Global Languages is happy to offer a non-credit class, Introduction to American Sign Language, during IAP 2025. Ten sessions will be held from January 6 to January 20, 2026, from 10:00 – 11:30 am. This is a virtual / Zoom class. (No class on Monday, January 19th due to MLK Jr holiday)This non-credit IAP class is an introduction to elementary aspects of American Sign Language and to Deaf culture for those with no prior experience. Sessions will focus on gaining specific areas of basic understanding/competency which can be applied to later introductory studies of ASL. Participants will also interact with topics including the role of ASL in Deaf history, current culture, and others.Sessions will be led by Andrew Bottoms. Andrew Bottoms was born and raised in a Deaf family from North Carolina and American Sign Language (ASL) is his native language. Bottoms graduated from Gallaudet University with two bachelor degrees, one in American Sign Language (ASL) and the other in Deaf Studies.Enrollment is limited to 20 participants with the expectation of attendance at all 10 sessions. Open to members of the MIT community.Registration opens November 24 at 2:00pm, using this link (Kerberos credentials required): Intro to ASL Application Form.Registration will close on December 6th, or sooner if an excessive number of applications are received before the deadline. All registrants will be contacted by December 13th with confirmation of enrollment or information on placement in a wait list (in the event of over-enrollment).For more information contact languages@mit.edu.

MIT Theater PresentsA Dream Like a Dream如夢之夢a play by Stan Lai 賴聲川directed by Jay Scheib with Xinyu Xu '25A meteor of the Chinese contemporary theater told through the eyes of over 100 characters onstage, offstage, backstage, and beyond from Shanghai to Paris and back. Paths intertwine and aspirations collide along a spiral littered with life in an epic and immersive meditation on our most unexpected and unfathomable desires, passionate loves, losses, jubilance, loneliness, and laughter...Performed by MIT Students and members of the MIT communityDesigned by Joseph Lark-Riley, Christian Frederickson, Shanise DeSilva, Anna Borou Yu, Peter Torpey, and Xinyu Xu; Director of Production Maggie Moore; Stage management by Debra Acquavella, and Joanna Xuanye Su; Directed by Jay Scheib with Xinyu Xu '25All Performances at Building W97 Theater345 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139Part 1 — Thursday, November 13 at 7:30pmPart 2 — Friday, November 14 at 7:30pmParts 1 + 2 (with included meal break) Saturday, November 15 at 3:30pm + 7:30pmPart 1 — Thursday, November 20 at 7:30pmPart 2 — Friday, November 21 at 7.30pmParts 1 + 2 (with included meal break) Saturday, November 22 at 3:30pm + 7:30pmEach part is a stand-alone performance. Audiences may see Part 1, Part 2, or both either on the same day or on separate days. Both of the “marathon,” two-part days will include a beautiful meal by Taiwanese restaurant, Mu Lan.For questions please reach out to both Yi Tu and Maggie Moore via yitu@mit.edu and mooremag@mit.edu.

Time: 12:00 PMLocation: Worcester, MA

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.

Imagine different worlds in Cosmograph: Speculative Fictions for the New Space Age, an exhibition that brings art and science together to examine possible futures where outer space is both a frontier for human exploration and a new territory for exploitation and development by private enterprise.We are living at the dawn of a New Space Age. What will the future hold? Will space elevators bring humanity's space junk to turn it into useful material here on Earth? Will asteroid mining be the next frontier in prospecting? Will the promise of geo-engineering turn into a nightmare of unintended consequences?Explore these possibilities and more in our new exhibition that blurs the lines between fact and fantasy, and art and science.