mit faculty newsletter, vol. 22 no. 4, march/april/may 2010web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/224/fnl224.pdf ·...

in this issue we report on proposed changes at MIT Medical (see interviewbelow); an update on faculty and student response to the earthquake in Haiti (page 4);a piece by the Chancellor and the student deans (page 16); and an In Memoriamfor long-time MIT mainstay Art Smith (page18).

MITFacultyNewsletter

Vol. XXII No. 4March/April/May 2010

http://web.mit.edu/fnl

MassachusettsInstitute ofTechnology

continued on page 6

MIT Medical DirectorDiscusses Changes:Community CareCenter Proposed

EditorialNew OpportunitiesToward NuclearDisarmament:Reviving FacultyRoles?

THE FOLLOWING D I SCUSS ION

between MIT Medical Director WilliamM. Kettyle (WMK) and the FacultyNewsletter (FNL) took place on April 21of this year.

FNL: You are proposing some changes inservices at MIT Medical. Over the past fewyears there have been some service changesand others are proposed. Are these changesin response to the budgetary pressures expe-rienced at MIT and in our economy?

WMK:We have continued to strive to useour resources here to the fullest. Indeed,at Medical and across the campus fiscalconstraints are a reality.We have tried andstrived tomake sure that these limitationshave had and will continue to have theleast impact on patient care.We also needto make sure that our care systems evolve

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Using One Laptop Per Child in Haiti

THE RECENT APRIL 9 S IGNING bythe U.S. and Russia of a revised STARTtreaty was a welcome step in defusinghidden but intense dangers to interna-tional security. As described in the articleby Aron Bernstein (page 1) these negotia-tions, while they made significantprogress, need to be augmented in thefuture. In addition, the required Senateratification lies ahead. The opening of theUN Review Conference on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons alsobrings the issue into public view.With onthe order of 20,000 active nuclear war-heads deployed on planes, submarines,and ground launchers, internationalsecurity remains at risk. Unfortunately,the national movements that previouslypressured the government toward truenuclear disarmament are no longeractive.

Is President ObamaReducing theProbability ofNuclear War?Aron Bernstein

ON APR I L 5 , 2009 I N PRAGUE,

President Obama announced his inten-tion to work towards the long-range goalof total elimination of nuclear weapons,in accordance with Article VI of theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).With this, he signaled his belief that what-ever role nuclear weapons have had in thepast in deterring war – and particularlynuclear war – the presence of enormousnumbers of nuclear weapons and hugestockpiles of fissionable materials, israpidly becoming counterproductive inan age of terrorist groups and “roguestates.” This article will examine whethera stated goal of eliminating nuclearweapons increases security, and whetherObama’s recent activities consistentlywork towards this goal.

The incredible destructive power ofeven the smallest nuclear weapon can be

continued on page 14

Vol. XXII No. 4 March/April/May 2010

2

The MIT FacultyNewsletterEditorial Board

Alice AmsdenUrban Studies & Planning

*John Belcher (Secretary)Physics

Robert BerwickElectrical Engineering & Computer Science

*Markus BuehlerCivil & Environmental Engineering

Nazli ChoucriPolitical Science

Olivier de WeckAeronautics & Astronautics/Engineering Systems

Ernst G. FrankelMechanical Engineering

Jean E. JacksonAnthropology

Gordon KaufmanManagement Science/Statistics

*Jonathan King (Chair)Biology

Helen Elaine LeeWriting and Humanistic Studies

Stephen J. LippardChemistry

Seth LloydMechanical Engineering

David H. MarksCivil & Environmental Engineering

Fred MoavenzadehCivil & Environmental Engineering/Engineering Systems

James OrlinSloan School of Management

Ronald PrinnEarth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences

George VergheseElectrical Engineering & Computer Science

Rosalind H. WilliamsScience, Technology, & Society/Writing

David LewisManaging Editor

*Editorial Subcommittee for this issue

AddressMIT Faculty NewsletterBldg. 11-268Cambridge, MA 02139

Websitehttp://web.mit.edu/fnl

Telephone 617-253-7303Fax 617-253-0458E-mail [email protected]

Subscriptions$15/year on campus$25/year off campus

01 MIT Medical Director Discusses Changes:Community Care Center Proposed

01 Is President Obama Reducing the Probabilityof Nuclear War?Aron Bernstein

Editorial 01 New Opportunities Toward Nuclear Disarmament:Reviving Faculty Roles?

From The 04 MIT in Action in HaitiFaculty Chair Thomas A. Kochan

10 The MIT Medical Department 1901-2004:A Very Brief HistoryWilliam M. Kettyle

13 Academic IntegritySheila Widnall

16 The Chancellor and Student Deans Ask Studentsto Share “What’s On Your Mind?”Phillip L. Clay, Costantino Colombo, Daniel E. Hastings, Steven R.

Lerman

17 MIT Finance Initiating Digital Tools and Services:ePaystubs Available in June

In Memoriam 18 Arthur C. SmithRobert M. Randolph

In Memoriam 19 Richard K. Yamamoto

20 New AT&T and Sprint Nextel TransmittersPromise Better Cell Phone CoverageRobyn Fizz, Joan Cyr

21 The Foremost Resource Students Need Is Your TimeAllysa Piché

22 Graduate Fellows Build CommunitySteven R. Lerman, Heather Fry

23 MIT Center for International Studies:Student Training and Faculty Funding

23 MIT Professional Education:Summer 2011 Short Course Proposals

M.I.T. Numbers 24 U.S. News & World Report:

contents

Photo credit: Page 1, Amritaa Ganguly; Page 4, Michel DeGraff; Page 18, Courtesy of the MIT Museum; Page 19, Ray Cowan.

MIT Faculty NewsletterMarch/April/May 2010

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Scientists in the Manhattan Project werecentral to bringing nuclear weapons intoexistence; they also led the effort to banthem. Linus Pauling’s original campaignto stop atmospheric testing was the first.

MIT faculty were leaders in subsequentefforts: Vicki Weisskopf, HermanFeshbach, PhilipMorrison,Henry Kendall,Vera Kistiakowsky, Bernard Feld, GeorgeRathjens, Jack Ruina, Jerome Weisner,Kosta Tsipis, Aron Bernstein, and manyothers. The Union of Concerned Scientistswas founded at MIT in 1969 around theissue of stopping the nuclear arms race. Fordecades, theBulletin of the Atomic Scientistswas edited from here. Only Tsipis andBernstein remain active at MIT.

Last year, a small group of faculty andstudents attempted to revive a NuclearAbolition coalition. One of the strikingdiscoveries was the significant number ofour students who were unaware of theenormous arsenals at constant ready. Wesuspect that the Cold War nuclearweapons buildup is not covered or notreached in current high school historycurricula. At MIT, the principal concernfor the Earth is now expressed throughefforts to reduce anthropological climatechange. This is an important stepforward in campus consciousness andengagement, but doesn’t directly addressthe pressing shorter term weaponsdangers.

Since the end of WWII, nuclearweapons development has been directedthrough the Department of Energy(DOE). Formany decades,DOE paid onlylimited attention to the overall energyneeds of the nation, but rather ensured

weapons design, production, and mainte-nance. In recent decades DOE has evolvedand supported important advances inbasic and applied civilian science andtechnology. The appointment of StevenChu as head continues tomove the agencytoward true national needs aroundenergy. Nonetheless, the DOE weapons

labs are major employers in their statesand their Senators continue to fiercelyuphold the weapons missions and activi-ties. The technological resources devotedto nuclear weapons would be far betteremployed in nuclear arms control andinspections, basic science, or in the devel-opment of alternative energy sources.

