Misplaced Pages

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76-406: MIT has relatively few formal traditions, compared to many other universities, but has a rich culture of informal traditions and jargon. There are a few "big events" such as Commencement (graduation), but many smaller, decentralized activities sponsored by departments, labs, living groups, student activities, and ad hoc groups of MIT community members united by common interests. "Brass Rat" refers to

152-525: A dynamic web hosting service , a course planning assistant, a virtual machine service, and an instant messaging client. SIPB has contributed extensively to Project Athena , the distributed academic computing environment used at MIT today. TechX is a student group that organizes events that bring technology, new ideas, and tech-industry innovators to MIT's campus. These events include: MIT has many student groups. Other notable ones include: The annual MIT $ 100K Entrepreneurship Competition has supported

228-449: A Ring Committee to design their own MIT ring. The goal of these committees has been to create a ring that keeps the design that is unmistakably the MIT ring, yet introduce changes that will allow that ring to always be identified with their class. This tradition has developed throughout the years producing one of the most cherished symbols of an MIT education that is recognized worldwide. With

304-400: A Ring Committee to design their own MIT ring. The goal of these committees has been to create a ring that keeps the design that is unmistakably the MIT ring, yet introduce changes that will allow that ring to always be identified with their class. This tradition has developed throughout the years producing one of the most cherished symbols of an MIT education that is recognized worldwide. With

380-571: A letter from a licensed engineer certifying that the design conforms to local building codes . Independent Activities Period (IAP) is a four-week-long inter-semester "term" offering hundreds of optional classes, lectures, demonstrations, and other activities throughout the month of January between the Fall and Spring terms. The final event is a half-day "Charm School" sponsored by the Student Activities Office.  The first IAP

456-495: A pioneer of modern linguistics. Soon after the video's release, The Huffington Post published an article with the headline "MIT 'Chomsky Style' Best Gangnam Parody Yet? Noted Intellectual Steals The Wacky Show". The Sodium Drop traditionally consisted of a bar of metallic sodium dropped into the Charles River , producing loud explosions due to the rapid exothermic conversion of sodium metal to sodium hydroxide and

532-495: A psychology questionnaire and are matched with their best algorithmic match for valentine's day across the two universities. This "annual" event is generally not scheduled in advance, but occurs spontaneously in the Spring in response to the MIT administration's announcement of the tuition increase for the following year. The "riot" usually consists of a noisy protest march through the campus, accompanied by traditional chants of "$ $ $

608-490: A summary, technical plan, and budget. Three student groups are then chosen to develop their proposals over a semester long period. MIT class ring Massachusetts Institute of Technology's class ring , often called the Brass Rat , is a commemorative ring for the graduating class of undergraduate students at MIT . The ring is redesigned each year by a committee of MIT students. The class ring has three main sections:

684-555: A tradition since 1999 (Class of 2001), and is typically a formal occasion . Ring Delivery ceremonies have been held on a harbor cruise, at prestigious restaurants, and at the Boston Public Library . Although parts of the ring change each year, typically the MIT seal is on one shank of the ring, and a depiction of the Great Dome is on the other side. The 2008 Brass Rat was the first in recent years to revert to

760-425: A tradition since 1999 (Class of 2001), and is typically a formal occasion . Ring Delivery ceremonies have been held on a harbor cruise, at prestigious restaurants, and at the Boston Public Library . Although parts of the ring change each year, typically the MIT seal is on one shank of the ring, and a depiction of the Great Dome is on the other side. The 2008 Brass Rat was the first in recent years to revert to

836-487: A wide overview of dozens of extracurricular student activities across the campus. The music video closely followed the original version, and included cameo appearances by MIT professors Donald Sadoway , recognized by Time Magazine in 2012 as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World", Eric Lander , who was co-chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and Noam Chomsky ,

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912-425: Is 42.360007 degrees north latitude , 71.087870 degrees west longitude . The Convention was announced in advance (that is, before the event) and over 300 contemporary people attended. (For fire safety reasons, a handful of attendees watched the convention via a closed circuit broadcast.) The spacetime coordinates continue to be publicized prominently and indefinitely, so that future time travelers will be aware and have

