2023 at MIT + cancer screenings + remembering Robert Solow

[view in browser]( MIT Weekly [MIT Logo] January 6, 2024 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](. 2023 in Review #[Stylized text says “MIT 2023 Community News.” The Great Dome at MIT is in background with circular photos depicting top community stories, including Sally Kornbluth in Barbie-themed booth, Moungi Bawendi at podium, Mark Rober at Commencement with flying mortarboard, and Djuena Tikuna singing on lit stage.]( As we begin a new year, let us take a moment to appreciate the many accomplishments and happenings across MIT during the past 12 months. Here are the Institute’s [top research stories]( [community stories]( and [media mentions]( from 2023. Top Headlines Study: Colon cancer screenings are more effective than previously understood By reevaluating existing data, researchers find the procedure is even more valuable than consensus had indicated. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Institute Professor Emeritus Robert Solow, pathbreaking economist, dies at age 99 The Nobel-winning scholar changed his field, taught generations of students, and helped make MIT a global leader in economics research. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Minicourse open to the MIT community gives context to the Middle East crisis Attended by more than 500 students, faculty, staff, and alumni, with more sessions planned, the course offers a jumping off point for constructive discussions. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Engineers develop a vibrating, ingestible capsule that might help treat obesity Swallowing the device before a meal could create a sense of fullness, tricking the brain into thinking it’s time to stop eating. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Inventors for 2023 MIT Koch Institute researchers Daniel Anderson and Ana Jaklenec, plus 11 MIT alumni, are honored for inventions that have made a tangible impact on society. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( The science and art of complex systems Senior and physics major Gosha Geogdzhayev devotes himself to climate modeling and writing poetry. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT #[Eight members of the Sloan Student Life Office pose for portrait in front of stairway and lit backdrop during daytime. Text via @‌sloanstudentlife: Happy New Year from the Student Life Office! Here are some 2023 highlights from the SLO! Cheers to 2024 and another amazing year with some spectacular Sloanies]( [Follow @sloanstudentlife on Instagram→]( In the Media Carlo Ratti appointed curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale // Arch Daily Professor of the practice Carlo Ratti has been named curator of the 2025 International Architecture Exhibition, the Biennale Architettura. [Full story via Arch Daily→]( Is it OK if AI surpasses us? // The Boston Globe Professor Manolis Kellis discusses how artificial intelligence could potentially impact biological advances and medicine. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( Scientists convert CO2 into clean fuel // ClimateWire MIT engineers developed a process to convert carbon dioxide into a powder that can be safely stored for decades. [Full story via ClimateWire→]( AI discovers new class of antibiotics to kill drug-resistant bacteria // New Scientist MIT researchers used artificial intelligence to uncover “a new class of antibiotics that can treat infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.” [Full story via New Scientist→]( IAP 2024 #[Black-and-white illustration of a laptop computer on a springboard. An eye is on the screen and a rocket is seen leaping off of the keyboard.]( MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) begins on Monday and runs through Feb. 2. For [over half a century]( IAP has been a period of exploration, connection, and creativity for the entire MIT community — a time for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to teach and learn from one another about anything from holography to bike building to tai chi to computer-aided design, and so much more. Community members can learn about for-credit subjects via the [Registrar’s Office]( and explore the extensive list of non-credit IAP activities on the [MIT Events Calendar](. [Learn more→]( Listen #[“Lock the Quill!” is at center of circle logo in black cursive font atop light gray background. A red border surrounds the gray circle, with “Massachusetts Institute of Technology” on top half of border, and “Department of Mechanical Engineering” and “Pappalardo Lab” at bottom half]( In a new episode of the “[Lock The Quill]( podcast from MIT’s Pappalardo Lab, host Daniel Braunstein chats with Professor Emeritus Gilbert Strang, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Mathematics. [Recently retired]( Strang recounts his undergraduate years at MIT and the path that led him back to the Institute, where he taught for six decades. He also discusses his beef with calculus, how he became a leader in sharing linear algebra with a wide audience through MIT’s OpenCourseWare (OCW), and why math is beautiful. [Listen to the episode]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [an MIT alumna sciencing in space](. 👩🏽 🚀 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