Events Calendar

Get an inside look at what recruiters from Formlabs look for in candidate portfolios. Learn which projects to highlight, how to make your work stand out, and tips for building a strong portfolio.This session is especially helpful if you're preparing for the MechE Career Expo on Friday, November 7. You'll also hear about MIT resources to support your portfolio development.We’re looking for a few volunteers to submit their portfolios for a live anonymized review by Formlabs recruiters. The recruiters will talk through their feedback on the portfolio during the session. This is a great opportunity to get real-time feedback and better understand how employers evaluate portfolios.Interested in volunteering your portfolio? Email it to Tavi Sookhoo (tsookhoo@mit.edu). We'll anonymize it and send it back for your approval before the session.This CAPD event is open to MIT undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and recent alumni.Registration is required for this event. Please register here.

Free and open to all!Join us for a cozy screening of Pride & Prejudice (PG) presented in collaboration with the PKG Public Service Center and the MIT Women’s League. Bring your craft projects along and feel free to sew or stitch while you watch; we’ll keep the lights up!Please note that seating is available on a first come, first served basis, regardless of registration.

Farming While Black (dir Mark Decena; 2023) Thur Oct 23 @ 6pm Room 3-133As the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, Leah Penniman finds strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism – agricultural practices that can heal people and the planet. Influenced and inspired by Karen Washington, a pioneer in urban community gardens in New York City, and fellow farmer and organizer Blain Snipstal, Leah galvanizes around farming as the basis of revolutionary justice.In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell below two percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. The film chronicles Penniman and two other Black farmers’ efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Collectively, their work has a major impact as leaders in the sustainable agriculture and food justice movements.**Special Bonus!**We’ll also be screening the documentary short Soul City:Soul City (dir. Monica Berra, SheRea DelSol, Gini Richards; 2016)Soul City tells the story of a group of civil rights activists and city slickers who attempt to build a multiracial utopia in the heart of Klan Country, North Carolina in the 1970s. Their pioneering efforts to jumpstart this black-owned, black-built town run up against tenacious enemies that still face idealists and dreamers today–ingrained racism, public skepticism, and unwillingness on the part of the government to think outside the box to solve social problems. As this group of dreamers try to bring together unlikely allies to support black power and economic development, they are forced to balance their soaring idealism with the hostile reality of the times.Popcorn and movie candy provided; after the screening, please join us for a discussion of the themes explored in the films. This special event is co-sponsored by SCC, DUSP Rural, the DUSP Civil Rights Immersion Trek, the OGE Grad Experience Grants, and the DUSP Film Series.

Join us for the opening reception to celebrate three new exhibitions at the List Center: Goldin+Senneby: Flare-Up, American Artist: To Acorn, and List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes.The opening reception will follow a performative lecture with exhibiting artist Goldin+Senneby from 5:30-6:30PM.Exhibiting artists and exhibition curators will be in attendance. Light refreshments and beverages from Momma's Grocery + Wine will be served.Goldin+Senneby: Flare-UpThe recent work of Stockholm-based artist duo Goldin+Senneby focuses on issues of autoimmunity, accessibility, and ecology. Drawing on the experience of living with multiple sclerosis, the exhibition’s title refers to a treatable aspect of the disease. While the gradual progression of the condition offers limited options for intervention, the sudden flare-ups have attracted significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry, paving the way for lucrative treatments. Flare-Up also alludes to the volatile, inflammable nature of pine resin, which has fueled investment in genetically engineered pines as a potential source of green energy.American Artist: To AcornThe multidisciplinary work of American Artist mines the history of technology, race, and knowledge production. Since 2013, when they legally changed their name, American Artist has examined the boundaries and fissures of subject production under racial capitalism. Some bodies of work figure antiblackness as the unspoken subtext of the history of computing: Black Gooey Universe (2021), for instance, features smartphones and computers engulfed by asphalt. Other works have engaged themes of surveillance and opacity: 2015 (2019) overlays an urban street with a simulation of predictive policing software, while Security Theater (2023) turned the rotunda of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum into a sinister panopticon.List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes“If it is ever possible to diminish fear, it is beautiful to witness.” So says the death doula in Every Ocean Hughes’s recent video installation, One Big Bag (2021). The work—alongside the performances Help the Dead (2019) and River (2023)—is part of a trilogy that considers the intimate process of dying. In One Big Bag, Hughes stages a monologue by a millennial death doula (performed by Lindsay Rico with choreography by Miguel Gutierrez). Surrounded by the objects of her mobile “corpse kit,” the doula assuredly explains her tools: tampons for absorbing fluid, scissors for cutting cloth, bowls for washing, ceremonial bells.

