Skip date selector
Skip to beginning of date selector
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
July 2025
August 2025
Monday, April 28, 2025
- All dayArtfinity: The MIT Festival for the ArtsA 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.
- 8:00 AM1hSign up for a Private Consult with MS&PC StaffFacilitated by Program Manager, Jennifer Recklet Tassi, this private appointment is a time to ask questions, voice concerns, and reimagine your life here in Boston. We can spend the time talking about whatever is on your mind - from job search and career development to navigating a new city to figuring out how to make your experience in Boston productive and meaningful.Appointments will be available at various times during the week. Consults are held on Zoom, Skype, or phone.Book a 30 minute private appointment: mspc.youcanbook.me here.
- 10:00 AM6hRefracted Histories: 19th-c. Islamic Windows as a Prism into MIT’s Past, Present, and FutureFebruary 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.
- 11:00 AM30mOverview of Overleaf and the MIT Thesis TemplateDo you work with LaTeX and/or Overleaf? Do you want to write your MIT Thesis using one of the leading online editors for academic writing? Want to learn more about writing your thesis with the MIT Thesis Template? This introductory workshop will go over the benefits of using Overleaf to produce LaTeX documents. It will also go over the uses and features of the MIT Thesis Template in Overleaf.Whether you have no prior LaTeX/Overleaf experience or are adept at using these tools, this workshop may provide essential information that will pay dividends in your journey as a researcher.Participants are encouraged to create an Overleaf account prior to the session. MIT community members can sign up for a MIT Overleaf Pro+ account with their @mit.edu email at https://www.overleaf.com/sso-login.
- 12:00 PM1hNeuroLunch: Josiah Boivin (Nedivi Lab) & Ari Liu (Fiete Lab)
- 12:00 PM1h 30mTruth in Crisis: Navigating the Intersections of Scientific Discourse and MisinformationScientific knowledge is under increasing pressure from coordinated misinformation campaigns and a growing erosion of institutional trust. Information distortion significantly affects public discourse on global development and governance.Join us for a timely discussion with the MIT Science Policy Review as we explore the challenges misinformation poses to science, including:The role of social media algorithms and digital ecosystems in amplifying false narratives.The impact of politicized scientific communication on sectors such as public health (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) and environmental policy (e.g., climate change).Practical strategies for rebuilding trust between scientific communities and the public.Speakers:Mariana Díaz García, Associate Programme Officer at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)Joan Donovan, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies at Boston UniversityChristopher Reddy, Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)Moderator:Jana M. Perkins, Computational Social Scientist & PhD in Information Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign; Founder, Women of LettersPlease RSVP here. Lunch will be provided.Contact Kate Danahy at kdanahy@mit.edu with any questions.This event is part of the CIS Global Research & Policy Seminar Series. Join our mailing list here to learn about upcoming seminars in the series.
- 12:00 PM6hMIT Face to Face Pop-Up ExhibitionInspired 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.
- 1:00 PM1hThesis Defense - Zihong ChenSpeaker: Zihong ChenTitle: Quantum Steenrod operations and Fukaya categoriesZoom Link: https://mit.zoom.us/j/7962155185
- 2:30 PM1hThesis Defense- Matthew Lerner-BrecherSpeaker: Matthew Lerner-BrecherTitle: The Fourier-Bessel Series and Hard Edge Limits
- 2:45 PM15mMIT@2:50 - Ten Minutes for Your MindTen 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
- 3:15 PM1hProbability SeminarSpeaker: Arka Adhikari (University of Maryland)Title: Moderate Deviations For The Capacity Of The Random Walk Range In Dimension FourAbstract:We find a natural four dimensional analog of the moderate deviation results for the capacity of the random walk, which corresponds to Bass, Chen and Rosen concerning the volume of the random walk range for d = 2. We find that the deviation statistics of the capacity of the random walk can be related to the following constant of generalized Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequalities, \begin{equation*} \inf_{f: \| abla f\|_{L^2}<\infty} \frac{\|f\|^{1/2}_{L^2} \| abla f\|^{1/2}_{L^2}}{ [\int_{(\mathbb{R}^4)^2} f^2(x) G(x-y) f^2(y) \text{d}x \text{d}y]^{1/4}}. \end{equation*}--Note: Back-to-back seminars with different times.
