Inc. has named Boston to its list of the 50 best places in America for starting a business thanks to the MIT AgeLab’s work developing a “Silicon Valley for the octogenarian set.” Inc. notes that the AgeLab has helped spawn “a cluster of age-tech startups launching products like wireless headphones (Eversound) and virtual reality headsets (Rendever) that are optimized for seniors.”
Boston Globe reporter Tim Logan writes about MIT’s groundbreaking ceremony for 314 Main Street, which will serve as a “new front door” for the Institute. Steve Marsh, managing director of real estate, explains that in Kendall Square, MIT aims “to create an environment where people solve problems. That will help us all.”
In an effort to promote transparency and knowledge sharing, HUBweek 2018 will feature a semi-permanent glass structure showcasing new innovations being developed around the region, reports Cynthia Fernandez for The Boston Globe.
MIT alumna Kara Elliott-Ortega has been named Boston’s new chief of arts and culture, reports Don Aucoin for The Boston Globe. Elliott-Ortega, who received a master’s degree in city planning from MIT, explains that she feels the “arts aren’t just a stand-alone sector or area of work, but are a part of everything the city is doing.’’
Boeing plans to open a research center in a new building being developed as part of MIT’s Kendall Square Initiative, reports Katrina Lewis and Julie Johnsson for Bloomberg News. Johnsson and Lewis explain that, “the center will support research for Boeing NeXt, an initiative aimed at a new wave of flying technologies.”
Boeing will establish a research center in one of MIT’s new buildings in Kendall Square, reports Zeninjor Enwemeka for WBUR. Provost Martin Schmidt explains that Boeing’s proximity to campus offers MIT, “a research partner, somebody who brings very interesting and important problems in future transportation systems.”
“One of the biggest names in aerospace is coming to MIT’s front door,” writes Boston Globe reporter Tim Logan, explaining that Boeing will lease space in one of the buildings MIT is developing in Kendall Square. “We want to bring corporate partners to the edge of our campus to facilitate stronger and deeper interactions with our community,” says Provost Martin Schmidt.
MIT alumna Chrystal Kornegay has been appointed the executive director of MassHousing, reports The Boston Globe’s Adrian Walker. Kornegay, the first woman and person of color to hold the position, is tasked with finding ways to fund affordable housing.
Boston Globe reporter Tim Logan writes that Roche Bros. Supermarkets will open a Brothers Market in MIT’s One Broadway Building. Steve Marsh, managing director of MIT’s Real Estate Group, explained that a grocery store was, “so important to those who live and work in Kendall that we worked to incorporate it in the earliest possible phase of our development.”
Twenty years after its release, “Good Will Hunting,” which follows an MIT janitor turned math genius, remains incredibly popular with Boston-area college students. MIT junior Scott Cameron, “credits “Good Will Hunting” with shifting his notion of MIT from a far-off place to an actual goal. He first saw the film at 14 and, years later, it remains one of his favorites,” writes Sonia Rao at The Washington Post.
The MIT Museum and MIT List Visual Arts Center were two of 18 Boston-area museums that participated in this year’s #BostonInstaSwap. Each museum sent an employee to another local institution where they were “tasked with snapping and sharing pictures from the scene, highlighting exhibits and giving their followers a different experience,” writes Steve Annear for The Boston Globe.
In an editorial about online learning, The Boston Globe highlights a recent digital learning conference held at MIT, during which, “experts convincingly portrayed innovative online offerings as a key tool for helping those of modest means move up the economic ladder.”
WGBH News reports that Massachusetts residents will soon have the opportunity to take online courses through edX. General Electric, Microsoft and Partners Healthcare, “will pay for thousands of Massachusetts residents to take online courses in artificial intelligence, health care management and other in-demand fields.”
Boston 25 News reports that MIT researchers are working with the Boston Public Schools to create a plan to change the start time for the 125 city-run schools. One problem the new schedule aims to fix is K-8 students who are “out during the height of the afternoon rush, and often walk home in the dark.”
As part of HUBweek, more than two dozen robots were publicly displayed at City Hall Plaza reports Kim Tunnicliffe for CBS Boston. The “robot block party” featured an autonomous vehicle petting zoo, which included “self-driving vehicles created by nuTonomy, Optimus Ride, Delphi and a collaboration between Toyota and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.”