News Archive 2011
School news from 2011.
BASIC RESEARCH
Scientific Reunion commemorates 50 years of Linguistics at MIT
To celebrate the first 50 years of MIT’s graduate program in Linguistics, alumni, former faculty and postdoctoral scholars attended a Scientific Reunion, held at MIT on December 9-11, 2011, and participated in a discussion of some of the foundational questions investigated by its past and present members. Professor David Pesetsky writes, "Intellectually, it was first-rate and exciting; there were some fireworks (just as we'd hoped). It was also a very emotional weekend. Collectively, this was the group that built the field."
Said and Done | January 2012 Edition
Published by the Office of the Dean
In this edition: 50 years of Linguistics at MIT; award-winning Gambit game; research and publications on women leaders; science and religion; Georg Trakl; new media; U.S. health care reform. News on theater, U.S. economy, New Year's resolutions. Profile of David Thorburn. Interviews with Sasha Contanza-Chock on OCW; Peter Diamond on taxes and restoring economic health.
Said and Done | January 2012 Edition
"Provocative and inspirational" | Performance by Riley, Ziporyn, and Gamelan Galak Tika
"Judging by his masterful contributions on Thursday, at age 75 Riley has lost none of his legendary power to synthesize diverse musical traditions (Indian, Balinese, jazz, classical, acoustic, electronic) in provocative and inspirational ways. Riley’s performance was made possible by his longtime admirer, MIT professor Evan Ziporyn, a composer, musician, and Gamelan Galak Tika’s founder." — The Boston Globe
Irene Heim elected a Fellow of the Linguistics Society of America
Irene Heim, Professor of Linguistics, MIT SHASS, has been elected a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America. The induction ceremony for the 2012 class of Fellows will take place on Friday, January 6, 2012 at the LSA Annual Meeting in Portland.
Nyan Cat visits MIT | Commentary by Professor Ian Condry
The Nyan Cat, first installed by MIT hackers in Lobby 7, is now on display in the MIT-SHASS exhibit in Building 14. This is an MIT student work portraying the popular internet meme, Nyan Cat (or Pop-Tart Cat), an 8-bit animation depicting a cat with the body of a cherry pop tart who flies through outer space leaving a rainbow trail. The MIT-Nyan Cat is sporting a festive, silver lamé trail to celebrate the winter holidays. Warm thanks to the student hackers for generously lending their Nyan Cat to the curated exhibit wall for the winter season.
RESEARCH TO POLICY: ENDING GLOBAL POVERTY
Finding the pulse of the poor
Armed with data, an MIT lab offers fresh insight on some of the world’s most vexing problems. For nearly a decade, MIT economics professors Esther Duflo, and Abhijit Banerjee, have worked with a global network of researchers to conduct experiments in the world’s poorest places - where families live on less than $1 day - and reached conclusions that are changing the way economists and policy makers think about development in impoverished areas.
Townsend wins Laffont Prize in Economics
MIT economist Robert M. Townsend, an expert in the ways financial systems and practices can contribute to the growth of developing economies, has been named winner of the Jean-Jacques Laffont Prize in economics for 2011. Townsend, the Killian Professor of Economics at MIT, will receive the award in January 2012 in Toulouse, France, where he will give a lecture titled “Financial Design and Economic Development.”
RESEARCH
SHASS stories on MIT News
The MIT News stories about SHASS research, awards, and creative works are primarily written by Peter Dizikes, Institute Writer for MIT News. The collected publications on this webpage also include some selected stories, which appear on MIT News, written by the SHASS academic units and by the SHASS Communications group in the Office of the Dean.
