The Year In Review 2009

Page 2The Tech The Year in Review 2009: NewsFebruary 2, 2010Obama Visits MIT, Pushes Clean EnergyBy Jessica J. PourianStaff ReporterOn October 23, 2009, PresidentBarack Obama came to MIT to speakabout clean energy and the Recoveryact. He also toured several Institutelabs that are working on energy issues.Due to a limited number of tickets, very few students were actuallyable to attend the speech. About 200tickets were made available for students, faculty, and staff that deans ofeach school were allowed to distributewithin their departments.During his speech in Kresge Auditorium, President Obama commendedMIT for its “extraordinary energy research” and urged Americans to takeleadership in cleaner technologies.After President Susan J. Hockfield’s introduction, Obama beganhis speech with a light-hearted joke.“It’s always been a dream of mine tovisit the most prestigious school inCambridge, Massachusetts,” he said,making fun of his alma mater. After apause, he added “hold on a second —certainly the most prestigious schoolin this part of Cambridge, Massachusetts.In his speech, Obama encourageda “peaceful competition” between theUnited States and other countries todevelop clean technologies first.“The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leadsthe global economy. I am convincedof that. And I want America to be thatnation,” he said.The president also threw his support behind the Recovery Act, a stimulus bill intended to push Americatowards green jobs and research. Theact gave the “largest single boost inscientific research in history.”The bill also gave 80 billion forcreating jobs in alternative energy andenergy efficiency.In addition, Obama advocated theSenate climate change bill, which hesaid would “transform our energysystem into one that’s far more efficient, far cleaner.” The bill wouldintroduce a cap-and-trade system forgreenhouse gas emissions.Obama’s speech lasted only about20 minutes. Afterwards, he left to at-tend a fundraiser for MassachusettsGovernor Deval Patrick. Patrick andSenator John Kerry (D-Mass) wereboth in attendance.Before his speech, Hockfield andMIT Energy Initiative director ErnestJ. Moniz toured Obama through several laboratories currently working onenergy issues.Obama saw presentations on highpowered, virus-assembled batteriesand solar cells from Professors Angela M. Belcher and Paula T. Hammond’84; quantum dot LED lights fromProfessor Vladimir Bulovic; offshorewind turbines from Professor Alexander H. Slocum ’82; and solar cellconcentrators from Professor Marc A.Baldo.The professors were given veryshort notice about Obama’s visit andhad to limit their demonstration toan experiment that was “Easy to describe, had no chemicals, and no water” said Belcher.The professors said that Obamaunderstood the science relativelyquickly and made a very good impression.David Da He—The TechPresident Barack Obama’s limousine transported him from Building 13 to Kresge Auditorium via Memorial Drive for his address at Kresge Auditorium on Oct. 23.It was “interesting how quickly[Obama] understood the technology,”said Hammond, adding that the president asked several great questionssuch as “How can biology solve theseproblems?”“He’s just a warm, friendly humanbeing,” Slocum said. “I’ve met plentyof plastic politicians. Obama is justreal.”Each of the groups had only aboutfive minutes to present their research.After everybody had presented,Belcher gave Obama a card with theperiodic table of elements. “In caseyou’re ever in a bind and need to calculate a molecular weight, here’s a periodic table for your wallet,” she said.The other side of the card had a chartof amino acids.Obama later referenced the cardin his talk. “This tells you somethingabout MIT — everybody hands outperiodic tables what’s up withthat?”Obama seems to have enjoyedhis visit at MIT, “You just get excited being here and seeing theseextraordinary young people and theextraordinary leadership of ProfessorHockfield because it taps into something essential about America — it’sthe legacy of daring men and womenwho put their talents and their effortsinto the pursuit of discovery.”By coincidence, a protest heldfor the International Day of ClimateAction fell on the same day. Protestors gathered on Killian court to formthemselves into a “ 350” shape torepresent the amount of carbon dioxide per million required to stabilizethe Earth’s climate. MIT’s protest wasjust one of about 4,500 similar protests around the world.Several people showed up around77 Massachusetts Ave. and in frontof the Student Center to protest human rights violations, the war inAfghanistan, healthcare reform, andabortion.Melissa Renée Schumacher—The TechThe Alpha Tau Omega fraternitywas expelled from the Interfraternity Council on Sept. 10. ATO’shouse is shown here amidst Amherst Alley construction.After aNumber ofViolations,ATO IsExpelledBy Pearle LipinskiAssociate News EditorMIT’s chapter of Alpha Tau Omega had a trying year in 2009. Afterlosing its housing license in summer 2008, the fraternity was granteda housing license for six occupantsin June by the Cambridge Licensing Commission (CLC), only to beexpelled from the InterfraternityCouncil (IFC) — and from MIT — inSeptember. An incident in May 2009involving “underage consumption”and a “failure to provide emergencyATO, Page 3Hack Taken Seriously: Bomb Squad DSL Evaluating OptionsCalled on Burton Third PromotionDining, from Page 1By Margaret CunniffStaff ReporterIn 2008, Burton Third hung asilhouette of a bomber plane, bearing the letters “DTYD”, in Lobby 7as a way of advertising their annualparty. In 2009, they took it a stepfurther. Early on April 24, a giantconcrete structure, shaped to looklike a bomb, appeared on the lawnof Kresge. What was meant as asimple advertisement for an annualevent spun out of control, leadingto