It seems unlikely that movements suchas Ban the Bomb or the NuclearWeaponsFreeze Campaign will reappear in thisperiod of economic distress. As scientists,engineers, and scholars in a position tounderstand the dangers of, as well as thehistorical forces that led to the currentbuildup, we need to find ways to ensurethat our citizenry is clear on the need toactively and aggressively reduce theweapons in our own arsenal, the world’slargest, and use that as the leverage forpressing other nations to proceed in thesame direction.

As a first step, we ask our colleagues totry to place support for Senate ratificationof the START treaty on the Congressionalagenda of their professional organiza-tions, and to speak out as concerned citi-zens to inform the Senate and the publicwhy nuclear arms reduction and the newSTART treaty are so vital to our security.Perhaps we need an MIT Taskforce onNuclear Disarmament.

********

Online MITAs burgeoning numbers of onlinenewsletters, journals, departmental offer-ings, and the like continue to proliferateInstitute Websites, it has become increas-ingly difficult for MIT communitymembers to keep track of what’s availableand where to find it. So as a service to theInstitute at large, the Faculty Newsletterhas compiled a list of current online pub-lications with a link to each of them. Alink to this list can be found on our home-page (web.mit.edu/fnl) or can be accesseddirectly at web.mit.edu/fnl/MITPublications.The list will be updated regularly and allInstitute online publications are encour-aged to participate. Please submit thename and URL for your publication [email protected] and include the words“Publication URL” in the Subject line.

Tweet with the Faculty NewsletterWith the intent of continuing dialoguebetween Newsletter publication dates, theFNL now has a Twitter site. To participate,go to twitter.com. Our Twitter name is“mitfnl.”

A Heartfelt ThanksAs we reach the end of another academicyear, we would like to take this opportu-nity to thank all of you who have been sogenerous with your support and assis-tance all year long. In particular, we wouldlike to thank the members of the Office ofthe Provost/Institutional Research. Nearlyall the wonderful “numbers” we’ve pre-sented all year (charts, graphs, etc.) havebeen provided by Director of InstitutionalResearch Lydia Snover and her staff. Afterall, this is MIT, and this place just would-n’t be the same without “MIT Numbers.”

We’d also like to thank Deborah Puleo,Ed Pasqual, and all the members of MITMail Services for their continuing assis-tance with labeling, mailing, and (mostimportantly) meeting our often ridicu-lously tight deadlines so that faculty andothers can receive their hardcopy MITFaculty Newsletter with all due speed afterit is printed.

Editorial Subcommittee

Toward Nuclear Disarmamentcontinued from page 1

Last year, a small group of faculty and studentsattempted to revive a Nuclear Abolition coalition. One ofthe striking discoveries was the significant number ofour students who were unaware of the enormousarsenals at constant ready.

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http://web.mit.edu/fnl/MITPublications/index.html

MIT Faculty NewsletterVol. XXII No. 4

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WHILE THE DEVASTATION IN HAITI

may have slipped off the front pages, col-leagues at MIT continue to help ourneighbors address their monumentalchallenges. Moreover, the Provost hasasked Associate Provost Philip Khouryand me to help develop a long-term strat-egy for MIT initiatives in Haiti. Thus Iwould like to use this column to highlighttwo examples of the fantastic things ourfaculty and students are doing in Haiti,and to outline the priorities that areemerging forMIT’s ongoing involvement.Please read this as an invitation to join inapplying your energy and expertise tothese efforts.

Two weeks ago, Michel DeGraff, DaleJoachim, and Barry Vercoe led severalproject teams of students from theirMediaLab class to Haiti. Here is an excerpt fromthe students’ report on their work, takenfrom the blog by Amritaa Ganguly.

In early February I signed up for a newclass at theMedia Lab titledMAS.963: NewMedia Projects for Haiti. After 11 weeks oflectures on Haitian culture, theFrench/Haitian Creole debate, education,health, and sustainable development ourgroup of seven students and three facultywent to Haiti for the last week of April.

Our class split into three main focusgroups: creating a system for generatingelectricity using pedal power; using art,drama, and dance to promote self-expres-sion in children; distributing water testingkits and focusing on water and sanitationmedia campaigns.The reality of traveling to Haiti didn't

strike me until we were already in the centerof Port-au-Prince, driving around the col-

lapsed presidential palace, on our way to thehotel. Our group had seen poverty before, inIndia, Brazil, and Rwanda, but the view ofthousands and thousands of people living ingray tents with USAID stamps was surreal.Where there once were buildings were nowpiles of rubble and cement blocks.With the pedal power groupwe traveled to

Carrefour to meet with an auto mechanic,Jean-Aurélus Narcisse, at his TechniqueClubGarage.As we described the setup for apedal power electricity generator, Mr.Narcisse kept shaking his head andexclaimed that this was "easy" and that ourdesign would be something that he would beextremely interested in building. From ouridea the mechanic employed his own inge-nuity and eventually adapted our projectinto his own, with plans to make additionalunits for regions in dire need of energy andto teach other mechanics as well.Next we headed to Plas Timoun, a school

catering to six- to 10-year-olds held in sixschool buses donated by the First Lady of theDominican Republic. The children wereintroduced to the Speak program on theOneLaptop Per Child machines we had broughtand our group led activities in step dancing,

arts, and crafts. It was an uplifting experi-ence to interact with childrenwho are able tosmile, dance and sing despite the hardshipsthey are facing.

During the week the water group spoke tomany representatives fromDINEPA (DirectionNationale de l’Eau Potable et del’Assainissement – National Direction forDrinking Water and Sanitation), the govern-ment agency in charge of water and sanitationissues as well as NGOs (Non-GovernmentalOrganizations). We attended Water andSanitation Hygiene cluster meetings led byUNICEF to learnmoreabout thepublic sanita-tion andhealth campaigns, aswell as to presentD-Lab'swater testingkit.Thegrouphandedoutfive kits to AIDs/HIV clinics, schools, andNGOs.One example test we conducted on gov-ernment-supplied water fromCAMEP showeda presence of e-coli.

Along the way we encountered so manypeople with such incredible stories. Wevisited a primary school in Darbonnewhich was now held in a tent after theirschool had completely collapsed. We spoketo university students like ourselves who areeager to help in the rebuilding process butdon't know where to start. We spoke to thePresident of the State University, Jean-Vernet Henry, who described his quest torebuild Haiti's universities.Among the most painful stories we heard

was that of Haiti's Faculté de LinguistiqueAppliquée (FLA), the LinguisticsDepartment of the State University. In 35seconds the academic unit lost its dean, vice-dean, faculty members, and more than 200students after their four-story building com-pletely collapsed. One of the professorsdescribed that he was on the first floor of theschool, in the dean’s office, when the earth-

Thomas A. KochanFrom The Faculty ChairMIT in Action in Haiti

Generating Electricity Using Pedal Power


5

quake happened. He fell to the floor andmanaged to curl up. When the earthquakestopped he could see a small tunnel leadingout of the rubble but it was too narrow forhis shoulders. He waited 30 minutes forsome of his surviving friends to dig him outwith an ice pick while he listened to one ofhis students in the next room crying for helpbecause he had lost a foot.From the pile of rubble, someof the remain-

ing professors and students have managed tosalvage a meager amount of damaged text-books. I will never forget the joy on the profes-sors' faces as they skimmed through the titlesof the four boxes of books donated by MITPress. This was the first gift of books that theyhave received since the earthquake.Our week in Haiti has provided us with a

learning experience unlike any other.We canonly ask that the administration, faculty, andstudents at MIT reach out to their colleaguesinHaiti during this rebuilding process, creat-ing new partnerships with Haitian universi-ties, the Haitian government, the Haitianpopulation both inHaiti and in the diaspora,and with those aid organizations that bestserve the country's interests.

