An MIT Alumni Association Publication

Caption: Media Lab Bionics pioneer Hugh Herr SM ’93 created a prosthetic ankle that mimics the power and control of its biological counterpart.

No matter where you are today, you can join in the 30th anniversary celebration of the MIT Media Lab, the place that has created projects including personal robots, avant-garde music, 3D glass printing, wearable computing, and cameras that see through walls.

The day-long symposium, Mind, Magic & Mischief, is invitation-only but everyone is invited to watch the webcast starting at 9:00 a.m. EDT or follow on Twitter with #ML30.

Rosalind W. Picard SM ’86, ScD ‘91 , head of the Media Lab Affective Computing research group, delivers a TED talk about emotional technology.
Rosalind W. Picard SM ’86, ScD ‘91 , head of the Media Lab Affective Computing research group, delivers a TED talk about emotional technology.

Founded in 1985 by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte '66, MArch '66 and former MIT President Jerome Wiesner, the Media Lab hosts a relative small number of people: about 28 faculty and principal investigators plus 146 students including 66 doctoral candidates. Yet the Media Lab’s productivity is diverse and legendary.

Today’s symposium gathers an eclectic mix: former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan SM '72 and Whole Earth Catalog inventor Stewart Brand who wrote The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT. And then there are magicians Penn & Teller and Harvard experimental psychologist Steve Pinker, an expert on language, mind, and human nature.

MIT Media Lab Professor Tod Machover has been named 2016 Composer of the Year by Musical America
MIT Media Lab Professor Tod Machover has been named 2016 Composer of the Year by Musical America

Planning to watch? Check the agenda for times and details.

Want to create your own Media Lab-athon? Watch selections of webcasts and videos from over the years.