Professor Risa Brooks from Marquette University will speak at the MIT Security Studies Program's Wednesday Seminar.Summary: In this seminar, Risa Brooks will discuss how political leaders transform professional militaries into partisan aligned forces in eroding democracies. Building from theories of norm change, her research conceptualizes the process as one of "norm replacement," using examples from the United States and beyond to illustrate the argument.

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

PPSM Seminar

Speaker: Gurbir Dhilon (University of California, Los Angeles)

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 Location: 46-3002 (Singleton Auditorium)Speaker: Vikaas Sohal, M.D., Ph.D. Affiliation: Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San FranciscoHost: Dr. Linlin FanTalk title and abstract to be provided later….

Speaker: Raphael Pestourie (Georgia Tech)Title:Abstract: