IAP 2025 CourseThe Phenomenon of ColorWhat is color ? Is it a physical quantity ? Is it an experience ? Do animals perceive color ?The phenomenon of Color is proposed as a series of four lectures exploring the phenomenon of color, and its significance in biological and machine vision. Each session will be about 1 hour, consisting of a 30-40 minute lecture, followed by a discussion. Below, you will find the course outline and the logistical details.Course OutlineLecture 1. Color as substance The material and anatomical origins of colorWe will look at a simple, physics-based model of how light interacts with surfaces and retinal photo-pigments to produce “color”. We will explore the concept of metameric surfaces, estimate the dimensionality of the color experience, and discuss the idea of opponent signaling.Lecture 2. Color as quale The perceptual and cognitive basis of colorWe will examine color illusions and illustrate how sensing, on its own, does not explain perception. We will discuss higher-order color experiences such as memory colors and color constancy. Finally, we will explore the interaction between language and color.Lecture 3. Color as an emergent trait The evolutionary and behavioral history of colorIn this session we will address the question: why color ? We will discuss the existence of color quasi-invariants, and how they may relate to our evolutionary history. We will explore the diversity in color sensing across species, and discuss color as a key evolutionary trait that has shaped how we experience and act in the world.Lecture 4. Color and technology The role of colour in engineering and informaticsColor introduces multiple constraints on human information sensing and processing. These constraints have been used to device human-optimised strategies for applications such as data storage, image processing, and display technologies. We will discuss examples that demonstrate how color helps us design efficient, human technology.Course DetailsPre-requisites None. However, basic notions of optics, linear algebra, evolutionary theory, programming, and signal processing will be helpful in getting the most out of the seminars.Instructor Tushar ChauhanDate 10, 17, 24, and 31 January, 2025 (Fridays)Time 12.00-13.00 (~13.15, depending on the discussions)Venue Building 46, Room 4300Enrollment EMAIL instructor at tchauhan AT mit DOT eduAttendance Requirement Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions

You are invited to a two-session luncheon book club. The book we will be discussing is Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future by Scott Doorley and Carissa Carter. The dates for the book discussion are Friday, January 31 and Friday, February 28, from noon to 1:30pmEST. Sessions will be held via Zoom (Join Zoom Meeting: https://mit.zoom.us/j/3801792429?omn=91421489129).The book "investigates the intangibles, the mysterious forces that contribute to the off-kilter feelings of today, and follows up with actionables to help you alter your perspective and find opportunities in these turbulent times. Mixed throughout are histories of the future, short pieces of speculative fiction that illustrate how things go haywire and what might be in store if we don’t set them straight."Each session will be interactive; we will discuss two chapters from the “Intangibles” section of the book and two chapters from the “Actionables” section:January 31 from 12pm to 1:30pmEST will focus on chapters 1, 2, 5, and 6: Connections, Flow, Be Awkward, and Shapeshift.February 28 from 12pm to 1:30pmEST will focus on chapters 3, 4, 7, and 8: Feelings, Make-Believe, Disorient Yourself, and Aim for Imperfection.In November, MAD hosted a book launch of Assembling Tomorrow. The presentation was captivating and sparked my interest in the book. Why revisit a book we have already featured? To take the opportunity to dig a little deeper and benefit from the perspectives of others. Assembling Tomorrow is a fascinating read that is both a cautionary tale and an action plan for improved designs. We hope you can join us!

This will be a panel discussion with Joe Shonkwiler, Chief Operating Officer at ARPA-H., Prof. Colin Stultz, Co-Director of the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Dr. Isaac Kohane, Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School. They will discuss the technological innovations such as AI and how that have changed healthcare delivery and health-related policies.

Autonomous RACECAR IAP CourseLearn about basic autonomy and robotics for ground vehicles in this short two-week course on Autonomous RACECAR! In this course, members of the MIT community will have the opportunity to program a 1:14 scale RC car to autonomously navigate through an obstacle course. The course concludes with a hackathon and an all-out race in the famous MIT tunnels, with prizes and more!Instructor Name: Chris LaiRegistration Opens: November 25, 2024Dates: Jan 20th, 22nd, 24th, 27th, 29th, and 31stTime: 1pm - 4pm ESTLocation: 17-130Registration Link: https://mit-bwsi.formstack.com/forms/racecar_neo_iap_2025Website link: https://sites.mit.edu/mit-racecar/

Offers students alternative exploratory experience in teaching, learning, and researching. Through collaborative activities with open-ended experiments from diverse origins, participants re-create historical instruments and discoveries that challenged assumptions and sparked new investigations. Student curiosity and questions shape specific course content. Assignments include observations, experiments, readings, journal writing and sketching, and a final reflective paper.

Have you ever wondered…· How do space science missions get their start?· What funding is available for space instruments and experiments and how do I tap into it?· What’s a review panel anyway and what are they looking for from a proposal?Then join our course to learn what it takes to write successful NASA proposals! Over the course of three sessions we will learn about:· The NASA funding landscape· How to read funding solicitations· How to develop compelling concepts and write winning proposals, and· What to expect (and do!) after you’re awarded.This course will culminate in students developing their own concepts for a real solicitation (individually or in teams) and writing a draft 3-page proposal that will be reviewed in a mock panel. This course is open to all members of the MIT community and is not for credit.Registration is required for this course. Please register using the following link and feel free to reach out to LParit@mit.edu with any questions: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc09JvZC8ctQiZkW_2xfXH1qq7di7MTUzHBetDCv7Tr1YY8oQ/viewform?usp=sf_link