A second example comes from a teamfrom MIT Lincoln Laboratory, theCenter for Transportation and Logistics,and the Sloan School of Managementthat has been taking stock of the state offood, shelter, water, health, and securityfor residents of Haiti at the request ofthe U.S. military’s Joint Task Force inHaiti, known as JTF-Haiti. Initiallytasked with humanitarian assistance anddisaster relief, JTF-Haiti soon took on arole of coordinating and collaboratingwith lead agencies such as the U.S.Agency for International Developmentand the U.N. Stabilization Mission inHaiti. To serve the entire community,JTF-Haiti initiated a data collectioneffort that drew on expertise from manyorganizations, and specially-trained per-sonnel gathered in-person informationfrom hundreds of displaced individuals,camp leaders, and health facility workerson a rolling basis every day for some twomonths, recently completing the firstphase of the effort.

The project was initiated in lateJanuary, when the need for informationbecame clear to Dr. Marc Zissman,Assistant Head of the CommunicationSystems and Cyber Security Division atMIT Lincoln Laboratory, who was calledto Port-au-Prince to support the JTF-Haiti efforts. Dr. Zissman contacted MITcampus colleagues, asking for help, andeventually assembled a wider team. Now,Dr. Israel Soibelman, Division Head ofHomeland Protection and Air TrafficControl at Lincoln Lab and colleaguesfrom across Lincoln Lab are involved, as isthe ad-hoc MIT campus team that firstformed in early February.

The all-volunteer campus team pairednine graduate students from across MITand elsewhere – some lining up classprojects, others simply volunteering –with Dr. Jarrod Goentzel, director of theMaster of Engineering in LogisticsProgram and the Humanitarian LogisticsResearch Project, and MIT Sloan SeniorLecturer Dr. Anjali Sastry, along withESD PhD student Erica Gralla. The teamdeveloped a set of white papers topresent context and background tostakeholders, then examined the data asit came in, identifying questions, assess-ing trends, and helping to develop apicture of needs as the situationunfolded. The students spent much oftheir spring break working at MIT, andgave up weekends and early mornings tomeet and collaborate. A subset focusedon one critical area – housing – askingwhat the existing literature and theincoming data suggested about potentialinteractions and trajectories.

The campus team is now refining theirfinal analysis of data collected inHaiti anddocumenting lessons learned, which willbe combined into a final report. LincolnLab is organizing a day-long “After ActionReview” to further consolidate insightsgained through the data collection andanalysis effort in Haiti. The combinedMIT team aims to share materials andparticipate in the wider dialog about howto better manage and assess efforts inhumanitarian emergencies.

An Ongoing MIT Haiti Strategy?These projects illustrate MIT at its best. Inaddition to coordinating and supportingproposals like these that bubble up fromfaculty and students, I see two ways inwhich MIT might be helpful to Haiti onan ongoing basis, both of which reflectrequests for this assistance received fromHaitian leaders.

The first way would be to help rebuildthe country’s university system.Most of thephysical facilities occupied by the StateUniversity System (UEH) and by privateuniversities have been destroyed, and over3,000 faculty members and 12,000 to15,000 students perished in the earth-quake. A new state university system needsto be built.TheUEHRecteur haswritten toPresident Hockfield requesting our assis-tance in helping to build consensus arounda vision and strategy for the UEH. MIT,either acting on its own or in partnershipwith other universities, could assist in thisprocess and perhaps help organize jointinitiatives and potential exchanges for stu-dents and faculty – at the UEH and possi-bly some of the private universities.

The second potential initiative wasrequested by Mr. Patrick Delatour,Chairman of Haiti’s PresidentialCommission for Reconstruction, duringhis visit to MIT in April. An InterimRecovery Commission, co-chaired byPrime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive andPresident Clinton, has been created tomake decisions on how to allocateresources from donors to specific projects.Minister Delatour indicated that there is apressing need to assist the Commission indeveloping and training a staff of profes-sionals to review, process, and make rec-ommendations among funding priorities.A number of our colleagues in MIT’sUrban Planning Department are now fol-lowing up on this request to explore howthey might help the Commission developthese professional capabilities.

If youwould like to joinanyof these initia-tives or have additional ideas, please contactPhilipKhoury ([email protected]) orme.

Thomas A. Kochan is a Professor ofManagement and Faculty Chair([email protected]).


6

with advances in care and meet the needsof our community. Some of the changesreflect evolution of care systems andchanges in the practice of medicine in ourcommunity, and others are in response tobudgetary pressure.

FNL: You have proposed discontinuation ofovernight, on-site care. Can you explain theproposal and tell us how this proposal wasdeveloped?

WMK: Over the last several years therehave been significant changes in the uti-lization of our Inpatient Unit. We haveseen the number of admissions declinesignificantly. Over the past five yearsthere’s been a persistent reduction inadmissions (see table next page). Duringthis same time period there has been adramatic increase in what we call “tran-sient visits.” These are visits to theInpatient Unit that don’t involve anovernight stay, but do involve the provi-sion of care – care that is in keeping withchanges in the delivery of services and themanagement of medical conditions. Theadministration of intravenous fluids anddrugs, dressing change, administration ofother injectables, teaching, etc. We haveseen a significant increase in the utiliza-tion of our facilities and personnel forcare episodes that are not admissions.

This change in usage parallels importantdevelopments in the flow and mechanicsof care in the medical environmentaround us. Hospital stays have gottenshorter. There are increasing, high qualityresources available in our community toprovide care at home or at a living facility.There have also been significant changesin medical care that allow the treatmentfor certain conditions to be done as anoutpatient rather than as an inpatient. Forexample, there are antibiotics that can begiven once a day instead of three or fourtimes a day. We now have drugs to treatblood clots that can be given by thepatient to himself or herself rather than

via an intravenous drip. The availability ofhome physical therapy and occupationaltherapy is also reflected in a significantdecline in the utilization of the InpatientUnit for post illness or post-operativerehabilitation.

In addition, many of our senior membersare moving to living facilities whereextended care or assisted living servicesare available. Home hospice services haveimproved significantly and for manypatients home is the most comfortableplace for care at the end of life andwe haveseen a significant decrease in the utiliza-tion of our unit.

We’ve been aware of these changes inusage and have been and still are lookingfor ways to utilize our personnel and ourbed space to maintain an appropriate useof our resources, to cover the fixed costs ofhaving the Inpatient Unit remain open.

