MIT Tech Connection
An MIT Alumni Association Publication
October 2024
Two Alums among MIT Nobelists for 2024
Victor Ambros ’75, PhD ’79 and MIT Professor Simon Johnson PhD ’89 recently joined the long list of MIT alumni with Nobel Prizes. Honored for the discovery of microRNA, Ambros will share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Gary Ruvkun, who did his postdoctoral training at MIT. Johnson will share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with MIT Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu and political scientist James A. Robinson of the University of Chicago for work illuminating the relationship between political systems and economic growth.
Distillery Founder with a Spirited Passion
When Jennifer Yang ’97 was at MIT, she never imagined becoming an entrepreneur. Now, she is running her own craft distillery, Covalent Spirits
MIT Climate Project Takes Flight
Mission directors for MIT’s major climate initiative recently held a kickoff meeting with the community. “We all need to do everything we can,” said Elsa Olivetti PhD ’07.
Triumphing over Adversity
Dale LeFebvre ’93 had little more than ambition growing up. The philanthropist and patron of the arts credits MIT with putting him on the path to success.
Alum Is a Karate Champ Again
Decades after earning her first gold medal in karate, Noelle Kanaga DeLuca ’06 returned to competition—and martial arts glory.
Mission: Protecting the Planet
Catharine Conley ’88, who served as NASA’s planetary protection officer from 2006 to 2017, says the job is about keeping Earth organisms off other planets and vice versa.
Test Your Tech Trivia Knowledge
More than 100 Nobel Prize laureates are affiliated with MIT. Who was the first MIT alumna to become a Nobelist?
1. Susan Solomon
2. Esther Duflo
3. Andrea Ghez
4. Katharine Dexter McCormick
Get Energized at MIT Alumni Forum
Join us November 13 for Energy for Tomorrow: MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. And if you missed October’s forum on the climate impact of AI, you can watch it now.
Want to Explore the World with MIT?
The MIT Alumni Travel Program is back! Check out trip offerings for next year, including Ancient Greece, taking place in June; travelers will explore the ancient sites of Athens, the Peloponnese, Crete, and Santorini.
Explore What the MIT Federal Credit Union Can Offer You
Through the MIT Alumni Association, you—and your immediate family members—have access to a rich array of financial services benefits provided by the MIT Federal Credit Union. These include credit cards, home and auto loans, and more.
AROUND THE INSTITUTE
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