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.

Join us on Thursday, October 23 to learn about SDM’s graduate certificate in systems and product development! Our one-year program features an integrated core class teaching systems engineering, system architecture, and project management. The program is designed to let you keep working while you study.In this session, program staff will answer your questions about the curriculum and application process. Our engineering and management certificate teaches you systems principles to handle problems in any organization.

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.

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.

Doing “All the Things”: Leveraging Data, Collaboration, and Evidence-based Design to Transform Gateway CoursesDr. Denise Galarza Sepúlveda, Director of the University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI) at the Center for Research and Teaching Dr. Heather Rypkema, Head of Learning Analytics at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) and Associate Director of FCI, University of Michigan Dr. Alicia Romero, Lecturer III, Department of Statistics, University of MichiganDescriptionGateway courses play a crucial role at most institutions. They can be students’ only exposure to a discipline, or a make-or-break experience that can alter their chosen career paths. For faculty and instructional teams, teaching these courses can feel like having to do “all the things.” There is the crush of content as they prepare students to succeed in different downstream courses, challenges in integrating active learning and authentic assessments, heavy logistical demands, and structural and resource constraints. Given these issues, the task of redesigning these large gateway courses can feel unmanageable or even impossible for faculty. The University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI) was established to provide faculty with the resources, support, and design expertise needed to create transformative learning experiences for all students. FCI’s theory of change is that the complexity of teaching and learning in gateway courses requires a multifaceted and sustainable approach, one that helps faculty move away from feeling they have to do “all that things.” In this talk, we will share FCI’s redesign model, which is grounded in equity-focused teaching principles and leverages evidence-based pedagogy, learning analytics, assessment, and the deep collaboration of cross-role course design teams. We will also describe FCI’s course reports, which utilize institutional data to provide an overview of student identities, academic trajectories, and grade outcomes to provide insights about students and to help inform a course’s design priorities and projects. Lastly, we will explore a series of redesign examples from an array of FCI-partnering courses, including Physics, Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Statistics.All are welcome. Register via ZoomAbout the SpeakersDr. Denise Galarza Sepúlveda is the Director of the University of Michigan’s Foundational Course Initiative (FCI), which provides faculty with the resources, support, and design expertise needed to create transformative learning experiences in large gateway courses. Dr. Galarza Sepúlveda establishes the program's strategic priorities, leads partnership recruitment efforts, and manages a talented team of consultants dedicated to redesigning gateway courses. She also contributes strategic direction to the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching as part of its Senior Leadership Team. Before joining CRLT, she served as director of the community-based learning office in the Division of Undergraduate Education at UM’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.Dr. Heather Rypkema is Head of Learning Analytics at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan, as well as an Associate Director with the Foundational Course Initiative (FCI). She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Harvard University and held faculty positions in Chemistry and Climate Science before transitioning to her current role at the interface of teaching and data analytics in 2018. She supports course and curricular design efforts through data collection, analysis, and triangulation of databases that include institutional, LMS, instructional technology, and survey data.Dr. Alicia Romero is a lecturer in the statistics department at the University of Michigan. She completed her Ph.D. at Arizona State University. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Alicia was a faculty member in the Mathematics Department at Ithaca College in New York. Her interests are in Statistical Education focusing on the use of technology to enhance teaching and the learning process.

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

Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Gloria Choi, PhD, Picower Institute, MITDate: Thursday, October 23, 2025Time: 4:00pmLocation: 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium (in-person only)Reception to followTalk Title: Neuroimmune Interactions Shaping Social BehaviorBio: Gloria Choi is the Mark Hyman, Jr. Career Development Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and an investigator at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. Her research examines how the immune system interacts with the brain and how these interactions influence neurodevelopment, behavior, and mood. Choi received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her PhD from Caltech, where she trained with David Anderson. She conducted her postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Richard Axel at Columbia University.

Anna Bykhovskaya (Duke University)

Omer Tamuz California Institute of Technology (joint with Fedor Sandomirskiy, Po Hyun Sung, and Ben Wincelberg)

A series of talks on OR-related topics. For more information see: https://orc.mit.edu/seminars-events/

Speaker: Mohammed Abouzaid (Stanford University)

