MIT community in 2022: A year in review
In 2022, MIT returned to a little bit of normalcy after the problem of Covid-19 started to subside. The Institute ready to bid farewell to its president and later introduced his successor; introduced 5 flagship initiatives in a brand new competitors aimed toward tackling local weather’s best challenges; made new commitments towards making certain help for numerous voices; and celebrated the reopening of a reimagined MIT Museum — in addition to a Hollywood blockbuster that includes scenes from campus. Listed below are a few of the high tales within the MIT group this yr.
Presidential transition
In February, MIT President L. Rafael Reif introduced that he planned to step down on the finish of 2022. In additional than 10 years as president, Reif guided MIT by a interval of dynamic development, enormously enhancing its international stature and magnetism. On the conclusion of his time period on the finish of this month, Reif will take a sabbatical, then return to the college of the Division of Electrical Engineering and Pc Science. In September, Reif expressed his gratitude to the MIT group at an Institute-wide dance celebration, and he was honored with a special MIT Dome lighting earlier this month.
After an extensive presidential search, Sally Kornbluth, a cell biologist and the present provost of Duke College, was announced in October as MIT’s 18th president. Following an introduction to MIT that included a press conference, welcoming event, and community celebration, Kornbluth will assume the MIT presidency on Jan. 1, 2023.
In different administrative transitions:CynthiaBarnhart was appointed provost after Martin Schmidt stepped down to change into president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Sanjay Sarma stepped down as vice president for open learning after 9 years within the function; professors Brent Ryan and Anne White were named associate provosts, whereas White was additionally named affiliate vice chairman for analysis administration; and Agustín Rayo was named dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Local weather Grand Challenges
MIT announced five flagship projects in its first-ever Local weather Grand Challenges competitors. These multiyear initiatives deal with unraveling a few of the hardest unsolved local weather issues and bringing high-impact, science-based options to the world on an accelerated foundation. Representing probably the most promising ideas to emerge from the two-year competitors that yielded 27 finalist projects, the 5 flagship initiatives will obtain extra funding and assets from MIT and others to develop their concepts and swiftly rework them into sensible options at scale.
CHIPS and Science Act
President Reif and Vice President for Analysis Maria Zuber had been amongst a number of MIT representatives to witness President Biden’s signing of the $52 billion “CHIPS and Science” bill into regulation in August. Reif helped form features of the invoice and was a vocal advocate for it amongst college and authorities officers, whereas Zuber served on two authorities science advisory boards throughout the invoice’s gestation and consideration. Earlier within the yr, MIT.nano hosted U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, whereas MIT researchers launched a key report on U.S. microelectronics research and manufacturing.
MIT Morningside Academy for Design
Supported by a $100 million founding reward, the MIT Morningside Academy for Design launched as a serious interdisciplinary heart that goals to construct on the Institute’s management in design-focused training. Housed within the Faculty of Structure and Planning, the academy offers a hub that may encourage design work at MIT to develop and cross disciplines amongst engineering, science, administration, computing, structure, city planning, and the humanities.
Stories of the Institute
Quite a lot of key Institute experiences and bulletins had been launched in 2022. They embrace: an announcement of the future of gift acceptance for MIT: an announcement of priority MIT investments; a brand new MIT Values Statement; a renewed commitment to Indigenous scholarship and community; the Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition; a report on MIT’s engagement with China; a report of the Working Group on Reimagining Public Safety at MIT; a report of the Indigenous Working Group; and a report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Arts, Culture, and DEI.
Nobel Prizes
MIT associates had been well-represented among new and recent Nobel laureates who took half within the first in-person Nobel Prize ceremony for the reason that begin of the Covid-19 pandemic. MIT-affiliated winners for 2022 included Ben Bernanke PhD ’79, K. Barry Sharpless, and Carolyn Bertozzi. Winners in attendance from 2020 and 2021 included Professor Joshua Angrist, David Julius ’77, and Andrea Ghez ’87.
New MIT Museum
A reimagined MIT Museum opened this fall in a brand new 56,000-square-foot house within the coronary heart of Cambridge’s Kendall Sq.. The museum invitations guests to discover the Institute’s improvements in science, expertise, engineering, arts, and math — and to participate in that work with hands-on studying labs and maker areas, interactive displays, and venues to debate the affect of science and expertise on society.
“Wakanda Endlessly”
In November, the Institute Workplace of Communications and the Division of Scholar Life hosted a special screening of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” The MIT campus had been used as a filming location in summer time 2021, as one of many movie’s characters, Riri Williams (often known as Ironheart), is portrayed as a pupil on the Institute.
In-person Graduation returns
After two years of on-line celebrations as a result of Covid-19, MIT Commencement returned to Killian Court on the finish of Could. World Commerce Group Director-Normal Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala MCP ’78, PhD ’81 delivered the Commencement address, whereas poet Kealoha Wong ’99 spoke at a special ceremony for the lessons of 2020 and 2021.
College students win distinguished fellowships
As in earlier years, MIT college students continued to shine. This yr, distinctive undergraduates had been awarded Fulbright, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes, and Schwarzman scholarships.
Remembering these we’ve misplaced
Amongst MIT community members who died this year had been Robert Balluffi, Louis Braida, Ashton Carter, Tom Eagar, Dick Eckaus, Octavian-Eugen Ganea, Peter Griffith, Patrick Hale, Frank Sidney Jones, Nonabah Lane, Leo Marx, Bruce Montgomery, Joel Moses, Brian Sousa Jr., Mohamed Magdi Taha, John Tirman, and Markus Zahn.
In case you missed it:
Further high group tales of 2022 included MIT students dominating the 82nd Putnam Mathematical Competition, an replace on MIT’s reinstating the SAT/ACT requirement for admissions, a brand new mathematics program for Ukrainian students and refugees, a roundup of new books from MIT authors, the renaming of the MIT.nano building, an announcement of winners of this year’s MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, the brand new MIT Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel, and MIT college students winning the 45th International Collegiate Programming Contest for the primary time in 44 years.