Residential Scholar Events Spring 2009
Residential scholar events occur most Friday nights. The events are organized by the Simmons Hall Residential Scholars, Graduate Resident Tutors, Residential Life Associate, and Associate Housemaster. Most events are open to the MIT community. Some smaller events, such as cooking events, are open to Simmons Hall residents only.
The diversity of the events is impressive, and limited only by the imagination of the Residential Scholars. The events for the Spring 2009 term are listed below; you can also see events from the Fall 2008 term. You can click on the the poster for each event to see a full-sized image.
Chasing Heparin: How an MIT professor Solved the 2008 Heparin Crisis
Friday, April 10, 2009
Speaker: Prof. Ram Sasisekharan
Organizers: John Hecker, Chris Jones, Rachel Jones
Late in 2007 and into early 2008, the Centers for Disease Control started receiving disturbing reports out of the US Midwest. People, including a number of babies and children that had received the drug heparin, were dying of mysterious and horrific allergic reactions. Heparin is a seven billion dollar a year drug used in dialysis machines. It is also administered directly into patients after they have had surgery to prevent unwanted blood coagulation. Heparin is a drug that has been used safely for many years, but something happened last year to the heparin supply that was killing people.
The US FDA, CDC and industry approached MIT Professor Ram Sasisekharan to help identify the contaminant. The story begins with the invention of a tool for sequencing heparin and figuring out what the contaminant was. Much to the surprise of everyone, the contaminant appears to have been added to the drug supply intentionally.
Come hear a 30 minute talk (not overly technical) about the detective work that led to restoration of the quality of the Global heparin supply. You will also hear of the political tensions that arose between the US Congress and a foreign power over the role of lax regulatory policy in that nation in the deaths of Americans and others around the world.
Ram Sasisekharan is a professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and the Director of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
Memento
Friday, April 3, 2009
Organizers: Steven Hall, John Hecker, Reuben Goodman, Retsina Meyer
Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator whose memory has been damaged following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife's murder. His quality of life has been severely hampered after this event, and he can now only live a comprehendable life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures with a Polaroid camera. Leonard badly wants revenge for his wife's murder, but, as numerous characters explain, there may be little point if he won't remember it in order to provide closure for him. So that the viewer can share Leonard's experience of not knowing the past, the story is told backwards. Come and enjoy this critically acclaimed movie.
Directed by Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano
Digital Apollo: How MIT's Computers Landed on the Moon
March 13, 2009
Speaker: Prof. David Mindell
Organizers: Steven Hall, John Hecker, Scott Meek
The 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing is fast approaching, so our residential scholar event this week is very timely. Prof. David Mindell, housemaster of Edgerton House, and the Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, will be giving the talk "Digital Apollo: How MIT's Computers Landed on the Moon" this Friday at 6:00 pm in the Simmons multipurpose room, The presentation will describe the last ten minutes of the Apollo 11 moon landing, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon using computers and software developed at MIT. It's a story of engineers, human operators, software, "bugs" and triumphs, and has much to teach us about engineering and life critical systems today.
Mini Portuguese/Brazilian Film Festival, Part II: Central Station
March 6, 2009
Organizers: Patricia Carvalho, Justin Buck
We will be showing part two of the Portuguese-Brazilian mini film festival, Central Station. In addition to be nominated for 2 Academy Awards, Central Station won 29 awards internationally including a Golden Globe. Director Walter Salles presents an emotive journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people at Rio de Janeiro's central station, Central do Brasil; and a young boy, whose mother has just died in a car accident, to Brazil's remote Northeast, in search for the father he never knew.
Mini Portuguese/Brazilian Film Festival, Part I: Blindness
February 27, 2009
Organizers: Patricia Carvalho, Jon Gibbs
Blindness is a movie based on the novel Essay, by the Nobel Laureate José Saramago, and directed by Fernando Meirelles, Director of City of God. Saramago's novel begins with the sudden "white blindness" of a driver stopped at a red light. From then on, each person the man encounters (the not-so-good Samaritan who drives him home, the man's wife, the ophthalmologist, the patients waiting to see the ophthalmologist) becomes blind. The white blindness plague sets off panic. The government interns the blind in a mental hospital guarded by soldiers with orders to shoot anyone who tries to escape. As order at the mental hospital breaks down, the depraved overpower the decent. When the hospital is consumed in flames, the fleeing internees find that everyone has gone blind. Sightless people rove in packs, scavenging for food, sleeping wherever they can. Throughout the narrative, one character remains sighted, the ophthalmologist's wife. Claiming to be blind so she is interned with her husband, she eventually becomes the guide and protector for an impromptu family. She is the reader's guide and repository of human decency.
The Fine Art of Tea: An Evening of Tea Tasting with Residential Scholar Tenzin Priyadarshi
February 20, 2009
Organizers: Tenzin Priyadarshi, Danielle Hinton
Join us for an evening exploring the world of Tea (of course, you get to try some too!). Learn about its origin and history, and why it remains the most popular drink since 2737 BCE. Hear stories of Tea and Calligraphy, and how can they help cultivate a calm, meditative mind. Samosas, Japanese cakes, and other assorted tea snacks will be served.
Towards Flexible Robotic Bodies that Can Co-Exist with Trained Rodents in Tropical Minefields
February 13, 2009
Guest Speaker: Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Organizers: Carol Espy-Wilson, Patrick Schmid, Candice Chow
Come join us this tonight at 6pm in the MPR to hear Thrishantha Nanayakkara's talk "Towards flexible robotic bodies that can co-exist with trained rodents in tropical minefields."
He has come up with a method that combines trained mongooses with semi-autonomous robots to improve the safety and accuracy of detecting landmines in tropical environments like Sri Lanka. He has trained three mongooses to work in conjunction with a robot to literally sniff out the mines. Once a mine is spotted, the mongoose will stand up on its hind legs to signal the location of the mine, and then the metal detector of the robot will perform additional confirmation. In an initial test run on a 10 x 10 meter plot, the mongoose-robot duo found every mine. Thrishantha Nanayakkara is currently a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard where he is perfecting his work. For further information visit http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/man-mongoose-and-machine.html
There Is No Such Thing As Indian Cooking
February 6, 2009
Organizers: Aseem Inam, Jon Gibbs
When was the last time you had Indian food? A few days ago? months ago?
Now ask yourself, when was the last time you experienced Indian food? Yes, there is an incredible range and variety of cuisines in the Indian subcontinent. But, what most people don't realize is that Indian cooking is a total experience. Good meals take hours took cook and are enjoyed with all our senses -- smell, colors, textures, the sounds of sizzling, boiling and roasting spices and even ambient music all add to the flavor. Come learn more about this experience this Friday in the Country Kitchen. Of course ... just the experience won't fill your belly so, for that, there will also be plenty of Indian Food to enjoy as well!