Thursday, October 23rd at 5pm Lewis Music Library, MIT Light reception to followAbout the SpeakerDescribed as "sleek, new," "hyper-fluent" and “a composer that rocks” by the New York Times, Pascal Le Boeuf is a GRAMMY-award winning composer, jazz pianist, and producer whose works range from improvised music to hybridizing notation-based chamber music with production-based technology.Recent compositions include “Are We Dreaming the Same Dream?” commissioned by Akropolis Reed Quintet with drummer Christian Euman; “Imprints” for Alarm Will Sound; “Playground” commissioned by Orchestra of St. Lukes; “Triple Concerto” for violin, percussion duo and orchestra featuring Barbora Kolářová and Arx Duo; “I Am Not A Number” commissioned by New World Symphony; and “Out of the Gate” commissioned and premiered by Nu Deco Ensemble.Recent commercial recordings and videos include collaborations with Akropolis Reed Quintet & Christian Euman, Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar, Friction Quartet, JACK Quartet, Hub New Music, Todd Reynolds, Sara Caswell, Jessica Meyer, Nick Photinos, Four/Ten Media, Bec Plexus featuring Ian Chang (of Son Lux), Dayna Stephens, Linda May Han Oh, Justin Brown, and the Le Boeuf Brothers Quintet (co-led by Remy Le Boeuf) praised by the New Yorker for "clearing their own path, mixing the solid swing of the jazz tradition with hip-hop, indie rock, and the complex techniques of classical modernism".As a keyboardist, Pascal has played as support for D’Angelo’s Black Messiah tour and Clean Bandit’s Rather Be tour with Australian pop artist Meg Mac. He actively performs with Le Boeuf Brothers, Jessie Montgomery’s Everything Band, vocalist/technologist Jamie Lidell, saxophonist Jeff Coffin, jazz vocalist Allan Harris, and his piano trio "Pascal's Triangle".Pascal’s most recent awards include 2025 GRAMMY for “Best Instrumental Composition”, a 2024 Barlow Commission, a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2020 Copland House Residency Award, and various Independent Music Awards in “Jazz”, “Eclectic”, “Electronica” and “Music Video” categories. Pascal has received commissions and grants from NEA, New World Symphony, Nu Deco Ensemble, the Barlow Endowment, the Lake George Music Festival, Lincoln Center Stage, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and ASCAP.Pascal is an Assistant Professor of Music at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he teaches music composition. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Music and Technology at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. He is a Harold W. Dodds Honorific Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Music Composition at Princeton University.Pascal lives in the Boston area with his wife, composer Molly Herron and their two kids.About the Music Forum SeriesThe MIT Music & Theater Arts Music Forum is a series of public presentations by music scholars from inside and outside of MIT. Hosted in the Lewis Music Library and presented in partnership with MIT Libraries, the MTA Music Forum Series gives the MIT Community an opportunity to engage with leading voices in every field of music scholarship. Past presenters include John Harbison, Julia Wolfe, Terry Riley, Don Byron, and others.

The MIT List Visual Arts Center will host a performative lecture with Goldin+Senneby in celebration of the opening of Goldin+Senneby: Flare-Up.Swallow Image is a conversation about images of illness and the revision of reality by drug companies.At the beginning of the new millennium, Jakob Senneby squinted at a grayscale image of his brain while a doctor traced a series of white blobs on the screen. His doctor told him that these figures, captured by an MRI scan, were “white spots”: signs of damage to the nervous system that are associated with multiple sclerosis. In the following years, Senneby—one half of the artist duo Goldin+Senneby—cycled through experimental and largely ineffectual treatments, tracking the progress of the disease with each scan, with each crop of “attacks” launched by his immune system. As he lost faith in the drugs, Senneby learned that the white spots have proven to be a source of immense, hidden value: a booming economy is based on visualizing, counting, and measuring the spots in the development of pharmaceuticals. The drugs have become more and more successful in treating the white spots in the image, but not in addressing the onset of permanent disability—the most critical consequence of the disease. Nevertheless, the value of the market for treatments has reached nearly $30 billion per year.For Swallow Image, Goldin+Senneby will give a presentation on the evolution of “sick images”—depictions of illness that obscure the accounts of patients—and the lucrative market for MS drugs. The event picks up on Triple Canopy’s publication of two related works by Goldin+Senneby: "Spot Price," a blockchain-based artwork that links scans of Senneby’s diseased brain to the value of the drugs targeting such images; and “Regions of Interest,” an essay on living as a medical specimen and source of profit for drug companies.Following the program, please join us for the opening reception of the fall exhibitions, Goldin+Senneby: Flare-Up, American Artist: To Acorn, and List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes.

Get an inside look at what recruiters from Formlabs look for in candidate portfolios. Learn which projects to highlight, how to make your work stand out, and tips for building a strong portfolio.This session is especially helpful if you're preparing for the MechE Career Expo on Friday, November 7. You'll also hear about MIT resources to support your portfolio development.We’re looking for a few volunteers to submit their portfolios for a live anonymized review by Formlabs recruiters. The recruiters will talk through their feedback on the portfolio during the session. This is a great opportunity to get real-time feedback and better understand how employers evaluate portfolios.Interested in volunteering your portfolio? Email it to Tavi Sookhoo (tsookhoo@mit.edu). We'll anonymize it and send it back for your approval before the session.This CAPD event is open to MIT undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and recent alumni.Registration is required for this event. Please register here.

Silent Meditation in the Chapel on Thursdays 6-8pm, open to everyone in the MIT Community. Some sessions include Guided Meditation at 6:30pm.

Free and open to all!Join us for a cozy screening of Pride & Prejudice (PG) presented in collaboration with the PKG Public Service Center and the MIT Women’s League. Bring your craft projects along and feel free to sew or stitch while you watch; we’ll keep the lights up!Please note that seating is available on a first come, first served basis, regardless of registration.

