Events Calendar

Imagine different worlds in Cosmograph: Speculative Fictions for the New Space Age, an exhibition that brings art and science together to examine possible futures where outer space is both a frontier for human exploration and a new territory for exploitation and development by private enterprise.We are living at the dawn of a New Space Age. What will the future hold? Will space elevators bring humanity's space junk to turn it into useful material here on Earth? Will asteroid mining be the next frontier in prospecting? Will the promise of geo-engineering turn into a nightmare of unintended consequences?Explore these possibilities and more in our new exhibition that blurs the lines between fact and fantasy, and art and science.

MIT is not a place so much as it is a unique collection of exceptional people.What is essential at MIT is asking questions others may not ask, trying the unexpected in pursuit of a greater solution, and embracing distinctive skills and combinations of talents. Whether encompassing global issues, ventures into space, or efforts to improve our daily lives, stories told in this exhibit showcase the process of discovery that sits at the heart of MIT.Delve into the experimental culture and collaborative spirit of the MIT community in this dynamic and interactive exploration of groundbreaking projects and ongoing innovation."MIT’s greatest invention may be itself—an unusual concentration of unusual talent, forever reinventing itself on a mission to make a better world." — President L. Rafael ReifLocated in the Brit J. (1961) and Alex (1949) d'Arbeloff GallerySupported by the Biogen Foundation

How can code be used as a creative tool by artists and designers?This question motivates the work of the Future Sketches group at the MIT Media Lab. Led by artist and educator Zach Lieberman, the group aims to help us “see” code by using it to make artistically controlled, computer-generated visuals.Explore some of the latest research from the group that uses typography and digital tools to create interactive, creative, and immersive work.Located in our Martin J. (1959) and Eleanor C. Gruber Gallery.

Experience the captivating work of Arthur Ganson, where his perceptions of the world are choreographed into the subtle movements and gestures of his artistic machines."These machines are daydreams condensed into physical form, computer programs manifesting in three-dimensional space." - Arthur GansonArthur Ganson's medium is a feeling or idea inspired by the world he perceives around him – from the delicate fluttering of paper to the sheer scale of the universe. Combining engineering genius with whimsical choreography, he creates machines to encode those ideas into the physical world. But he invites everyone to draw their own conclusions on the meaning behind the subtle gestures of the machines.Currently on display are a select group of Arthur Ganson's works from our MIT Museum Collection. We expect to exhibit his work in large numbers in the future.

MIT Collects features objects and other media from the museum's vast collection, arranged in areas that tell stories, explore themes, and dive into subject areas.Modeling Everything:Models and model-making, both the objects and the action, are vital to every research area at MIT and to the life of the Institute itself. Explore a wide array of models for teaching, discovery, research, and documentation, from ships to crystal structures to architectural design.Radical Atoms:Hiroshi Ishii and the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab have pioneered new ways for people to interact with computers, with the invention of the “tangible user interface.” It began with a vision of “Tangible Bits,” where users can manipulate ordinary physical objects to access digital information. It evolved into a bolder vision of “Radical Atoms,” where materials can change form and reconfigure themselves just as pixels can on a screen.This experimental exhibit of three iconic works—SandScape, inFORM, and TRANSFORM—is part of the MIT Museum’s ongoing efforts to collect the physical machines as well as preserve the user experience of, in Ishii’s words, making atoms dance.A Sequence of Actions:Developed and operated at MIT, the Differential Analyzer, Whirlwind Computer, and Apollo Guidance Computer were massive and complex projects that involved thousands of people. See historical components and artifacts from this critical era in programming during the mid-20th century and explore how these early programmers influenced today’s digital culture.Technology and the Dream:Through recordings of students, staff, researchers, and community members, listen to personal reflections and gain a sense of the Black experience at MIT. This dynamic audio installation is co-curated with the MIT Black History Project.Totally Useless Things:Toys, puzzles, and play are a significant part of the creative process. Playful activity can shape a research agenda or an entire discipline. Extracurricular play — like MIT's famous hacks — enhances creativity and community. And play itself is a rich field for scientific research. Jump in and learn how curiosity is the fuel that discovery runs on.Located in the Edward O. Thorp Gallery

How can you investigate something you cannot see?The challenge of understanding the unknown motivates scientists today, just as it has inspired curious people for centuries.Using material from the Allen Forbes Collection, this exhibit traces the scientific process of observing, measuring, and describing that turned whales from monsters into mammals.Using prints from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, Monsters of the Deep examines how European knowledge about the creatures of the sea was informed by new information from sailors, scholars, and beachcombers, and how that knowledge transformed what people understood about the natural world.Want a closer look at what we have on view? You can explore digitized versions of exhibition objects here.On view through January 2026.

Hiroshi Ishii and the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab have pioneered new ways for people to interact with computers, with the invention of the “tangible user interface.”It began with a vision of "Tangible Bits," where users can manipulate ordinary physical objects to access digital information. It evolved into a bolder vision of "Radical Atoms," where materials can change form and reconfigure themselves just as pixels can on a screen. This experimental exhibit of three iconic works — SandScape, inFORM, and TRANSFORM — is part of the MIT Museum's ongoing efforts to collect the physical machines as well as preserve the user experience of, in Ishii's words, making atoms dance.Learn more about the exhibits here, or watch the YouTube video of Hiroshi Ishii's talk at the MIT Museum below.This is an ongoing exhibition in our MIT Collects exhibition.