Bruno Perreau receives fellowship from the British Academy, and appointment at Cambridge University
Earlier this year, Bruno Perreau, Assistant Professor of French Studies, was awarded a Newton Fellowship from the British Academy. In November 2011, Perreau was also appointed as a Research Associate at Jesus College, Cambridge University. Story + 3 Questions with Perreau
Said and Done | November 2011
Published by the Office of the Dean
In this edition: Samuels receives Order of the Rising Sun from Japan; Papdemos PhD'78 named new Prime Minister of Greece; Educating young women in Cambodia; Broadhead has new analysis of the fall of the Roman republic; Piore on collective bargaining rights; AI game prototye from Gambit; Burchard Scholars Program; the Palitz Fellowship; Winter concerts and performances
Said and Done | November 2011 Edition
Economist Lucas Papademos PhD ’78 named prime minister of Greece
Lucas Papademos, a three-time alumnus of MIT, has been named the prime minister of Greece, where he will head an interim coalition government aiming to save the country from bankruptcy. Papademos received his SB in physics from MIT in 1970, an SM in electrical engineering in 1972 and a PhD in economics in 1978.
Philosopher Sally Haslanger receives award for distinguished professional work and community service
Sally Haslanger, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Women’s and Gender studies, has been honored by the YWCA in MIT's hometown, Cambridge, Massachusetts, for work to eliminate racism and empower women. The Tribute to Outstanding Women Award was established to recognize extraordinary commitment made by Cambridge-area women who have distinguished themselves through professional work and community service.
Japanese Government awards Professor Richard J. Samuels the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star
The Japanese Government has announced that the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, will be conferred upon Richard J. Samuels, Ford International Professor of Poltiical Science at MIT, in recognition of his significant contributions to scholarship about Japan and for promoting friendly relations between Japan and the United States of America. Professor Samuels will receive the decoration from Prime Minister Noda on November 7, 2011, and will be presented to the Emperor of Japan at the Imperial Palace.
MIT students expand horizons as Burchard Scholars
The Program brings together MIT sophomores and juniors and distinguished faculty from the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences for eight elegant dinner-seminars at MIT’s Faculty Club. Recently, for example, Professor of History Craig Wilder led the Burchard Scholars in an examination of a series of controversial paintings commissioned in the 1930s. Then, over a memorable dinner, the students and faculty discussed the implications of dueling imagery in the historic murals.
Said and Done | September 2011
Monthly magazine published by the Office of the Dean, MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
In this edition: School opens new permanent exhibit in Building 14; Dr. Joseph Aoun receives the 2011 Muh Alumni Award; Rebuilding the American economy; Local news in the Digital Age; film on MIT linguistics and the Wampanoag language; election integrity; Communications Forum launches fall series; profiles of Professors Suzanne Berger and Daniel Posner; Concert Office launches fall programming; Forum on the Federal budget deficit; Acemoglu on the debt crisis
Dr. Joseph Aoun, PhD ’82, receives the 2011 Robert A. Muh Alumni Award
Dr. Auon's talk — "The Future of American Higher Education in the Global Knowledge Marketplace" — took place Wednesday, October 26, 2011, at 5 pm, at the MIT Bartos Theater, Building E15, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge. A festive public reception followed. A video of the event is available.
School in the News | September 30, 2011
Media reports from around the world
MIT Communications Forum presents fall series
For more than 30 years, the MIT Communications Forum has played a unique role at the Institute and beyond as a locus for sustained exploration of the cultural, political, economic and technological impact of communications, with special emphasis on emerging technologies. The 2011 Forum series continues the exploration this fall with three in-depth panels: Local News in the Digital Age; Surveillance and Citizenship; and Cities and the Future of Entertainment.
Gallery of Recipients | Robert A. Muh Alumni Award
Profiles of the first six recipients of the biennial award, which was founded in 2000 by Robert and Berit Muh, to honor MIT alums who make significant career contributions in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Great Ideas exhibit features MIT research in the humanities, arts, and social sciences
For MIT's 150th anniversary, Dean Deborah Fitzgerald and the School leadership initiated a new permanent exhibit about the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Located on the first floor of Building 14, near Killian Hall, the exhibit presents the 20+ fields of study that make up the School, as well as an updating gallery of research, news, and profiles.