Options explored to defray the fixed costsof providing care in the Inpatient Unithave included the following:

• Shorten acute hospital stays by transfer-ring patients to the Inpatient Unit –thereby decreasing acute care hospitalcosts. (The mechanics include “payback”methodologies based on hospitalpayment arrangements.)• Commercial research – drug trials• Respite/post-op care (aka “The CharlesHotel model”).• Sleep studies• Hospice care (in coordination with theMGH)• Colonoscopy center• Rehabilitation facility

After feasibility review, none of the abovehas been practical enough to operational-ize. In addition we have, for the pastseveral years, been staffed at what we feelis the minimal level to support highquality care – decreasing staffing withoutchanging services is not an option.

Our proposal also includes some changesin our Urgent Care service. The Urgent

Care area provides walk-in and same-dayappointment service for all those eligibleto use the MIT Medical Department. Thevisit volume varies widely, with the lateafternoon and evening being the busiesttimes. After 11:00 pm the frequency ofvisits decreases significantly (see chartnext page). The vast majority of the visitsseen during the night (midnight – 7:30am) are of the convenience kind (“I’m stillup and I’ve had this X [where X = cold orrash or sore knee] for several Ys [where Y= days or weeks or months]”). During thenight and in some cases during regularbusiness hours, visits of a truly emergencynature are triaged by phone or, after abrief initial assessment, sent to an acutecare hospital emergency room with alarger range of diagnostic and therapeuticservices – X-ray, CT scanning, emergencyroom level care – for fractures, othertrauma, heart attacks, abdominal pain,high fever, etc.

The proposal we are putting forth is torebalance the deployment of ourresources. We want to increase andaugment services of the “transient visit”kind and support this enhancement withresources that are currently underutilized.

The ProposalCreate a Community Care Center –staffed by nurses trained in care manage-ment who will be knowledgeable regard-ing the availability of resources, who cancoordinate and monitor the delivery ofservices. This team of nurses will alsoprovide the nursing care services for the“transient visits.” The potential forinvolvement of these nurses with livingunits and segments of our communitywill enhance care and likely improve out-comes. The Center would be open from7:00 am until 7:00 pm on weekdays.

• Discontinue overnight services in theInpatient Unit. One of the importantresponsibilities of the Community Carenursing teamwill be to help arrange alter-native care plan for those who historicallywould have spent the night in the inpa-tient unit.

MIT Medical Directorcontinued from page 1


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• Continue to provide Urgent CareService from7:00 amuntil 11:00 pm.Thiswould provide convenient, on-site care formild-to-low acuity problems. Overnightwe will arrange access to local emergencyroom facilities.

• Engage a triage call system, staffed bytrained nurses following accepted proto-cols to provide advice when our facility isnot staffed. From 11:00 pm until 7:00 amthis dedicated service, a service that isaware of the available resources, willprovide advice and instructions.

The proposal is indeed a work in progress.

Our plan is to build the Community CareCenter and provide the enhanced servicesbefore making any changes in the avail-ability of on-site, overnight services. Ourcurrent overlap horizon extends until theend of the calendar year.We are making amajor effort to engage community inputand have talked with faculty, departments,and student groups – seeking comments,suggestions, input.

FNL: The Inpatient Unit was closed for twomonths over the summer. Why was thisdone and what was the impact on care forour community?

WMK: Inpatient utilization is very lowduringwhat we call the summer – roughlyJune 15 until August 15. In addition todecreasing our personnel expense, thisclosure gave an opportunity to evaluateour Community Care proposal. Thesummer of 2009 experience demon-strated that closing the Inpatient Unitovernight and closing the Urgent Carearea frommidnight until 7:30 am resultedin no measurable increase in emergencyroom visits or hospital admissions (basedon insurance billing data) and we are notaware of any adverse effect on the qualityof patient care or problems related to theovernight closings. Prior arrangementswere made with Mount Auburn Hospitalto offer care and to facilitate the continu-ity of care formembers of our communityneeding services during the night. In addi-tion, the telephone triage service Idescribed earlier was put in place withexcellent acceptance by both patients andclinicians.

FNL: Will the proposed changes result insignificant cost savings?

WMK: Our proposal, in fact, involvesspending more in some areas and less inothers. The net annual saving – afterspending more in some areas and less inothers – is about $1 million or ~ 2.5% ofour annual operating budget. The costsavings are significant, but the opportuni-ties to enhance the care we provide andmore efficiently use our resources are themajor components of the proposedchanges.Having highly trained nurses anddoctors remain idle during the night isnot ideal professionally or fiscally.

FNL:How will members of our communityobtain care during the night?

WMK: That depends upon what theyneed. For many patients the daytimeactivities in the proposed CommunityCare Center will have included arrange-ments for overnight care, if needed. Thatcould include supportive services at homeor transfer to another medical facility.

continued on next page

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009*

Admissions 406 352 284 260 152

Patient Days 1255 1382 1050 913 518

Occupancy 25% 27% 21% 18% 10%

Average Daily Census 3.4 3.8 2.9 2.5 1.8

Transient Visits 416 526 502 704 898**

Inpatient Unit Utilization

* 2009 data includes two-month summer closing** Includes 178 visits for injections only

2009*

Overnight Observation Stays 163

Adjusted Patient Days 681

Adjusted Occupancy 13%

Adjusted Average Daily Census 2.4

Transient Visits 898**

Inpatient Unit Transient Visits

2008 2009Total seen (all hours) 15,361 17,027

Total seen (12 am – 7 am) 446 (2.9%) 459 (2.6%)Where Patients Went After Being Seen

Home 384 407Inpatient Unit 17 16

Emergency Room 24 18Unknown 20 18

Urgent Care Utilization


8

Building on long and strong relationshipswith area health care facilities we areexploring arrangements that will facilitatethe transfer of patients requiring inpatientlevel of care.

The urgent challenge is really in the realmof providing students with care overnight.Gastroenteritis, mononucleosis, alcoholintoxication, often require prolongedintravenous fluid administration and orsupportive care.We are currently in nego-tiation with Mount Auburn Hospital andwith their hospitalist services to providebed space for students for overnight carein situations like those mentioned.We arealso exploring an arrangement withHarvard University Health Services. ForMIT Health Plan members and retirees,our long-standing relationships with bothMount Auburn Hospital and theMassachusetts General Hospital will notchange significantly. We will, however, bemore involved and active in dischargeplanning for patients hospitalized at theseor any of the other local facilities.

FNL: How will a Heath Plan member,student, or retiree knowwhat to do or whereto go in an emergency situation?

WMK: Call. Calling our number to accesscare will automatically connect them withour staff or our triage service. Overnightadvice might also include contacting theMIT clinical on call. Internal Medicine,pediatric, OB/Gyn andMental Health clini-cal will remain on call 24/7 under the pro-posed system and will be available topatients via the call system. Mental Healthservices will continue to be available 24/7.Thevenue forovernightmental health, face-to-face evaluations is being determined.

The nocturnal call service will report allcalls and advice given at 7:00 am the nextday. A member of our Community CareCenter team will review the log of callsand provide follow-up care, advice, facili-ties appointments, etc.

The Call Center nurses are trained toprovide advice to those seeking help for amedical condition, injury or otherconcern. For some callers the advicemight be:

“It sounds like this could wait until later inthe morning. I will let the Community CareCenter team know that you called. How canthey best reach you at about 8:00 am?”

