Artificial Intimacy: Who Do We Become When We Talk to Machines?
MIT Alumni Association
MIT Alumni Association
MIT Alumni Association
Wednesday, April 30, 3:00pm - 4:00pm (America/New_York)
Event Details
Members of the Cardinal & Gray Society, Emma Rogers Society, and School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences (SHASS) alumni are invited to hear from Sherry Turkle, the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science. She will discuss her work at the intersection of psychology and AI and its effects on human connection.
Contact
Lizzie Army - earmy@mit.edu
Learn MoreMIT Alumni Association
Friday, May 2, 6:00pm - Sunday, May 4, 2:00pm (America/New_York)
MIT Alumni Association
Saturday, May 3, 11:45am - 9:00pm (America/New_York)
Club of Puget Sound
Wednesday, May 7, 6:00pm - 8:00pm (America/Los_Angeles)
Event Details
Please join the MIT Club of Puget Sound and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society for a fascinating look into the impacts of climate change on mountain peak elevations and the challenges associated with measuring their elevations.
When: May 7, 2025 from 6pm – 8pm, talk begins at 6:30pm (pizza and drinks available at 6pm)
Where: Sinegal 200 - Oberto Commons (2nd floor): Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation, Seattle University, 901 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Our speaker is Dr. Gilbertson ( MIT SB '08, SM '10, PhD '14) an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seattle University, where he teaches statics and dynamics courses, and an advanced controls class involving robotics. Dr. Gilbertson will be discussing his efforts to survey the current elevations of the five last remaining “icecap” peaks of the lower 48 states, which are all in WA (Rainier, Liberty Cap, Eldorado, Colfax, East Fury). These peaks are melting lower, and so now only two remain as icecap peaks. This ongoing lowering of these peak elevations has gone unnoticed since no one had been measuring these changes. His findings on the lowering of Mt Rainier (https://www.countryhighpoints.com/mt-rainier-elevation-survey/ ) were covered in a variety of media outlets in October 2024 (https://www.countryhighpoints.com/media-coverage/)
Dr. Gilbertson received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. His masters research focused on developing a safety valve for offshore oil wells in collaboration with Chevron. His doctoral dissertation focused on controlling underwater robots in difficult acoustic communication environments, in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research. Before joining SU Dr. Gilbertson taught at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow, Russia, and at the Seattle Colleges.
Pizza and a variety of drinks will be available. Please RSVP by April 30, so we can buy the right amount of food.
If you are an MIT alumnus, or otherwise have an account in this system, please be sure to log in before registering since this will connect your registration to your account.
Current Members of the MIT Club of Puget Sound & their guests: [Explore yearly Club membership options here] Cost is $10 per person to help offset the cost of this event.
Other Alumni +& their guests (registration opens March 22): Cost is $20 per person to help offset the cost of this event.
For more information, please see the following:
https://www.countryhighpoints.com/
https://www.seattleu.edu/directory/profiles/eric-gilbertson-phd.php
Google Maps location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mhJ6wrfwzQ2KbuAo8
Driving Directions: https://www.seattleu.edu/life-at-seattle-u/our-campus/getting-to-seattle-university/
Parking: Main Visitor lot entrance on Marion across street from Sinegal Center) https://www.seattleu.edu/transportation-and-parking-services/visitor-parking/
There is often parking along 12th Ave.
Contact
Learn MoreClub of Austin and San Antonio
Saturday, May 17, 3:00pm - 5:00pm (America/Chicago)
Event Details
Come geek out with local MIT alumni at a different brewery each month. MIT alumna, Nadia Eichfeld Lundy '99, has solicited the advice of her husband, John, a certified beer judge and homebrewer of 30+ years, to select a respected and well-tested establishment in the Austin area. ICover your own tab. Look for the Tim the Beaver cardboard cutout to find us.
Paid members of MITCASA get their first drink free!
This month, we will be meeting at Lazarus Brewing Co. Their urban taproom resides at the heart of their brewery, providing an insider's view of the brewing process from grain to glass. They have a wide range of beer on tap, as well as wines and cider. Food is available from Austin Chronicles 2023 Best Food Truck, Spicy Boys Chicken which does have vegetarian options.
Be sure to RSVP so we know what size table to grab.
Contact
Learn MoreClub of Austin and San Antonio
Monday, May 19, 6:00pm - 8:00pm (America/Chicago)
Event Details
MITCASA has a book club in San Antonio. We focus on popular STEM non-fiction or hard-science science fiction (not hard to read, but science-oriented) that will fit into our busy lives (no textbooks, Ph.D. theses, or thousand-page novels). We can choose other subjects, too. Each month, we’ll choose books for the following month by consensus.
