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!

Keep yourself accountable and meet your resolutions! Writing Together Online offers structured writing time to help you stay focused and productive throughout the IAP. We hold writing sessions every weekday, Monday through Friday, 9-10:30am. 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. 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.Register for IAP Writing ChallengeStarting on Mon, Jan 6th, through Fri, Jan 31st Mon-Fri 9-10:30am (Eastern Time)Those who attend at least 5 sessions during the IAP will be automatically entered into the raffle of gift-card prizes taking place on Fri, Jan 31st at 10:30am. The more you participate, the more times you will be entered into the raffle of prizes.For more information and to register, check the WCC website. Please spread the word and join with peers and friends.

Hacker Fab is an open-source initiative that provides blueprints, build instructions, and process knowledge for making nanofabrication machines and using them to create integrated circuits. Over IAP, join us for our course consisting of very brief lectures + guided build sessions, in which we will construct a photolithography stepper, spin coater, magnetron sputterer, and work towards the fabrication of diodes and transistors from scratch. The final build session will feature a short lecture and guidance from BreakingTaps!Hacker Fab will be sticking around at MIT after IAP, and is looking for student leaders that would be interested in taking ownership of project directions into the academic year.Please join the Hacker Fab Discord here and assign yourself a role as an MIT student: https://discord.gg/zfssVDC9

Monday, January 27-Friday, January 31, 2025 9:00 am - 1:00 pm ET each day (5 classes) Location: 3-133 Register by Saturday, January 25. Email Pablo Duenas (pduenas@mit.edu)For the 16th consecutive year, this five-session hands-on learning experience continues to evolve, delving into mathematical modeling to understand and accelerate the transition toward net-zero targets. With a primary focus on electricity systems, the course examines their pivotal role in a carbon-constrained economy. Participants will address critical challenges, such as the deployment of renewable energy resources, the surge in active demand response and electric vehicle integration, the synergies between electricity and hydrogen to support deep decarbonization, and the pending expansion of energy access in non-electrified areas of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. These challenges require advanced mathematical models for optimizing and analyzing complex decision-making processes. In addition to theoretical insights, the course offers practical tools, enabling participants to run case studies and explore the impact of different mathematical formulations. Real-world applications will be showcased to underscore the power to inform key stakeholders and public opinion, providing a robust foundation for driving collective action toward a net-zero future.No prior experience is required, although basic familiarity with Python and Julia programming can be helpful. Participants are welcome to attend individual sessions.Monday, January 27Part 0: How mathematical models contribute to achieving the net-zero target on timeCarbon emitters, decarbonization solutions, and the pivotal role of electricityLeveraging models to inform policymakers, stakeholders, and public opinionIntroduction to fundamentals on optimization techniquesPart 1: Removing carbon emissions at the community levelScheduling a decarbonized Home Energy Management System (HEMS)Energy communities and enabling active participation of buildingsTuesday, January 28Part 2: Removing carbon emissions from daily electricity productionUnit-Commitment (UC): daily dispatch of electricity generation unitsManaging uncertainty through stochastic optimization of UCWednesday, January 29Part 3: Removing carbon emissions from annual electricity productionMedium-term operation planningManaging uncertainty through stochastic hydro-thermal coordinationPart 4: The network as the backbone of electric systemsUnderstanding the role of the electricity networkManaging network constraints with Locational Marginal PricingThursday, January 30Part 5: Models for informing utility-scale investmentsBasic concepts: optimal mix problem by screening curvesDOLPHYN: an expansion model for studying low-carbon energy futuresFriday, January 31Part 6: Electrification and energy transition: openTEPES, REM, DECARBopenTEPES: informing infrastructure needs across AfricaREM: developing national electrification plans worldwideDECARB: is the distribution grid ready for wide electrification?InstructorsPablo Duenas, Research Scientist, MIT Energy Initiative (pduenas@mit.edu)Andres Ramos, Professor, Universidad Pontificia Comillas (arght@mit.edu)Javier Garcia-Gonzalez, Professor, Universidad Pontificia Comillas (javiergg@mit.edu)Ruaridh Macdonald, Energy Systems Research Lead, MIT Energy Initiative (rmacd@mit.edu)Yifu Ding, Postdoctoral Associate, MIT Energy Initiative (yifuding@mit.edu)Invited speakersGraham Turk, Deputy Director of Utility Regulation, Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed when you sit down to write? Are you ever immobilized by the thought of all the work that’s before you? This writing retreat will transform your writing sessions by teaching you how to quickly clarify what needs to be done, what to do first, and how much to do. In the Ready, Set, Flow Writing Retreat, you will:Understand why it’s so hard to figure out where to startLearn a proven strategy for jumpstarting every writing sessionQuiet your doubts so you can write with focusExperience the boost in motivation that comes from writing with othersBy the end of the retreat, you’ll have made significant progress on your manuscript. And you’ll have a powerful tool you can use to boost your productivity--every time you sit down to write.About Your FacilitatorReady, Set, Flow is facilitated by Michelle Boyd, PhD., Founder and Director of InkWell Academic Writing Retreats. Michelle is an award-winning writer, scholar, and former tenured associate professor from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She has been leading retreats since 2012, when she co-founded and coached her first retreat at UIC. Three years later, she left faculty life to create InkWell, where she helps scholars who dread writing develop a sustainable, satisfying, productive writing practice.This event is open to SHASS faculty, senior lecturers, graduate students, post-docs, and pre-docs.