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

Speakers: Zhongkai Tao (University of California, Berkeley)Title: How to solve an undetermined PDE system?Abstract: I will discuss a new method to solve underdetermined PDE systems. The motivation comes from the constraint equation in general relativity, the scalar curvature equation in geometry, and the divergence equation in fluid mechanics. If time permits, I will discuss applications to the flexibility of initial data sets in general relativity. This talk is based on the joint work with Philip Isett, Yuchen Mao, and Sung-Jin Oh.

Guido Menzio New York University

Speaker: Ahmad (Mo) Khalil, Boston UniversityHost: Mike LaubTitle: "Cooperation in native and synthetic biology" The Holt LectureThe Biology Colloquium is a weekly seminar held throughout the academic year — featuring distinguished speakers in many areas of the biological sciences from universities and institutions worldwide. More information on speakers, their affiliations, and titles of their talks will be added as available. Unless otherwise stated, the Colloquium will be held live in Stata 32-123 (Kirsch auditorium) Contact Margaret Cabral with questions.

Faculty are people too! This workshop will teach you how to build lasting connections and tap into the support and opportunities faculty have to offer

The Center for International Studies at MIT presents“The New Famines of the Middle East and Horn of Africa: War economies and the normalization of starvation”Alex de WaalExecutive DirectorWorld Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School, Tufts UniversityThis lecture locates the return of famines in geo-strategic, economic and normative changes that have their sharpest manifestation in a cluster of countries in the Middle East and Horn of Africa. The most severe and widespread starvation in the contemporary world has struck Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and most recently Gaza, with neighboring countries also afflicted. All these countries are located in the “Red Sea Arena,” a zone of contestation consisting of the littoral countries of the Red Sea and their immediate neighbors. The lecture posits that this cluster of calamities have a common explanatory thread, namely the lens of “new war economies”. The demise of the liberal Pax Americana and the rise of Middle Eastern middle powers and the BRICS has led to new rivalries, organized around access to dollar reserves and alternative currency arrangements backed by resources including gold, oil, land, and strategic real estate. The Gulf monarchies and Israel have strategies and instruments designed to finance current and anticipated conflicts. They seek key resources in Africa and control of strategic locations at the crossroads of maritime commerce. They wage economic warfare that render their adversaries ungovernable. Most damagingly, the new war economies are associated with illiberal norms, including reviving sovereign privileges, undermining liberal multilateral institutions, and adopting a permissive ethos of tolerating mass starvation.Tuesday, March 11, 20254:30-6:00pmE51-145Zoom Livestream availableThe Bustani Seminar series celebrates its 40th anniversary this year!Information on the Emile Bustani Middle East SeminarInformation on the Spring 2025 Bustani Seminar SeriesSponsored by the MIT Center for International StudiesFor more information or any questions, contact:Dayana Mercier | dayan379@mit.edu