Yang Sheng "Life Nourishing" Qigong is an extremely powerful tool for bringing out one's natural human potential and optimal fitness. Physical health and mental well being are a direct result of the practice.The core of our training is 'Zhan Zhuang' (Standing Meditation). It is designed to activate 'Zheng Qi' (True or Proper Qi). The effects of this training are rapid with deep therapeutic results producing a unified and balanced 'mind, body, and breath.'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.

A celebration of creativity and community at MITArtfinity is a new festival of the arts at MIT featuring 80 free performing and visual arts events, celebrating creativity and community at the Institute. Artfinity launches with the opening of the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building on February 15, 2025, continues with a concentration of events February 28-March 16, and culminates with the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts public lecture by 2025 recipient artist and designer Es Devlin on May 1, 2025, and a concert by Grammy-winning rapper and Visiting Professor Lupe Fiasco on May 2, 2025. Artfinity embodies MIT’s commitment to creativity, community, and the intersection of art, science and technology. We invite you to join us in this celebration, explore the diverse events, and experience the innovative spirit that defines the arts at MIT.About the Artists Artfinity features the innovative work of MIT faculty, students, staff, and alumni, alongside guest artists from the Greater Boston area and beyond.About the Activities & Events All 80 events are open to the public, including dozens of concerts and performances plus an array of visual arts such as projections, films, installations, exhibitions, and augmented reality experiences, as well as lectures and workshops for attendees to participate in. With a wide range of visual and performing arts events open to all, Artfinity embodies MIT’s commitment to the arts and the intersection of art, science, and technology.About the Presenters Artfinity is an institute-sponsored event organized by the Office of the Arts at MIT with faculty leads Institute Professor of Music Marcus Thompson and Professor of Art, Culture and Technology Azra Akšamija. Departments, labs, centers, and student groups across MIT are presenting partners.Visit arts.mit.edu for more information about the arts at MIT.

Time: 1:00 PMLocation: Newport, RI

Time: 12:00 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Tuesday, April 29, 202510–11 AM46-3310 (Picower Seminar Room)Zoom: https://mit.zoom.us/j/98400785840?pwd=az5ljtDhAzxy38pgmXxl6fcHV0rmtM.1Title: Oligodendrocyte progenitor heterogeneity in normal aging and neurodegenerationAbstract:Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are one of the four major glial cell types in the central nervous system (CNS). As their name suggests, OPCs are primarily defined by their capacity to differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes that form myelin sheaths around the axons in the CNS. However, OPCs continue to tile the adult CNS long after developmental myelination has concluded, and they contribute sparingly to oligodendrocyte turnover, suggesting that OPCs play important roles beyond OL replacement. To define the possible space of non-canonical OPC functions in the adult brain, I construct a transcriptomic atlas at single-cell resolution to reveal patterns of heterogeneity at local and global scales of anatomical organization. First, I characterize OPC heterogeneity in the pathologically normal human brain. I profile cells from prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, and striatum of 156 unique donor individuals. Across all sampled brain regions, I identify a subset of OPCs that is characterized by an angiogenic gene signature and hypothesize that these cells are perivascular OPCs that associate closely with the cerebrovascular endothelium. Furthermore, I find significant differences in gene expression between cortical and striatal OPCs which may correspond to functional specializations that support local neuronal function. Second, I profile OPCs from the dorsal striatum of four mouse models. I find a distinct reactive subpopulation whose abundance increases with age and neuropathological burden. Additionally, I perform a comparative analysis of human and mouse OPCs. OPC gene expression profiles are broadly conserved across species, but the proposed perivascular OPC signature is unique to humans. Third, I characterize OPC transcriptomic dysregulation in two human neurodegenerative proteinopathies: Huntington’s disease (HD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In HD, I find that OPCs display signs of stem cell exhaustion, consistent with hypotheses of precocious OPC differentiation. In AD, I find evidence for increased mTORC2 activity and glutathione biosynthesis, reflecting a marked cellular response to oxidative stress. Together, this work deepens our understanding of OPC biology in the adult CNS and highlights areas for future study of OPC-specific contributions to neurodegenerative diseases.

Don't miss our final Coffee & Conversations event of the academic year!Embrace MIT's Values of Belonging and Community! Connect with people you know and those you don't, share ideas, and build meaningful relationships over a cup of coffee and a light snack!