TechCrunch reporter Darrell Etherington writes that researchers from MIT and 3M are working on creating a new diagnostic tool for Covid-19 that can be manufactured cheaply and in large volumes for mass distribution. “The goal is to create a test that detects viral antigens,” Etherington explains, adding that the tests “provide results much faster than the molecular PCR-based test.”
A growing number of colleges and universities have “backed Harvard and MIT in their legal challenge to a July 6 directive from the Trump administration requiring international students to take fall classes in-person amid the COVID-19 pandemic to remain in the country, even though many schools have announced plans to hold classes online,” reports Travis Anderson forThe Boston Globe.
Axios reporter Ashley Gold writes that Google, Facebook, Microsoft and a number of other tech companies are joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in submitting an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit filed by MIT and Harvard. The suit challenges a new visa policy that would prevent international students from entering the U.S. if they are taking a full online course load during the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 200 colleges and universities have backed a legal challenge by MIT and Harvard to a new visa policy that would bar thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S., reports Collin Binkley for the Associated Press. “These students are core members of our institutions,” the schools wrote. “They make valuable contributions to our classrooms, campuses and communities.”
Graduate student Maya Nasr speaks with NPR’s Jenn White about a new rule from DHS and ICE that would bar thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S. “One of the big things that all of us as international students have been facing over the last few years is the feeling of hostility in the U.S.,” says Nasr. “It’s important to realize the long- term impact of such an environment on the U.S.”
MIT will receive $260 million from the Lord Foundation of Massachusetts, reports Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. “The unrestricted nature of these funds gives us the opportunity to use them to invest in pressing needs that are often difficult to support through other means," said MIT Provost Martin Schmidt.
Greek artist Takis, who worked on electromagnetism at MIT as a visiting researcher in the 1960s, is the subject of a forthcoming exhibition at London’s Tate Modern museum. Early in his career, the now 93-year-old Takis, “became interested in electromagnetism, and in the challenge of making art about invisible forces,” writes Peter Aspden for the Financial Times.
Alyce Johnson, Interim Institute Community Equity Officer, and Sharon Bridburg, Director of HR for the Office of the Vice Chancellor, speak with Callie Crossley on WGBH’s "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley" about the importance of cross-racial friendships and their participation in The Club, a “diverse group of friends in the MIT and Harvard human resources community.”
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Boston native, will address graduates during MIT’s 2019 Commencement exercises, reports NECN.
Boston Globe reporter Travis Andersen writes reports that Michael Bloomberg – an entrepreneur, philanthropist and former mayor of New York City – will deliver MIT’s 2019 Commencement address.
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.”
Zofia Niemtus writes for The Guardian about tech startups focused on helping breastfeeding mothers. Niemtus notes that MIT’s second “Make The Breast Pump Not Suck!” hackathon, which focused on marginalized groups in society, resulted in projects like “a pop-up shelf for pumping in unsanitary public places; a lactation kit for use in disaster zones; and a virtual reality app.”
Tim Brothers, who manages MIT's George R. Wallace Jr. Astrophysical Observatory, speaks with Joy Richard of WickedLocal about the upcoming Perseid meteor shower and the observatory’s annual viewing party. Brothers says the event is a great way to get nearby residents interested in space: They grab the opportunity to look through the telescopes, take a tour of the observatory, and look in awe at the 60 to 70 meteors per-hour.
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.”
WGBH reporter Gabrielle Emanuel speaks with Research Affiliate Catherine D’Ignazio about how she launched the Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon as a graduate student at MIT, and how the hackathon inspired new innovations in the breast pump industry. “In no other space of technology would the technology provide for such a terrible experience,” says D’Ignazio of the state of the breast pump.