Join the MIT Symphony Orchestra for their first concert of the fall semester! October 23, 2025 8:00pm | Kresge AuditoriumRepertoireRuth Crawford: Rissolty RossoltyGershwin: Piano Concerto in F (Mi-Eun Kim, soloist)Dvorak: Symphony no. 9Adam Boyles, ConductorAbout the MIT Symphony Orchestra The central mission of the MIT Symphony Orchestra is the cultural enhancement of education at MIT by promoting music performance at the highest level of artistic excellence among MIT students, by nurturing new works and young artists, by developing and sustaining the widest possible audience. The orchestra’s repertoire consists of works from the entire symphonic canon, spanning works of the early Baroque era to contemporary compositions, and including music for film and theatre.Compositions by MIT faculty are also part of MITSO’s repertoire. The orchestra recently recorded Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, and has participated in masterclasses with Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Roger Norrington, and Nicholas McGegan. Frequent collaborations with other ensembles such as the MIT Concert Choir, the theater program, with members of the faculty and performances by MITSOlite, a chamber orchestra comprised of MITSO members, are also part of MITSO’s activities.The students in the MIT Symphony Orchestra come from a variety of fields including: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Mathematics, Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Nuclear Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Management, Architecture, and Materials Science & Engineering.

Writing Together Online offers the structured writing time to help you stay focused and productive during the busy fall months. Join our daily 90-minute writing sessions and become part of a community of scholars who connect online, set realistic goals, and write together in the spirit of accountability and camaraderie. We offer writing sessions every workday, Monday through Friday. The program is open to all MIT students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and affiliates who are working on papers, proposals, thesis/dissertation chapters, application materials, and other writing projects.Please register for any number of sessions:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9:00–10:30am (EST) Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00–9:30am and 9:30-11:00am (EST)For more information and to register, go to this link or check the WCC website. Please spread the word and join with colleagues and friends. MIT Students and postdocs who attend at least 5 sessions per challenge will be entered into a gift-card raffle.

Chemistry Student Seminar (CSS) is a student-organized seminar series that host graduate students and postdocs to share their research in a friendly and informal environment. Free donuts and coffee are provided.

The irony of artificial intelligence is that it often reveals more about human intelligence than machines themselves.From AI in the home to robots in the workplace, the presence of AI all around us compels us to question its potential and recognize the risks. What has become clear is that the more we advance AI technology and consider machine ability versus human ability, the more we need to mind the gap.Researchers at MIT have been at the forefront of this evolving field. The work presented in this exhibition builds on the pioneering contributions of figures such as Claude Shannon and Seymour Papert, while highlighting contemporary research that spans computer science, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, and the social sciences.As research probes the connections between human and machine intelligence, it also underscores the profound differences. With AI now embedded in everyday life — from smart assistants in our homes to robots in the workplace — we are challenged to ask critical questions about its potential, its risks, and the boundaries between machine ability and human capability.Join us in shining light on the tremendous promise, unforeseen impacts, and everyday misconceptions of AI in this riveting, interactive exhibition.Learn more about the exhibition.

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.

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.

*Note: unusual time and locationSpeaker: Jonathan Tidor (Princeton University)Title: Discrete geometry, semialgebraic graphs, and the polynomial methodAbstract: Many problems in discrete geometry can naturally be encoded by a structure known as a semialgebraic graph. These include the Erdős unit distance problem, incidence problems involving algebraic objects, and many more. In this talk, I will discuss several new structural and extremal results about semialgebraic graphs. These include a very strong regularity lemma with optimal quantitative bounds as well as progress on the Zarankiewicz problem for semialgebraic graphs. These results are proved via a novel extension of the polynomial method, building upon the polynomial partitioning machinery of Guth–Katz and of Walsh. Based on joint work with Hung-Hsun Hans Yu.

