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.

*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.

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.

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.

Join us next Friday, October 24th, 12–1PM in 10-401 (Fish Bowl) for a talk with Brian Smith, Director of QLAB, and Alex Marshall, MIT MArch '13 alum and Vice President at Quarra Stone Company.Founded in 1989 with just six craftsmen, Quarra Stone Company has grown into one of the leading architectural stone fabricators in the U.S. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Quarra bridges centuries-old craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. From hand carving and 3D scanning to robotic milling and digital modeling.Their projects span from the U.S. Capitol to House of Horns by WOJR to contemporary art installations such as MIT’s own Officer Sean Collier Memorial, translating design intent into enduring material form. This work not only preserves stone’s ancient legacy but redefines its role in shaping today’s built environment.

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

Speaker: Yasuyuki Kawahigashi (University of Tokyo)Title: Modular invariance as completenessAbstract: We discuss the physical meaning of modular invariance for two-dimensional unitary conformal quantum field theories. For QFT models, while T invariance is necessary for locality, S invariance is not mandatory. The S invariance is a form of completeness of the theory that has a precise meaning as Haag duality for arbitrary multi-interval regions. We present a mathematical proof and its physical interpretation. For rational CFT's, the failure of modular invariance or Haag duality can be measured by an index, related to the quantum dimensions of the model. We show how to compute this index from the modular transformation matrices. This is a joint work with V. Benedetti, H. Casini, R. Longo, and J. M. Magan.Zoom: https://mit.zoom.us/j/93615455445. For the Passcode, please contact Pavel Etingof at etingof@math.mit.edu.

Mastering complexity at reacting electrode interfaces: from better batteries to high-performance CO2 capture-conversionBetar M. Gallant Kendall Rohsenow Associate ProfessorReactive interfaces are an inherent part of many key electrochemical decarbonization technologies and underpin their distinctive functions, from enabling the reversible cycling of unstable electrode materials in next-generation batteries to fine-tuning product selectivity in electrocatalytic reactions. In this talk, I will explore two examples that highlight how an unruly electrochemical interface—and the resulting device performance—can be powerfully modulated through the design of advanced electrolytes.First, I will discuss our efforts to identify quantitative, universal design descriptors of the lithium (Li) metal anode solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which sensitively governs the Li Coulombic efficiency (CE), across diverse electrolyte classes and describe how these insights are unlocking new, high-performance electrolyte design strategies.Second, I will highlight our development of conversion processes that reduce CO₂ directly from the captured (liquid sorbent-bound) state, where selectivity for desired reduction products depends exquisitely on competition among multiple reactants at the electrode interface. Once revealed, this competition can be exploited to powerfully alter reaction outcomes.Bio: Betar M. Gallant obtained her SB (’08), SM (’10), and PhD (’13) degrees from the MIT MechE department, following which she was a Kavli Nanoscience Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Her research group focuses on advanced chemistries and materials for high-energy primary and rechargeable batteries, including fluorinated cathode conversion reactions and lithium, sodium, and calcium metal anodes and their interfaces. Her group is also leading research into electrochemical CO2 capture including its integration with direct electrochemical conversion. She is the recipient of multiple awards including an Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Battery Division Early Career Award, an ECS-Toyota Young Investigator Award, the ACS Energy & Fuels Division Glenn Award, the ECS Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award, the MIT Faculty Founders $100k Breakthrough Prize, ACS Energy & Fuels Rising Star award, and the Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Distinguished Teaching at MIT. She is a co-founder of HaloGen Power, which is commercializing the highest-energy lithium primary battery to be brought to market based on chemistry developed in her group. Prof. Gallant is the Faculty Director for the MIT-GE Vernova Energy and Climate Alliance and also serves as the Energy Storage flagship lead for the Tata-MIT Alliance.

Join us in song! Come sing with the Concert Choir - Music will be provided for all!Lobby 10 "Memorial Lobby"Conducted by Ryan Turner.ABOUT MIT CONCERT CHOIRThe MIT Concert Choir, directed by Ryan Turner, is a large choral group open by audition to both graduate and undergraduate students, and to members of the MIT community. The Concert Choir is a social, academic and musical ensemble in which students learn and perform major works from the standard repertoire, as well as selected shorter and lesser-known pieces. Rehearsals culminate in a public performance each semester that is often accompanied by a professional orchestra and soloists. When appropriate, student soloists are also featured. You can find a more detailed history of MIT's Concert Choir here.

