Campus Culture

Where the Wild Chairs Are

by Jay London on May 17, 2012

in Arts,Design,Events,Learning,Modern Geekhood,Science

The Wild Chair. Image: MIT Media Lab

According to the MIT Media Lab, we’ve been sitting on chairs for 27,000 years. And some chairs are sick of being taken for granted.

The result: Rebellious Chairs, a collaboration between the Media Lab’s High-Low Tech group and France’s École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (National School of Decorative Arts) that seeks to “rethink the relationship between people and chairs” and design chairs with distinct, interactive personalities, ranging from warm and cuddly to dangerous and territorial.

The video below highlights The Wild Chair–a defensive beast with porcupine-like wooden quills–created by Paris designers J.C. Karich and Pauline Jamilloux.


Other, slightly less dangerous chairs include:

  • The Baptism Chair, a pew-like chair with a money slot for donation and pours “holy water” on the kneeler
  • Cocooning, a chair-blanket hybrid that simulates the sounds, ambiance, and coziness of sitting by a fireplace
  • DIKTATÖR, which dictates head movement according to the direction of sounds around it
  • Lucien, a solar-loving chair that rotates and turns toward the light or sun
  • Vincent, a verbally-interacting chair that communicates with humans through a language of real chair sounds

Cocooning chair. Image: MIT Media Lab

The five-day workshop–held in France earlier this year–was organized by Dana Gordon, a former design researcher for the Interrogative Design Group at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, and workshop advisors included High-Low Tech research assistants Jennifer Jacobs and Sam Jacoby.

For more information, check out a photo gallery of the research and design process and view photos and video from the final presentation.

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The Other 2.007: Electric Vehicles, Not Robots [Video]

by Amy Marcott on May 16, 2012

in Classroom,Design,Engineering,Modern Geekhood,Student Life,Transportation

For a few years, the now-famous 2.007 robot contest has included an optional electric vechicle section for students who favored crafting an experimental ride to a robot. But this year, EVs got an official final event all their own, with two parts: a 50-meter drag race and a hill climb up a four-story parking garage.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Charles Guan ’11, a grad student in mechanical engineering, taught this special 2.007 EV section, which students affectionately named 2.00gokart.

Guan has made a name for himself lately on the Interwebs for video of his own three-week CAD-to-completion project, Chibikart, an “ultra-small four-hub motor drive go-kart designed to test out the ability of the 100mm size hub motors to move a person without assistance,” according to Guan’s blog, Equals Zero. Chibikart exceeded his expectations in efficiency and power use at speed, even when climbing the parking-garage course. It’s also his first use of 80/20 slotted framing which is very popular for prototyping machines quickly. Read his entries about building the machine, and watch it in action in the video below.

As for the 2.007 section Guan taught, he details the semester and the student projects on his blog. A123Systems donated batteries. Here are the rules, as Charles posts on his website. Read through his post for his analysis of what he’d do differently next time:

“You had to use 1 to 3 of the A123 12V7 bricks in your design, or else if you do want a custom battery solution a charger must be included in the budget. You got one 8″ pneumatic tire for free, choice between one with a sprocket, one with a belt pulley, and a ‘front’ wheel i.e. no  attached drive parts. You didn’t have to use it—this was a last minute pre-term rule change, because I was about to make everyone use an 8″ drive wheel. This was to encourage some more diversity in design…and in the end, I’m glad it happened. There were just some seriously creative efforts that would have been hampered by a wheel requirement. Major components, including motor, controller, frame materials, power transmission components, and any other vital parts (such as the deck, for the only skateboard-style project) must be under $300 not including shipping costs. Hardware and some small incidental metal stock was [sic] not included.”

The drag race was held in a relatively smoothly paved back alley under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences complex. Securing a parking garage for the hill climb was more challenging. But Guan and others convinced campus officials they had taken appropriate safety precautions for the narrow turns at the ends of the garage—by setting up literal safety nets—and MIT Parking and MIT Police closed off an entire parking facility on a Sunday for the event.

Check out the highlight footage below. Scooters averaged 9 to 11 seconds, and Melonkart hit an 8.28 second run. Instructors also got in on the fun. Chibikart managed an 8.26 second run. “The cool part about it,” say Guan on his blog, “is now that there exists an official activity safety process for this kind of event, we could throw a go-kart race almost whenever.”

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History on Display at Next House Celebration

by Jay London on May 15, 2012

in Alumni Life,Campus Culture,Remember When...,Student Life

Jordan Marks ’14 discusses Next House history.

