Prof. Emerita Suzanne Corkin, whose work with a famous amnesia patient was instrumental in uncovering the nature of memory, died on May 24, reports Benedict Carey for The New York Times. Carey writes that Corkin’s work “helped settle a debate about the function of the hippocampus in retrieving and reliving past experiences.”
Prof. Richard Schmalensee speaks with Forbes’ David Slocum about his book “Matchmakers: The New Economics of Multisided Platforms.” Schmalensee explains that the fundamentals of new businesses “are similar to those of old, familiar ones — from how they price, to how they solve the…problem of getting both groups of customers on board. New startups can then learn from old successful ones.”
In an article for The Boston Globe, Prof. Emeritus Richard Schmalensee writes that policies should be enacted in Massachusetts that make solar power cost-effective for all consumers. Schmalensee writes that, “public policies must place a greater emphasis on rewarding the lowest-cost sources of solar electricity.”
In a Forbes piece about historical technology developments that occurred during the week of February 22nd, Gil Press highlights how Prof. Emeritus Jay Forrester received a patent on Feb. 28, 1956 for magnetic core memory. Forrester’s invention “became the standard for computer memory until it was supplanted by solid state RAM in the mid-seventies.”
Boston Globe Magazine reporter Neil Swidey profiles Prof. Emeritus Ernest Moniz, the Secretary of Energy, chronicling his childhood in Fall River, his time at MIT, and his current role in the Iran nuclear deal. “He’s one of the best prepared energy secretaries we’ve ever had,” says Bill Richardson, a former US energy secretary.
AP reporter Josh Lederman highlights the role Prof. Emeritus Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, played in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal. Lederman writes that by all accounts Moniz played a “pivotal role in reaching the historic nuclear accord.”
Eleanor Clift writes for The Daily Beast about the role U.S. Energy Secretary and MIT Professor Emeritus Ernie Moniz plays in President Obama’s cabinet. Describing his relationship with Congress, Moniz says, “Maintaining open communications channels and using them early and often helps.”
Professor Emeritus Stephan Chorover, a founding faculty member of MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, died on Feb. 20, reports Bryan Marquard for The Boston Globe. “In his writings and in the classroom, Dr. Chorover encouraged scientists and students to look closely at the wider social context of current and historical attempts to control behavior,” Marquard writes.
In the first of a series of conversations, Professor Emeritus Robert Solow speaks with Paul Solman of PBS NewsHour about the past week’s economics news. Solow and Solman discuss recent fluctuations in the stock market, Federal Reserve interest rates and the response to the Greek debt crisis.
Professor Emeritus Jack Ruina, a noted expert on strategic arms control who served as MIT’s vice president for special laboratories and was the first director of MIT’s Security Studies Program, passed away Feb. 4, reports Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard. Prof. Emeritus George Rathjens said that “there wasn’t a better faculty member that I knew in the universe.”
The Associated Press reports on the career of Professor Emeritus Irving Singer, a prominent philosopher who passed away Feb. 1 at the age of 89. Singer, who served on the MIT faculty for more than 50 years, wrote 21 books in the field of humanistic philosophy.
Professor Emeritus Irving Singer, who taught philosophy at MIT for more than 50 years and was well known for his three-volume work, “The Nature of Love,” died on Feb. 1, reports Sam Roberts for The New York Times. Singer penned 21 books on everything from creativity and morality to love aesthetics, literature, music and film.
Charles H. Townes, a physicist whose long and distinguished career included service as MIT’s second provost, died Tuesday at age 99, reports Robert D. McFadden for The New York Times. While the Institute’s provost, Townes shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics for research that led to the development of the laser.
Professor Mildred Dresselhaus speaks with NPR’s Audie Cornish about receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Cornish explains that Dresselhaus got her nickname, the Queen of Carbon, based on her work with carbon, which “paved the way for the rise of nanotechnology.”
In a letter to The New York Times, Professor Emerita Nancy Hopkins and graduate student Jason Sheltzer write that while there has been “remarkable progress” for female faculty members in STEM, barriers still exist. “Maintaining progress will require sustained effort, while making further progress will require addressing the pitifully small pipeline in many STEM fields,” they write.