Date: Dec 09th, 2025 4:00 pm - 5:00 pmLocation: Building 46, Room 3189Speaker: Ni Y. Feng, Ph.D. Assistant Professor. Biology Department, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, College of Integrative Sciences, Wesleyan UniversityTitle: Hormones, behavior, and the brain: mechanisms of mammalian hibernationAbstract:Hibernation is an extreme energy conservation strategy that enables diverse vertebrate species to withstand extended periods of resource scarcity. In mammals, hibernation is characterized by profound, coordinated, and reversible changes in major physiological pathways, including those regulating metabolism, thermoregulation, and cardiovascular function. In addition, hibernators experience dramatic seasonal cycles in basic survival drives such as hunger, thirst, and reproduction. In most hibernating mammals, multiweek torpor bouts are periodically interrupted by brief periods of rewarming known as interbout arousals (IBAs). These torpor–arousal cycles occur 20–30 times during a typical hibernation season and are essential for survival, though their underlying neuroendocrine regulation remains poorly understood. My research uses the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) as a model to investigate the behavioral, hormonal, and neural mechanisms that orchestrate these extreme physiological adaptations. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels are uniquely tractable for laboratory studies, permitting the use of modern neuroscience tools such as in-vivo calcium imaging to observe neural activity in real time as animals move through the hibernation cycle. In my talk, I will discuss how hibernators survive up to eight months without water, how they preserve muscle despite months of immobility and starvation, and why even fat-storing species still hoard food in preparation for hibernation. I will also share reflections on doing this work in a small liberal arts research environment, where students play an integral role in every stage of scientific discovery.

David Berger (Duke Univ.)

☛ Special Seminar ☚Speaker: Osama Khalil (University of Illinois Chicago) - 3:00 PM to 4:00 PMSpeaker: Erwan Faou (INRIA Bretagne Atlantique & IRMAR) 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM

Free and open to all.Join us for a free, all levels yoga class! Led by Spira Politis of The Embody School, the class will begin gently and gradually increase in intensity, moving slowly and holding poses longer to focus on internal awareness of sensation.This class will take place indoors in the MIT Welcome Center. Please bring a yoga mat and wear layers as needed. All participants must sign a waiver - please register online in advance to do so, or arrive a few minutes early to complete one on site.This fall fitness class is presented in collaboration with the East Cambridge Business Association - check out the other events in this series:Dirty Water Fitness | September 16th, 6-7pmOutdoor Yoga with The Embody School | October 7th, 6-7pmDirty Water Fitness | November 4th, 6-7pm

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.