Around this time last year, a group of Next House residents decided that their dorm’s 30-year anniversary in 2012 would not go unnoticed. After nearly a year of planning and research, the group, which included Next House President Austin Brinson ’13, Jordan Marks ’14, and Dorian Burks ’14, culminated their work on April 29 with a daylong celebration of the Next House’s past, present, and future.

During the opening brunch, Marks unveiled a comprehensive 30-page Next House history, compiled with the collaboration of Next House residents from the past three decades.

Next House President Austin Brinson ’13

“We saw so many changes in the short time we’ve been here, and wanted to see how it’s changed over 30 years,” Marks says. “I sent an email to alumni and within a week, I had hundreds of emails in my inbox. People sent their old dorm room posters and pictures of old Next House t-shirts. It was so cool to get their side of the history.”

The Next House publication included history on the dorm’s name, hacks, and culture, plus alumni anecdotes and stories.

Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo

“The overwhelming feeling from alumni was that Next House really became their home. Alumni felt like the community was so close,” Marks says. “That’s still part of our culture today. It’s nice to know that community doesn’t end at graduation.”

Following Marks presentation, Brinson moderated a panel of alumni from various eras of Next House, whose stories illustrated the Next House’s always changing personality.

Nearly three decades of housemasters: (L-R) Bora and Liba Mikic, and Chris and Bette Colombo

Almost 75 former residents attended the ceremony, including all current and former Next Housemasters: Professor Bora Mikic ScD ’67 and his wife, Liba HM, who served for the dorm’s first 25 years; Muriel Medard ’89, ScD ’95 and her husband, John Simmons ’90, MBA ’97, who served from 2006 to 2008; and current housemasters Dean for Student Life Chris Colombo and his wife, Bette.

Next Act, a performance troupe founded by Next House students in early 1980s, highlighted the anniversary celebration. This year’s group performed “Curtains,” a murder mystery set in Boston’s theater district.

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Spoof: Why MIT’s Front Entrance Is “77″ Mass. Ave.

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on May 8, 2012

in Campus Culture,Remember When...

A mysterious portrait unveiled.

A mysterious portrait unveiled.

Guest blogger: Debbie Levey, CEE technical writer

During a redecoration of the Bush Room (10-105) in the early 1990s, the MIT Museum lent seven portraits of MIT luminaries to decorate the walls. Diana Strange HM, former secretary of the MIT Alumni Association (MITAA), recalled in a letter how all but one of the portraits were men, accompanied by biographical details. The exception was a woman in a lacy dress with no name or background provided. Rather than hang this portrait with no label, Robert B. Dimmick of the MITAA invited staff members to create a name and biography for her.

David Libby ’85 won the contest with a charming story of how “Mrs. Smith’s” generosity to MIT also created the building numbering system. “Robert and I came up with the idea of inventing a bio for her that would be a nod to MIT history as well as a bit of a hack, and would be just plausible enough that some might believe it,” said Libby.

“I was a little appalled when Robert actually posted it and thought we would get in trouble, but I believe Warren Seamans HM, director of the MIT Museum, was in on it and most people seemed pretty amused. Although I left the MITAA in 1994, I believe that the picture and label stayed up until the Bush Room was renovated in the late ’90s, and that it was occasionally pointed out on the tours given to potential students,” said Libby, now director of information technology for TERC, a not-for-profit in Cambridge involved in K-12 math and science education.

Reprinted here, the creative label provides a satisfying history replete with romance, sentiment, motivation, and a happy resolution for MIT and Mrs. Smith. (Note: the artist’s name is authentic.)

Margaret Norris Smith, Honorary Alumna

May 8, 1858‒March 5, 1935

Portrait by Carnig Eskergian, 1888

When MIT decided to move to Cambridge, the Corporation easily acquired all the land it needed on the bank of the Charles, with the exception of one parcel of land owned by a widow, Margaret Norris Smith. Richard C. Maclaurin, President of the Institute, went to visit her to learn the reasons for her hesitation.

She explained that in her youth, that area of Cambridge had once been water, but had subsequently been filled in. One day she had been walking out along the river when she spotted a young gentleman stranded a little ways out on an island—really not much more than a spot of mud. He was an MIT student, Macomber V. Smith (Class of 1877), a civil engineer who had gone out in a rowboat to test the soil in anticipation of the coming land fill, and his boat had drifted off. She sent for help, the young man was rescued, and he offered his profuse thanks. One thing led to another, and they were married on July 7, 1877. When her husband died tragically a few years later, she bought the mud island for sentimental reasons. This is why she could not sell the land to the Institute.

