Combating hate + AI for logistics + work-life balance + open-access publishing

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] December 9, 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](. AI for Logistics #[A stylized Earth has undulating, glowing teal pathways leading everywhere.]( A new machine-learning technique speeds up software programs for complex optimization problems with millions of potential solutions. The approach could assist with logistical challenges such as package routing, vaccine distribution, or power grid management. [Full story via MIT News →]( Top Headlines 3 Questions: Melissa Nobles on combating antisemitism and Islamophobia MIT’s chancellor takes stock of early efforts and details the Institute’s new “Standing Together Against Hate” initiative. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Chemists create organic molecules in a rainbow of colors The molecules, known as acenes, could be useful as organic light-emitting diodes or solar cells, among other possible applications. [Full story via MIT News→]( [MIT Heat Island]( The wisdom of Lotte Bailyn: Envisioning a new world of work The professor emerita reflects on what’s changed since she began her working career in the 1950s — and what hasn’t. [Full story via MIT Sloan→]( [MIT Heat Island]( Unlocking the secrets of natural materials Professor Benedetto Marelli develops silk-based technologies with uses “from lab to fork,” including helping crops grow and preserving perishable foods. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Q&A: Phillip Sharp and Amy Brand on the future of open-access publishing An MIT-based white paper identifies leading questions in the quest to make open-access publications sustainable. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Making nuclear energy facilities easier to build and transport Keen to accelerate the adoption of nuclear energy, Isabel Naranjo De Candido works to make small, modular reactors efficient throughout their lifecycle. [Full story via MIT News→]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[Five women pose with decorated wreath, which is about shoulder-length in diameter. Text via @‌mitwomensleague: Our annual wreath-making is complete! Thank you to our army of volunteers, our friends at @‌mspconnect and to the International Scholars Office for kindly sponsoring the event. Those wreaths will go up at 77 Mass Ave in the next few days!]( [Follow @mitwomensleague on Instagram→]( In the Media Dr. Nergis Mavalvala helped detect the first gravitational wave. Her work doesn’t stop there // Wired Professor Nergis Mavalvala, dean of the School of Science, discusses her research on gravitational waves, the importance of skepticism in scientific research, and why she enjoys working with young people. [Full story via Wired→]( This new cellular imaging technique could help us unlock cancer // Interesting Engineering MIT researchers developed a cell imaging technique that offers “the ability to observe up to seven different molecules simultaneously.” [Full story via Interesting Engineering→]( Massive clock projection at MIT uses local twist to track climate crisis // The Boston Globe The MIT Climate Clock is a massive clock being projected onto MIT’s Green Building that uses Celtics, Patriots, and other local sports teams as a means to count down to the projected date and time that the planet is expected to have warmed by 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( Opinion: In the AI era, try lending students art // The Messenger Graduate student Kartik Chandra highlights the MIT Art Lending Program, which allows students to select one piece from the List Visual Arts Center’s collection to keep in their dorm rooms for the duration of the academic year. [Full story via The Messenger→]( Watch This #[Video thumbnail shows Jeanette Andrews holding a piece of thread over a lit candlestick on stage. A cellist performs beside her.]( [Jeanette Andrews]( is an artist, magician, and researcher who studies magic and its intersection with design by analyzing the relationship between human behavior and intangible concepts, such as secrecy and invisibility. During a recent visit to the Institute, she gave a rousing performance and workshop at the MIT Museum. In this video from the MIT Morningside Academy of Design, Andrews discusses how magic’s unusual design process can give insight into how design-driven magic is, which may come as a surprise since “the design of magic has to inherently be hidden.” [Watch the video→]( Digit 62feet 0.5inches MIT record set by junior Alexis Boykin in the weight throw at the women’s track and field season opener last Saturday [Learn more via MIT Athletics→]( Calling Quilters #[Closeup of a colorful traditional quilt with alternating white and multicolor squares of fabric]( The Institute Community and Equity Office (ICEO) invites MIT community members to contribute a square of fabric that expresses something about MIT’s diversity and/or Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy for a quilt honoring the 50th anniversary of MLK celebrations at MIT. Fabric squares will be collected from now until Friday, Dec. 22, and the finished quilt will be displayed in Lobby 10 the week of Feb. 12, 2024. The quilt will be sold through a silent auction at the MLK Gala. The proceeds will benefit a charity or organization chosen by popular vote from those who contribute squares. [Learn more→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [becoming the friendly neighborhood elder](. 🙋🏻 ♀️ 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