Campus update + whale communication + sound-suppressing fabric

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] May 11, 2024 Greetings from MIT. Here’s a roundup of the latest from the community. Want a daily dose of MIT in your inbox? [Subscribe to the MIT Daily](. Whale Communication #[Three sperm whales swim towards the camera through the blue water. One is closer to the camera and their back touches the water’s surface]( Researchers in the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab used machine learning to decode a phonetic “alphabet” used by sperm whales. They found the structure of the whales’ click patterns varies significantly depending on the conversational context, suggesting an intricate communication system. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Update on campus activity President Sally Kornbluth writes to the community regarding actions taken this morning in response to the encampment on Kresge lawn. [Letter via the Office of the President →]( [News thumbnail]( This sound-suppressing silk can create quiet spaces Researchers engineered a hair-thin fabric to create a lightweight, compact, and efficient mechanism to reduce noise transmission in a large room. [Full story via MIT News →]( [News thumbnail]( President Kornbluth and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discuss the future of AI The conversation in Kresge Auditorium touched on the promise and perils of the rapidly evolving technology. [Full story via MIT News →]( [News thumbnail]( Study: Heavy snowfall and rain may contribute to some earthquakes The results suggest that climate may influence seismic activity. [Full story via MIT News →]( [News thumbnail]( One of MIT’s best-kept secrets lives in the Institute’s basement With roots dating to 1946, radio station WMBR airs daily on 88.1 FM. [Full story via MIT News →]( [News thumbnail]( MIT alumna holds Guinness World Record for speed jigsaw puzzling A retired software engineer, Tammy McLeod ’99, MEng ’99 holds the Guinness record for completing a 250-piece Hasbro puzzle in 9 minutes and 58.32 seconds. [Full story via Slice of MIT→]( [News thumbnail]( #ThisisMIT #[A bird’s nest and robin eggs are inside a branch-like aluminum sculpture. Text via @‌mitdesignacad: Spring is here! What better sight than these beautiful robin eggs that appeared in "Corollaria Branch" a sculpture created by Nervous System (@‌nervous.system) at @‌MIT in collaboration with 15 MIT students — some from DesignPlus, MAD's First-Year Learning Community, (don't worry, the eggs are being well cared for: see second image!). Nervous System's co-founders, MIT alumna Jessica Rosenkrantz '05 (@‌nervous_jessica) and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg (@‌nervous_jesse) offered the "Building Complex Curvature from Flat Sheets" workshop at MIT over Independent Activities Period (IAP) last January, and birds have been busy nesting ever since to make this their new home.]( [Follow @mitdesignacad on Instagram→]( In the Media Are flight offsets worth it? // The New York Times Professor John Sterman discusses the effectiveness of flight offsets. He explains that few offset project results are verifiable, immediate, and durable, part of his criteria for legitimacy. [Full story via The New York Times→]( Opinion: History already tells us the future of AI // Project Syndicate Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu and Professor Simon Johnson draw upon the work of economist David Ricardo and his insights on the Industrial Revolution to explore how to respond to the challenge posed by AI to good jobs. [Full story via Project Syndicate→]( “Drawing” some surprising architectural conclusions // The Boston Globe “Drawing After Modernism,” a new exhibit at the MIT Museum, showcases various architectural sketches in different mediums. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( Swallowable sensor unfurls in stomach to monitor gut health // New Scientist Associate Professor Giovanni Traverso and colleagues have developed an ingestible sensor that could be used to help diagnose and monitor gastrointestinal conditions. [Full story via New Scientist→]( Watch This #[Grid of seven photos of MIT alumni seen around campus. The words “The one thing I kept from my time at MIT…” also appear on a red background.]( MIT alumni leave the Institute armed with knowledge and a whole lot of memories. During last year’s Tech Reunions, the MIT Alumni Association asked returning alumni what else they had held onto since leaving campus. See their responses — which include everything from Brass Rats to an oarlock to Groucho glasses — in this new video. [Watch the video→]( XWORD #[A 15-by-15 blank crossword puzzle numbered up to 67]( Enjoy this crossword puzzle, entitled “Not that MIT,” by Peter Gordon ’88, from the current issue of MIT Technology Review. [Try the puzzle]( | [Answers→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [a glimpse into MechE at MIT](. 🔩 Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week. —MIT News [Forward This Email]( [Subscribe]( [MIT Logo] This email was sent to {EMAIL} because of your affiliation with MIT, or because you signed up for our newsletters. [subscribe]( [update preferences]( [unsubscribe]( [view in browser]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( MIT News Office · 77 Massachusetts Avenue · Cambridge, MA 02139 · USA