A week later, however, Maclaurin received a note from Mrs. Smith. She had been walking near the “spot of mud” and had seen a beaver. She regarded this as a sign that the land should belong to MIT. It was fitting, after all, since her husband had been an alumnus and an engineer pursuing his trade when he had been stranded. She imposed the condition that MIT’s address be 77 Massachusetts Avenue to commemorate their wedding day. Also, all buildings “west of island” had to be odd numbered, like 77.

The Alumni Association made Margaret Smith an honorary alumna shortly before her death in 1935. The two incidents are not believed to be related. The Bush Room is now located on the site of the mud island, and her portrait has been placed here as a reminder of her undying love and her generosity to MIT.

Dimmick pointed out that civil engineer “Macomber V. Smith” incorporated names of two prominent Boston-area construction companies at the time, Macomber and Vappi. The companies were headed by George Macomber ’48 and Vince Vappi ’48, both very active on alumni committees.

“Slowly a group of employees, alumni volunteers, and others joined an exclusive circle of cognoscenti of Mrs. Smith’s story,” recalled Dimmick. “The coup de grace came in the early 2000s, when Technology Review reported the story of Mrs. Smith as fact in the alumni section of the magazine. Her days were numbered after the embarrassment of the necessary retraction, and when the Bush Room underwent its gut rehab in 2002-2003, Mrs. Smith was packed off to the storerooms again.”

Thanks to Joan Parks Whitlow of the MIT Museum and Myles Crowley of the MIT Archives and Historical Collections for providing information.

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Admissions Office Wonkifies MIT

by Amy Marcott on May 3, 2012

in Campus Culture,Student Life

The folks in the Admissions Office have been busy cooking up some fabulous videos to showcase MIT. First one aimed at Stephen Colbert, and now this flagship video.

Cowriter and director Chris Peterson, admissions counselor for web communications, says of the video: “Professor Woodie Flowers once told me that ‘MIT can be either a steamroller or a candy store: it depends entirely on how you look at it.’ We wanted to make a video that showed the candy store side of things.” Read his blog post for a full list of credits.

Enjoy!

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Two Grad Students Help Make a City Walkable

by Amy Marcott on April 30, 2012

in IAP,Student Life,Transportation,Travel

Guest blogger: Joseph Cutrufo, program coordinator, WalkBoston

Mariko Davidson at work on the Spicket River Greenway.

Mariko Davidson at work on the Spicket River Greenway.

This past January, two local nonprofit organizations enlisted the help of MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning graduate students Mariko Davidson and Jocelyn Drummond to work on a project aimed at making Lawrence, Massachusetts, more walkable. Davidson and Drummond, along with the pedestrian advocacy organizations WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence, which builds healthy communities through environmental and open-space improvements, developed a plan that addresses pedestrian safety issues and increases walkability around the Spicket River Greenway, which is currently under construction.

Lawrence was established as one of the earliest planned industrial cities in the mid-1800s with a thriving industry based on textile mills. Today, it is one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts and has the highest rate of obesity and diabetes in the Commonwealth. On the surface, the Spicket River Greenway is a recreational path where residents can walk, run or bike. But Davidson and Drummond learned that this particular greenway means so much more than that to Lawrence. In addition to creating a linear park, this three-mile long “emerald bracelet” connects a variety of open spaces and neighborhoods, helps the community achieve the dual goals of riverfront restoration and neighborhood revitalization, remediates a contaminated brownfield, and reduces chronic flooding. Now Groundwork Lawrence and WalkBoston are working to link this area’s schools and major employers to the new Greenway. Without sidewalks or crosswalks, it will be difficult and potentially dangerous for pedestrians to access the path.

Davidson and Drummond developed a plan that highlights safe pedestrian routes and proposes design solutions to connect people by foot from throughout Lawrence to the Greenway. This plan is a critical component in the partnership between WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence, and it will help direct future initiatives of the City of Lawrence’s Mayor’s Health Task Force.

After meeting with the WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence staff, they assessed the existing conditions of routes connecting schools and other key institutions, such as Lawrence General Hospital, with the Greenway. Then they identified problem areas—dangerous intersections and places where sidewalks are in disrepair—and mapped them. They also created a list of recommendations that will improve access to and from the Greenway.

Davidson and Drummond are also working on interpretive signage for the Greenway to enhance trail users’ experiences by telling stories about sites along the Greenway. They conducted research at the Lawrence History Center, combing through achives, newspaper articles, photos, postcards, and oral archives to develop signage that will be located at sites including the Arlington Mills and the former location of the Oxford Paper company.

