Multimedia Archive 2011

Stories from the School—
in 02139 and around the globe.

George Frideric Handel

PBS | Ellen Harris, Professor of Music Emerita on George Frideric Handel  

Handel’s Messiah is an 18th century oratorio best known for the 'Hallelujah' chorus.  This radio program interviews Ellen Harris, Professor of Music Emerita discussing why, 270 years after the work was first composed, it remains one of the most beloved choral works in all of Western music." Watch

Irene Heim

50 Years of Linguistics at MIT | A Scientific Reunion | December 2011

Videos of discussions and talks; collections of photographs; poster presentations. To celebrate the first 50 years of MIT’s graduate program in Linguistics, alumni, former faculty and postdoctoral scholars gathered at MIT on December 9-11, 2011. More than 200 people marked the occasion by participating in a discussion of some of the foundational questions investigated by its past and present members. Participants called it "an astonishing weekend of talks and other gatherings." Professor David Pesetsky writes, "Intellectually, it was first-rate and exciting; there were some fireworks (just as we'd hoped), and it was an emotional weekend. Collectively, this was the group that built the field."   Watch

Metamorphosis of a Crisis

Soon after the beginning of the financial crisis of 2008, sociologist Manuel Castells gathered a group of leading international intellectuals, including MIT historian Rosalind Williams, to think about the nature, causes, and implications of the crisis. “Metamorphosis” is a documentary about their insights.
  Watch

early universe

Physics On the Fringe  

The exotic history of amateur explanations of the universe. David Kaiser, head of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, joins Tom Ashbrook on NPR's "On Point." Watch

Thought for Food

Heather Paxson, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, discusses what makes an artisan cheese. Watch

2011 Muh Alumni Award Lecture
Given by Dr. Joseph E. Aoun, PhD '82

Dr. Joseph E. Aoun, President of Northeastern University, delivers the Robert A. Muh Alumni Award Lecture in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. He speaks on "The Future of American Higher Education in the Global Knowledge Marketplace." Recorded at MIT Bartos Theater, 26 October 2011    Watch

The Rise of MIT Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
 

Part of the "Common Threads" video, produced for MIT's 150th anniversary celebration, this three-minute clip features the rise of science, and humanities, arts, and social sciences at MIT.   Watch

Local News in the Digital Age | MIT Communications Forum 

Is local news a casualty of the digital age? A recent report from the FCC suggests that although the broad media landscape is more vibrant than ever, many local communities face a shortage of professional reporting, undermining journalism's watchdog rolel. This edition of the Communications Forum assesses the state of local journalism, paying special attention to the environment for news in New England.  Watch

advanced manufacturing

Rebuilding the American Economy
MIT Political Science Distinguished Speaker Series

September 2011 | The series brings together faculty, students, local business leaders, state economic officials, and MIT technology and policy thinkers. The emphasis for the first forum was "Rebuilding the American Economy." Several leading MIT faculty review manufacturing topics, after which Ron Bloom, former Senior Counselor to the President, speaks.  Robert Solow, Nobel laureate and MIT economist, leads a closing discussion. Watch

Richard Locke

Political Science at MIT 

Richard Locke, Class of 1922 Professor of Political Science and Management, and Head, MIT Political Science, discuses the department's focus on addressing the world's great challenges.      Watch

Audio Slide-Show: The Kuna Celebrations 

In this audio slide-show, James Howe, Professor of Anthropology, tells the story of how a Kuna village prepares for and conducts a great communal celebration, an event that can last up to four days, and embodies many of the Kuna's important values, beliefs, and ways of life. The photographs are from the exhibit of Howe's images which were exhibted recently at the Museo Interoceánico del Canal, Panama's premiere museum.        Watch

Interview
John Tirman on the fate of civilians in America's wars

Tirman's most recent book, The Deaths of Others, published by Oxford University Press, is a trenchant and passionate work that explores the fate of civilians in America's wars.  Watch

2011 graduate

Photo Gallery | 2011 Commencement Reception 

Congratulations to our 2011 graduates and their families! The photographs were taken on June 3, 2011, at the School's Commencement Reception, by the photography team of MIT Technique. We hope you enjoy these souvenirs of a memorable day of celebration!      View Gallery