Or

“Try to get the fever down with someibuprofen – take two (200 mg., each) nowand again in about four hours, drink plentyof fluids. I will let the Community CareCenter team know that you called. How canthey best reach you at about 8:00 am?”

Or

“I think you need evaluation tonight. Pleasego to the Mount Auburn Emergencyroom…..they are located at……I will callthem and let them know you are on yourway…I will also let the Community CareCenter team know about this call and theywill follow up with the hospital and withyou. . . .I hope you feel better soon. . . .”

FNL:How will those needing care get to theemergency room?

WMK: That depends on the illness, theacuity and the locally available resources.An ambulance is the way to travel for anyone with a severe, unstable, or uncertaincondition. Our on-campus student-runEMT service is excellent. When the MITEMT service is not on duty, or for off-campus needs, professional ambulanceservices should be engaged. The triageservice will knowwhat resources are avail-able. For less acute transportation needs ataxi or private car are probably the mostrealistic forms of transportation. For stu-dents we will provide cab services.

FNL: What are the cost issues for someonereferred to an emergency room overnight?

WMK: An emergency room visit sug-

gested by the overnight phone servicewould likely have been an emergencyroom visit in any event – even if we hadovernight services here at MIT. Highacuity, urgent care situations do nowrequire and will continue to require hos-pital-level emergency room care. The co-pay system for this type of care wouldremain unchanged.

For a student, co-payments would beborne by the Medical Department or bythe student’s insurance, depending on thediagnosis, the acuity, and the care needed.For most members of our communitythere will not be a significant change inout-of-pocket costs.

FNL: Are there other changes in clinicalservices that are slated for the MIT MedicalDepartment?

WMK: There are two other changes thathave been put in place.

We have had 18 different dermatologistshere in the last five years. This presents asignificant issue administratively and clin-ically. Because of this and because we haveseen a significant increase in the availabil-ity of high quality, nearby, off-campus,dermatologic services, we have decidednot to have a dermatologist on site. Wewill continue to have an on-site dermato-logic nurse specialist.

One other change is driven by changes intechnology. We will no longer be doingechocardiograms on site. Our equipmentneeds to be updated and the number ofstudies we do does not support the pur-chase of the latest equipment. We haveeasy access,with relatively short queues, tostate-of-the-art echocardiography at threeor more different facilities in the area.There will be no change in the billing forechocardiography.

FNL: At our last interview we discussedbroadening the use of the MIT Medicalfacilities for member of the community whoare not students or MIT Health Planmembers. Has this materialized?

MIT Medical Directorcontinued from preceding page


9

WMK: We are continuing to put intoplace operational changes that willsupport this valuable endeavor. There hasbeen a slight increase in the utilization ofour facilities by members of our commu-nity who are not students or Health Planmembers. We are continuing to worktoward increasing this utilization.

FNL: Can you provide us with an updateon your community mental health outreachactivities?

WMK: We are continuing a number ofactivities to increase awareness of service,decrease stigmatization, and help identifythose who might benefit. There have beenno reductions in our mental heath serv-ices. The proposed changes in overnightservices will not affect our mental healthcare activities. We continue to be activelyinvolved in reaching out to our campuscommunity with regard to mental healthneeds. We are also actively screeningmembers of our community for depres-sion and other significant mental healthissues.

FNL: The focus of the Mental HealthService appears to be on student care. Howis that going?

WMK: We have indeed increased ourfocus on students at our mental healthservice.We are seeing more students and Ithink our outreach efforts are effective.This is a very important component ofour medical service and we will continueto support these endeavors.

FNL: Co-pays have been initiated for someservices. How was that decision made andwhy are these necessary?

WMK:Wehave long avoided co-pays.Thereasons to avoid them are many and mostare obvious. Changes in legislation haveforced us to add co-pays for certain serv-ices. The concept of mental health parityis based on the premise that mental healthconditions should not be managed differ-ently than medical conditions. We havehad co-pays for psychiatric or mental

health services, and in order to complywith mental health parity laws, we haveadded co-pays for other specialties. Wedecided to consider mental health servicesas a specialty and along with other spe-cialty services have put a co-pay system inplace. There is no co-pay for services thatwe consider “primary care.” Internal med-icine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecol-ogy are considered primary care servicesand co-pays do not occur in those areas.Specialty consultations do involve a co-payment. The co-payment is $10 acrossthe board for specialty services – thismeans a decrease inmental health co-pay-ments, but an increase in subspecialty co-payments otherwise.

There are no co-pays for most studentservices obtained at the MedicalDepartment.

FNL: Will there be changes in the DentalService?

WMK: Our dental service has continuedto evolve in several ways that provide out-standing support for the MITCommunity. We are now “dentallydigital.” Our x-rays, record keeping andbilling are all done electronically.Productivity has increased and we havealigned our mix of on-site services tomaximize convenience for our patients.For most dental needs, our departmentcan provide all the services.

FNL: During the current fiscal year severalmembers of your staff took unpaid fur-loughs. Is this part of your fiscal manage-ment plan going forward?

WMK: Several members of our depart-ment are taking or have taken furloughsto decrease our personnel expenses for thecurrent fiscal year. The furloughs werescheduled to minimize impact on patientcare and vital operations. When wedecided that furloughs would be part ofour reaction to the fiscal pressure wefaced, we realized that this was a tempo-rary, short-term, and hopefully not short-sighted approach. We used this

mechanism to buy time, to make plansthat would enable us to preserve caresystems and to minimize personnelreductions. We do not plan on any fur-loughs for the coming fiscal year andbeyond.

FNL: How much has your budget been cutover the past two fiscal years?

WMK:During Fiscal Year 2010 we experi-enced approximately a 5% reduction inresource availability. For Fiscal Year 2011we are proposing a further reduction ofapproximately 2.5%.

FNL:Has your staffing changed significantly?

WMK: Nearly 300 people work at MITMedical – some are employees and thereare a number of contractors. There havebeen and will be some small reductions inforce, but in most areas our workforce isincredibly stable – except in dermatology– we have had a very low turnover rate.

FNL:How much influence did you have onyour budget for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011?Were you given a firm, fixed reductiontarget?

WMK:We worked closely with the senioradministration and Finance to look care-fully at our resource utilization. Over thepast several years we have put in placerobust fiscal monitoring and manage-ment systems, and because of this todaywe have a much better handle on ourresource utilization.

We paid careful attention to thework of theMIT Task Force and actively worked inter-nally to find ways to make sure ourresources were being effectively used. Thework of the Institute-wide Task Forcedecreased the reduction burden for ourdepartment and other departments atMIT.We also actively worked internally to findways tomake sure our resources were beingeffectively used. These activities renderedsome savings. We shared our work, ournumbers, our assessments, and our plans



10

with the senior administration and came toan agreement on how much we could rea-sonably plan to spend for Fiscal Year 2011.So in essence it wasn’t a negotiation; it wascollaboration – a collaboration focused onmaximizing the use of our resources, andmaintaining, as much as possible, the con-venient, on-site, high quality service that wehave traditionally offered.

FNL:Will the new federal health care leg-islation have a significant impact on MITMedical and the health plans that itsponsors?

WMK: We are carefully looking at thepotential effects of national health legisla-tion on our insurance programs and caresystems. One important change is theexpansion of coverage up to age 26. Thismay lead to a decrease in enrollment inour student extended plan. Since we havenot had significant benefit limits or eligi-bility issues in our plans, some of theother components of the health carereform act will not have very much effecton us.Clearly the final form is unclear andthe impact on the Institute and our com-munity is being evaluated.