Moving forward, the work Davidson and Drummond have produced will help guide WalkBoston’s work with Groundwork Lawrence in making Lawrence a more walkable, livable community.

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Heads Up! The Baker House Piano Drop

by Jay London on April 27, 2012

in Campus Culture,Events,Hacks,In the News,Remember When...,Student Life

The baby grand piano, before its demise

By all accounts, the Baker House Piano Drop–the hack-like tradition that coincides with the last day students can drop classes during the semester–was a smash.

This year’s drop marks the 40-year anniversary of the event, which first took place in 1972, occurred sporadically in the 1980s and 1990s, and became an annual tradition in 2005. About 200 spectators watched a piano tossed from the roof of the Baker House onto another piano six stories below.

The drop occurred over an enclosed section of lawn on the Memorial Drive side of Baker House. Shortly after the drop, spectators scrambled for souvenirs, including keys, hammers, and strings.

Piano lovers can breathe easy; no playable ivories were harmed in the piano-on-piano violence.

From The Boston Globe:

The search for keepsakes

“The pianos find us,’’ said Michael Plasmeier, the current Baker House president, sitting in the dorm lobby on a recent day.

This year, he said, the dorm was contacted by a donor who had five baby grands ready for the junkyard. The man was happy to provide the pianos, as long as the students took all five off his hands, even though they require only one.

In MIT terminology, the six-floor piano drop is referred to as a “Bruno,” named after Charles Bruno ’74, who heaved the first piano off the Baker roof in 1972. In official Institute jargon, a Bruno is “a unit of volume resulting from a piano falling six stories onto Amherst Alley from the roof of the Baker House.”

Thomas Moriarty '14 and Connor Humber '15 celebrate their souvenirs.

If you’re curious about the exact distance of a Bruno, you’re in luck. Professor and Slice contributor Patrick Henry Winston ’65, SM ’67, PhD ’70 did the calculations.

Caesar had the Ides of March. We have Drop Day. I always wondered how tall Baker House is, so I joined the throng on Memorial Drive, recorded my data, and reached back into 8.01:

s = 1/2 at2
a = 32.2 ft / sec2
61 frames at 30 frames/sec = 2.03 sec
t2 = (2.03 sec)2 = 4.12 sec2

Voila! 66 feet.

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Faculty Forum Online: Alone Together with Sherry Turkle, Wednesday, May 2

by Jay London on April 27, 2012

in Events,Learning

Update: Listen to the audio of this presentation.

Is the compulsive attention that people pay to their mobile devices distorting personal relationships and social norms? Professor Sherry Turkle believes that the time is ripe for widespread rethinking of the way we communicate through technology.

Turkle, the founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, is an expert on mobile technology, social networking, and sociable robotics, and writes on the “subjective side” of people’s relationships with technology, especially computers.

Turkle will offer her thoughts on the growth of the digital world, the changes it has brought to contemporary lives, and take questions from the worldwide MIT community via video chat on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, from Noon to 12:30 p.m. ET.

Register for this free event—Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other—to receive the link for live viewing. After the event, come back here and continue the conversation in the comments.

About Sherry Turkle

Sherry Turkle is an Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society. She received a joint doctorate in sociology and personality psychology from Harvard University and is a licensed clinical psychologist.

Profiles of Turkle have appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, and Wired. Ms. Magazine named her a “1984 Woman of the Year” and she was named one of the “Forty Under Forty Changing the Nation” by Esquire. A featured media commentator on the social and psychological effects of technology for CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, the BBC, and NPR, Turkle has appeared on Nightline, Frontline, 20/20, and The Colbert Report.

Related:
2012 TED Talk: Connected, but alone?

Books
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (2012)
Simulation and Its Discontents (2009)
The Inner History of Devices (2008)
Falling for Science: Objects in Mind (2008)
Evocative Objects: Things We Think With (2007)
Life on the Screen:  Identity in the Age of the Internet (1995)
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit (1984)
Psychoanalytic Politics: Jacques Lacan and Freud’s French Revolution (1978)

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Faculty Musings on Next President, Charm School

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on April 26, 2012

in Campus Culture

See the chart of past presidents published in the newsletter.

See the chart of past presidents published in the newsletter.

The spring issue of the MIT Faculty Newsletter shares faculty thinking on contemporary issues—here are a few highlights:

The Next President of MIT

The editorial addresses a consuming interest for the MIT community—who will be our next president. While the editorial board is not part of the search committee, the group did discuss desirable qualities of a next president and ponder possible candidates. Moral leadership, international prestige, defender of truth, a good listener are among the qualities. And the people? The article shares suggestions for four internal candidates and six others who have MIT experience as alumni or faculty. See who’s on their list.