AbstractIt is increasingly difficult to know who—or what—we are interacting with online. Traditional authentication methods prove credentials, not personhood, and AI-generated speech can now convincingly impersonate humans in real time. Autonomous agents can create accounts at scale, while deepfake detectors trained to spot artifacts remain brittle and often fail against new models, codecs, or channels. In high-stakes domains such as secure communications, defense operations, and financial approvals, this uncertainty poses significant risk. Without continuous assurance of human presence, systems remain vulnerable to spoofing.In this talk, I will present witness sensing: the use of auxiliary sensors physically and temporally coupled to media creation, providing hardware-rooted evidence of human origin. Unlike post-hoc detectors, witness sensing verifies authenticity at capture by comparing a primary modality (e.g., audio or video) with a secondary “witness” signal that reflects the same physical act but is difficult to spoof. As an example, I will focus on speech: our embedded prototype fuses radar and microphone sensing to capture articulatory motion, vocal-fold vibration, heartbeat, and respiration, synchronizing these signals with the acoustic waveform to continuously confirm both human presence and the embodied origin of speech. The result is a low-latency, tamper-resistant signal that persists throughout an interaction and remains robust to advances in generative AI.BiographyVisar Berisha is a professor at Arizona State University with a joint appointment in the College of Engineering and the College of Health Solutions, and also serves as Associate Dean for Research Commercialization in the College of Engineering. His research sits at the intersection of speech, AI, and human communication, with a broad focus on developing technologies that improve the human condition. These range from clinical applications of speech AI in healthcare to methods that protect against the risks of generative AI and ensure the authenticity of human communication. His work, supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation, has led to many academic publications and patents, as well as two startups. Berisha’s research has been featured in the New York Times, ESPN, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. He was the International Speech Communication Association's (ISCA) 2023–24 Distinguished Lecturer.

Speaker: Stefan Wager (Stanford University)Title: Learning to Price Electricity for Optimal Demand ResponseAbstract: The time at which renewable (e.g., solar or wind) energy resources produce electricity cannot generally be controlled. In many settings, however, consumers have some flexibility in their energy consumption needs, and there is growing interest in demandresponse programs that leverage this flexibility to shift energy consumption to better match renewable production — thus enabling more efficient utilization of these resources. We study optimal demand response in a setting where consumers use home energy management systems (HEMS) to autonomously adjust their electricity consumption. Our core assumption is that HEMS operationalize flexibility by querying the consumer for their preferences and computing the “indifference set” of all energy consumption profiles that can be used to satisfy these preferences. Then, given an indifference set, HEMS can respond to grid signals while guaranteeing user-defined comfort and functionality; e.g., if a consumer sets a temperature range, a HEMS can precool and preheat to align with peak renewable production, thus improving efficiency without sacrificing comfort. We show that while pricebased mechanisms are not generally optimal for demand response, they become asymptotically optimal in large markets under a mean-field limit. Furthermore, we show that optimal dynamic prices can be efficiently computed in large markets by only querying HEMS about their planned consumption under different price signals. We leverage this result to build an online contextual pricing algorithm, and show it to enable considerable reduction in peak system load in simulators calibrated to a number of major US cities.Biography: Stefan Wager is an associate professor of Operations, Information, and Technology at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, an associate professor of Statistics (by courtesy), and the Philip F. Maritz Faculty Scholar for 2025-26. His research lies at the intersection of causal inference, optimization, and statistical learning. He is particularly interested in developing new solutions to problems in statistics, economics and decision making that leverage recent advances in machine learning. He is currently serving as an associate editor for several publications including Biometrika, Management Science, Operations Research, and the Journal of the American Statistical Association. He has worked with or consulted for several Silicon Valley companies, including Dropbox, Facebook, Google, and Uber.

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