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

Since returning to MIT on April 1, Vice President for Energy and Climate Evelyn Wang has been engaging with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners across our campus and beyond and listening to ideas for how MIT can best rise to the challenges of energy and climate.As a framework is coming into focus, Professor Wang would like to share her plans with the MIT campus community. She will also introduce a new seed grant program designed to spur and accelerate research projects.To ensure that as many members of our community as possible can take part, we are offering two in-person and one virtual sessions this semester.Please note that all of the sessions are identical, and so you only need to sign up for one.The sessions are as follows:Session 1: In-personMonday, October 20 3:00-4:30 pm Building 55 AtriumSession 2: VirtualWednesday, November 12 10:30 am-12:00 pm Link will be sent to registered attendeesSession 3: In-personTuesday, December 2 3:30-5:00 pm Building 55 AtriumRegistration is required.

Jumpstart your postdoc experience! Plan Your Postdoc (PYP) is a signature program for early stage postdoctoral scholars who have joined MIT for less than a year. Participants attend four 1 to 1.5 hour lectures/planning sessions, panels, and interactive workshops to kickstart their career developmentJoin us for the third PYP meeting: Remember those goals and resources you planned out last week? Learn about various MIT offices and support systems that specifically help postdocs.This event is only open to MIT Postdocs. Registration for this event is required. Please register here.

TBA | Geoff Kocks (MIT)

Stop by for snacks and tea with the SHASS community, students, and instructors!HumaniTea is a program partnering with other units in SHASS to gather, share some food and thought, and enrich our shared MIT experience in the process. Once a month, SHASS community members, instructors, and students from diverse fields of studies, backgrounds, and interests can stop in and enjoy a cup of tea or snack.Building 14E-304* *Directions: Third floor of Building 14 from the Lewis Music Library stairs, through the CMS/W doors. Alternatively, take the elevator to the 3rd floor and navigate to the opposite end of the hallway, through third floor and CMS/W doors!

Speaker: Gefei Cai (Peking)Title: Disconnection and non-intersection probabilities of Brownian motion on an annulusAbstract:We derive an exact formula for the probability that a Brownian path on an annulus does not disconnect the two boundary components of the annulus. The leading asymptotic behavior of this probability is governed by the disconnection exponent obtained by Lawler-Schramm-Werner (2001) using the connection to Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE). The derivation of our formula is based on this connection and the coupling with Liouville quantum gravity (LQG), from which we can exactly compute the conformal moduli of random annular domains defined by SLE curves. Using a similar approach, we also derive exact formulas for the non-intersection probabilities of independent Brownian paths on an annulus, as well as extend the result to the case of Brownian loop soup. Based on joint work with X. Fu, X. Sun, and Z. Xie, and upcoming work with Z. Xie.

Speaker: Jared Weinstein (Boston University)Title: On the splitting conjecture of HopkinsHopkins’ splitting conjecture predicts the structure of a double localization 𝐿𝐾(𝑡) 𝐿𝐾(ℎ) 𝑆 of the sphere spectrum, where 𝐾(ℎ) is Morava 𝐾-theory at a prime 𝑝 and 0 < 𝑡 < ℎ. Perfectoid techniques give powerful evidence for the conjecture while avoiding explicit computation. We show (a) the conjecture is true for (ℎ, 𝑡) = (2, 1) and 𝑝 odd, recovering a difficult result of Shimomura and Yabe, and (b) for ℎ general and 𝑡 = ℎ − 1, the conjecture is true "up to perfection". This is joint work with Lucas Mann, Rin Ray, and Xinyu Zhou.

Marleen Marra (CEPR)

Join us for dinner with Dr. Aleksandra Mozdzanowska! Come meet Dr. Alex in person, and enjoy a meal while learning about her experiences in HR leadership.Dr. Alex is the Chief People Officer at Commonwealth Fusion Systems with over 10 years of experience leading strategic HR programs, growing and managing teams, and delivering business results. She has a versatile background spanning strategy and execution in Operations, Technology, HR, and Communications. Prior to Commonwealth Fusion Systems, she served as Vice President of Human Resources at Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, where she advanced through various HR leadership roles, including Director of Human Resource Operations and Director of Program Operations. Dr. Alex has also served as Director of Operations at the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund. She spent time working across different sectors in operations and technology roles.As an MIT alum, Dr. Alex draws from her extensive educational background at the Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Systems from MIT in 2008, followed by a post-doctoral degree in AeroAstro in 2009. She also holds a Master of Science in AeroAstro Systems Engineering from 2004. Her undergraduate years at MIT included dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Literature. During her time at MIT, she was involved with MISTI Germany and the Public Service Center.Register in Handshake. Dinner will be served for the first 30 attendees. This CAPD event is open to MIT undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and alumni.