RESEARCH TO POLICY: INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DEMOCRACY
Election Integrity: What it takes to make every vote count
Eleven years after the disputed 2000 presidential election thrust the subject of electoral integrity into the spotlight, many of the challenges that jeopardized that election remain unresolved, voting experts said at an MIT-hosted conference. “Election Integrity: Past, Present, and Future,” was convened by the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project (VTP), and brought together election administrators, academics and technology professionals from around the country. A central theme of the conference was election integrity: assuring that votes are both recorded and counted as they were cast.
School in the News | September 16, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Esther Duflo receives top public policy award from APPAM
The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) has selected Esther Duflo, MIT Professor of Economics, as the winner of the 2011 David N. Kershaw Award. The Kershaw Award and Prize comes with an honorarium of $10,000 and recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public policy analysis.
Dr. Joseph Aoun, PhD '82 Linguistics, to give 2011 Robert A. Muh Alumni Award Lecture in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Dr. Joseph Aoun, PhD '82 Linguistics, and President of Northeastern University, has received the 2011 Robert A. Muh Alumni Award in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. President Aoun will give a talk entitlred "The Future of American Higher Education in the Global Knowledge Marketplace," on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 5 pm, MIT Bartos Theater, Building E15, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge. The lecture and a reception, immediately following, are open to the public.
Welcoming New Faculty | Fall 2011
The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is pleased to present the newest members of the faculty. They come to us with diverse backgrounds and vast knowledge in their fields: social movement communication, women and gender issues of the Middle East and North Africa, 20th century mass entertainment in Japan, and political philosophy. We are very fortunate to have this superb group of scholars join the School.
School in the News | August 29, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Chomsky talk launches second year of the Boston Review Ideas Matter Forum Series
September 22, 4:30-6pm, MIT Tang Center | Noam Chomsky will discuss “The Responsibility of Intellectuals,” revisiting the controversial topic he first addressed in 1967. He will also publish a companion essay in the September/October 2011 issue of Boston Review. The Chomsky event kicks off the second year of the Ideas Matter lecture series, a joint project of Boston Review and the MIT Political Science Department. The last event of 2010—“Government’s Role in the Market” by Eliot Spitzer, introduced by Simon Johnson—completely filled Wong Auditorium and produced a lively Q&A with the audience that was broadcast on CSPAN’s BookTV.
School in the News | August 22, 2011
Media reports from around the world
School in the News | August 15, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Said and Done | September 2011 Edition Published
Published by the Office of the Dean
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
In this edition: audio slide show on the Kuna of Panama; welcome to new faculty and new Mellon Fellows; a new era for American manufactuing; Dr. Joseph Aoun receives the 2011 Muh Alumni Award; proposed mortage fix for US lenders and homeowners; insider view of investment banking instruments; Ugandan human rights journalist joins CIS
School in the News | August 8, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Gillespie and Seymour are 2011-12 MLK Visiting Scholars
Two MLK Visiting Scholars joined the School community for the 2011-12 academic year: Andra Gillespie in Political Science, and Sean Seymore in Science, Technology, and Society.
School in the News | August 1, 2011
Media reports from around the world
ARTS INNOVATION
A recap of the MIT Festival of Art, Science, and Technology (MIT FAST)
A prominent feature of MIT150, MIT FAST celebrated the Institute's unique confluence of art, science, and technology. With strong participation from MIT SHASS Music and Theater Arts, FAST events appeared across the MIT campus and over the entire spring semester.
School in the News | July 25, 2011
Media reports from around the world
ARTS INNOVATION + EDUCATION
Report cites arts as essential to MIT's mission
The arts at MIT connect creative minds across disciplines and encourage a lifetime of exploration and self-discovery. Rooted in experimentation, risk-taking and imaginative problem-solving, the arts are essential to MIT’s mission.
School in the News | July 18, 2011
Media reports from around the world
RESEARCH TO POLICY: HEALTH INSURANCE
MIT economists Finkelstein and Gruber demonstrate the health and financial benefits of Medicaid
Landmark study shows the effects of health insurance program: much better health and more financial stability for the poor; more bills paid for hospitals and doctors. Professors of Economics Amy Finkelstein (a principal investigator) and Jonathan Gruber contributed to the study.