988-467: Is Too Damn Much!", where "$ $ $ " is replaced by the newly announced tuition amount. Participants generally let off steam in a good-natured way, and injuries or property damage are extremely rare. The tradition has died out and then been revived several times. From the 1970s until the early 1990s, MIT had a succession of student-led projects which designed, built, and flew human-powered aircraft (HPA), starting with BURD and BURD II , and evolving into

1064-416: Is an annual weekend of celebration and festivities hosted by Senior House . The first Steer Roast took place in the spring of 1964, and this MIT tradition was maintained for over fifty years on the first weekend of every May. In May 2014, Senior House celebrated its 50th anniversary of Steer Roast. In the past MIT presidents and professors attended, but this time no presidential appearance occurred, in spite of

1140-643: Is designed and presented in the sophomore year of each class. The design is unveiled during the Ring Premiere in the fall term, which is followed months later by the Ring Delivery in the spring term. The latter has been a tradition since 1999 (Class of 2001), and is typically a formal occasion , often held off campus. Spring Weekend is an annual event that includes performances by local as well as major recording artists as well as picnics, parties, home varsity games, and other celebrations. Steer Roast

1216-526: Is offered in several sizes, in various gold purities : 10, 14, or 18 karat (42%, 58%, or 75% gold alloy ), as well as white gold and Celestrium (jeweler's stainless steel ). A typical ring, medium size and 14-karat gold, would cost US$ 616 in 2010 (Class of 2012 ring). In an effort to make sure undergraduates have access to obtaining their own Brass Rat, the MIT Alumni Association and Brass Rat collector Stephen Fantone established

1292-451: Is offered in several sizes, in various gold purities : 10, 14, or 18 karat (42%, 58%, or 75% gold alloy ), as well as white gold and Celestrium (jeweler's stainless steel ). A typical ring, medium size and 14-karat gold, would cost US$ 616 in 2010 (Class of 2012 ring). In an effort to make sure undergraduates have access to obtaining their own Brass Rat, the MIT Alumni Association and Brass Rat collector Stephen Fantone established

1368-615: Is one of the world's oldest puzzlehunts . It is held annually in January over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend, during MIT's IAP period. THINK stands for Technology for Humanity guided by Innovation, Networking, and Knowledge. The competition challenges high school students across the United States to take a refreshing approach to designing a technological solution to a social problem. Its founding vision

1444-485: Is redesigned every five years when the production contract expires. The Grad Rat was essentially unchanged for 73 years until its first major redesign in 2003. Unlike the undergraduate ring, the Grad Rat design (starting with the 2003 design) is personalized according to the department in which the graduate student resides and to the degree to be received (i.e., PhD , ScD , SM , etc.). The "third" new Grad Rat design

1520-429: Is redesigned every five years when the production contract expires. The Grad Rat was essentially unchanged for 73 years until its first major redesign in 2003. Unlike the undergraduate ring, the Grad Rat design (starting with the 2003 design) is personalized according to the department in which the graduate student resides and to the degree to be received (i.e., PhD , ScD , SM , etc.). The "third" new Grad Rat design

1596-483: Is simply "MIT" spelled backwards. A beaver was selected as the MIT mascot because beavers are "nature's engineers"; this decision was made at the Technology Club of New York's annual dinner on January 17, 1914. President Richard Maclaurin proposed the beaver. The sports teams at MIT often choose to feature Tim as their mascot, and go by the name "The Engineers". This event, which usually takes place between

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1672-476: Is that applicants will learn how to be resourceful in society, which makes networking a core component of the competition. It aims to connect high school students with professors and MIT students so that they can develop an innovation for the world. Each year, six high school student groups are invited to MIT to attend Techfair and to present their project proposal to the THINK administrators. The proposal consists of