The thirteenth meeting will be on Monday, May 19, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We’ll meet at Rome’s Pizza at 5999 De Zavala Road, San Antonio, TX 78249. Rome’s Pizza has counter service featuring salad’s, pasta, sandwiches, desserts, and ... wait for it … pizza.
This month’s book is The Wood Age: How One Material Shaped the Whole of Human History by biology professor Roland Ennos. It is available from Amazon in paperback and hardcover form. It is also available from the San Antonio Public Library under a different title, The Age of Wood, in book, eBook, and audiobook form.
From the Amazon description:
Roland Ennos’ The Wood Age is a love-letter to the world’s most vital and yet most threatened material. It is the story of how wood has shaped our human experience from the earliest foragers to the modern four poster bed.
‘A stunning book on the incalculable debt humanity owes wood…’ John Carey, The Sunday Times
In a journey to appreciate how much wood matters – and has done since prehistory – Roland Ennos takes the reader chronologically through four key phases: the impact of wooded habits on the lives of primates; human emergence and the discoveries of fire and woodwork; wood’s role in an environment both pre- and post-industrialisation; and lastly, the possible future of wood in an
increasingly technologized world.
In an original and essential investigation, The Wood Age challenges the traditional model of
historical development – stone, bronze, iron – and instead guide readers through a revealing and
innovative wooded history of the world.
Contact
steven.j.alexander@alum.mit.edu
Learn MoreMIT Alumni Association
Tuesday, May 20, 1:00pm - 2:00pm (America/New_York)
Event Details
Join researchers from MIT’s K. Lisa Yang Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Center as they share cutting-edge water and agriculture projects underway across the MENA region. Focused on creating solutions that can feed a growing society in the face of water stress, climate change, and energy limitations, the Yang GEAR Center has realized low-cost, renewable-powered technologies in drip irrigation and desalination that dramatically cut water and energy use while being cost effective for farmers. Now it’s time to bring them to market! Learn how the center’s pioneering approach is building resilience across the region—and how MIT alumni and friends can help drive lasting impact for low-resource communities across MENA.
Amos Winter
Germeshausen Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Director, K. Lisa Yang GEAR Center at MIT
Amos Winter leads MIT’s Yang GEAR Center, where he and his team engineer bold, high-performance, low-cost technologies that tackle critical challenges in water, agriculture, health, and energy in resource-limited settings. His work blends deep technical expertise with user-centered design and global partnerships to deliver real-world impact. Winter earned his PhD in MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Department before joining the faculty in 2012.
Mohamed Naouri
Hock E. Tan Postdoctoral Fellow, K. Lisa Yang GEAR Center at MIT
Mohamed Naouri designs smart, sustainable irrigation and desalination systems for smallholder farmers in North Africa and beyond. With a background in agricultural sciences and hands-on engineering and policy experience across Africa, Asia, and Canada, he brings a deep commitment to water access, farmer-led innovation, and scalable solutions tailored to local needs. Naouri holds dual PhDs from L'École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique d'Alger and Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II.
Fiona Grant
PhD candidate, Mechanical Engineering
Fiona Grant is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering focused on designing solar-powered drip irrigation systems that meet the needs of farmers in resource-constrained and water-stressed environments. Before joining the Yang GEAR Center, she earned her SB and SM degrees in mechanical engineering at MIT. Grant has previously conducted research on small-scale desalination for villages in India, underwater vehicle propulsion, and the effects of dust deposition on solar plant production in the Atacama Desert. Her research interests include system optimization, controls, and human-centered design, and she is excited about bringing a multi-disciplinary engineering approach to address global climate challenges.
Contact
Learn MoreClub of Austin and San Antonio
Tuesday, May 27, 7:00pm - 8:00pm (America/Chicago)
Event Details
The Harvard Club of Austin invites the MIT Club of Austin and San Antonio to Taco Tuesday!
This month's event will be held at East Side King.
Registration not required. RSVP for a reminder email.
Contact
Learn MoreMIT Alumni Association
Thursday, May 29, 12:00am - Sunday, June 1, 12:00am (America/New_York)
MIT Alumni Association
Saturday, May 31, 9:00am - 12:00pm (America/New_York)
Event Details
The MIT Alumni Community is invited to join us for the live Technology Day webcasts on Saturday, June 1, part of the Tech Reunions weekend celebration.
Learn MoreClub of Austin and San Antonio
Tuesday, June 24, 7:00pm - 8:00pm (America/Chicago)
Event Details
The Harvard Club of Austin invites the MIT Club of Austin and San Antonio to Taco Tuesday!
This month's event will be held at Tacodeli.
Registration not required. RSVP for a reminder email.
Contact
Learn MoreMIT Alumni Association
Saturday, June 28, 12:00am - Wednesday, July 2, 12:00am (America/New_York)