RESEARCH TO POLICY: CIVILIANS IN WARFARE
In The Deaths of Others, John Tirman explores fate of civilians in America's wars
Americans are greatly concerned about the number of our troops killed in battle — 100,000 dead in World War I; 300,000 in World War II; 33,000 in the Korean War; 58,000 in Vietnam; 4,500 in Iraq; more than 1,000 in Afghanistan — and rightly so. But why are we so indifferent, often oblivious, to the far greater number of casualties suffered by those we fight and those we fight for? This is the compelling, largely unasked question that John Tirman, a principal research scientist and executive director at the MIT Center for International Studies, answers in The Deaths of Others.
How the Hippies Saved Physics
David's Kaiser's new book explore how a handful of countercultural scientists changed the course of physics in the1970s and helped open up the frontier of quantum information.
Two from School named Fulbright Scholars
Tobias Harris and Anna Waldman-Brown will study abroad in the 2011-12 academic year. Harris, a PhD candidate in political science, will travel to Japan to conduct interviews and archival research for his project titled “The Politics of Reform in Japan, 1955-2009.” Waldman-Brown ’11, who graduated in June 2011 month with an SB in writing/humanistic studies and physics, will travel to Ghana to research sustainable energy solutions.
Waldman-Brown, Fulbright scholarship winner, to spend next year in Ghana
Recent writing, humanistic studies, and physics graduate—and public service fellow—will teach the science of energy generation in Ghana.
School in the News | June 20, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Said and Done | June 2011 Edition
Monthly magazine of news, research, and features
Published by the Office of the Dean
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
"I love my parents!"
— MIT graduate at the School's Commencement Reception
School in the News | June 10, 2011
Media reports from around the world
A Widening Sphere | Alexander examines how early MIT leaders shaped the Institute
The men who drove MIT's early development were "charismatic, diverse, quirky, sometimes tragic individuals," says Philip Alexander, a research associate in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies. In A Widening Sphere: Evolving Cultures at MIT, his new book honoring the Institute's 150th anniversary, he describes how its first nine presidents, from William Barton Rogers to Karl Taylor Compton, shaped much of its first century.
School in the News
May 27, 2011
Media reports from around the world
Pauline Maier wins George Washington Book Prize
Pauline Maier, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American History, in MIT's School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, has won the 2011 George Washington Book Prize for her book Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788. Ratification has been widely hailed as the definitive story of the most consequential political debate in American history. The George Washington Book Prize is co-sponsored by Washington College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and George Washington's Mt. Vernon. Its $50,000 Award is the largest prize nationwide for a book on early American history, and one of the largest literary prizes of any kind.
Said and Done | May 2011 Edition
Monthly magazine of news, research, and features
Published by the Office of the Dean
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
"There is little you can do that would be a surer path to leaping dramatically forward in your career than doing a humanities PhD." — Damon Horowitz, Director of Engineering for Google
May 2011 Edition at Magazine
2011 Levitan Awards for Excellence in Teaching Announced
The School's Teaching Award Selection Committee has announced the recipients of the 2011 James A. and Ruth Levitan Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Warmest congratulations to these educators and colleagues, who represent the very best academic leadership in the School.
Tech companies cite the humanities as key for today's careers
Well said, Google!
RESEARCH TO POLICY: TRANSFORMING HAITIAN EDUCATION
A champion of Kreyol for Haitian schools
Linguist Michel DeGraff is on a quest to give Haitian Creole its due as a respected language — and to help Haitian schoolchildren learn in their native tongue.
Muriel Rambeloarison and Xinzhu Wang win inaugural Isabelle de Courtivron Prizes
With this award, the Center for Bilingual/Bicultural Studies salutes cross-cultural fluency—an ability key to leadership and success in today's global world.
Robert Kanigel's On An Irish Island — thinking about the pace of modern life
An award-winning science writer and author of the acclaimed biography The Man Who Knew Infinity, Robert Kanigel has spent his career exploring the evolution of society through a series of unique lenses that reveal what we have gained from modernity—and what we’ve lost. A windswept island village off the coast of Ireland, is the setting for his next book—a story of love and friendship, literature and language, in the early years of the twentieth century.