1748-682: The MIT Monarch B , won the prize the following year. The Chrysalis and the Monarch HPAs were precursors to the Daedalus aircraft, which flew, solely under human-power, from Crete to the island of Santorini off the Greek mainland in 1988. MIT students produced "MIT Gangnam Style", a lighthearted parody of the " Gangnam Style " music video which was an Internet phenomenon in 2012. The video featured hundreds of MIT students dancing in

1824-453: The MIT class ring , which prominently features the school mascot beaver on the top surface. The ring is traditionally made of gold, the beaver is the largest North American rodent, hence "gold beaver" has informally become "Brass Rat" in student lingo. MIT students often refer to both their majors and classes using numbers alone. Majors are numbered in the approximate order of when the department

1900-530: The New York Times , Wired , and Slashdot . It was presumed time travelers would have the capability to visit any particular time if they could travel to that general time period at all. The idea originated in a Cat and Girl strip by Dorothy Gambrell . The convention is held at 22:00 EDT on May 7, 2005 (May 8, 02:00 UTC ) in the East Campus courtyard and Walker Memorial at MIT. That location

1976-461: The bezel , containing MIT's mascot , the beaver ; the MIT seal (seal shank); and the class year (class shank). The side surfaces of the current ring design show the Boston and Cambridge skylines . An MIT campus map and the student's name are engraved on the inner surface. On earlier versions, the Great Dome and Building 10 facade were featured on each shank, with "MIT" under it on one side and

2052-409: The bezel , containing MIT's mascot , the beaver ; the MIT seal (seal shank); and the class year (class shank). The side surfaces of the current ring design show the Boston and Cambridge skylines . An MIT campus map and the student's name are engraved on the inner surface. On earlier versions, the Great Dome and Building 10 facade were featured on each shank, with "MIT" under it on one side and

2128-650: The Beaver as the mascot of the Institute at the annual dinner of the Technology Club of N.Y. Lester Gardner (SB, 1898) explained the decision: We first thought of the kangaroo which like Tech, goes forward in leaps and bounds ... Then we considered the elephant. He is wise, patient, strong, hard working and like all [students] who graduate from Tech, has a good tough hide. But neither of these were American animals. We turned to William Temple Hornaday 's textbook, The American Natural History: A Foundation of Useful Knowledge of

2204-540: The Beaver as the mascot of the Institute at the annual dinner of the Technology Club of N.Y. Lester Gardner (SB, 1898) explained the decision: We first thought of the kangaroo which like Tech, goes forward in leaps and bounds ... Then we considered the elephant. He is wise, patient, strong, hard working and like all [students] who graduate from Tech, has a good tough hide. But neither of these were American animals. We turned to William Temple Hornaday 's textbook, The American Natural History: A Foundation of Useful Knowledge of

2280-470: The Brass Rat. However, in recent years the Grad Rat has been gaining in popularity among graduate students. Factors contributing to the increasing popularity of the Grad Rat include the aforementioned personalization, increased visibility and marketing, and perhaps most importantly the ability to specify these personalizations (including major, graduation year, and degree) without extra charges. The ring

2356-413: The Brass Rat. However, in recent years the Grad Rat has been gaining in popularity among graduate students. Factors contributing to the increasing popularity of the Grad Rat include the aforementioned personalization, increased visibility and marketing, and perhaps most importantly the ability to specify these personalizations (including major, graduation year, and degree) without extra charges. The ring

Traditions and student activities at MIT - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-544: The Class of 1992's ring. The ring was first proposed in 1929 and labeled the "Standard Technology Ring". In the spring of 1929, C. Brigham Allen, President of the class of 1929, appointed a ring committee consisting of one member of each of the classes of 1930, 1931, and 1932. The committee was headed by Theodore A. Riehl, and its sole purpose was to provide a ring which the Institute Committee would approve as

2508-421: The Class of 1992's ring. The ring was first proposed in 1929 and labeled the "Standard Technology Ring". In the spring of 1929, C. Brigham Allen, President of the class of 1929, appointed a ring committee consisting of one member of each of the classes of 1930, 1931, and 1932. The committee was headed by Theodore A. Riehl, and its sole purpose was to provide a ring which the Institute Committee would approve as