FNL: Are you optimistic about MITMedical in the future remaining the valu-able Institute resource it is?

WMK: Looking forward – we are indeedquite optimistic about our ability toprovide high quality, convenient, on-sitecare. The changes we propose — the for-mation of a Community Care Center andthe reduction of on-site services overnight– will allow us to continue to provide highquality, convenient care for our commu-nity. Working with MIT leadership andwith the communities at MIT we will findways to meet the clinical needs with theresources available.

Thank you for the opportunity to sharethis information with you and with yourreaders.

MIT Medical Directorcontinued from preceding page

William M. Kettyle is Medical Director andHead, MIT Medical ([email protected]).

William M. KettyleThe MIT Medical Department 1901–2004:A Very Brief History

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FOR THE FIRST 40 YEARS of its exis-tence, MIT apparently did not have anyorganized system for the provision ofmedical care. Students commuted fromhome or lived in nearby boarding housesand presumably had their health careneeds met within the Boston community.

Although provision for the care ofillness and injury for students has been aclear goal of the medical services providedby MIT, there has also been an importantemphasis on two other important roles:workplace care for those employed byMIT and active management of injury ordisease resulting from the work of engi-neering and science. Using the same staff

and the same facilities, these three impor-tant roles have been played by theDepartment for most of its 100-plus yearsof existence.

In the large file folder, in Dr. Clark’sbook and in discussions with colleagues,the history of the Medical Department isvariously described based on the physicalfacilities dedicated to the endeavor, thepeople involved and the services provided.What follows is a very brief review of theimportant events in the century of careprovided to the MIT community by theMedical Department.

1901Franklin W. White, MD, an 1890 graduateof MIT, was appointed Medical Advisor tothe Institute. He provided medical care athis private office on Marlborough Street –not far from the Institute’s Copley Squarelocation. He also, apparently, providedlectures on health-related topics.

1910A room in Pierce Hall (near the entrance

to the current Copley Plaza Hotel) wasmade available for Dr. White to see stu-dents without payment of a fee.Eventually, students were required to havea physician examination during their firstmonth at the Institute. Apparently,careful anthropometric measurementswere made and posture abnormalitieswere identified and corrective exercisesrecommended.

1915Dr. White retires and J. Arnold Rockwell,MD (Class of 1896 and source of thename for the “Rockwell Cage” at the ath-letic facility) replaces Dr. White. As the“cage” that bears his name implies, Dr.Rockwell was very interested in collegeathletics and was an ardent supporter ofathletic activities.

1917The Institute moves to its present loca-tion in Cambridge and two rooms are setaside in Building 3 for the provision ofmedical care and a “First Aid Room” is set


11

up in the office of the Superintendent ofBuildings.

A group of undergraduates, the “Waysand Means Committee,” recommendsthat a small amount (about fifty-sevencents per student when implemented) beadded to the tuition as a fee, so thatmedical care could be made more avail-able. This would, they argued, lower thethreshold for seeking care and forestallserious problems. They stated, “that theexpense of the medical service should beborne by the student body as a whole.”

1921George W. Morse, MD replaces Dr.Rockwell and is given the title MedicalDirector. He was a graduate of HarvardCollege and Harvard Medical School andwas a surgeon by training. Referred to bysome as “the knife,” Dr. Morse was alsonamed head of the Department ofHygiene. In this capacity, along with thesupport of Alan Rowe, PhD (not MD)who was Director of Research at EvansMemorial Hospital, a Boston UniversityMedical School facility, he reportedly wasalso interested in health maintenance andpreservation: “Pitfalls beset him [thestudent] at every turn and the greatest ofthese are the quick lunch counter and theunused bed.” In addition to lectures onhygiene, a physical examination for eachstudent every six months was recom-mended!

1928Named for Richard Holmberg ’23, whodied as a Senior of pneumonia, theHolmberg Infirmary (now Building 11)opened providing an inpatient hospitalfacility in addition to expanded space forthe care of students and employees.

1942Dental Services began to be available atthe MIT Medical Department. Initiallydental hygiene was all that was available,but gradually a wider range of servicesbecame available.

1946Dana L. Farnsworth, M.D. – an Internist

and Psychiatrist – replaces Dr. Morse andis the first full-time Medical Director. Dr.Farnsworth came with 11 years of experi-ence in college health at Williams Collegeand several years of experience in the U. S.Army. He is reported to have said:“College health is mental health.”

During his nearly nine-year tenure, Dr.Farnsworth clearly focused his efforts onthe development of services to support hisobjectives. A full-time psychiatrist and afull-time otolaryngologist were hired.Onsite laboratory services were added in1947 and a program termed “FacultyHealth Survey” was started in 1952. Inthis program, faculty members with therank of Assistant Professor or highercould have – at no charge – an annualphysical examination. In addition, con-sultations with available specialty services,psychiatry and ENT, were available. The“Faculty Health Survey” paralleled the“executive physical” that was popular inthe 1950s and 60s in the business world.The eligibility requirements were fre-quently adjusted so that other, non-faculty members of the Institute couldenjoy this service.

1948The first full-time psychiatrist isappointed to the staff.

1949Occupational Medical Service is estab-lished. Developments in science, engi-neering, and warfare brought new andspecial risks to the scientists, engineersand technicians who worked in laborato-ries and facilities like MIT. MIT was oneof the first institutions to establish aprogram to actively identify and managethese issues. Dr. Harriet Hardy headed theprogram and became a recognizedpioneer in this important endeavor.

1954Dr. Farnsworth leaves MIT to becomeMedical Director at Harvard UniversityHealth Services. He is replaced briefly by J.Howard Means, MD, recently retired chiefof Medicine at MGH and former presidentof the American College of Physicians. Dr.

Means was a strong proponent of highquality care for the entire community andproposed two radical, inter-related con-cepts – the Medical Department as ateaching department and a pre-paidprogram of medical care. He proposedthat the Medical Department become atwo-year Medical School. He felt that,especially at MIT, combining education,research, and practice should be done inmedicine just as it is done so well in engi-neering. In addition, he proposed a pre-paid medical care plan for the MITcommunity. He argued that the teachingrole of the Department and the provisionof prepaid medical care would be thesource of strength for each other.

Dr. Means also argued that on-site carefor the MIT community not only madegood medical sense, it also made goodfinancial sense. In his view, the value oftime lost from the work of the Institute –at any level or job – was at great cost, a costthat could be minimized by the provisionof on-site care.

1955James Faulkner, M.D. becomes MedicalDirector. He served until 1960.

1957Obstetrical care needs were clearly identi-fied and, in cooperation with the BostonLying-In Hospital (BLIH, now Brighamand Women’s Hospital (BWH)), arrange-ments were made to have the chief resident(Dr. Ruby Jackson) provide pre- and post-natal care at MIT for one session per week.The service continued for several years atthe BLIH facility and in 1963 a part-timegynecologist was hired by the Institute toprovide on site OB and Gyn care.OB/GYN continued until 2004 to be pro-vided at BLIH and its successor BWH.

