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: Xuerui Yang (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)Title: On the Gauss Circle ProblemAbstract: The circle problem has been a notorious problem in number theory. It boils down to derive an effective bound on certain two-dimensional exponential sum over the integer ring. I will talk about how to connect this pointwise bound problem to a mean-value-estimate problem. Then, I will explain how decoupling theory can help us solve the mean value problem.

The Department of Mathematics welcomes École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne professor Maryna Viazovska to our annual Simons Lecture Series.She will give three lectures April 29-May 1The Sphere Packing Problem Lecture 1: General overview. Lecture 2: Random sphere packings with symmetries Lecture 3: Ideal lattice packings and subconvexity bounds IIEach day, a reception will be held at 4pm in Room 2-290, followed by the 4:30pm lecture in Room 2-190.This annual lecture series features presentations by top mathematicians. Many thanks to the late Jim Simons and his wife, Marilyn Simons, for their continued financial support of these lectures.

Abstract: The intensifying development of machine learning (ML) models and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly generative AI, has dramatically shifted practices around data, spurring the development of new industries and unveiling unprecedented forms of exploitation. These new complexities around the production, refinement, and use of data indicate severe implications for African countries, including the widescale spread of generative AI-driven disinformation, increased manipulation exacerbated by digital platforms, and the continuation of colonial-era marginalization through datafication practices. These concerns elevate a need for comprehensive and harmonized data regulation efforts across the African continent, given existing challenges with fragmented policy implementation and limited capacity for regulatory enforcement. This talk examines the burgeoning AI and data governance landscape in Africa, analyzing the impact of AI on democratic processes, outlining best measures for data governance policy reform, and delineating priorities to democratize African participation in global AI governance.Bio: Chinasa T. Okolo, Ph.D., is a Fellow at The Brookings Institution and a recent Computer Science Ph.D. graduate from Cornell University. Her research focuses on AI governance for the Global Majority, datafication and algorithmic marginalization, and the socioeconomic impact of data work. Dr. Okolo has been recognized as one of the world’s most influential people in AI by TIME, honored in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 AI list, and advises numerous multilateral institutions, national governments, corporations, and nonprofits. In addition to her work at Brookings, Dr. Okolo serves as a Drafting Member of the Nigerian National AI Strategy, a Consulting Expert to the African Union AI Continental Strategy, an Expert Contributing Writer to the International AI Safety Report, and the Editor-in-Chief of ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society. Her research has been covered widely in media outlets and published at top-tier venues in human-computer interaction and sociotechnical computing.This event is co-sponsored by the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems.

Speaker: Rebecca Heald, University of California, BerkeleyHost: Adam MartinTitle: "Mechanisms and consequences of size scaling in frogs"The 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.

Maximize your impact for a better world:The importance of developing your technical leadershipand communication skills while at MITFireside chat with L. Rafael Reif, MIT President EmeritusHosted by Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer, Dean of the School of EngineeringIn addition to an exceptional technical education, what capabilities do you need to tackle the world’s biggest challenges? How can technical leadership skills propel your career and ability to make a difference in the world?Join us for a fireside chat with Rafael Reif hosted by Anantha Chandrakasan as they explore how technical leadership and communication skills can transform your aspirations into world-changing reality. They will share their experiences as pioneers in their fields and how they developed to be outstanding leaders.Whether your focus is industry, entrepreneurship, or academia, you will learn how investing in technical leadership capabilities now will greatly increase your effectiveness and success in the future.

John Waugh Lecture

Speaker/ Moderator: Manish Bharadwaj, Ph.D.Manish directs Keller Center's Design for Innovation program for faculty in the humanities and social sciences. He was previously the James Wei Visiting Professor at Keller, where he taught idealism in entrepreneurship. Manish is the CEO and co-founder of Innovators In Health, which is devoted to delivering world-class healthcare to the rural poor in India. Manish is also a Fellow of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT. Manish believes that a venture to make the world more just is fundamentally a moral, not technical, undertaking. It requires cultivating a moral imagination, an ability to imagine why people do right or wrong, the root of empathy, itself the root of all enduring change. He believes that accompaniment, to stand with the marginalized, literally and figuratively, is a moral imperative, and in and of itself a powerful means of change.

Conor Walsh Univ. of Columbia

Time: 3:30 PMLocation: Cambridge, MA

Sugarcane is a powerful documentary by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie that explores the impact of Canada's Indian residential schools through the lens of a community reckoning with long-suppressed truths and generational trauma. As they follow the investigation into unmarked graves at St. Joseph’s Mission, the filmmakers uncover both personal and collective stories of pain, resilience, and enduring love within Indigenous families.Resources for survivors & families, those who are unfamiliar with the history, and educators can be found on the Sugarcane website.If you have any questions please email cbsoll@mit.edu.

Join us for MAD in Dialogue, a conversation with leading faculty on the future of design at MIT and beyond.Through short talks and discussion, speakers will share their perspectives on the role of design in research, teaching, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.The event will also celebrate new appointments to named professorships at the Morningside Academy for Design and introduce the 2025 cohort of MAD Design Fellows.A reception will follow.