2584-552: The Higher Animals of North America (1906) and instantly chose the beaver. As you will see, the beaver not only typifies the Tech [student], but his habits are peculiarly our own. Mr. Hornaday says, "Of all the animals in the world, the beaver is noted for his engineering and mechanical skill and habits of industry. His habits are nocturnal—he does his best work in the dark." There was no record of any action having been taken by

2660-437: The Higher Animals of North America (1906) and instantly chose the beaver. As you will see, the beaver not only typifies the Tech [student], but his habits are peculiarly our own. Mr. Hornaday says, "Of all the animals in the world, the beaver is noted for his engineering and mechanical skill and habits of industry. His habits are nocturnal—he does his best work in the dark." There was no record of any action having been taken by

2736-460: The Institute Committee so that the body went on record as approving the Beaver for the official mascot of Technology. Opinion was still divided on the question of Dome versus Beaver, but with the realization that many schools had domes somewhere similar to Technology's, the Institute Committee decided to use the Beaver on the face of the ring. The Dome lent itself particularly well to use on the shanks. Since that time, subsequent classes have appointed

2812-460: The Institute Committee so that the body went on record as approving the Beaver for the official mascot of Technology. Opinion was still divided on the question of Dome versus Beaver, but with the realization that many schools had domes somewhere similar to Technology's, the Institute Committee decided to use the Beaver on the face of the ring. The Dome lent itself particularly well to use on the shanks. Since that time, subsequent classes have appointed

2888-534: The MIT Brass Rat Melt Project which accepts both rings and donations to melt down donated rings which are mixed into the ore to make next generation rings. Brass Rat Massachusetts Institute of Technology's class ring , often called the Brass Rat , is a commemorative ring for the graduating class of undergraduate students at MIT . The ring is redesigned each year by a committee of MIT students. The class ring has three main sections:

2964-565: The Standard Technology Ring. In October the committee submitted its first detailed report to the Institute Committee and requested a decision as to whether the Institute Dome or the Beaver should be used on the face of the ring. This precipitated a vigorous discussion concerning the exact status of the Beaver as the Institute mascot. Investigation showed that, on January 17, 1914, President Maclaurin formally accepted

3040-424: The Standard Technology Ring. In October the committee submitted its first detailed report to the Institute Committee and requested a decision as to whether the Institute Dome or the Beaver should be used on the face of the ring. This precipitated a vigorous discussion concerning the exact status of the Beaver as the Institute mascot. Investigation showed that, on January 17, 1914, President Maclaurin formally accepted

3116-579: The United States and one in the United Kingdom. The Lecture Series Committee (LSC) organizes weekly screenings of popular films as well as lectures by prominent speakers. As one of the few Institute-wide gatherings on a weekly basis over the years, LSC movie screenings have developed and retained a few quirky traditions which sometimes befuddle outsiders. One unspoken tradition relates to the 1950s style introductory film clips that announce "coming attractions" movie trailers . When stereophonic sound

Traditions and student activities at MIT - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-690: The activity of roof and tunnel hacking, where students explore building rooftops , steam tunnels , and utility shafts. MIT has over 380 recognized student activity groups. These are mostly governed by the MIT Association of Student Activities. The MIT Educational Studies Program (ESP) was created by MIT students in 1957 to make a difference in the community by sharing MIT's knowledge and creativity with local high school students. Since then, its programs have grown to support well over 3000 students each year. ESP classes are developed and taught by MIT undergraduates, graduate students, alumni, and members of

3268-403: The animal world". The ring is not literally made of brass, and has typically been made in various alloys of gold, platinum , or stainless steel . The Brass Rat is traditionally worn on the right hand with the Beaver "sitting" on the wearer until graduation . This represents the hardships imposed on students at MIT . In addition, the skyline of Boston is facing the student, representing