Join us on Monday evenings for Argentine tango classes with outstanding instructors. Whether you are completely new to tango, or already have some experience, you will find a friendly environment in which to learn new things and improve your technique. You don't have to bring a partner, since the classes involve rotations with all participants.Full Series: Sep 15, 22, 29, October 6, 13, 20, 27, Nov 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec 1, 8, 15.For all info and registration, visit following link.

Presented by the MIT Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life (ORSEL), What is Your Light? transforms the MIT Chapel into a living canvas of light, sound, and reflection. Voices from across the MIT community merge into a one-hour audio track, accompanied by live musicians and interactive projections. Visitors are invited to strike a tam-tam, illuminating lanterns of light and sending ripples of sound across the Kresge Oval, or light their own lantern to float upon the Chapel’s waters. Together, we celebrate the values, stories, and visions that guide our community.Inside the MIT Chapel, we invite you to reflect on the question: “What is your light?”:Record your thoughts for the realtalk@mit archivesWrite your reflections on a lanternFloat your lantern in the moat, adding your response to others from the MIT communityCreated by MF Dynamics in partership with ORSEL and realtalk@MIT.Free and open to the public. Funded in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT. This project has been approved by the Office of the Vice Provost and the Open Space Working Group.This event is part of ORSEL's Refresh Days, a series honoring new year's celebrations and festivals of light from the world's major religions-from Diwali (October 20) to Nowruz, Lunar New Year, and more.*****Register to add your voice—the realtalk@MIT team invites the MIT community to reflect on difficult times and ultimately find an answer to: What is your light?Take a pause from your busy life and connect with strangers in a facilitated, meditative experience.The MIT Chapel is a non-denominational space located next to Kresge Auditorium and the Kresge Oval. We welcome MIT folks from all religious and spiritual backgrounds, including those outside of typical traditions.Attendees may be photographed; at the end of this conversation, there will be an opportunity to contribute your voice to a multi-sensory installation featuring live music, interactive video projection, and an original audio track built from community responses.Photo by Ellie Montmayor from Fall 2024 Refresh Days event, Light the Moat.

Writing Together Online offers the structured writing time to help you stay focused and productive during the busy fall months. Join our daily 90-minute writing sessions and become part of a community of scholars who connect online, set realistic goals, and write together in the spirit of accountability and camaraderie. We offer writing sessions every workday, Monday through Friday. The program is open to all MIT students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and affiliates who are working on papers, proposals, thesis/dissertation chapters, application materials, and other writing projects.Please register for any number of sessions:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9:00–10:30am (EST) Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00–9:30am and 9:30-11:00am (EST)For more information and to register, go to this link or check the WCC website. Please spread the word and join with colleagues and friends. MIT Students and postdocs who attend at least 5 sessions per challenge will be entered into a gift-card raffle.

Writing Together Online offers the structured writing time to help you stay focused and productive during the busy fall months. Join our daily 90-minute writing sessions and become part of a community of scholars who connect online, set realistic goals, and write together in the spirit of accountability and camaraderie. We offer writing sessions every workday, Monday through Friday. The program is open to all MIT students, postdocs, faculty, staff, and affiliates who are working on papers, proposals, thesis/dissertation chapters, application materials, and other writing projects.Please register for any number of sessions:Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9:00–10:30am (EST) Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00–9:30am and 9:30-11:00am (EST)For more information and to register, go to this link or check the WCC website. Please spread the word and join with colleagues and friends. MIT Students and postdocs who attend at least 5 sessions per challenge will be entered into a gift-card raffle.