1960Albert O. Seeler, MD, an internist and tox-icologist, becomes Medical Director. Hehad joined the Department in 1956 as aninternist. Prior to coming to MIT, he wasactively involved in patient care andteaching on the Harvard services at



12

Boston City Hospital and at MountAuburn hospital. His relationship withthe Mount Auburn hospital led to the fre-quent use of this facility for cases thatcould not be managed in the MIT infir-mary.

His concern for the MIT communitylead to continued growth of the MedicalDepartment and most importantly to theestablishment of the MIT Health Plan – aprepaid, HMO for the MIT community.

1960sA number of changes are occurring in thefinancing of health care – Medicare, aninsurance program for senior health care,goes into effect and health insurancebecomes an important component ofemployee benefits in many industries. Inan effort to control costs and improvecare, pre-paid health care systems aredeveloped and federal legislation is put inplace to support the development ofHealth Maintenance Organizations(HMOs). Planning begins for what willbecome the MIT Health Plan.

To meet the increasing demands fordependent care, pediatricians and gyne-cologists are added to the staff.

1964The MIT General Clinical ResearchCenter (CRC) is established. The CRC iscurrently one of 80 centers across thecountry receiving major, continuingsupport from the National Center forResearch Resources within the NationalInstitutes of Health. It provides a facilitywhere expertise in basic science and engi-neering can be applied to the study ofhuman physiology and the treatment ofhuman disease.

1970After the Sancta Maria Hospital movesfrom its Memorial Drive location toConcord Avenue in Cambridge, the build-ing is acquired by MIT. The HolmbergInfirmary moves from Building 11 to

Building W5, the refurbished SanctaMaria Hospital building. Outpatient careremains in Building 11.

1970The Harvard-MIT Division of HealthSciences and Technology (HST) islaunched after several years of planning.The HST program represents the firstlasting major academic collaborationbetween Harvard and MIT. It fosters col-laborative efforts in medical education,biomedical research, and health care. TheMIT home of the HST program is housedin Building E25 and shares a commonentrance atrium with the MedicalDepartment, Building E23. In addition,several Medical Department staffmembers are actively involved in theactivities of the HST program.

1974The MIT Health Plan starts. Initially atrial program, it was limited to 1000members. It was a very popular and suc-cessful endeavor and soon grew to the7000 to 9000 member range. The pres-ence of this pre-paid plan allowed forgrowth of the Medical Department and amarked expansion of the services avail-able on campus. Clearly, this benefitednot only the members of the Health Planbut also the students of MIT.

1976Charles J. Hatem, MD joins the staff of theMIT Medical Department and supervisesthe medical care of MIT patients at theMount Auburn Hospital. His role wasessentially that of what would be called a“hospitalist” today. This arrangementcontinued until his retirement in 1997.

1982After several years of planning, the MITMedical Department moves into itscurrent home, Building E23.

1997The MIT Medical Department enters intoan affiliation agreement with PartnersHealth Care (the umbrella organization

that includes the Massachusetts GeneralHospital (MGH) and Brigham andWomen’s Hospital (BWH)). On the occa-sion of Dr. Hatem’s retirement the ques-tion of hospital affiliation was reassessedand a decision was made to hospitalizeMIT patients for medical and surgical careat the Massachusetts General Hospital.Obstetric and gynecologic hospital carecontinued at the Brigham and Women’sHospital.

2003A group of MIT students, graduate andundergraduate, form an ambulanceservice. In addition to providing ambu-lance services the group has set up an activeeducation program enabling a largenumber of students to become certifiedemergency medical technicians. With thehelp of the Medical Department, the Officeof the Dean for Student Life, and theCampus Police, the service provides highquality, student- and campus-friendlyemergency medical transportation.

2004Hospital level care provided by theObstetrics and Gynecology Service movesto the Mount Auburn Hospital. High-riskobstetrical care and complex GYN surgerycontinue to be provided at the Brighamand Women’s Hospital. Midwifery andaccess to obstetrical care in the westernsuburbs are now available via the MedicalDepartment’s care programs.

For over 100 years MIT has provided careto its community. Students, faculty, staff,and their families can receive care at afacility that has a long tradition of caringfor the medical and health needs of thisspecial community.

The people, the buildings, the affiliationsand some of the services have surelychanged over the past century, but thecommitment to the health, safety and careof the MIT community has not changed.

A History of MIT Medicalcontinued from preceding page

William M. Kettyle is Medical Director andHead, MIT Medical ([email protected]).


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Sheila WidnallAcademic Integrity

ACADEM IC I NTEGR ITY I S A corevalue of the culture at MIT. The facultyCommittee on Discipline (COD) dealswith instances of violations of academicintegrity policy by students brought to itby faculty and staff. These cases, althoughinvolving only a minute percentage of thestudents at MIT, provide a window on thecurrent challenges and highlight thecrucial importance of faculty holding stu-dents responsible for their actions, as wellas being willing to bring it to the attentionof COD when violations occur.

One recurring theme, which seems tohave increased in the past few years, areincidents of plagiarism, primarily in CI-M and CI-H courses. Professional writinghas become an important part of the MITcurriculum. Students carry out and doc-ument laboratory studies, undertake lit-erature reviews, and write summarypapers of important developments intheir fields. The Committee has beenimpressed by the depth and subtlety ofthe instruction in CI-M and CI-Hcourses regarding the complexity of iden-tifying and avoiding plagiarism. The MIThandbook on academic integrity, pro-vided to all freshmen (web.mit.edu/academicintegrity/), lays out the sub-tleties of proper citation of sources, para-phrasing, referencing, “cutting andpasting.” In the plagiarism cases we haveheard, we had no doubt that the faculty inquestion went to great lengths to includein classroom discussion, preliminarywriting assignments, specific feedback,and one-on-one classroom interactions,sufficient material to make clear the stan-dards to which the students were held.Despite this, students sometimes argue

that they did not understand exactly whatthe expectations are about proper use ofsources.

Cutting and pasting from Wikipedia,citing sources that had not actually beenread or were actually unavailable but hadbeen cited in other references, or copyingbut not referencing a source: we have seenall of this. Because MIT faculty take theseissues seriously and go to such lengths toinclude them in the course material, CODconcluded that, in the cases we heard, stu-dents were aware of the standards towhich they are held and, for a variety ofreasons, chose to violate them.

Other “one-of-a-kind” cases that wererecently heard by COD are:

• A student went to the “box” in whichproblem sets were handed in. Thestudent removed another student’s psetfrom the box, erased that student’sname, wrote in their own name, andsubmitted the pset as their own work.This was repeated three times. The viola-tion was identified because one of thestudents whose problem set was stolendid not get it back, recognized their workin the “return” box, and inquired.

• In another case, of a type we have seenbefore, a student modified a “returned”exam before resubmitting it for regrad-ing. Because requests for regrading hadoccurred before with this student, theprofessor xeroxed the exam beforehanding it back. When the exam wasresubmitted for regrading, the violationwas clearly identified.

• In another case, a student gained accessto a professor’s personal on-line Athenafolder, which was inadvertently leftunprotected, and found a copy of theupcoming final as well as other examsand psets. Rather than notify the facultymember, the student made use of theinformation to improve their own gradein the remainder of the course.