3344-403: The animal world". The ring is not literally made of brass, and has typically been made in various alloys of gold, platinum , or stainless steel . The Brass Rat is traditionally worn on the right hand with the Beaver "sitting" on the wearer until graduation . This represents the hardships imposed on students at MIT . In addition, the skyline of Boston is facing the student, representing

3420-513: The boat, although it was not clear at the time who was responsible for the damage. A criminal case was initiated, and a graduate student accepted responsibility, resulting in a fine and a community-service sentence. In addition, a long-running civil suit against a fraternity resulted from this incident, culminating in a six-figure out-of-court settlement. The student newspaper The Tech has published an editorial urging readers to take responsibility for any injuries to innocent parties that result from

3496-414: The class year on the other. The version of the MIT class ring for graduate students is known as the "Grad Rat". The phrase "Brass Rat" is derived from the alleged resemblance of the gold (hence brass-like appearance) beaver to a rat . Among other reasons the beaver was chosen as mascot (and therefore for the front bezel of the ring) because it is an American animal, and considered to be "the engineer of

3572-414: The class year on the other. The version of the MIT class ring for graduate students is known as the "Grad Rat". The phrase "Brass Rat" is derived from the alleged resemblance of the gold (hence brass-like appearance) beaver to a rat . Among other reasons the beaver was chosen as mascot (and therefore for the front bezel of the ring) because it is an American animal, and considered to be "the engineer of

3648-495: The competition is the Yunus Challenge, named in honor of 2006 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, where teams are invited to tackle a specific development need. Previous topics include increasing adherence to tuberculosis drug regimens and affordable small-scale energy storage. The competition was developed in part by Amy Smith , who has developed a number of inventions useful to poor communities. The MIT Mystery Hunt

3724-532: The coordinates, which are the same as the coordinates given in the original convention. Hacking at MIT can refer to two distinct but closely related activities. Both have a rich history at MIT, despite being unsanctioned activities and often violating official policies. A "hack" is a practical joke or prank display anonymously installed usually during the night. Many hacks commemorate historical or popular culture events, particularly those relevant to science and technology. The term "hacking" typically refers to

3800-420: The course which many universities would designate as "Physics 101" is, at MIT, "8.01." For brevity, course number designations are pronounced without the decimal point and by replacing "oh" for zero (unless zero is the last number). Thus, "8.01" is pronounced eight oh one , "2.009" is pronounced two double oh nine , and "5.60" would be pronounced five sixty . This naming is not internally consistent: for example,

3876-522: The creation of at least 60 companies worth a combined $ 10.5 billion since it started in 1990. The Harvard–MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT) is a mathematics competition for high school students. It is held twice each year in February and November. MIT IDEAS Global Challenge encourages teams to develop and implement projects that make a positive change in the world. Entries are judged on their innovation, feasibility, and community impact. One component of

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3952-493: The crowd chiming in loudly on the second word. This outcry alerts the projectionist , who might not have noticed the defect, to fix the problem. The Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) is a computing and information technology student group at MIT. SIPB was founded in 1969 by Bob Frankston . The organization helps MIT students access computing resources and use them effectively. SIPB has funded, developed, and maintained several important software projects at MIT, including

4028-520: The digital systems course "6.111" is pronounced six one eleven , but the introductory chemistry course "5.111" is pronounced five eleven one . The "Smoot" is a traditional unit of measuring length on the Harvard Bridge , which despite its name, connects MIT to Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, across the Charles River . Tim the Beaver is the official mascot of MIT, appearing at athletic events, fundraisers, and other occasions. The name "Tim"

4104-528: The flight of the Chrysalis in 1979, the first of the MIT HPAs to successfully fly. Chrysalis went on to have over 44 pilots, including the first female pilots of an HPA. The Monarch A was an HPA built and flown by a student team in 1983, with the aim of winning a £20,000 Kremer Prize for sustaining a speed of over 30 km/h over a 1.5 km triangular course. A modified version of that craft,