investigation by the CambridgeBomb squad.A student notified MIT policeof the presence of the object onKresge at approximately 3 a.m. After investigating the structure, thepolice called the Cambridge FireDepartment at approximately 5 a.m.The Cambridge Fire Department inturn called in the Cambridge Bombsquad to ensure the block was notGreg Steinbrecher—The TechA Cambridge Bomb Squad officer attempts to disable a device placedon Kresge Field on the morning of April 24. The device was, in fact, acherry-bomb-shaped concrete block advertising for the weekend’s annual “Dance ‘Til You Drop” party hosted by the Burton 3rd Bombers.dangerous.The bomb squad fully investigated the supposed bomb, including examinations by members of the bombsquad dressed in full blast resistantgear and the use of a robot to inspectthe bomb. A small charge was detonated near the block in an attempt todefuse it.Once the bomb squad determinedthe block was safe, the block waschained to a fire truck and pulled outof the ground. The “bomb” was onlya concrete hemisphere, held into theground by metal spikes, with a concrete fuse glued on top and the letters “DTYD” painted on the side. Itwas modeled after the cherry bombthat serves as the floor’s insignia.Eric D. Schmiedl ’09 (also a Techphotographer), who photographedthe structure, said that he told anMIT police officer the bomb wasfake early on April 24. Police do notrecall being told the bomb was fake,only that there was something to investigate on Kresge.The students of Burton Third issued a written apology for the statement, writing “We, the students ofBurton Third, wish to issue a sincereand full apology for the events ofthe morning of April 24, 2009, forwhich we accept full responsibility We did not intend to convey anythreat or danger to the community.”Following the bomb squad’s investigation, there was discussion ofBurton-Conner potentially payingas much as 20,000 in fines to Cambridge as a result of the bomb squad’sinvestigation. The Tech reported inApril that Barbara A. Baker, SeniorAssociate Dean of Students, told theresidents of Burton-Conner that thedorm would be billed for the cost ofthe investigation. However, Bakertold this reporter that “We are notaware that a bill was issued.”Despite the investigation, theparty ran as planned the night ofApril 24.The DPC managed to release a final proposal in early May along withthe BRC. The groups agreed that MITneeds to abandon the current diningplan ( 300 a semester for a 50 percent discount on meals in dormitorydining halls, required for studentsliving in dorms with a dining hall),replacing it with a declining balanceprogram. They also concurred on thenecessity of increasing breakfast options and allowing students of nondining hall dorms to opt into the declining balance program.However, the proposals differedon the costs of the declining balanceprogram. The DPC advised a minimum deposit of 300, whereas theBRC proposed 600. Furthermore,the BRC proposed allowing residentsof dorms with dining halls to opt outof the plan by paying 500.The committees also expressedcontrary stances on alterations todining infrastructure. The DPC advised immediately shutting down theMcCormick dining hall and eventually phasing out operations at Bakerand Simmons dining. A large, centraldining hall, constructed in either theStudent Center or the Kresge parkinglot, would supplant them.The BRC did not recommend theclosure of any dorm dining facilities.It did recommend the construction ofa central dining hall, but not one ofthe magnitude proposed by the DPC.DPC committee members said itwas difficult to prepare their proposalbecause MIT and third-party vendorsdid not disclose all of the necessaryfinancial data. In particular, this affected their ability to evaluate whether MIT might benefit from runningits own dining operations rather thanrelying on outside vendors.Task Force resultsFurther discussion of these proposals was put on held pending thepublication of the final report of theInstitute-wide Planning Task Force.Released in mid-December, the re-port focused on two changes to dining at MIT.The first involved increasing thecurrent 300/50 percent dinner planto a 600 declining balance program,reducing a 500,000 annual shortfallin the dining system. This fall, thatrecommendation held a 12 percentapproval rating on the UA website.The Task Force also advised adjusting financial aid to reflect the realamount students spent on food. Forstudents on the meal plan, the boardestimate would remain at 4460. Thissum would be reduced to 3000 forthose who opted out of the meal plan,leading to significant savings in financial aid allocation.Tangible changesThough none of the proposalshave yet been acted upon, severalcampus dining locations underwentmajor transformations.MacGregor terminated its experimental dining program due tolow participation and a rising deficit.Initiated in 2006 to promote easy access to food and an increased senseof community, the program sufferedfrom lack of a large on-site kitchen.This contributed to declining foodquality, which ultimately discouragedresident participation.Ashdown discontinued its novelmeal plan, 600 a semester for AYCEdinner five nights a week, in favor ofthe prevailing 300/50 percent plan.The final Task Force report didnot mention any further changes toexisting dining facilities.Relying on the committees’ proposals and the final report of the Institute-wide Planning Task Force, Colombo told The Tech that he plans tominimize financial loss while maintaining student choice. To ensure thelatter, he intends to consider the needsof the different dining communities atMIT (cook for yourself, house diningand self-sustaining communities likeFSILGs). There is no deadline fordining decisions, but Colombo hopesto have a plan completed by the endof the academic year.

