MIT Tech Connection
An MIT Alumni Association Publication
September 2019
Planning Trips to Distant Moons
Inspired by our solar system from a young age, Elizabeth “Zibi” (Pope) Turtle ’89 chose to study planets because “they are tangible: You can get to them to make measurements.” She’ll help NASA make many measurements as the principal investigator for its Dragonfly mission to Titan, a moon of Saturn that could provide clues to how life developed on Earth.
Science, Storytelling, and the Feelings Under the Surface
The heat wave that gripped the Alaskan wilderness this summer has Laurel Braitman PhD ’13 worried about the salmon—one of the many side effects of being a science communicator. Read more.
This Alumnus Is Keeping Your Netflix Addiction Going Strong
Ed Hunter ’79, director of performance and operating systems engineering at Netflix, aims to keep users happy—and prevent at all costs the red spinning wheel. Read more.
What STEM Requires, Dance Provides
Yamilée Toussaint Beach ’08 teaches black and Latina young women about dance and STEM fields at the same time through her nonprofit, STEM From Dance. Watch the video.
From Dropout to Double Major (with a Few Decades in Between)
Ron Searls ’70 left the Institute to start his career without having graduated, due to an unfinished thesis—but decades later a change in Course 6 requirements brought him back to MIT. Read more.
Join MIT’s Climate Change Symposium
“Progress in Climate Science,” the first of six in the climate change symposia series, will be held on Oct. 2. Watch a livestream of the event.
Catch Up on MITAA Career Webinars
From dealing with a midlife crisis to communicating complex content, the MIT Career Lunch & Learn series covers topics useful in many fields and career stages. Watch the most recent.
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Around the Institute
Astronomy in Spain’s Canary Islands
Stargaze from the mountains on the island of Tenerife and visit advanced observatories from one of the best places on Earth for night sky viewing, led by professor of planetary sciences Richard P. Binzel, May 18–26, 2020. Learn more.
About Tech Connection
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