Slice of MIT’s Top 17 in ’17

2017 was a big year for Slice of MIT. The blog moved to a new home on the MIT Alumni Association’s relaunched website and profiled nearly 300 MIT alumni and friends in stories, videos, podcasts, and more.

Slice in 2017 featured game shows—a Jeopardy! champion and near-winners on Team Ninja Warrior. We showcased the quirky side of MIT, like disappearing drones, the Tesla of the Sky, and an autonomous self-stepping shoe. (April Fools’!)

Here are our 17 most popular stories published in 2017, as determined by number of views. Let us know your favorite in in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter. And thanks for reading!

1. Lilly Chin ’17 Crowned Jeopardy! 2017 College Champion
   Chin said that “getting an MIT education is like drinking from a firehose,” something that she says helped her under pressure on the game show.
2. MIT Students Nearly Crowned Ninja Warrior Champions
   Three students showed the world that MIT can be just as successful on the obstacle course as they are in the classroom.
3. Using Daylight to Make Drones Disappear
   The US Department of Defense gave an MIT startup a unique request: develop a drone that disappears within four hours of landing or 30 minutes after sunrise.
4. MIT Senior Makes Finals on Jeopardy!, Talks Shop with Trebek
   “I’m glad you are working on our future tools,” host Alex Trebek told Lilly Chin during the semi-final round of College Championship Week.
5. MITx Paved the Way to MIT Graduation
   Amol Bhave ’17 never planned to apply to colleges in the US until he discovered MIT OpenCourseWare and started watching lectures.
6. MLB Draft Taps Two MIT Students
   The 2017 pro baseball draft was historic for MIT—two Engineers were selected in one year for the first time in history.
7. What Makes MIT the #1 University in the World?
   On a streak: QS named MIT the world’s top university for the 6th straight year.
8. Video: Building the Mountain Bike of Wheelchairs
   After researching wheelchairs in developing countries, Assistant Professor Amos Winter SM ’05, PhD ’11 realized that no existing chairs could move efficiently in rural areas.
9. More than Two Dozen from MIT Named to Forbes 30 Under 30
   Forbes calls the list “the most definitive gathering of leading young change-makers and innovators” who are less than 30 years old.
10. New AI Tool Improves Cognitive Testing
    An MIT team has created a tool that could make it easier to detect cognitive impairment, enabling treatment to begin earlier.
11. The Tesla of the Sky is Here
    A startup co-founded by an MIT alumnus- is developing a hybrid-electric aircraft for regional mass transit beginning in the early 2020s.
12. Grad Life: Why MIT is the Best Place to Build the Future of Healthcare
    "MIT represents a 'neutral ground' of pure technical talent that hospitals want to tap into for innovation and research," says PhD Student Lina Colucci.
13. MIT Ranks #1 for US News and QS World University
    U.S. News & World ranked MIT first for graduate engineering programs, a position it has held since 1990.
14. MIT Researchers Develop Self-Stepping Shoe
    MIT scientists have created a device that transforms traditional footwear into self-stepping shoes…or did they?
15. What if the Kardashians Were Physicists?
    Professor Cesar Hidalgo created a reality video series to show the day-to-day balance of work, travel, and family life.
16. MIT’s Ninja Warrior Scores in LA
    Charlie Andrews-Jubelt '17 won a spot in the American Ninja Warrior LA finals this past summer.
17. Breaking Guinness World Records—Just Part of 10th Reunion Weekend
    David Rush ’07 loves two things: supporting STEM education and breaking world records—like the four he broke at Tech Reunions.