Masonry marvel + White House honors + shape-shifting fiber + nursing crisis

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] October 28, 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](. Marvel of Masonry #[A side view of the red brick sculpture. It has an arched entryway, and then curves upward to an off-center dome ceiling. It has small circular windows scattered throughout.]( A team of experts including MIT faculty, alumni, and students helped construct Martin Puryear’s new sculpture “[Lookout]( which has turned heads with its novel brick design. “It’s almost like a piece that we have spent our whole careers training for,” says Lara Davis MArch ’10. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines Four from MIT awarded National Medals of Technology, Science James Fujimoto, Eric Swanson, and David Huang are recognized for their technique to rapidly detect diseases of the eye; Subra Suresh is honored for his commitment to research and collaboration across borders. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Shape-shifting fiber can produce morphing fabrics The low-cost FibeRobo, which is compatible with existing textile manufacturing techniques, could be used in adaptive performance wear or compression garments. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Wobbly gel mat trains muscle cells to work together The vibrating platform could be useful for growing artificial muscles to power soft robots and testing therapies for neuromuscular diseases. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Bringing the environment to the forefront of engineering Desirée Plata is on a lifelong mission to make sustainability a bigger factor in design decisions. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( The real issues driving the nursing crisis An analysis of employer reviews reveals why nurses are leaving the field and suggests how health care leaders can improve job satisfaction to fight a looming nursing shortage. [Full story via MIT Sloan Management Review→]( [MIT Heat Island]( Mobilizing creative learning with OctoStudio A new coding app from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab enables young people around the world to use mobile devices to express themselves creatively. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[About 30 people pose for portrait in front of fall tree with brown-orange leaves on ground, and two people crouch in branches above. Text via @‌ultsmite: SMITE RETREAT lots of apples, rookie discs, and smite lore?]( [Follow @ultismite on Instagram→]( In the Media African-born students shine as agents of change in documentary “Brief Tender Light” // WBUR Arthur Musah ’04, MEng ’05 and graduate student Philip Abel Adama speak about Musah’s documentary, “Brief Tender Light,” which follows the lives of five African-born MIT students who “were driven to study in the U.S. and create change at home.” [Full story via WBUR→]( How to make your home more wildfire safe // NPR Professor John Fernández, director of the Environmental Solutions Initiative, explores steps homeowners and renters can take to reduce the risk of wildfires impacting their homes. [Full story via NPR→]( AI developers are failing on transparency, new index shows // Axios Researchers from MIT and elsewhere developed a transparency index used to assess 10 key AI foundation models. [Full story via Axios→]( Opinion: How the science of infection can make cities stronger // Bloomberg Professor of the practice Carlo Ratti and Michael Baick, a staff writer at CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, highlight the importance of communication within cities. [Full story via Bloomberg→]( Meet Your MIT Neighbor #[Pavana Rotti portrait with autumn trees and leaves in blurry background]( Name: Pavana Rotti Affiliation: Postdoc at the Whitehead Institute What do you investigate? I’m working on understanding the neurobiology of opioid addiction or opioid use disorder. There have been a lot of studies indicating that changes in the genome are associated with opioid use disorder, but nobody really knows the impact of those changes. Where did you grow up? I grew up in a city called Bangalore in the south of India. I grew up there as it was changing so I have seen both versions of Bangalore: the quieter place that it was and the tech hub that it is now. I do miss it, and I miss the food. I personally don’t think you can find a dosa as tasty as you can find in Bangalore anywhere else in the world. What are your hobbies? I recently gave birth to my daughter, so I don’t really have any hobbies right now, but before that, my biggest hobby was probably dance. I was trained in Indian classical dance for about 20 years of my life. I also like to read books and go for hikes whenever possible. Do you enjoy mentoring? Mentorship has been very important for me, and mentoring others is also something I enjoy doing. … One thing that I’ve really appreciated at Whitehead Institute is that you can reach out to any postdoc or any grad student you want from any lab. It’s an open and collaborative environment. [Full interview via Whitehead Institute]( Listen #[The text "TILclimate" is printed with a half-globe graphic below it.]( In this episode of the [TILclimate podcast]( Laur Hesse Fisher of the [MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative]( speaks with [Ron Prinn]( the TEPCO Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, about how refrigerants, past and present, can cause significant warming of our planet. Among other things, they discuss the importance of proper disposal of fridges and air conditioners in which refrigerants are found. [Listen to the episode]( Scene at MIT [Three images of the MIT campus featuring a large collection of pumpkins and colorful mums, yellowing leaves by an entryway that says “MIT,” and yellow leaves on trees next to the Stata Center, a brick and metal building with odd angles.](#) Fall foliage is in full swing at MIT. Enjoy the colors while they last! 🍁🍂 This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [a fantastic #onlyatMIT Halloween costume](. 🏢 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