4180-420: The ignition of the resulting hydrogen gas. In the past, Sodium Drops occurred sporadically, initiated by impromptu groups of students from various dorms and fraternities. However, in 2007, five volunteers using a boat to clean up trash from the river banks were injured by a small explosion and fire, apparently caused by unreacted sodium residue. MIT quickly donated funds to pay for decontaminating and repairing

4256-603: The last date one can drop classes at MIT. The resulting dent in asphalt has spawned a unit of volume, known as the Bruno. Campus Preview Weekend (CPW) is a relatively new event sponsored by the Admissions Office, which invites recently admitted high school students to visit the campus before deciding whether or not to attend MIT. Invited students can sample classes, tour the campus, attend special events, and stay overnight with MIT students. The first fully inclusive event

4332-550: The local Boston area. Splash emphasizes having a diverse range of class topics, covering a variety of academic fields as well as non-academic games and practical skills. In 2007, ESP alumni founded Learning Unlimited (LU), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting educational opportunities like Splash at universities throughout the United States and beyond. LU provides assistance, including mentorship and software support, that helps new Splash programs start successfully. As of 2020, there are over thirty LU affiliated programs in

4408-444: The local community. ESP's students are given the chance to learn from passionate and knowledgeable teachers; ESP's teachers can gain experience developing their own curricula with access to students with strong desires to learn. ESP pioneered Splash , a large, short-term academic outreach program that involves over two thousand teachers and five hundred classes. The program has grown in popularity and attracted students from well beyond

4484-503: The opportunity to have attended. The convention featured lectures on various aspects of time travel from MIT professors and faculty, including Erik Demaine , a MacArthur "genius grant" winner, Alan Guth , an Eddington Medal winner for theoretical astrophysics , and Edward Farhi , winner of numerous MIT teaching awards. A Delorean , the car featured in the Back to the Future trilogy ,

4560-426: The original style of the ring, placing the seal and Dome above the "MIT" and "08" respectively. The 2010 Brass Rat was the first to incise the "MIT" and "2010" on the shanks of the ring. The tradition of the skylines began with the Class of 1990 ring, for which the mold process in manufacturing was altered from 3 pieces to 5 pieces. The change was not followed by the Class of 1991, but resumed and has continued since

4636-426: The original style of the ring, placing the seal and Dome above the "MIT" and "08" respectively. The 2010 Brass Rat was the first to incise the "MIT" and "2010" on the shanks of the ring. The tradition of the skylines began with the Class of 1990 ring, for which the mold process in manufacturing was altered from 3 pieces to 5 pieces. The change was not followed by the Class of 1991, but resumed and has continued since

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4712-613: The outside world awaiting. After graduation, the ring is turned around, and the Cambridge skyline is visible to the graduate, as a reminder of times spent at MIT. The undergraduate ring is designed and presented in the sophomore year of each class. The design is unveiled during the Ring Premiere in the start of the spring term, which is followed months later by the Ring Delivery in the same term. The latter has been

4788-431: The outside world awaiting. After graduation, the ring is turned around, and the Cambridge skyline is visible to the graduate, as a reminder of times spent at MIT. The undergraduate ring is designed and presented in the sophomore year of each class. The design is unveiled during the Ring Premiere in the start of the spring term, which is followed months later by the Ring Delivery in the same term. The latter has been

4864-554: The parallels of the East Campus dormitories, features oddball activities, stunts, and constructions. Notable Bad Ideas events include temporary roller coasters and the Green Building Challenge . The event takes place during the last weekend of January. Each spring, the denizens of Baker House drop an old, irreparable piano off the roof to let it plunge six stories onto the ground, to celebrate Drop Date,

4940-463: The prank. The Time Traveler Convention is a single-event convention held at MIT on May 7, 2005, in the hopes of making contact with time travelers from the future. The convention is organized by Amal Dorai with help from current and former residents of the MIT living group Putz, one of the halls in the East Campus dorm. As of the date of the event, it was the most significantly publicized Time Traveler Convention, including front-page coverage in

