AI's "black box" + secrets of Roman concrete + MIT design hub

MIT Weekly January 14, 2023 Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.  Want a daily dose of MIT in your inbox? [Subscribe to the MIT Daily](. Unpacking AI’s “Black Box” #[Stefanie Jegelka stands outside of the steel facade of the Stata center, with her dramatic shadow cast on the building.]( Associate Professor [Stefanie Jegelka]( seeks to unpack the “black box” of artificial intelligence — to better understand how machine-learning models behave, and help researchers build more robust models for applications in biology, computer vision, optimization, and more. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Riddle solved: Why was Roman concrete so durable? An unexpected ancient manufacturing strategy may hold the key to designing concrete that lasts for millennia. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Design central The MIT Morningside Academy for Design will create a hub for design education, research, and entrepreneurship on campus. [Full story via MIT Technology Review→]( [MIT Heat Island]( New quantum computing architecture could be used to connect large-scale devices Researchers demonstrated directional photon emission, the first step toward extensible quantum interconnects. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Engineering in harmony AeroAstro major and accomplished tuba player Frederick Ajisafe relishes the community he has found in the MIT Wind Ensemble. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Looking to the past to prepare for an uncertain future Using sand and rock, MIT senior Aviva Intveld tells stories of ancient climates. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[Two MIT students are speaking to L. Rafael Reif inside the MIT athletic center. Text: So just for TikTok, what is something most people don't know about you?]( [Follow @mit on TikTok→]( In the Media New, three-part, public television series explores “Our Quest For Meaning In The Age Of Science” // Forbes Professor of the practice Alan Lightman hosts a new series exploring timeless and deep questions about humans and the universe with ethicists, philosophers, faith leaders and Nobel Prize-winning scientists. [Full story via Forbes→]( Was this written by a robot? These tools help detect AI-generated text // Fast Company Researchers from the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and the Harvard Natural Language Processing Group developed the Giant Language model Test Room, an algorithm that attempts to detect if text was written by a bot. [Full story via Fast Company→]( Engineer saw how diapers were made, thought she could do better — now she has a $250,000 “Shark Tank” deal // CNBC On a recent episode of “Shark Tank,” Amrita Saigal ’10 scored a $250,000 investment in her company, Kudos, which is focused on making disposable diapers from sustainable and natural materials. [Full story via CNBC→]( Hollywood’s love affair with fictional language // The Atlantic Associate Professor Evelina Fedorenko discusses her research exploring how the brain behaves when an individual speaks different languages. [Full story via The Atlantic→]( Watch This #[A dog bites down on a blue ball in a swimming pool while two dogs are by the edge of the pool and one stands on a diving board. ]( When maintenance requires MIT to drain the teaching pool at the Zesiger Center, community members are invited to sign up and bring their canine companions as they reserve its last few hours just for the dogs. “I like the fact that we’re doing something different, other than the standard swimming lengths of the pool and running swim meets,” says Benjamin McElhiney, director of aquatics at [MIT Recreation.]( “I’m a little jealous I don’t get to go in, but I think it’s a really, really neat opportunity for the dogs,” adds Neda Mustafa, a dog mom and nearby resident. 🐕 [Watch the video→]( 🧠+ ✋🏽 + ❤️ Independent Activities Period 2023 began this week — and all MIT community members are invited to take part! From wellness, arts, and maker workshops to boot camps on climate change, intellectual property, and robotics, IAP has something for everyone. Browse the special IAP section on MIT’s events calendar for an opportunity to expand your mind, use your hands, and fill your heart. [IAP listings via MIT Events→]( Listen #[Abstract image with the words 200 Pieces superimposed]( A music composition by [Tod Machover]( the Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music and Media at MIT, head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, and a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, was recently released online as part of the academy’s “[200 Pieces]( project to celebrate the organization’s 200th anniversary. Machover’s piece, “[Resolve Remote]( is for violin and electronics, and is performed by Charlie Lovell-Jones. [Listen to the recording]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [time to clean off your desk](. 🧽 Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! —MIT News Office [Forward This Email]( [Subscribe]( [MIT Logo] Massachusetts Institute of Technology 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