In this activity each student will learn about the design and construction of a mechanical watch. The student will take apart a watch movement and put it back together, with instruction from Jason Champion (instructor from the AWCI: American Watchmakers and Clockmakers Institute), with help from Jack Kurdzionak and Steve Boynton (professional watchmakers), and Prof. Gerry Sussman (an amateur watchmaker). The entire exercise will take 4 hours. Each session will be limited to 8 students. Students need no prior experience, and all tools and materials will be provided by the instructors, as needed.Enrollment is limited. You must sign up for one of the 4-hour sessions:Saturday, 25 January 2025, 9am-1pmSaturday, 25 January 2025, 2:30pm-6:30pmSunday, 26 January 2025, 9am-1pmSunday, 26 January 2025, 2:30pm-6:30pmRegistration is now closed. If you wish to be added to the waitlist for one of the sessions, please email Cindy Rosenthal (crosenth@mit.edu).As part of this activity Professor Sussman will give a lecture on the theory of the mechanical watch and its relationship to an electronic impulse-driven oscillator. There will be a discussion of friction (resistance) and its effect on Q and timing precision. The lecture will explain why it is essential for the impulse to be supplied to the oscillator at the zero crossings of the angle, and why the oscillator will enter a limit cycle of a known amplitude.The lecture is open to the MIT community. It will be from 11:30am-12:30pm, in 34-101 on Friday, 24 January.

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

Experience the magic of opera up close and personal at the Multicultural Arts Center with Pico Opera's I Puritani, by Vincenzo Bellini—an unforgettable evening of gorgeous bel canto singing, madness, passion and drama!Join us for an unforgettable evening of gorgeous music, bel canto singing, madness, passion and drama as Pico Opera presents our final night of I Puritani. This intimate, fully staged production will be performed in Italian with English titles. 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 at The Multicultural Arts Center!Synopsis: In the midst of the English civil war, two unlikely lovers, Puritan Elvira and Royalist Arturo, are about to be united in marriage. But when Arturo discovers his queen held captive in the Puritan fortress, he makes a daring escape with her, leaving Elvira at the altar and launching a whirlwind of heartache, madness and vengeful patriotism.When and Where: 5-8:30pm on Saturday, December 7th 2024 at The Multicultural Arts Center (41 Second Street Cambridge, MA 02141). Doors open at 4:30pm.Tickets: Reserve your tickets on EventBrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-puritani-by-vincenzo-bellini-tickets-1118401512029). Tickets will also be sold at the door on a first-come, first-served basis until the house sells out. All proceeds go toward costs of the production.General admission: $25About Us: Founded in 2023, Pico Opera is a new, 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! Please visit our website for more information: https://www.picoopera.org/. Our concert performances feature an extremely diverse group of MIT students, alumni and affiliates with a shared love for classical music.We have had the privilege of growing as musicians through the various music programs at MIT and the support of the Council for the Arts at MIT (CAMIT), as well as faculty and staff at MIT MTA. This performance serves as an homage to the vital role these people have played in our lives.

Experience the magic of opera up close and personal at the Multicultural Arts Center with Pico Opera's I Puritani, by Vincenzo Bellini—an unforgettable evening of gorgeous bel canto singing, madness, passion and drama!Join us for an unforgettable evening of gorgeous music, bel canto singing, madness, passion and drama as Pico Opera presents I Puritani. This intimate, fully staged production will be performed in Italian with English titles. 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 at the Multicultural Arts Center!Synopsis: In the midst of the English civil war, two unlikely lovers, Puritan Elvira and Royalist Arturo, are about to be united in marriage. But when Arturo discovers his queen held captive in the Puritan fortress, he makes a daring escape with her, leaving Elvira at the altar and launching a whirlwind of heartache, madness and vengeful patriotism.When and Where: 5-8:30pm on Sunday, January 26th 2025 at the Multicultural Arts Center (41 Second St, East Cambridge). Doors open at 4:30pm.Tickets: Reserve your tickets on EventBrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-puritani-by-vincenzo-bellini-tickets-1118401512029). Tickets will also be sold at the door on a first-come, first-served basis until the house sells out. All proceeds go toward costs of the production.General admission: $25About Us: Founded in 2023, Pico Opera is a new, 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! Please visit our website for more information: https://www.picoopera.org/. Our concert performances feature an extremely diverse group of MIT students and affiliates with a shared love for classical music.We have had the privilege of growing as musicians through the various music programs at MIT and the support of the faculty and staff at MIT MTA. This performance serves as an homage to the vital role these people have played in our lives.

Roll the Dice at Board Games Night!Join us on Sunday, January 26th, for an evening of fun, strategy, and pizza in the Westgate Basement. Whether you're a board game enthusiast or a beginner, this is the perfect chance to meet fellow residents, try out new games, and enjoy some delicious pizza!We'll have a variety of games available, and all experience levels are welcome. Pizza will be provided, so please RSVP below to help us estimate how much to order. This event is intended for adults only - thanks!Looking forward to a night of friendly competition and great company! 🎲

Gaia is a space telescope that measures the position and velocities of stars in the Milky Way. People of different levels will be accessing this data in the same room, and collaborating on new and exciting projects. If you have ideas on what to use the new data release for, great! Come in for the snacks and the company. If not, we have some fun projects for you, and a day full of tutorials! So join in! Prizes will be given! Register by January 15th!