February 2, 2010The Year in Review 2009: NewsThe Tech Page 3‘One and Done’ Invoked MIT Is Featured in National NewsATO, from Page 2medical assistance” was the incidentresponsible for the expulsion, according to minutes of a September 2 IFCmeeting.The brothers of ATO had beenthrough much after losing their housein 2008 after a pipe burst and floodedit, including living in MacGregorsuite lounges for the fall 2008 term,multiple hearings and appeals withthe Cambridge Licensing Commission, and the loss of accreditationfrom the Association of IndependentLiving Groups (AILG), before ultimately being expelled.ATO moved out of MacGregorat the start of last year’s spring term— nearly a semester after they wereoriginally set to move back into theirDorm Row house. Repairs to the ATOhouse were incomplete at the time oftheir move, so brothers were assignedto rooms in various other dorms andfraternities around campus. The fraternity planned to move into theirhouse in late March or early April2009, assuming an appeal to the CLCcompleted successfully.But that appeal was postponeduntil May when housing repairs werestill incomplete in March. During thetime between the start of spring termand ATO’s CLC hearing, the fraternity failed to regain AILG accreditationfor the spring term, which was actingas an informal requirement for attaining the housing license. ATO had lostaccreditation for the fall term.At the CLC hearing, despite highhopes, the CLC voted to further postpone the hearing to renew the housinglicense until June. The CLC cited inthe May decision that they wanted tosee a more concrete plan from the fra-ternity for house management.ATO was finally granted its longsought-after license in a unanimousdecision at the June hearing. The decision came with several restrictions forATO: namely, that they follow theirown rules, including an alcohol banuntil February 2010 and monthly inspections by ATO’s Alumni Board andby MIT. Furthermore, only six members were allowed to live in the house.ATO’s luck turned on August 27,2009, when, around one week beforefall 2009 Rush, the fraternity was expelled from the IFC. The expulsionstemmed from a sanction placed onthe fraternity in fall 2008 after ATOhad violated Rush alcohol regulations. The sanction, in an agreementbetween ATO and the IFC, was a“one and done” policy on ATO, wherecertain violations would result in therevocation of membership. An incident in May 2009 violated the “oneand done” policy and resulted in theexpulsion.With its expulsion from MIT,MIT’s chapter of ATO was also derecognized by the national fraternity.According to the national fraternity,brothers of the MIT chapter are stillrecognized as alumni, but the chapteritself is no longer recognized as active. The national chapter purchasedtwo advertisements in The Tech following ATO’s derecognition to emphasize ATO’s stripped status.ATO is ineligible to re-apply to become an MIT fraternity until August27, 2019. Following ATO’s expulsion,the IFC approved Sigma Alpha Epsilon — expelled from MIT twice in thepast — as an associate member. Theprocess of becoming a full memberof the IFC is estimated to take aroundthree years.National News, from Page 1projects.Dalai Lama speaks at MITThe Dalai Lama came to speakat MIT on April 30 to inaugurate theDalai Lama Center for Transformative Values at MIT. He spoke to apacked Kresge auditorium about therole of ethics in secular education.The center, a venture of the Officeof Religious Life, aims to focus onmodern ethical issues.MIT professors advise thePresidentObama has called upon severalMIT professors to work in or withhis administration. Four professorshave taken temporary leave fromthe Institute to work full-time inWashington D.C.: Xavier de SouzaBriggs, an associate professor inArchitecture and Planning, now associate director of the White HouseOffice of Management and Budget; Michael Greenstone, Economics professor, now chief economistof Council of Economic Advisers;Chappell Lawson, an associate professor of Political Science, now director of policy and planning for theDepartment of Homeland Security;and Deborah J. Lucas, a professor ofFinance at Sloan, who holds a leadership position in the CongressionalBudget Office.Some other professors were askedto advise the President on currentscientific issues: Biology professorEric Lander chairs the Council ofAdvisors