An MIT Alumni Association Publication

This week, the MIT Club of Wisconsin joins over 500,000 aviation enthusiasts at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The EAA markets the event as “the world’s greatest aviation celebration,” complete with airshows, fly-ins, aviation workshops, and an estimated 3,000 show planes representing the past, present, and future of flight. Nearly 10,000 attendees fly in for the event in their own hobby or commercial planes. (Flyover from 2013 EAA AirVenture pictured above; credit: David Kryzaniak)

We’re coming back not only to rekindle the [MIT] community we have here locally, but also helping to be a big hub for international meet ups.

“All of the pilots I know have been to Oshkosh at least once,” said Christie Lin ’11, SM ’12, president of the Club of Wisconsin. The club, which boasts over 500 alumni from across the state, has held events at EAA for several years now. “We’re coming back not only to rekindle the [MIT] community we have here locally, but also helping to be a big hub for international meet ups.”

As part of the festivities, the club will host an evening of alumni talks, demonstrations, and hands-on science and engineering activities. All events will take place in the ninth pavilion on July 28 and highlight innovations in aviation and other areas of exploration.

With more than 10,000 EAA conference attendees flying in, the Oshkosh airport becomes one of the world's busiest airports. Credit: Ryan O'Hara at 2009 EAA

 

Mark Anderson ’77 will share his experiences as a hobby pilot and give visitors a chance to tour his small plane and even look under the hood. Christie Lin ’11, SM ’12 will discuss explorations of the human body, sharing her research in medical physics. As part of her presentation, visitors will be able to test radiation levels in old consumer equipment, watch a video of a human heart pumping through new four-dimensional imaging technology, and try out ultrasounds to find fake tumors within mock organs.

Anna Shen '75 will bring preserved whale eyes—the size of basketballs—for her demonstration on explorations of the eye and its disorders, while Russell Cuhel PhD ’81 will talk about the use of remotely operated vehicles to study underwater marine life. Alumni will also be available to answer questions about the MIT application process.

Joyce Wang '12 pictured at the Club of Wisconsin's pavilion in 2017. Credit: Russell Cuhel PhD ’81

 

I’m really excited to meet all the people [at the event] and show them that Wisconsin is a really fun place to be, where you have the freedom to discover.

Lin hopes the club’s event will bring some of the MIT ethos to Oshkosh. “I think a lot of curiosity and discovery comes just from tinkering and trying things out,” she says. “I’m really excited to meet all the people [at the event] and show them that Wisconsin is a really fun place to be, where you have the freedom to discover.”

Credit: Russell Cuhel PhD ’81

 

“We are thrilled that the club is so excited to leverage this local event as a way to connect MIT alumni to each other and to MIT through their interest in experimental aircraft,” said Kim Lesly Hunter ’86, the Alumni Association’s director of alumni outreach.

All alumni, friends, and family are welcome to join MIT’s Club of Wisconsin at the EAA AirVenture pavilion #9 from 5:00-10:00 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, July 28. To learn more and attend, visit the Club of Wisconsin’s websiteCurious about what local alumni clubs and groups are in your area? Find them here.

Featured photo from 2013 EAA AirVenture; credit: David Kryzaniak