The slogan “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow” has become a rallying cry since 2022, drawing parallels between Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and China’s increasing military intimidation of Taiwan. With U.S. foreign policy under a second Trump administration tilting more toward Russia, the future of these two flashpoints remains uncertain. Are Ukraine and Taiwan on increasingly similar trajectories? What lessons emerge from these crises, and how might they shape strategic responses?Speaker: Alicia Chen, an award-winning journalist from Taiwan, has covered the war in Ukraine and reported from Taiwan for The Washington Post amid escalating tensions with China. Having directly witnessed the complexities of both situations, she will share her on-the-ground experiences and examine where the comparisons hold—and where they fall short.Moderator: Elizabeth Wood, Ford International Professor of History at MIT, founding director of the MIT Ukraine Program, and co-director of the MIT-Eurasia Program.Lunch will be available at 11:45am. RSVP here.Contact Kate Danahy at kdanahy@mit.edu with any questions.

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

Join MIT.nano for our March Seminar!Saptarshi Das, PhDAckley Professor of Engineering, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State UniversityDate: March 17, 2025 Time: 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET Location: Building 34, Room 401 (Grier Room) Reception to followRegisterABSTRACTIn this talk, Prof. Das will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), advanced materials, and novel computing architectures, focusing on the development of bio-inspired circuits for neuromorphic and edge sensing applications.By leveraging the unique properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as MoS2, WSe2, and graphene, Das will demonstrate their potential in enabling energy-efficient, scalable, and highly adaptable circuits that emulate biological neural systems. These circuits are particularly well-suited for edge computing and sensing tasks, where compactness and power efficiency are critical.One example of this approach is leveraging AI and machine learning (ML) to enhance the performance of graphene-based electronic tongue for food safety, environmental monitoring, and healthcare applications (Nature, 634, 572–578, 2024). Furthermore, Das and his research group have demonstrated bio-inspired computing paradigms that replicate complex biological processes, including auditory processing in barn owls, collision avoidance in locusts, probabilistic computing in dragonflies, and multisensory integration in octopuses. By combining 2D materials with bio-inspired principles, they are paving the way for compact, functionally diverse integrated circuits that harness the power of neuromorphic processing.Finally, beyond bio-inspired circuit design, Das will delve into the transformative potential of monolithic 3D integration using emerging 2D field-effect transistors (FETs). Their recent breakthroughs in wafer-scale 2-tier and 3-tier 3D integration with MoS2 and WSe2 FETs have enabled the realization of multifunctional circuits, paving the way for the next generation of logic and memory devices (Nature, 625, 276-281, 2024). These advancements are critical for overcoming the limitations of conventional scaling and unlocking new possibilities in high-density, low-power electronics, particularly for mimicking the three-dimensional structure of the brain.BIOGRAPHYDr. Das received his B.Eng. degree (2007) in electronics and telecommunication engineering from Jadavpur University, India, and his Ph.D. degree (2013) in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University. He was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar (2013-2015) and Assistant Research Scientist (2015-2016) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Dr. Das joined the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) at Pennsylvania State University in January 2016.Dr. Das received the Young Investigator Award from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research in 2017 and the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award in 2021. The Das Research Group at Penn State focuses on 2D microelectronics for monolithic 3D integration, bio-inspired sensing, neuromorphic computing, and hardware security.

Abstract:To stimulate rural development, the Indian state of West Bengal is promoting homestay tourism in the district of Kalimpong, on the state’s mountainous margins. This talk situates the homestay market within a broader late capitalist “economy of retreat.” The economy of retreat is an analytical framework for considering the re-valuation of domestic space amid interlinked agrarian, economic, and climate crises. As climate change upends rural livelihoods and threatens urban livability, domestic spaces, and domestic labors, have become renewed sites of political and economic potential. The economy of retreat entails a meeting of urban anxiety with agrarian precarity. This turns homes into environmentally and socially volatile spaces, but also into spaces of new speculative opportunity. Attention to this double movement permits scholars to trace the relationship between capitalism and climate change not in disaster or salvage accumulation but in the material and affective work of remaining in place.This is a live event - there will not be a recording, so make sure to put on your calendar and join us 3/17/25 @ 4pm!