on Science and Technology, Physics professor Ernest J.Moniz is the Under Secretary of theDepartment of Energy, and formerEarth, Atmospheric, and PlanetarySciences professor Mario J. Molinawas appointed a member of a transition team on environmental issues.lowing two months, MIT receivedmore shipments of the vaccines, andadministered almost 2,000 doses tostudents and faculty at open clinics.Six seniors win scholarships tostudy in EnglandUgwechi W. Amadi ’10, CarolineJ. Huang ’10, and Steven Mo ’10were amongst the thirty-three American and eighty international recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship andwill pursue a full-time postgraduatestudy at the University of Oxford forup to three years. These three students set a record for the number ofMIT students from the United Statesawarded the prestigious Oxford fellowship in any one year. Joiningthem in England are Tanya Goldhaber ’10 and Vinayak Muralidhar’10, who have won Marshall Scholarships, allowing them to study forup to two years at a British university. In addition, Maria Monks ’10became the 11th MIT student to winthe Churchill Scholarship and willpursue a one-year master’s degreein Churchill College at CambridgeUniversity in England.MIT team wins DARPA RedBalloon Network ChallengeThe Defense Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (DARPA) declaredMIT Red Balloon Challenge Teamthe winner of the 2009 DARPANetwork Challenge with cash prizeof 40,000. The team, consisting ofRiley Crane, Manuel Cebrian, Galen E. Pickard G, Wei Pan G, andAnmol P. Madan G, were the firstto correctly find the 10 red balloonsscattered across the country on December 5 by using a social websiteto register the hidden locations. Thewinners were members of the MediaLab Human Dynamics Group.Battle against H1N1In mid-September, the H1N1virus, also known as “Swine Flu,”swept through the campus. MIT urgent care received about 60 to 80 patients daily, a third to a half of whomsuffered from respiratory infectionsor influenza-like illnesses. 95 percent of those had the H1N1 strain.Since MIT Medical suffered from ashortage of vaccines in September,the vaccine was prioritized for thosewho at high risk for infections, especially pregnant women and peoplewith asthma and diabetes. In the fol-MIT endowment dropsThe MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo) hasannounced that the Institute’s endowment lost of 17.1 percent ( 1.7billion) of its investment as of June30, 2009. In total, the endowmentvalue dropped 20.7 percent from 10.1 billion to 8.0 billion the 2009fiscal yearEx-Dean of Admissions resurfacesas college admissions consultantOn April 26, 2007, Marilee Jones,the previous Dean of Admissionsat MIT, resigned from her positionwhen it was discovered that sge hadlied about her academic credentials.Two and a half years later, Jones isa consultant for the Berklee Collegeof Music and work as a private admissions consultant for college applicants.Institute-Wide Planning Task Force Recommends Budget CutsBudget Cuts, from Page 1Student Life.The Task Force devised approximately 200 recommendations and released its preliminary report on August20, sparking discussion throughoutcampus. There were more than 1,000submissions to MIT’s Idea Bank, a collection of suggestions from the community, both online and in containerson campus resembling interdepartmental mail bins. The Undergraduate Association also set up a feedback systemon their site for some of the Task Forcerecommendations. Students could ratethese ideas by giving a “thumbs up” or“thumbs down” vote.The Task Force Final Report wasreleased on December 16, during finals week, after a seven-week delay.The trio of Provost L. Rafael Reif,Chancellor Philip L. Clay PhD ’75,and Executive Vice President andTreasurer Theresa M. Stone SM ’76will announce a plan for implementation of the report’s recommendations,which they explained in a letter to theMIT community will occur “by February” of 2010.AthleticsOn April 23, the Department ofAthletics, Physical Education, andRecr

D’Amelio was a drug customer and even-suffolk couNty district attorNey MIT Campus Police officer Joseph D’Amelio was arrested on March 14 on drug traffick-ing charges after receiving a package con-taining hundreds of prescription painkiller tablets at an auto shop in East Boston. D’Amelio was formally fired in early April.