Climate Policy, Brain Mapping, and Kim Jong-un: the 2013 Faculty Forums Online

Now in its fourth year, the Alumni Association's Faculty Forum Online (FFO) series gives MIT alumni and friends who are away from Cambridge an on-campus look at ongoing research and an opportunity to interact with Institute faculty, scientists, and researchers.

Each FFO is a 30-minute video podcast that features MIT experts discussing a timely and relevant topic and answering real-time from the online audience. The Association hosted seven FFOs in 2013 whose archived version have been viewed more than 10,000 times.

• Privacy in the Digital Realm (Nov. 2013): Professor Hal Abelson PhD ’73 discussed the challenges of digital privacy and how the flow of open information can be globally cultivated.
• Big Data’s Brave New World (Oct. 2013): Professor Alex (Sandy) Pentland PhD ’82 talked about the explosion of mobile devices and how to apply data analysis to politics, markets, and society.
• Kim Jong-un and the Danger of War on the Korean Peninsula (June 2013): Research Associate James Walsh PhD ’00 shared different approaches to understanding North Korea and its ongoing displays of threatening actions.
• New Research on the Brain (May 2013): Professor James DiCarlo, head of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, discussed the department’s pioneering work on brain research.
• Climate Change Policy that Makes Economic Sense (April 2013): Professor Christopher Knittel discussed consumer and company reactions to energy price fluctuations and its implications on effective environmental policies.
• New Directions in Climate Research (Feb. 2013): Professor Kerry Emanuel '76, PhD '78 shares a new approach to climate science that emphasizes basic understanding over black box simulation.

For the first time, the Alumni Association supplemented its monthly FFOs with a special evening edition—MIT at Work in the World—that featured Chancellor Eric Grimson PhD ’80, Dean Christine Ortiz, and Dean Sally Susnowitz.

Also in 2013, as part of President L. Rafael Reif's listening tour of campus and alumni voices, the MIT Alumni Association hosted three half-hour interviews with the president that were webcast live exclusively to the alumni community.

• Advancing MIT's Research Mission: President Reif talked about championing basic research and MIT’s commitment to the research enterprise.
• Transforming MIT's Educational Experience: The president discussed reinventing the residential research university for the future.
• Strengthening MIT's Global Impact: The president explained how MIT is realizing its global potential by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, collaboration, and diversity.

In addition to the live webcasts, the FFO archive and interviews with President Reif are available for viewing. After viewing the chats, continue the discussion at Slice of MIT by posting in the comments.

The 2014 season kicks off in February. To keep discussions relevant, FFO guests are announced one week in advance of the webcast. Visit the Faculty Forum Online page to view the entire archive and find out more information.