5016-444: The sound system several times since the appearance of stereo sound, and now operates a Dolby / Bose multi-channel theatrical sound system, the tradition has continued unchanged for decades. A second tradition is less obscure; if there is an annoying technical problem with the screening (e.g. bad focus, bad sound, a botched film reel switchover), eventually an annoyed patron will yell out "Focus!" (for example), and "LSC...Sucks!", with

5092-448: The spread of economical computer numerical control and then 3D printing (both are technologies which were pioneered by MIT people) throughout the jewelry industry, the cost of producing custom designs each year has dropped dramatically. As a result, ring designs have changed more radically from year to year, as designers have taken advantage of greater flexibility in producing new jewelry dies . The Graduate Student ring, or "Grad Rat",

5168-448: The spread of economical computer numerical control and then 3D printing (both are technologies which were pioneered by MIT people) throughout the jewelry industry, the cost of producing custom designs each year has dropped dramatically. As a result, ring designs have changed more radically from year to year, as designers have taken advantage of greater flexibility in producing new jewelry dies . The Graduate Student ring, or "Grad Rat",

5244-457: The usual invitations. Then in 2017, Steer Roast was to be held during the first weekend of May, but two weeks before that, the event was cancelled by MIT administrators. Soon afterwards, in spite of student and alumni pleas and protests, Senior House itself was closed down. In May 2017, Steer Roast was celebrated off campus and on schedule. The Harvard and MIT Aphrodite Project is an annual matchmaking event where thousands of students complete

5320-436: Was a new development in movies, the movie trailers would be preceded by a clip announcing, "Coming Next Week", followed by "In Stereo". For whatever reason, MIT audiences would spontaneously read the announcements aloud, in unison . This eventually became such an ingrained habit that, even though LSC discontinued screening the "stereo" announcements, the audience would intone the (now unseen) words. Even though LSC has replaced

5396-435: Was also on display, near the "landing pad" located at the exact coordinates advertised. The convention inspired a full-length musical entitled The Time Travelers Convention , in which three college students, who all want to change their pasts, hold a convention in the hopes that they will be able to borrow an attendee's time machine. Although the school in the musical is not MIT, MIT is mentioned twice, once by name and once in

5472-500: Was founded; for example, Civil and Environmental Engineering is Course I, while Nuclear Science & Engineering is Course XXII. Students majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), the most popular department, collectively identify themselves as "Course VI" or "Course 6." MIT students use a combination of the department's Course number and a number assigned to the class to identify their subjects;

5548-489: Was held in 1999. 2013's CPW was held around early to mid April. Immediately before the beginning of Fall term, during Orientation Week for new students, residents of East Campus dormitory construct large-scale temporary structures, such as a roller coaster , in the space between the parallel wings of the residence. These projects are large enough that the City of Cambridge requires detailed engineering drawings in advance, plus

5624-723: Was in 1971. Dance (previously Drink) Till You Drop (DTYD) is an annual party, hosted by the Burton-Conner living group the Burton 3rd Bombers, which is typically held the Sunday of Patriot's Day weekend in the Burton-Conner House Porter Room. The party has been traditionally accompanied by a hack and hosted live music, and is open to the entire campus. First hosted in 1969, the event celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The Brass Rat undergraduate ring

5700-410: Was unveiled in Fall 2013 with some controversial elements, such as the inclusion of the commercial Dropbox logo and removal of any reference to the unofficial IHTFP motto . The Grad Rat has typically been less popular among graduate students at MIT than the Brass Rat is with undergraduates, with as few as 30% of graduate students opting to buy the ring compared with 85% of undergraduates who purchase

5776-410: Was unveiled in Fall 2013 with some controversial elements, such as the inclusion of the commercial Dropbox logo and removal of any reference to the unofficial IHTFP motto . The Grad Rat has typically been less popular among graduate students at MIT than the Brass Rat is with undergraduates, with as few as 30% of graduate students opting to buy the ring compared with 85% of undergraduates who purchase

#31968