Michael Cuthbert

MIT Music Professor Michael Cuthbert and Matthias Röder | How Digital Humanities is Transforming Music Scholarship

"Listening Faster — How Digital Humanities is Transforming Music Scholarship" is part of HyperStudio's humanities + digital conversations in collaboration with Harvard's metaLABWatch

Kip Hodges

Kip Hodges PhD'82 | The Scientist as Storyteller

Geologist and professor Kip Hodges PhD'82 calls on his skills as a writer to ask scientific questions, and to shape and share his research. In this video, he describes how knowledge of the humanities and arts helps conduct, convey, and sustain the work of science.  Thumbnail photocredit: Arizona State University Watch

How the Hippies Saved Physics

Professor of History David Kaiser talks about the 1960s-era physicists who transformed the filed of quantum physics. In recent years, the field of quantum information science has catapulted to the cutting edge of physics. Long before the big budgets and dedicated teams, however, the ideas that now occupy the core of quantum information science were generated by a group of young counter-culture physicists.   Watch

Alan Lightman on art and science

To celebrate the birthday of Albert Einstein, the AMPs team turned to adjunct professor Alan Lightman, best-selling author of Einstein's Dreams, and the first professor at MIT to receive a joint appointment in the sciences and the humanities. In this interview excerpt, the physicist/author examines the role of art in education and our lives.  Watch at MIT Tech TV

lui performance center watercolour

Buildings That Work | David Deveau on the Shalin Liu Performance Center

Deveau, Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts, and Artistic Director of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival (now Rockport Music) appears on Channel 5 in a show about the Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport Music's acclaimed new venue. Deveau's leadership over the past decade was instrumental in creating the Center, which opened in June 2010.   More

nuclear fuel rods

CIS Starr Forum | Japan's Nuclear Crisis

March 16, 2011 | 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.    Watch

Inside Tahrir Square | CIS Starr Forum

Greek journalist Iason Athanasiadis offers a remarkably intimate photographic portrait of the Egyptian revolt from its epicenter in Tahrir Square, following the brutal attacks by government loyalists on protesters on January 25th. David Weinberg provides perspectives on US policy in the Middle East. Watch

Rosalind Williams

Communications in slow-moving crises

"Things seem to be happening both much faster and much slower now, because the density of human presence on the planet speeds up environmental change, and slows down political change—creating a viscosity that makes history work differently.”   Watch

Melissa Nobles

Ideas Matter Series
Immigrants and the Right to Stay

Hosted by the School's Political Science Department and Boston Review, moderated by Melissa Nobles, MIT Professor of Political Science. Joseph Carens argues that unauthorized immigrants who have lived in the US for a sustained period of time should be granted the right to remain in the country. Carens is joined by Carol Swain, Mathias Risse, and Jennifer Hochschild.  Watch

Finance in Action

Part of the MIT+150 celebration | Stewart Myers introduces the panelists as distinguished academics and practitioners who share their innovative application of finance theory to entrepreneurship.     Watch

Jim Poterba

The Evolution of Economic Science: Individual and Firm Behavior

Part of the MIT+150 celebration | Mitsui Professor of Economics, James Poterba moderates a panel of fellow distinguished economists to reflect on MIT's unique contributions to the field, and MIT's role as a place of research, teaching, and influence in the larger world.  Watch

cover detail, Alone Together

Sherry Turkle discusses Alone Together on The Colbert Report

Sherry Turkle, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, talks to Stephen Colbert about her new book, Alone Together, which documents the sometimes-detrimental effects of technology on our human relationships and social lives. Watch

Natasha Schull

Natasha Schüll discusses her research on 60 Minutes 

Lesley Stahl talks with Natasha Schüll, Leo Marx Career Development Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, about her research into immersive, interactive gambling machines and gambling addiction.   Watch

claxton everett

Inventing Our Future | MIT's Diversity Story

Unique stories from members of the MIT community: “How do you use the diverse backgrounds of students, faculty, administrators, so that MIT becomes a better place...from a research output perspective?" 
MIT Stories at "Inventing our Future"