If you need extra time to work on your writing projects this spring, join in-person Writing Together Retreats. These structured writing sessions are designed to help you make progress on your projects while being productive with the peer support of other students and scholars. Additionally, some sessions will feature MIT Librarians, who will be available to provide advice.This program is open to all MIT students, postdocs, faculty, and staff who are actively writing papers, proposals, manuscripts, or thesis chapters.All sessions will take place on Wednesdays. We will provide lunch, drinks, and a conducive ambiance for writing.NOTE: These sessions are co-sponsored by the Writing and Communication Center, MIT Libraries, the Office of Graduate Education, and the Graduate Student Council.

Professor Aaron Bateman from George Washington University will speak at the MIT Security Studies Program's Wednesday Seminar.Drawing from archival work in a half dozen countries, Professor Bateman will discuss how the United States has leveraged allies since the Cold War to secure access to vital real estate abroad that enables it to project power through space. In analyses of space competition, scholars and policy experts have focused on activities in orbit and neglected the global terrestrial infrastructure necessary for military and civilian space operations. Access to overseas territories for basing space infrastructure has long been a source of comparative U.S. advantage and has important implications for U.S. - China competition today.

Abstract: The high-flux free-electron lasers being developed for EUV can also deliver a better wavelength for lithography, i.e., 4.5 nm. This change, together with diffractive microlenses in a maskless lithography scheme, called X-ZPAL, will outperform EUV and lower the cost of semiconductor manufacturing. The elements X-ZPAL will be described along with the innovations resulting from its adoption.Bio: Henry I. Smith is Emeritus Professor at MIT. He, his students and co-workers have contributed a number of innovations to nanoscale science and engineering, including: x-ray lithography, the attenuating phase-shift mask, achromatic-interference lithography, zone-plate-array lithography, interferometric mask alignment and graphoepitaxy.

A martial art known for its many health benefits, tai chi is a moving study in meditation.Designed for small spaces, this class covers fundamental skills including postures, hand, and footwork. A short Yang style tai chi form will be taught.Special clothing is not necessary, but athletic shoes and loose fitting pants are recommended.Registration is required on our wellness class website. If you do not already have an account on this website, you'll need to create one. This is fee-based class and open to the entire MIT community.

ORSEL presents concerts each month, holding space in the Chapel for stillness and reflection — February 12, March 12, and April 9. Drop in anytime and enjoy tasty mORSELs after each concert!Leon Guallart Diaz (April 9)Leon Guallart is an artist from Barcelona, Spain, whose sound has been described as 'a warm hug in the middle of a snowstorm.' His current project, the Comfort: Home Tour, aims to bring warmth and comfort to iconic spaces around the world, designed by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, or Mies van der Rohe. PREVIOUS ARTISTS:Valerie K. Chen, cello (February 12)Join EECS PhD student Valerie K. Chen for a midday contemplation of resilience, reconciliation, and compassion through the voice of the solo cello. Carson Marshall and Umer Piracha (March 12) Violinist and meditation guide Carson Marshall and Sufi vocalist Umer Piracha present a meditative sound experience blending classical violin improvisations with the rich vocal traditions of Sufi Qawwali. This collaboration explores deep listening, presence, and resonance through sustained melodic phrasing, the meditative drone of the tanpura, and immersive vocal textures. Carson Marshall and Natalie Lin Douglas (December 4)Violinist and Meditation guide Carson Marshall and MIT Associate Professor of Music Natalie Lin Douglas present a concert combining guided meditation with live classical music, providing tools for cultivating presence, deep listening, and emotional regulation. Musical selections will include works by Bach, Anna Clyne, and improvisations with violin and Shruti box.Leo Eguchi: UNACCOMPANIED (November 6)MIT Affiliated Artist Leo Eguchi, cello, presents selections from his immigration themed solo performance project, UNACCOMPANIED, featuring newly commissioned works by immigrant and first generation American composers.Evan Ziporyn: Sonic Holograms (October 2)Evan Ziporyn, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music at MIT & Faculty Director of MIT CAST, weaves live clarinet, bass clarinet, wind synth, effects boxes and loop pedals into a multidimensional, immersive and meditative auditory journey.Christine Southworth: Mushroom Modulations (September 4)Multi-media composer and MIT alum Christine Southworth will make music by “listening” to slight electrical variations in live colonies she has grown via electrodes placed on different parts of the fruiting growth and converted to sound.

Have some fun(nel) on a tunnel or sun(nel) walk! Join us for a 30-minute volunteer-led walk either through MIT’s famous tunnel system or around Killian Court. As the weather gets warmer, walk leaders may choose to take the group outside. Is the weather warm and you missed the start? Find the group on Killian Court and join in!Sun(nel) Walk Leaders will identify themselves by holding a white flag at the meeting location.Location details: Meet in the atrium by the staircase. [See image below]Prize Drawing: Attend a walk and scan a QR code from the walk leaders to be entered into a drawing for a getfit canvas boat tote bag at the end of the getfit challenge. The more walks you attend, the more entries you get. Winner will be drawn and notified at the end of April. Winner does not need to be a getfit participant.Disclaimer: Tunnel walks are led by volunteers. In the rare occasion when a volunteer isn’t able to make it, we will do our best to notify participants. In the event we are unable to notify participants and a walk leader does not show up, we encourage you to walk as much as you feel comfortable doing so. We recommend checking this calendar just before you head out.Getfit is a 12-week fitness challenge for the entire MIT community. These tunnel walks are open to the entire MIT community and you do not need to be a current getfit participant to join.