Join us for a conversation between Syrian-Armenian-American storyteller and Hakawati founder Sona Tatoyan and Lebanese-Armenian-Canadian-American Entrepreneur and Moderna Co-Founder Noubar Afeyan, two visionary Armenian diaspora leaders bound by heritage and a shared mission to heal the world: one through art and the other through science. Hear how they turned their genocidal legacies and experience with oppressive regimes into triumphant acts of resilience, creativity, and healing. Learn how they innovate and iterate to create groundbreaking work in the arts and sciences. How does storytelling heal societal wounds? Can scientific leaps mirror artistic epiphanies and vice versa? How do their legacies inform their work and mission? What advice do they have for scientists and artists working in today’s climate? They will discuss these questions and more.Moderated by Professor Lerna Ekmekcioglu.📅 Friday, October 24, 6-7:30 PM📍 MIT Museum, 314 Main Street, Lee Family Exchange Space, Cambridge, MA 02142

Food before and after. Screening to start at 7pm.In Search of Bengali Harlem Watch the Trailer Documentary | 84 Minutes | USA | English/Bengali Directed by Vivek Bald and Alaudin Ullah Produced by Susannah Ludwig, Vivek Bald, Alaudin Ullah Edited by Beyza BoyaciogluWith music by: Vijay Iyer, Zakir Hussain, Ganavya, Imani Uzuri, Yosvany Terry, and Anik KhanFree and Open to the PublicPlease join us for a screening of Vivek Bald’s award-winning feature documentary In Search of Bengali Harlem, followed by a discussion with Prof. Bald and the film’s Editor and Co-Writer, Beyza Boyacioglu (MSc, MIT Comparative Media Studies, 2019), led and moderated by students and members of Cambridge/Boston’s South Asian communities. The event is made possible by the MIT Humanities Insight Collaborative and is in collaboration with community partner SubDrift Boston. It is sponsored by the departments of Comparative Media Studies/Writing and Art, Culture, and Technology, with additional support from the Asian American Initiative and the South Asian Association of Students.As a teen in 1980s New York, Alaudin Ullah was swept up by the revolutionary energy of hip-hop. He rebelled against his Muslim immigrant parents and rejected his Bangladeshi roots. Now an actor and playwright navigating post-9/11 Islamophobia, he embarks on a journey to tell the stories of the parents he never truly knew. IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM follows Alaudin on this profound quest from the tenements of mid-20th-century Harlem to the villages of present-day Bangladesh, revealing the lost, intertwined histories of South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans and the challenges and necessity of inter-generational healing.“In Search of Bengali Harlem is remarkable in the way it tells the decades-long story of the Bengali community’s integration in Harlem, and the way Black and Brown people found each other, peeling back layer after deeply personal layer of one subject’s life. With a charismatic lead and beautiful musical accompaniment, this film provides a unique perspective of the immigrant experience and honors the singular place New York City has held throughout America’s history.” – Juror’s Statement, DOC NYC 2022, Metropolis Competition.

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

Time: 6:30 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 6:30 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Time: 6:00 PMLocation: Babson Park, MA

MIT’s Annual Family Weekend ConcertSonic Innovations—Celebrating maverick musiciansFriday, October 24, 2025/8:00 p.m.Kresge Auditorium, MITMIT Wind Ensemble, MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble & MIT Vocal Jazz EnsembleFrederick Harris, Jr., Music DirectorKenneth Amis, Assistant ConductorLaura Grill Jaye, Music DirectorJoin gifted MIT musicians for a thrilling evening of music by artists who have made a mark in their respective genres. The MIT Wind Ensemble performs Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Valerie Coleman’s Roma, Eric Witacre’s October, and Kenneth Amis’ arrangement of Dvořák’s rousing Slavonic Dance No. 3. The MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble performs a high-spirited set of pieces by Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, and Count Basie.Reserve tickets here!If you cannot attend this performance, we encourage you to watch via livestream.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.Don't miss a downbeat! Click here to subscribe to the Events Newsletter.