"Do you ever feel that life holds a deeper meaning beyond what you currently understand? The truth is profound—there are countless mysteries of existence, divinity, and the self that lie beyond our awareness. There is so much we don’t know, and even more that we don’t realize we don’t know."Join us on this exciting journey of Discover Your Self to explore the unknown territories of life and delve into the science of spirituality. This course, based on the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, will equip you with proven methods to achieve true inner joy and answer your deepest questions about life's higher principles. This Course explains Proven methods to attain the true inner joy of heart and gives answers to all the Inquiries about Higher Principles in life like the pathway for unlimited and everlasting happiness from the eyes of scriptures like Bhagavad Gita in a scientific perspective.Salient Features:Discover the Game of LifeDiscover Inner SelfDiscover The Ultimate GeniusDiscover Manual of LifeDiscover Lasting SolutionDiscover Sublime Joy Through SoundDiscover The Real Eternal LoveDiscover The Happy PlanetYou are invited to join us every Tuesday 6:00-7:00 pm. To your pleasure we have free delicious sattvik vegetarian dinner is available after every session.Event details:6:00 pm-6:10 pm: Mantra Meditation and kirtan6:10 pm-6:50 pm: : Session7:00pm : Dinner along with Q&A.Venue: MIT Room 56-180, 32 Vasaar Steeet, Cambridge MA Kindly RSVP here https://forms.gle/DEXUz6ig6dJZoU1k7Regards, MIT Vedic Vision Forum

A celebration of creativity and community at MITArtfinity is a new festival of the arts at MIT featuring 80 free performing and visual arts events, celebrating creativity and community at the Institute. Artfinity launches with the opening of the new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building on February 15, 2025, continues with a concentration of events February 28-March 16, and culminates with the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts public lecture by 2025 recipient artist and designer Es Devlin on May 1, 2025, and a concert by Grammy-winning rapper and Visiting Professor Lupe Fiasco on May 2, 2025. Artfinity embodies MIT’s commitment to creativity, community, and the intersection of art, science and technology. We invite you to join us in this celebration, explore the diverse events, and experience the innovative spirit that defines the arts at MIT.About the Artists Artfinity features the innovative work of MIT faculty, students, staff, and alumni, alongside guest artists from the Greater Boston area and beyond.About the Activities & Events All 80 events are open to the public, including dozens of concerts and performances plus an array of visual arts such as projections, films, installations, exhibitions, and augmented reality experiences, as well as lectures and workshops for attendees to participate in. With a wide range of visual and performing arts events open to all, Artfinity embodies MIT’s commitment to the arts and the intersection of art, science, and technology.About the Presenters Artfinity is an institute-sponsored event organized by the Office of the Arts at MIT with faculty leads Institute Professor of Music Marcus Thompson and Professor of Art, Culture and Technology Azra Akšamija. Departments, labs, centers, and student groups across MIT are presenting partners.Visit arts.mit.edu for more information about the arts at MIT.

Time: 7:00 PMLocation: Norton, MA

Inspired by Devlin’s artwork Congregation, over 100 members of the MIT community came together to draw one another. Paired with individuals they did not previously know, the participants used drawing as a means of close observation and a pathway to creating human connections. The exhibition of drawings by students, faculty, and staff forms a collective portrait of the MIT community. The work is installed in MIT's new concert hall and is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

February 26, 2025 - July 17, 2025Hidden within MIT’s Distinctive Collections, many architectural elements from the earliest days of the Institute’s architecture program still survive as part of the Rotch Art Collection. Among the artworks that conservators salvaged was a set of striking windows of gypsum and stained-glass, dating to the late 18th- to 19th c. Ottoman Empire. This exhibition illuminates the life of these historic windows, tracing their refracted histories from Egypt to MIT, their ongoing conservation, and the cutting-edge research they still prompt.The Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) is open Monday through Thursday, 10am - 4pm, excluding Institute holidays.

Flavell lab I "Neural Sequences Underlying Directed Turning in C. elegans"

Join a member of our Visitor Experience Team for this 45-minute introductory tour of the MIT Museum. Learn about the collection, our history, and get your questions answered by our gallery experts. Space is limited, please speak to a visitor experience representative at the admission desk when purchasing museum tickets if you would like to participate in the tour.Every Wednesday at 11am Free with museum admission

Professor Carla Norrlöf from the University of Toronto will speak at the MIT Security Studies Program's Wednesday Seminar.This talk examines how the United States leverages the dollar’s global dominance as a national security tool. By employing strategies of deterrence and denial, the US uses its financial hegemony to influence other states and non-state actors. This financial dominance has prompted others to seek alternatives to mitigate their exposure to US monetary power presenting risks to the dollar’s primacy with significant security implications. Professor Norrlöf will explore what these emerging dynamics mean for the future of US hegemony and global order.