Welcoming first-years + why 1.5 C matters + Barbie TARDIS + alumna lifts off

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] September 2, 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](. Welcome, Class of 2027 #[Collage of three images from top to bottom: Melissa Nobles, Sally Kornbluth, and MIT students and five other community members pose in front of a flag that says “27.” A crowd takes photos and claps, as Kornbluth smiles and claps onstage. Other members of community are on stage clapping. Kornbluth, center, sings with 8 members of The Chorallaries, all wearing red and black outfits.]( This past Monday, the MIT Class of 2027 received a warm welcome from President Sally Kornbluth and several faculty members at the 2023 MIT Convocation. “If you’re out there feeling pretty lucky to be joining this incredible community, I want you to know that we feel even more lucky,” Kornbluth said. “We’re so delighted and so grateful that you chose to bring your talent, energy, curiosity, creativity, and drive here.” [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Explained: The 1.5 C climate benchmark After a summer of weather extremes, where does the world stand in its goal to stem rising temps? [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Incoming MIT students surprise President Kornbluth with “Barbis” installation For Interphase EDGE/x participants, a life-sized Barbie-themed TARDIS prompts reflections on social norms. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( When should you ask AI to complete your tasks? There’s a lot you can ask generative artificial intelligence to do. MIT Sloan’s John Horton provides insights into when it’s best do so. [Full story via MIT Sloan→]( [MIT Heat Island]( Ms. Nuclear Energy is winning over nuclear skeptics Kaylee Cunningham recognizes that her training as a PhD student in nuclear science and engineering could be for naught if myths continue to plague the industry. The activist is committed to helping — one TikTok at a time. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Making aviation fuel from biomass MIT researchers are converting the plant material lignin into hydrocarbon molecules that could help make jet fuel 100 percent sustainable. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[Jessica Lam and Audrey Chen stand in foresty area with gimbal containing hyperspectral camera that faces viewer. Lam and Chen are holding controls. Text via @‌mit.arcturus: Today, as part of our Summer Spotlight Series, we are highlighting Jessica Lam and Audrey Chen! This summer, Jessica and Audrey interned at Capra Robotics, an outdoor mobile robot startup in Aarhus, Denmark! They built a lift and gimbal for a hyperspectral camera to take images of fruits in orchards and vineyards, with the hope that it will help farmers monitor their crops’ health and sugar content.]( [Follow @mit.arcturus on Instagram→]( In the Media Twenty-one ways to fix the MBTA // Boston Magazine Professor Jinhua Zhao explores how artificial intelligence systems could be used to help improve the MBTA. [Full story via Boston Magazine→]( The latest kirigami-inspired engineering materials are also works of art // Popular Science Using techniques inspired by kirigami, a Japanese paper-cutting technique, MIT researchers developed a “novel method to manufacture plate lattices — high-performance materials useful in automotive and aerospace designs.” [Full story via Popular Science→]( Gus Solomons Jr. dies; a rare Black presence in experimental dance // The New York Times Gus Solomons Jr. ’61, “who as a dancer, choreographer, educator and critic was a leading figure in modern and postmodern dance,” died on Aug. 11 at age 84. [Full story via The New York Times→]( MIT researcher Jessika Trancik says we need to lower the “soft” costs of climate tech // The Boston Globe Professor Jessika Trancik discusses her new study finding improvements in soft tech will help further reduce the cost of solar energy. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( Watch This #[Video still shows Jasmin Moghbeli in space suit with arms crossed inside of spacecraft. ]( In her first spaceflight, Jasmin Moghbeli ’05 is serving as mission commander for the SpaceX Crew-7, which launched an international team of four to the International Space Station last weekend. In an interview with CBS News, Moghbeli notes that when her daughters see “the diverse crews that are going up there, they realize they can be part of this, whether it’s becoming an astronaut or something else. They realize they can do it as well. We as humans can’t help but explore. I also think it’s really important in inspiring the next generation.” [Watch the video→]( Digit 6,000 Approximate number of objects held in the MIT Museum Technology Collection, which documents the Institute’s long history in technological developments and pedagogy. [Learn more via MIT Museum→]( [“] Understanding the power of the effect that media can have on people led me to want to focus on storytelling and the narrative side of social change — which is, how do you change hearts and minds? —Scott Budnick, film producer, who spoke at a recent panel on leadership and community restoration hosted by the [MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative](. [Full story via MIT Sloan→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [getting ready for flu season](. 💉 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