Earth Day + happiness + presidential podcast + Collier’s cranes

MIT Weekly April 22, 2023 Greetings, and happy Earth Day! 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](. Vulnerable Neurons #[A blue-stained image of a brain where you can see both hemispheres. The bottom center of the brain is stained seafoam green to highlight the mammillary body inside the hypothalamus.]( MIT scientists have identified neurons in the brain that may contribute to some of the earliest symptoms of [Alzheimer’s disease](. The cells occur within a region of the hypothalamus that could be a good target for potential new drugs to treat the disease. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Can happiness be taught? Nurturing happiness takes work, but doing it right can lead to greater productivity and stronger relationships, according to MIT Sloan business experts. [Full story via MIT Sloan→]( [MIT Heat Island]( Illuminating the money trail MIT political scientist In Song Kim shines a bright light on the dark art of political lobbying. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Recycling plastics from research labs With sustainability in mind, MIT’s EHS Lab Plastics Recycling Program gathers clean plastics from 212 MIT labs, recycling some 280 pounds per week. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Understanding our place in the universe Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar Brian Nord trains machines to explore the cosmos and fights for equity in research. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Volunteer committee helps the MIT community live and work sustainably The Working Green Committee is made up of MIT staff committed to encouraging reuse and recycling of goods, and reducing waste. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[A student wearing protective googles holds a piece of wood against disk sander. Text via @‌mittoydesign Wood you be able to build almost anything? With the woodworking technical workshops students were able to learn the basics of how to use to saws and other tools and be able to apply it to their own sketch models!]( [Follow @mittoydesign on Instagram→]( In the Media Promising new AI can detect early signs of lung cancer that doctors can’t see // NBC News Researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a new AI tool, called Sybil, that can “accurately predict whether a person will develop lung cancer in the next year 86% to 94% of the time.” [Full story via NBC News→]( Opinion: The retirement problem no one is planning for: the great health transfer // MarketWatch Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, discusses the importance of ensuring that retirees have access to quality health care. [Full story via MarketWatch→]( Calls for greater supply chain transparency get louder: Can technology help? // Forbes In Professor Yossi Sheffi’s new book, “The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, AI, and the Future of Work,” he makes the case that “we need to better understand the supply chains on which our businesses and society depend, and our conception of supply chains needs to be broadened — from product and parts delivery networks to the very essence of organizations themselves.” [Full story via Forbes→]( This African bird’s superpower may inspire a better water bottle // Forbes A study co-authored by Professor Lorna Gibson uncovers how male sandgrouse are able to soak up large amounts of water in their feathers and carry it over long distances to their chicks. [Full story via Forbes→]( Protecting Our Planet #[Animated clipart of Earth has a glowing blue outline atop purple and pink glowing neon grid. The header text says “Happy Earth Day!” in blue while five daisy-like flowers of pink and white surround the Earth.]( Founded in the U.S. in 1970, Earth Day is now celebrated annually on April 22 around the world. At MIT, [climate change]( is recognized as the defining challenge of our era, so it’s not surprising that alumni from every generation have put mind and hand to work to improve the health of the planet. In honor of the 54th Earth Day, here’s a look at some of the environmental stories shared on Slice of MIT in the past year: alumni working on clean energy, green housing, pollution reduction, and more. [Full story via Slice of MIT→]( Listen #[Desirée Plata, left, and Sally Kornbluth, right, pose for portrait in front of wall with a black and white geometric tessellation.]( [Curiosity Unbounded]( is a new podcast featuring conversations between [MIT President Sally Kornbluth]( and newly tenured MIT faculty members. President Kornbluth invites us to listen in as she dives into research in MIT’s labs and in the field. Along the way, she and her guests discuss pressing issues as well as what inspires the people running at the world’s toughest challenges at one of the most innovative institutions on the planet. In the first episode, President Kornbluth sits down with [Desirée Plata]( an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering whose work focuses on making industrial processes more environmentally friendly and on removing methane — a key factor in global warming — from the air. [Listen to the episode]( Look Back #[Installation of hundreds of white paper origami cranes suspended from a large ceiling window]( Hundreds of origami paper cranes were made over several months by members of the MIT community in memory of MIT Police Officer [Sean Collier]( and then displayed at MIT’s Stata Center on April 18, 2014. Tuesday marked 10 years since Collier was killed in the line of duty serving the Institute. [Learn more→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [vintage MIT bookplates](. 📘 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