A series of talks on OR-related topics. For more information see: https://orc.mit.edu/seminars-events/

Workplaces have traditionally been viewed as “straight spaces” in which queer people passed. As a result, historians have directed limited attention to the experiences of queer people on the job. Queer Career rectifies this, offering an expansive historical look at sexual minorities in the modern American workforce. Arguing that queer workers were more visible than hidden and, against the backdrop of state aggression, vulnerable to employer exploitation, Prof. Margot Canaday positions employment and fear of job loss as central to gay life in postwar America.

Silent Meditation in the Chapel on Thursdays 6-8pm, open to everyone in the MIT Community. Some sessions include Guided Meditation at 6:30pm.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of gorgeous music, bel canto singing, disguises, hijinks and hilarity as Pico Opera presents Rossini's classic comedic opera, Il Conte Ory (also performed as Le Comte Ory). This intimate, fully staged production will be performed in Italian with English titles, accompanied by our one-man orchestra, Pianist Andrew Wang. All seats will be within 10 rows of the stage on stadium seating, ensuring a fully immersive and truly unique opera experience. Don't miss out on this opportunity to experience the magic of opera up close and personal!Ticket includes refreshments, desserts, and an opportunity to meet the cast at the post-show receptionSynopsis: The illustrious Count Ory is at it again, with no disguise too ridiculous and no plot too audacious in his quest to seduce the women of Touraine while the townsmen are away at war.A Rossini masterpiece, this high-flying opera is thrillingly fast-paced musically and dramatically. More commonly performed in French as Le Comte Ory, the gender-bending, bawdy humor of Il Conte Ory was considered too racy to be performed in Rossini’s native Italy in 1828. Pico Opera brings Il Conte Ory to the stage in Cambridge for an unforgettable evening of big laughs, big arias, and big ensembles. Don’t miss out on the Count’s misadventures, nor those of Isoliero and The Countess Adele to give him his just deserts!Ticket Availability: Online orders are now open (no fees, thanks to Zeffy!). Tickets will also be sold at the door on a first-come, first-served basis until the house sells out.Tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pico-opera-presents-il-conte-ory-also-performed-as-le-comte-ory-by-gioachino-rossiniAbout Us: Founded in 2023, Pico Opera is an MIT-born community-based opera company performing intimate productions of bel canto masterworks in the Boston/Cambridge area. We are excited to share this beautiful music with you, up close and personal!Follow us and see our full performance schedule!Cast:Srinivasan Raghuraman, Conte OryAllison Hami--, La contessa AdeleTess Carney, RagondaRuofei Jia, IsolieroHenry Hu, RobertoCarles Boix, L'AjoTong-Tong Ye, AliceEvan Yao, Un cavalierePico Opera Chorus, Peasants/soldiers/con-artists/etc.Accompanied on Piano by Andrew WangPico Scenes Soloists:Kathy Trafton (mezzo), RosinaAlex Robinson (baritone), Figaro

Time: 1:00 PMLocation: Boston, MA

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.

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