Janet Echelman's Remembering the Future widens our perspective in time, giving sculptural form to the history of the Earth's climate from the last ice age to the present moment, and then branching out to visualize multiple potential futures.Constructed from colored twines and ropes that are braided, knotted and hand-spliced to create a three-dimensional form, the immersive artwork greets you with its grand scale presiding over the MIT Museum lobby.This large-scale installation by 2022-2024 MIT Distinguished Visiting Artist Janet Echelman, was developed during her residency at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST). Architect, engineer and MIT Associate Professor Caitlin Mueller collaborated on the development of the piece.The title, Remembering the Future was inspired by the writings commonly attributed to Søren Kierkegaard: "The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have."As the culmination of three years of dedicated research and collaboration, this site-specific installation explores Earth's climate timeline, translating historical records and possible futures into sculptural form.Echelman's climate research for this project was guided by Professor Raffaele Ferrari and the MIT Lorenz Center, creators of En-ROADS simulator which uses current climate data and modeling to visualize the impact of environmental policies and actions on energy systems.Learn more about Janet Echelman and the MIT Museum x CAST Collaboration.Learn more about the exhibition at the MIT Museum.

The Mobility Forum with Prof. Jinhua Zhao showcases transportation research and innovation across the globe. The Forum is online and open to the public.

Date: Friday, December 5, 2025 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: Simons Center Conference room 46-6011 + Zoom [https://mit.zoom.us/j/95992863075]Speakers: Haoran Xu, Ph.D., Research Scientist & Beizhen Zhang, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow Affiliation: Desimone Lab, McGovern Institute, MITTalk title: Investigating Neural Circuit Abnormalities in SHANK3 Mutant MarmosetsAbstract: Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations or deletions in the SHANK3 gene, a key component for maintaining synaptic structure and neural circuit integrity. Individuals with PMS exhibit profound social communication deficits, intellectual disability, and sensory abnormalities, yet the neural circuit mechanisms underlying these symptoms remain elusive. In this talk, I will present our ongoing work using SHANK3 mutant marmosets as a primate model to probe these circuit dysfunctions. We implanted four 64-channel ECoG arrays across temporal and prefrontal regions in mutant and wild-type animals and examined their neural dynamics during social perception, cognitive, and auditory tasks. Despite showing normal gaze patterns while viewing faces or movies, SHANK3 mutants exhibited reduced high-gamma activity in face-selective regions and weakened social representations in both the prefrontal (PFC) and inferotemporal (IT) cortices. During working memory tasks, mutants performed more poorly, with their deficits linked to elevated alpha and high-gamma power in the PFC during the delay period. In the auditory domain, they showed hypoactivity in auditory cortical areas but paradoxical hyper-responsivity to noise-like sounds in the PFC and visual regions, suggesting impaired inhibition. Together, these findings reveal how SHANK3 disruption alters distributed neural circuits underlying social, cognitive, and sensory processing, offering a window into the circuit-level basis of PMS and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu

Free and open to all!Join us for a relaxing afternoon of cozy card making! All supplies included (except stamps) – but feel free to bring materials of your own to add to the fun.If you’d like, feel free to bring a book to add to the book swap table.Early donation drop off begins in the MIT Welcome Center on Monday, December 1st from 9:00am-4:00pm.This event is presented in collaboration with MIT’s Office of Sustainability, Choose to Reuse, and MIT Facilities.

MCN Seminar

Time: 12:00 PMLocation: Rochester, NY

Time: 12:00 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Bhagavad Gita Fall Lecture SeriesJoin HG Sadananda Dasa, MIT Vaishnava Hindu Chaplain, for a weekly journey into the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita. Explore profound questions about identity, purpose, karma, yoga, love, and selfless service, and discover practical insights for living a meaningful and spiritually grounded life. Each session combines reflection, discussion, and practical tools for self-realization.RSVP: tinyurl.com/mitgita25

Join us at the MIT Museum for a special film series exploring time travel through the lens of science fiction cinema.Looper 2012, Director: Rian Johnson 119 mins. Rated RA major crime mob in 2074 has a clever way of getting rid of people — sending them to the past, where paid killers known as Loopers are waiting for their marks. When Looper Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) discovers that the target in front of him is his future self (Bruce Willis), he accidentally lets him go, starting a chain reaction of pursuit and violence. Older Joe will stop at nothing to change his fate while younger Joe is chased by the mob, and a mother (Emily Blunt) and her young son get caught up in the danger.With a special screening of the short film Steeplechase before the feature.Followed by a presentation on the science of time travel.$15 General Admission | $5 for MIT ID Holders

Time: 12:00 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

1th Annual PRISM Concert Spectacular!MIT Wind EnsembleFrederick Harris, Jr., Music DirectorKenneth Amis, Assistant ConductorSpecial guests: Groton Hill Wind EnsembleFriday, December 5, 20258:00 P.M. Kresge AuditoriumMITWE presents its 11th annual PRISM concert, a unique amalgam of music and special lighting with works for full wind ensemble and chamber brass, percussion, woodwinds, and soloists. Music spanning the 16th century to the 21st is featured, including Holst’s Moorside Suite, Gregson’s Festivo, Nelson’s Rocky Point Holiday, Berlioz’s Hungarian March, and music by Beethoven, Sibelius, John Williams and others. The Groton Hill Wind Ensemble with students from throughout central Massachusetts joins MITWE for this special anticipated annual event.Seating PolicyYour registration through Eventbrite guarantees you a seat until 15 minutes before the event start time. 15 minutes before the concert start time, we will release open seats to the standby list. If you were not able to register through Eventbrite, you may join the physical standby line in the Kresge Auditorium Lobby up to one hour before the concert start time.Advance ticket sales are available for General Admission tickets only. MIT ID holders may attend free of charge by presenting their MIT ID at the door on the day of the event.Don't miss a downbeat! Click here to subscribe to the Events Newsletter.Parking will be available at the W-18 garage (201 Amherst Street) for $11.