The Picower Institute Fall 2025 Symposium: "Circuits of Survival and Homeostasis"Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025Time: 9::30am - 4::30pmLocation: 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium (Third Floor of MIT Building 46)Faculty Organizer: Sara PrescottRegistration: Free but required. Please click here to register.Understanding how the brain senses and responds to internal physiological states—like hunger, thirst, and inflammation—is vital to survival. Recent advances are revealing the circuits that link body and brain to maintain homeostasis and shape behavior. The Picower Institute's Fall 2025 Symposium, "Circuits of Survival and Homeostasis," gathers leading researchers exploring how these systems monitor, regulate, and repair fundamental physiological functions, offering insights into their mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.Presenters:Ya-Chieh Hsu, PhD, Harvard Zachary Knight, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, HHMIMark Krasnow, PhD, Stanford University Qin Liu, PhD, Washington University in St. LouisYuki Oka, PhD, CaltechClifford B. Saper, Harvard Li Ye, PhD, Scripps Research Institute, HHMI

On view October 1 -- December 11, 2025This exhibition draws on archival materials from the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC) to explore a century of cultural heritage preservation in Aleppo, Syria. It takes as its point of departure the work of Kamil al-Ghazzi (1853–1933), the pioneering Aleppine historian whose influential three-volume chronicle, Nahr al-Dhahab fī Tārīkh Ḥalab (The River of Gold in the History of Aleppo), was published between 1924 and 1926.Ink, Stone, and Silver Light presents three modes of documentation—manuscript, built form, and photography—through which Aleppo’s urban memory has been recorded and preserved. Featuring figures such as Michel Écochard and Yasser Tabbaa alongside al-Ghazzi, the exhibition traces overlapping efforts to capture the spirit of a city shaped by commerce, craft, and coexistence. At a time when Syria again confronts upheaval and displacement, these archival fragments offer models for preserving the past while envisioning futures rooted in dignity, knowledge, and place.

MAD Reads! A book Club on design that meets quarterlyThis October, we're discussing Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell.THE BOOKAs a prelude to iPod designer Tony Fadell’s fireside chat with MoMA Senior Curator of Architecture and Design Paola Antonelli on October 22, we will be discussing Fadell's book, Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making.In this candid guide, Fadell outlines a roadmap for starting and managing new ventures, working with hardware, software, and people, navigating failure, and acting decisively in the midst of uncertainty.As part of the discussion, we will look at some of the book’s key themes:Do Fail LearnData Versus OpinionMaking the Intangible TangibleStorytellingMarrying F\for MoneyYou Can Only Have One CustomerBuilding Your TeamA limited supply of complimentary copies are available from MAD; contact mitmad@mit.edu.MAD PREPBelow are optional activities you can pursue in advance of the meeting to enrich your book club experience:Reflect on a time when you moved forward but things didn’t go as expected. What lessons did you learn, and how did those lessons shape your future decisions?Fadell states that “college is a time to take risks.” What risks have you taken?Fadell asserts, “What you do matters. Where you work matters.” Why does it matter – and to whom?Consider what it means to be exacting and expecting great work. In the workplace how does this relate to “micro managing”?Choose a product. What story is it telling—and how?Think of a user experience that was especially positive. What made it successful?Think of a user experience that was frustrating. How could it be improved? ADDITIONAL RESOURCESBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell – Reading ListTony Fadell TED Talk on Habituation: The first secret of design is … noticingTony Fadell 2015 Reading List on Creativity (blog.ted.com)

Are you creating or managing research data? This hands-on workshop will provide an overview of data management topics, including file organization and naming, data security and backups, tools for collaborating with others in the lab, and data publishing, storage and sharing. We'll also cover journal publisher requirements and writing the data management plans that are required by most funders, as well as data management issues related to closing out projects and moving between institutions. Geared towards those in postdoc or research scientist roles, but all are welcome.

High-performance reusable rocket engines recently developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin, and newer ones in development for low-cost heavy-lift launch vehicles, will enable next-generation space economics and accessibility. This talk will describe the work of MIT AeroAstro’s Zachary Cordero and his group along these lines, leveraging modern materials design, advanced manufacturing, and computational design tools to develop and manufacture the specialized materials that will power the future of spaceflight.