John Harbison wins AMC's Founder Award
Institute Professor John Harbison was presented on Monday night with the American Music Center’s Founders Award, given since 1999 for lifetime achievement in the field of new American music. Previous winners of the award have included Elliott Carter, Steve Reich, Charles Ives, Count Basie and Philip Glass.
Open House Photo Gallery
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences | 30 April 2011
For MIT's historic Open House on April 30, 2011, all the School's disciplines and programs gathered in one central location to present idea stations on leading research, musical concerts, games, videos, demonstrations, book raffles and book signings, readings, tours, talks, and a tent next to Kresge with café-style seating for snacks and visiting. A great scene!
New York premiere of Donal Fox work at Carnegie Hall
Composer/pianist and MLK Visiting Scholar, Donal Fox will have the New York premiere of his “Hear De Lambs A-Cryin" at Carnegie Hall, performed by the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The concert, entitled "Spring For Music: Spirituals Re-Imagined," also features work by John Harbison, MIT Institute Professor of Music. It begins at 7:30pm, and will be broadcast live from Carnegie Hall on NPR stations nationwide. During intermission there will also be an interview with Donal at the piano hosted by Elliot Forrest for WNYC/WQXR.
The School in the News | Week of April 18, 2011
Media reports from around the world presenting research and faculty of MIT humanities, arts, and social sciences
Charles Stewart III elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Charles Stewart III, the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science, is among the 212 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Academy is one of the most prestigious honorary societies in the nation and is a leader in independent policy research. This high honor recognizes the excellence and impact of Stewart’s work in areas of congressional politics, elections, and American political development.
Department of Economics alumnus, Jonathan Levin PhD ’99, wins the John Bates Clark Medal
Jonathan Levin PhD ’99 was named winner of the John Bates Clark Medal on Friday, awarded annually by the American Economics Association to the best economist under the age of 40.
Seth Shulman, former Vannevar Bush Fellow and Dibner Writing Fellow, receives 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship
Historian of science, Seth Shulman, a Vannevar Bush Fellow in 1985-86, and the inaugural Dibner Science Writing Fellow in 2004-05, has received a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship award in support of his forthcoming book project on Thomas Edison's role creating in the electric automobile.
Adam Berinsky wins 2011 Levitan Award in the Humanities
Deborah K. Fitzgerald, Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, is delighted to announce that the James A. (1945) and Ruth Levitan Prize in the Humanities has been awarded to Adam Berinsky, Associate Professor of Political Science. The $25,000 prize is awarded annually as a research fund to support innovative and creative scholarship in the humanities by faculty members in MIT's School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The prize, first awarded in 1990, was established through a gift from the late James A. Levitan, a 1945 MIT graduate in chemistry, who was also a member of the MIT Corporation.
EDUCATION: STEM + SHASS
Burchard Scholar Anjali Thakkar, '12, wins Truman Scholarship
Thakkar, a biology and materials science and engineering major, plans to pursue a career in global health, advocating for low-income populations. On the occasion of the Scholarship award Thakkar commented on the role of the Burchard Scholars program in her MIT education. "Having attended just the dinners this semester," Thakkar said, "I have learned so much! I love the program, and it is such a fantastic way for me to meet my peers who have similar interests, and to expand my humanities knowledge."
The School in the News | Week of April 10, 2011
Media reports from around the world presenting research and faculty of MIT humanities, arts, and social sciences
Said and Done | April 2011 Edition
Monthly magazine of news, research, and features
Published by the Office of the Dean
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Jay Scheib, Associate Professor of Theater Arts, wins 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship
Scheib was chosen from among thousands of distinguished artists, scholars, and scientists as a 2011 Guggenehim Fellow. The prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship is an award for advanced, mid-career professionals, who are chosen from among thousands of distinguished artists, scholars, and scientists. Fellowships are awarded to those who have "demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts," and are designed to allow recipients time to work with "as much creative freedom as possible."
