys (2000):
Ethan Glance (Loren Dean) is an alumnus who resents having to work with old-timers including Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood):

Glance: "I have two degrees from MIT."

Corvin: "Maybe you should get your money back."

Armageddon (1998):
Researcher Ronald Quincy (Jason Isaacs) is an alum as is Rockhound (Steve Buscemi), who has two doctorates:

Ronald Quincy: "I know the presidents' chief scientific advisor; we were at MIT together. And, in a situation like this, you…you really don't wanna take the advice from a man who got a C-minus in astrophysics. The presidents' advisors are...wrong. I'm right."

Sphere (1998): Captain Harold C. Barnes (Peter Coyote) has a degree in aeronautical engineering, Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber) has three PhDs and received the first when he was 19, and Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson) received his first MIT PhD at age 18.

Contact (1997): SETI researcher Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) studied at MIT.

Orgazmo (1997): Ben Chapleski (Dian Bachar) has multiple doctorates.

Independence Day (1996): NYC cable-station manager David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), who helps save the world, spent eight years as a student.

Six Degrees of Separation (1993): Trent Conway (Anthony Michael Hall) is a student.

Desk Set (1957): Computer designer Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) has a PhD in science and is given a Tech gift by Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn)—a large scarf in MIT colors.

Fictional alumni—television

Eureka (2006–): Global Dynamics whiz and Nobel laureate Nathan Stark has a PhD and scientist Walter Perkins was a post doc when he met his future wife, Susan, a grad student. Passing references are also made to other characters having MIT degrees. The show's about a town full of the country's smartest, most innovative people. What do you expect?

Las Vegas (2003–): Security officer Mike Cannon (James Lesure) has a graduate degree.

NCIS (2003–): Special Agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray) has a master's in computer forensics.

Arrested Development (2003-06): Tobias Fünke completed his fellowship in psycholinguistics.

Quantum Leap (1989-1993):
Physicist and quantum leaper Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) graduated in only two years.

The Simpsons (1989–): Ineffectual lawyer Lionel Hutz, who once sued the movie The NeverEnding Story for false advertising, claimed to have a degree from MIT in addition to Harvard, Yale, Oxford, the Sorbonne, and the Louvre.

All My Children (1970–): Math genius and obsessive-compulsive Lily Montgomery hopes to attend MIT.

Thanks to the following alumni who submitted pop culture references: David Abrams '76, SM '77; Tom Benton SM '86; Cactus Jack in Tucson '66; Tim Chambers '84; Anneliese Dickman '94; Clara Fernandez SM '04; Fred Fisher '58, SM '61; Karl Lofgren '75, SM '76; John Marshall '67; Robert McGahan SM '75; Peter '83; Jeffrey Schwartz '81; Chuck Seniawski '65; John Simmons '95; Marvin Singer '63; Paul C. Valentine '55.

Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Michael Flippo.

Filmmakers

Alum's film screened at Boston International Film Festival in June
Emergency room doctor Paul Hochfeld '72, SM '73 was so frustrated by the U.S. health care system that he produced and directed a 45-minute video, Health, Money, and Fear, exploring why U.S. health care costs so much, what it says about society, and what can be done about it. Read Hochfeld's What Matters column on the subject.

First-time director tackles foreign policy, nabs Sundance prize
Charles Ferguson, who earned a PhD in political science from MIT in 1989, landed interviews with high-ranking officials as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts to produce No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq. The film, which retells the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003, won a special jury prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Fostering creativity on film
A longtime filmmaker, Andrew Silver '64, SM '67 plumbs ideas as diverse as locally grown food, architectural restoration, and love. His latest movie, Radio Cape Cod, which premiered in 2008, tells a quartet of love stories while celebrating marine biology and music.

Film displays alum's versatility
Albert Chan SM '99, PhD '04 wrote, directed, and costarred in Fate Scores, a film shot entirely on MIT's campus. Chan also wrote and performed music and lyrics for the movie, which depicts the seemingly random interactions between ten strangers that eventually culminate in something extraordinary. As an actor, Chan has appeared on stage and screen. Movie roles include Underdog and the upcoming Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Writing professor wins science film award
Thomas Levenson, associate professor of science writing at MIT, won the inaugural Walter P. Kistler Science Documentary Film Award for his work on the NOVA miniseries Origins, about cosmic evolution. Levenson was executive producer and wrote, produced, and directed part four of the series.

Alumna's film hits festivals
Ana's Time, a highly textured cinematic meditation on memory and identity by Alice Cox '96, was screened at the Atlanta and Provincetown film festivals in 2008.

Exploring deeply rooted beliefs
Anna Wexler '06, a 2007-2008 Filmmaker in Residence at the WGBH Lab, is in post-production for Awaken, a feature-length documentary that follows three American Orthodox Jewish teenagers through a post-high-school year in Israel. Read her blog about the WGBH experience.

Documentary champions '30s Jewish swimmers
Written, directed, and produced by Yaron Zilberman '94, SM '94, Watermarks won eight film-festival awards worldwide.

MIT Latinas lift voices in film
Nuestras Voces: Being Latina at MIT, a documentary produced by Latina MIT students and alumnae and by MIT faculty, shows the challenges, successes, and efforts of women underrepresented in higher education.

Media Lab celebrates cofounder with symposium
Dozens of Media Lab faculty and alums gathered for a daylong symposium June 20 to honor the retirement of Glorianna Davenport, head of the lab's Media Fabrics group and a longtime innovator in film, video, interactive media, and new ways of storytelling. View video from the media jam session.