Travis Merritt and the Founding of Charm School

How did Charm School begin? New media attention from CBS Sunday Morning on March 4 spotlighted sessions on table manners, first impressions, and dressing for success. That’s still part of it, but the newsletter’s article probes the history —late Dean Travis Merritt founded Charm School in 1993—and the purpose of the event as a civilizing influence. Watch the CBS video.

MIT’s Ongoing Commitment to OpenCourseWare

In the excitement about launching MITx, the Institute’s new open learning initiative, some people have asked if OpenCourseWare will continue. The answer has been a resounding yes. This article gives the faculty view on why this 11-year-old phenomenon—each month more than 1.2 million people visit OCW—is so valuable to the campus community.

Read the spring issue.

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Overloaded with Work? Your Biggest Asset Could be an MIT Student

by Amy Marcott on April 25, 2012

in Alumni Life,IAP,Student Life

There just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything your company needs to get done. But give them four short weeks and MIT students can offer impressive results on some of those more challenging projects.

Here are four examples, written by alumni, of how their companies sought out students for a win-win experience: students discovered real-world applications of their classroom learnings while alumni benefitted from the special expertise students brought to their work.

This is part of a series of posts from MIT students and alumni who were involved in the 2012 Student/Alumni Externship Program, which connected current students to alumni in workplaces worldwide during MIT’s Independent Activities Period. Alumni, learn how to get involved. This is just one way for alumni to interact with MIT students. Learn about other opportunities.

Guest blogger: Adam Blake MBA ’11, marketing director, ThriveHive
My initial exposure to the MIT Student-Alumni Externship Program came as a participant during my first semester as an MBA student. I instantly fell in love with the program because of the opportunity it provided to gain exposure to not only a new industry, but also a new culture, a challenging project, and everything else that comes from working in a new company.

From left: Max Faingezicht MBA '11, Deborah Chen '14, Xenia Antipova '13, Brent Wu MBA '13, Adam Blake MBA '11.

From left: Max Faingezicht MBA '11, Deborah Chen '14, Xenia Antipova '13, Brent Wu MBA '13, and Adam Blake MBA '11.

Fast forward a couple years, and when the opportunity to be a sponsor for the program arose, my classmate and coworker Max Faingezicht MBA ’11 and I jumped at the chance to sponsor some current students. After the MBA program we both joined a small-business-marketing software startup in Cambridge called ThriveHive, and we knew there were an almost limitless number of projects we could put together for current students. We posted a couple of relatively broad job descriptions to try to attract the most creative and motivated students. After meeting with a few applicants, we designed projects that we felt would match the passion of the students while simultaneously meeting the real needs of our startup. We don’t have the resources to waste time with students just hanging around the office, so everyone had to be working on important projects.

Our externs were Brent Wu MBA ’13, Deborah Chen ’14, and Xenia Antipova ’13. Brent, a first-year Sloanie, made use of his business background to put together a go-to market kit for one of our target markets. Deborah, a Course 6 sophomore who has already acquired some strong database skills, tackled a very challenging project centered on optimizing the complex backend of our software. Xenia, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in architecture, used her analytical design skills to devise better ways for us to visualize our customer facing data.

Startups never have enough bandwidth to get everything done on the wish list, and finding enough smart and motivated people to solve problems is always a challenge. With the addition of our externs, January was full of energy and progress. Three or four weeks is a short amount of time for students to come up to speed and actually accomplish something, but it’s absolutely doable. We’re looking forward to participating again next year.

Guest blogger: Vesta Marks ’00, portfolio manager, UCM Partners, LP
This was the third time UCM Partners has participated in the Student/Alumni Externship Program, and I can say with confidence that this experience was our best thus far. The most impactful difference was that we were able to host two students this year—Diana Hsieh ’13 and Michael Farid ’14—as opposed to just one.

From left to right Vesta Marks '00, Course 18; Diana Hsieh '13, Course 14; Michael Farid '14, Course 2; Jay Menozzi '85, Course 6; and Boris Peresechensky.

From left: Vesta Marks '00, Course 18; Diana Hsieh '13, Course 14; Michael Farid '14, Course 2; Jay Menozzi '85, Course 6; and Boris Peresechensky.

Within the first two days, I was reminded how quickly MIT students self-organize into a team dynamic that fosters collaboration, idea sharing, and specialization. This ethos propelled our externs along the learning curve much more quickly than if they would have been working singly. It was impressive to see how quickly the team-oriented approach took root and observing it provided me with a pleasant reminder of the culture that exists on campus. [click to continue…]

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