HEALTH OF THE PLANET | NUCLEAR ENERGY + POLICY
CIS Starr Forum examines Japan's nuclear crisis and governmental response
Special forum on March 16, 2011, co-sponsored by the Center for International Studies and the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. Three MIT experts discuss Japan's nuclear past, present, and future from a political and engineering perspective. The presentation includes an eyewitness account of the crisis and the Japanese government's response.
RESEARCH TO POLICY: ENERGY
Why Japan relies on nuclear power | CNN interview with MIT political scientist Richard Samuels
Japan has more than 50 nuclear power plants and had planned to build two dozen more by 2030, according to Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science, and director of MIT's Center for International Studies, who has written on Japanese energy and security policy.
American Democracy: Still an Export in Demand?
MIT professor Pauline Maier comments in an audio piece about American democracy and its translation to other countries.
RESEARCH TO POLICY: ECONOMIC STABILITY
MIT economist Daron Acemoglu on inequality and the financial crash
This excellent podcast interview with Daron Acemoglu, Charles P. Kindleberger Professor of Economics, examines the role of income inequality in the financial crash.
Smithsonian and MIT/CMS launch online mystery game
The Smithsonian Institution and MIT's Comparative Media Studies program have announced the April 4, 2011 launch of vanished, an 8-week online/offline environmental disaster mystery game for middle-school children, designed to inspire problem-solving and collaboration through science.
Amanda Mok ’11 wins 2011 MITSO Concerto Competition | Q&A
The MIT Music section is pleased to announce that Amanda Mok ’11, a double major in Biological Engineering and Music, is the 2011 winner of the MIT Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Mok will perform the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 with MITSO, on March 11, 2011. A classic, multi-talented MIT student, Amanda is a successful scholar and accomplished musician, and deeply engaged in the Institute community. Joya Abbott-Graves had a chance to sit down and talk with Amanda recently, to learn more about her musical life, and what comes next.
BASIC RESEARCH: LANGUAGE AND MIND
Q&A with Linguist David Pesetsky
Why is the idea of Universal Grammar controversial? What does linguistics tell us about how we think? — Q&A with David Pesetsky, Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
CORE + BASIC RESEARCH
Economics Symposium launches MIT's 150th celebration
This symposium, organized by the SHASS Department of Economics and the Sloan School of Management, celebrated the role of MIT’s faculty and students in advancing the fields of economics and finance, in putting the latest developments into practice, and in contributing to the design of public policy.
ARTS INNOVATION
Handel and Haydn Society perform "Israel in Egypt" for MIT's 150th
An historic colloquium and concert on February 19, 2011 at MIT. Premiered in the U.S. by the Handel and Haydn Society in 1859 (and last performed by the Society in 1974), this monumental work depicts the biblical story of Exodus, recounting the ten plagues, and celebrating the parting and crossing of the Red Sea.
Opera News calls Ziporyn's new opera "colossally imaginative"
"Ziporyn's West-meets-East adventure is a grand kaleidoscopic success that no one else could have dreamed up." — Opera News
Mary Fuller to lead NEH Summer Seminar: English Encounters with the Americas, 1550-1610
"English Encounters with the Americas, 1550-1610" is a National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar for college professors to be held July 5-29, 2011 at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Led by Mary Fuller, Professor of Literature, sixteen selected seminar participants will explore primary sources on Anglo-American contact using evidence and methods from several disciplines.
Pesetsky named Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
David Pesetsky, Ferrari P. Ward Professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics, has been named a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Five other members of the MIT community have received this distinction as well. Pesetsky, who is also Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow, was chosen for “his innovative and critical research on syntactic theory, connecting it to issues in phonology, morphology, reading, language acquisition and neuroscience, and for his contributions to linguistic education at many levels.”
Bartusiak Awarded the Davis Prize
The History of Science Society has awarded the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize to Marcia Bartusiak for The Day We Found the Universe, (Pantheon), calling it "a beautifully written, informative book on a critical topic in the history of science" and a "rich, complex, yet crystal-clear narrative" that depicts a seminal moment in history.