- 3:30 PM1hThesis Defense - Xinrui ZhaoSpeaker: Xinrui ZhaoTitle: Geometry and analysis of Ricci curvature and mean curvature flowsZoom: https://mit.zoom.us/j/4652709439
- 4:00 PM1hBroad-MIT Chemical Biology Seminar (Brian Shoichet, UCSF)Directed and Random Walks in Chemical Spacehttps://broad.io/BroadMITSeminarSeries
- 4:00 PM1h 30mModern Manufacturing Capital, Labor Demand, and Product Market Dynamics: Evidence from FranceXavier Jaravel London School of Economics
- 4:00 PM1h 30mModern Manufacturing Capital, Labor Demand, and Product Market Dynamics: Evidence from France (with Philippe Aghion, Céline Antonin, and Simon Bunel)Xavier Jaravel (LSE)
- 4:15 PM1h 30mLit TeaWhen: Almost every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm – 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.
- 4:30 PM1hAlgebraic Topology SeminarSpeaker: Andy Senger (Harvard University) 4:30 PM in 2-131âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–âž–Speaker: Cameron Krulewski (MIT) 5:30 PM in 2-135Title: Invertible Functorial Field Theory for Symmetry Breaking and Interactions in Quantum Field TheoryAbstract: I will discuss two applications of invertible field theories to quantum field theory. Functorial field theories, which are functors from a bordism category to a target category, are invertible when they factor through the Picard groupoid of the target. After additionally imposing reflection positivity, such theories are classified, due to results of Freed-Hopkins, by Anderson-dual bordism groups.The first application we study is toward a certain form of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We model three physical processes using a twisted Gysin sequence of Anderson-dual bordism groups. Using generalized Euler classes, we study the Smith maps of Madsen-Tillmann spectra that underlie the sequence, and use them to draw physical predictions. The second application we study is toward fermionic symmetry-protected topological phases (SPTs). Generalizing work of Freed-Hopkins, we define and compute twisted Atiyah-Bott-Shapiro maps from twisted spin bordism to shifts of K-theory in order to compare two models of SPTs. This talk represents several joint projects with Antolín Camarena, Debray, Devalapurkar, Liu, Pacheco-Tallaj, Sheinbaum, Stehouwer, and Thorngren.
- 4:30 PM1hProbability SeminarSpeaker: Sandro Franceschi (Télécom SudParis)Title: Degenerate systems of three Brownian particles with asymmetric collisionsAbstract:We consider a degenerate system of three particles which collide asymmetrically. The system is degenerate because the particle in the middle is Brownian and the others are ballistic. We study this system's gap process and focus on its invariant measure. The gap process is an obliquely reflected degenerate Brownian motion in a quadrant. We fully characterise the cases where the Laplace transform of the invariant measure is simple, that is rational, algebraic, differentially finite or differentially algebraic. In all these cases, we determine an explicit formula for the invariant measure in terms of a Theta-like function to which we apply a (sometimes fractional) differential operator.To show our results, we start with a functional equation that characterises the Laplace transform of the invariant measure, derive a finite difference equation, and use Tutte’s invariant approach and some Difference Galois theory.This presentation is based on joint work with T. Ichiba, I. Karatzas, and K. Raschel and an upcoming work with T. Dreyfus and J. Flin.--Note: Back-to-back seminars with different times.​​​​​​​
- 4:30 PM1hSTUDIO.nano Resonances Lecture: Analogical Engines—Collaborations across Art and Technology in the 1960sJoin STUDIO.nano for the next Resonances Lecture!Lindsay Caplan Assistant Professor, History of Art & Architecture Brown UniversityDate: April 28, 2025 Time: 4:30 PM — 5:30 PM ET Location: Building 12, Room 0168Resonances will host a roundtable after the lecture with Lindsay Caplan; Mark Jarzombek, professor of the History and Theory of Architecture at MIT; and Judith Barry, professor of Art, Culture, and Technology at MIT; moderated by Ardalan SadeghiKivi, STUDIO.nano liaison and lecturer of Comparative Media Studies at MIT, where they will further explore the unique and curious narratives of how science and artistic expression have informed and influenced one another across different domains and modes of cultural production. Following, a reception will be held in the MIT.nano East Lobby.RegisterANALOGICAL ENGINES—COLLABORATIONS ACROSS ART AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE 1960SThis presentation will examine artists working in Europe and the Americas in the 1960s who engage with computers, cybernetics, and early AI. These interdisciplinary activities were more often conceptual than actual: while some artists sought out corporations to gain access to mainframes or collaborate directly with engineers, far more mobilized analogies between humans and machines to reconceptualize the terms with which they worked. Analogies between humans and machine abound in 1960s artistic practice: creativity as algorithmic, style as statistical, perception as pattern recognition, knowledge as information processing, and life as structured by—even equated with—technology.In this talk, Caplan will focus on a central nexus of speculative experiments in simulated existence: the transnational community of artists involved with the Signals Gallery and broadside in London from 1964 to 1966, with particular emphasis on Liliane Lijn. Examining her light sculptures, poem machines, and other abstract artists in the Signals gallery milieu, she will discuss the philosophical and political motivations for collaborations across art, technology, and science and the implications of these historical examples on our technologically mediated existence today.BIOGRAPHYLindsay Caplan specializes in twentieth and twenty-first century art, with a focus on the intersections of art, technology, and politics. Her first book, Arte Programmata: Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy(University of Minnesota, 2022), examines how early computer artists in Italy deployed new technologies to probe the relationship between subjects and their environment and to explore the nature of human agency, turning artistic questions regarding medium, authorial creativity, and spectatorship to the service of reimagining society in its digital dimensions. The book received a Millard Meiss Publication Grant from the College Art Association and was a Media Ecology Book Awards Finalist.Other publications have appeared in exhibition catalogues, edited collections, and journals including Grey Room, ARTMargins, Piano B, The Scholar & Feminist Online, Outland, Art in America, and e-flux journal. Topics include art and labor, the digital humanities, digital art history, and the social concerns that motivated generative artists working in the 1960s and today. She is currently working on two books: a co-edited volume (with Kerry Greaves, University of Copenhagen), Contemporary Art in a Time of Democratic Crisis, which interrogates the idea of modeling democracy in contemporary European art since the 1990s and is under contract with University of Manchester Press. This volume has been awarded two publishing grants from European institutions: the Beckett Foundation and New Carlsberg. Her second book project is a comparative study of artists who use analogies between humans and machines to reimagine creativity and collective life. Looking at Europe and the Americas from the fifties to eighties, it charts a history in which radically destabilized notions of the human were forged at the intersections of art and technology.Her teaching spans the history of modern and contemporary art and includes courses such as Art and Technology from Futurism to Hacktivism, Abstraction in Theory and Practice, and Dada and Surrealism: Anarchy, Exile, Alterity. In Fall 2023, she taught a Collaborate Humanities Seminar (supported by the Cogut Institute for the Humanities) titled Form and Formalism with Govind Menon, Professor of Applied Mathematics. She is affiliated with the Italian Studies Department.ABOUT THE RESONANCES LECTURESThe Resonances Lectures navigate the intersection of contemporary art, pure and applied sciences, and everyday life. Inaugurated in the Spring of 2025 by STUDIO.nano, this lecture and panel series seeks to gather artists, designers, scientists, engineers, and historians who examined critically how scientific endeavors shape artistic production and vice versa. Their insights expose the historical context on how art and science are made and distributed in society, and offer hints at the possible futures of such productions.An exploration of the history and present meaning of curiosity, attention, and the urge to know, Resonances shuttles engagingly between rigor and intuition, inviting both the members of MIT community and the general public audience to further engage with and learn from, the past and future of interdisciplinary ideas across vastly different domains and scales.