Farming While Black (dir Mark Decena; 2023) Thur Oct 23 @ 7pm Room 3-133As the co-founder of Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, Leah Penniman finds strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarianism – agricultural practices that can heal people and the planet. Influenced and inspired by Karen Washington, a pioneer in urban community gardens in New York City, and fellow farmer and organizer Blain Snipstal, Leah galvanizes around farming as the basis of revolutionary justice.In 1910, Black farmers owned 14 percent of all American farmland. Over the intervening decades, that number fell below two percent, the result of racism, discrimination, and dispossession. The film chronicles Penniman and two other Black farmers’ efforts to reclaim their agricultural heritage. Collectively, their work has a major impact as leaders in the sustainable agriculture and food justice movements.**Special Bonus!**We’ll also be screening the documentary short Soul City:Soul City (dir. Monica Berra, SheRea DelSol, Gini Richards; 2016)Soul City tells the story of a group of civil rights activists and city slickers who attempt to build a multiracial utopia in the heart of Klan Country, North Carolina in the 1970s. Their pioneering efforts to jumpstart this black-owned, black-built town run up against tenacious enemies that still face idealists and dreamers today–ingrained racism, public skepticism, and unwillingness on the part of the government to think outside the box to solve social problems. As this group of dreamers try to bring together unlikely allies to support black power and economic development, they are forced to balance their soaring idealism with the hostile reality of the times.Popcorn and movie candy provided; after the screening, please join us for a discussion of the themes explored in the films. This special event is co-sponsored by SCC, DUSP Rural, the DUSP Civil Rights Immersion Trek, the OGE Grad Experience Grants, and the DUSP Film Series.

Join us for the opening reception to celebrate three new exhibitions at the List Center: Goldin+Senneby: Flare-Up, American Artist: To Acorn, and List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes.The opening reception will follow a performative lecture with exhibiting artist Goldin+Senneby from 5:30-6:30PM.Exhibiting artists and exhibition curators will be in attendance. Light refreshments and beverages from Momma's Grocery + Wine will be served.Goldin+Senneby: Flare-UpThe recent work of Stockholm-based artist duo Goldin+Senneby focuses on issues of autoimmunity, accessibility, and ecology. Drawing on the experience of living with multiple sclerosis, the exhibition’s title refers to a treatable aspect of the disease. While the gradual progression of the condition offers limited options for intervention, the sudden flare-ups have attracted significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry, paving the way for lucrative treatments. Flare-Up also alludes to the volatile, inflammable nature of pine resin, which has fueled investment in genetically engineered pines as a potential source of green energy.American Artist: To AcornThe multidisciplinary work of American Artist mines the history of technology, race, and knowledge production. Since 2013, when they legally changed their name, American Artist has examined the boundaries and fissures of subject production under racial capitalism. Some bodies of work figure antiblackness as the unspoken subtext of the history of computing: Black Gooey Universe (2021), for instance, features smartphones and computers engulfed by asphalt. Other works have engaged themes of surveillance and opacity: 2015 (2019) overlays an urban street with a simulation of predictive policing software, while Security Theater (2023) turned the rotunda of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum into a sinister panopticon.List Projects 33: Every Ocean Hughes“If it is ever possible to diminish fear, it is beautiful to witness.” So says the death doula in Every Ocean Hughes’s recent video installation, One Big Bag (2021). The work—alongside the performances Help the Dead (2019) and River (2023)—is part of a trilogy that considers the intimate process of dying. In One Big Bag, Hughes stages a monologue by a millennial death doula (performed by Lindsay Rico with choreography by Miguel Gutierrez). Surrounded by the objects of her mobile “corpse kit,” the doula assuredly explains her tools: tampons for absorbing fluid, scissors for cutting cloth, bowls for washing, ceremonial bells.

Join the MIT Symphony Orchestra for their first concert of the fall semester! October 23, 2025 8:00pm | Kresge AuditoriumRepertoireRuth Crawford: Rissolty RossoltyGershwin: Piano Concerto in F (Mi-Eun Kim, soloist)Dvorak: Symphony no. 9Adam Boyles, ConductorAbout the MIT Symphony Orchestra The central mission of the MIT Symphony Orchestra is the cultural enhancement of education at MIT by promoting music performance at the highest level of artistic excellence among MIT students, by nurturing new works and young artists, by developing and sustaining the widest possible audience. The orchestra’s repertoire consists of works from the entire symphonic canon, spanning works of the early Baroque era to contemporary compositions, and including music for film and theatre.Compositions by MIT faculty are also part of MITSO’s repertoire. The orchestra recently recorded Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, and has participated in masterclasses with Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Roger Norrington, and Nicholas McGegan. Frequent collaborations with other ensembles such as the MIT Concert Choir, the theater program, with members of the faculty and performances by MITSOlite, a chamber orchestra comprised of MITSO members, are also part of MITSO’s activities.The students in the MIT Symphony Orchestra come from a variety of fields including: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Mathematics, Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Nuclear Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Management, Architecture, and Materials Science & Engineering.