- 4:30 PM1h 30mKid's Physical Fitness and Sports Class Series - TaekwondoJoin us as we get moving!As we finalize the final details of the class schedule we would like to start gathering interest and registration for our classes.Registration for the classes is required and if you do not attend the first class without prior notice you will be DROPPED from the class series.One parent is required to attend each class with their child.Taekwondo: Mondays at 4:30 p.m. at Westgate Soccer: Fridays at 5:00 p.m. at Westgate Yoga: Saturdays at 10 a.m. at WestgateThis opportunity is cost-free and open to all MIT community, thanks to financial support from GRCG - Graduate Residential Community Grants and organized by WEC - Westgate Executive Committee | Parents Resource Coordinators.Please note that the spots are limited, so in order to offer this opportunity to as many families possible, sign up to secure an spot for your children.
- 5:00 PM1hA Design Conversation with Es DevlinJoin us for a conversation with Es Devlin, the 2025 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT recipient. Moderated by Sara Brown, this session invites design students from architecture, art, and theater to engage directly with Es Devlin, whose visionary work spans stage design, architecture, and large immersive installations.The conversation will center on some of her most celebrated works, including The Lehman Trilogy, Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (2025), as well as her designs for large-scale events including Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour 2023 and the London Olympics Closing Ceremony 2012.The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT, established in 1974, recognizes exceptional talent and innovation in the arts, embodying MIT’s commitment to creativity, risk-taking, and interdisciplinary collaboration.Don't miss this chance to learn from one of the most groundbreaking designers of our time. Space is limited—register by April 18 to secure your spot!
- 5:30 PM1hThesis Defense - Cameron KrulewskiSpeaker: Cameron KrulewskiTitle: Invertible Functorial Field Theory for Symmetry Breaking and Interactions in Quantum Field TheoryZoom Link: https://mit.zoom.us/j/5474752564
- 6:00 PM1hInfinite Careers - Lydia Yu - Data Scientist at VisaJoin us for an in-person dinner or virtual meeting with Lydia Yu! Students can attend in person to enjoy dinner while meeting Lydia, or join virtually via Zoom (which will be projected for all in-person participants).Lydia is experienced in building data science and machine learning solutions within a variety of fields, ranging from finance and real estate to academic research and consulting. She currently works as a data scientist at Visa where she builds the deep learning fraud detection models that all Visa card transactions go through. Prior to this role, she worked at IBM Consulting where she developed machine learning solutions for a variety of external clients and helped lead the initial movement towards GenAI product development on her team. She is passionate about constantly learning new skills, building strong teams, and empowering women in tech.Lydia earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees from MIT in 2022 - one in Business Analytics and another in Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science. During her time at MIT, she lived in Next House, was involved in MISTI Spain and S-Lab, and participated in Extreme PE for intramural sports. She is also currently an alumni advisor for MIT students.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.
- 6:45 PM2h 15mArgentine Tango ClassesJoin us on Monday evenings for Argentine tango classes with outstanding instructors Fernanda Ghi, Guillermo Merlo and Mia Dalglish (read their bios on the link). 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.More info on website: https://sites.google.com/site/mittangoclub/products-services/2025-spring-series?authuser=0
- 7:00 PM1hQigong Meditation - Virtual ClassYang Sheng "Life Nourishing" Qigong is an extremely powerful tool for bringing out one's natural human potential and optimal fitness. Physical health and mental well being are a direct result of the practice.The core of our training is 'Zhan Zhuang' (Standing Meditation). It is designed to activate 'Zheng Qi' (True or Proper Qi). The effects of this training are rapid with deep therapeutic results producing a unified and balanced 'mind, body, and breath.'Registration is required on our wellness class website. If you do not already have an account on this website, you'll need to create one. This is fee-based class and open to the entire MIT community.