The COD urges faculty to make theiracademic expectations clear and to have aconsistent culture across faculty and TAstaff in a course. The Institute’s academicintegrity policy leaves the response to anact of academic dishonesty to the sole dis-cretion of an individual faculty member.A faculty member can fail a student forthe assignment, lower their grade, or failthem for the entire course. In additionthere are two options for the facultymember to more formally document theact of academic dishonesty. The simplestoption is to place a letter in the student’sfile with the Office of Student Citizenship(OCS), which has templates for thoseletters available on its Website,web.mit.edu/citizenship. If a facultymember feels that the incident needs to betaken further, they are encouraged to file acomplaint through OCS to be heard bythe COD. If you are unsure about howyou would like to handle a particular situ-ation, you can contact the Chair of CODor Dave Kennedy ([email protected]),Director of OCS, staff to the COD, to talkthrough your options.

Sheila Widnall is an Institute Professor andChair of the Committee on Discipline (COD)([email protected]).


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seen by the destruction visited onHiroshima and Nagasaki where a singlebomb (10 to 20 times less powerful thantoday’s typical weapons) destroyed a city.To create the same level of destruction inWWII took hundreds of bombers drop-ping thousands of conventional weapons.The political results of 9/11, in the U.S.and abroad, were catastrophic and longlasting; a single terrorist nuclear event,even at the relatively small and crudeHiroshima level, would cause orders ofmagnitude more damage.

It would obviously be best to eliminateterrorism and war, but unfortunately thisdoes not appear to be realistic. There isprecedent for eliminating poison gas,another indiscriminate killer, from thearsenals; thus the goal of eliminatingnuclear war is possibly a more realizable,although difficult, goal. To achieve thiswill require multiple concrete steps: 1) the U.S. and Russia reduce their arse-nals to 1000 weapons each, limit their useto deter nuclear war, and allow inspec-tions to verify the reductions; 2) theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treat (NPT)and the International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) inspection system mustbe strengthened; 3) China, the U.K.,France and the non-NPT nations (India,Pakistan, Israel, N. Korea) must agree toreducing and limiting the numbers anduses of nuclear weapons; 4) all responsi-ble nuclear power and weapons statesmust lower the risk of theft of fissilematerial and nuclear weapons by terroristgroups; and, finally, at the end of thisprocess, 5) the negotiations to zeroweapons.

This is clearly a long and difficultagenda. Is implementation possible? If wedon’t try it’s guaranteed not to happen. Ifthis agenda is carried out will it increasesecurity? If done carefully, with adequateinspections and increased political trust, itshould – with the possible byproduct oflessening all wars. Finally, even if we donot reach zero nuclear weapons, each of

the other steps outlined here are impor-tant in their own right and should betaken to increase security for all parties.Taking these criteria into account, are therecent activities of the Obama administra-tion consistent with these strides forward,and with this long-range goal?

On April 8, 2010 the new STARTtreaty, reducing the number of U.S. andRussian nuclear weapons by about 30%,

was signed. More importantly, this treatybrought up to date the vital counting rulesand inspection procedures that had beennegated in December 2009, when theSTART treaty had been allowed to lapse.In my view, this is a vital step towardsstrategic stability, which enhances mutualsecurity, even though these modestnumerical reductions do not significantlyreduce the overkill capacity still present inthese arsenals. The step is also importantpolitically for U.S.-Russian relations, andsets the stage for more significant reduc-tions in the next stage of negotiations.However, the next step is the treaty ratifi-cation process in the U.S. Senate, requir-ing 67 votes. This could be difficult in thepresent partisan political climate inWashington. This is a critical step asfailure to approve this treaty will severelyset back nuclear arms control.

Two days prior to the treaty signing,the U.S. released its Nuclear PostureReview. The result of this yearlong studyof nuclear weapons policy places the pre-vention of nuclear proliferation andnuclear terrorism atop the U.S. nuclearagenda. It reduces the role of nuclearweapons in U.S. national security by

stating that the primary role of nuclearweapons is to deter a nuclear attack on theU.S. and its allies, and limits the circum-stances under which the U.S. would con-sider using nuclear weapons. The Reviewalso states that the U.S. will not conductnuclear explosive tests or develop newnuclear weapons.

On April 12-13, the President hostedthe leaders of 47 countries at a Nuclear

Security Summit, whose goal was to reachagreement on the steps needed to secureand safeguard vulnerable nuclear materi-als, and cope with the worldwide terroristthreat. Among the commitments made,Ukraine and Canada announced the elim-ination of all of their highly enricheduranium, and Russia announced theclosure of its last plutonium productionfacility.

From the 3rd to the 28th of May, theUN will carry out its five-year review ofthe 1970 Nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty, which contains the only multilat-eral binding commitment to nuclear dis-armament. In 1995, this treaty wasextended indefinitely. Five years later, atthe 2000 Review Conference, all 187 gov-ernments – including the five officialnuclear weapon states – agreed to a 13-point Action Plan for the systematic andprogressive disarmament of the world’snuclear weapons. Still, the 2005 ReviewConference was considered a failure dueto fundamental disagreements: The U.S.shifted its focus almost exclusivelytowards non-proliferation once NorthKorea surreptitiously developed nuclearweapons, and the IAEA found that Iran

Reducing the Probability of Nuclear WarBernstein, from page 1

Two days prior to the treaty signing, the U.S. released itsNuclear Posture Review. . . . It reduces the role ofnuclear weapons in U.S. national security by stating thatthe primary role of nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclearattack on the U.S. and its allies, and limits thecircumstances under which the U.S. would considerusing nuclear weapons.


15

had evaded its treaty obligations toprovide timely and accurate information.On the other side, the non-nuclear-weapon states protested the Bush admin-istration’s exploration of new andmodified types of nuclear weapons, itsopposition to the 1996 ComprehensiveTest Ban Treaty (CTBT), and its with-drawal from the 1972 Anti-BallisticMissile Treaty.

All of these moves contravene the 13disarmament steps agreed to at the 2000NPT Review Conference. This goes to theheart of the NPT bargain, in which thefive nuclear weapons states (China,France, Russia, England, U.S.) pledged towork toward giving up their nuclearweapons while all other states pledged toforego acquiring them. Because of the2005 failure, and also due to heightenedconcern about the possibility of a terroristgroup or rogue state acquiring nuclearweapons, it is important to strengthen theNPT by a successful 2010 review confer-ence. The Obama administration hasworked hard to improve the politicalatmosphere so that this will happen.

Are these recent activities of theObama administration on target toreduce the threat of nuclear war? I believethey are good beginnings that must bemaintained over a relatively long timeframe if they are to bear fruit. Clearly,getting Iran and North Korea to changetheir course will require patient and skill-ful diplomacy at a minimum, and stillmight not ever succeed. On the otherhand, there are really no viable alterna-tives. An international effort will berequired, needing the support of “neutralcountries,” and a strong NPT consensusexerting political influence. We mustreduce the more than 20,000 nuclearweapons in the world, most of them farlarger than those used on Hiroshima andNagasaki. Since many of these weapons inRussia and the U.S. are on hair triggeralert, it is possible (although unlikely)that they could lead to “accidental”nuclear war. Recently, the scenario thathas caused the greatest fear and concernis a terrorist organization acquiring a

nuclear weapon or, alternatively, gettingenough fissile material to fabricate acrude bomb that could be smuggled intoa city and detonated. This is what drovethe recent Nuclear Security Summit, andis of central concern in the 2010 NPTreview conference.

Although I believe that PresidentObama is off to a good start and ismoving as fast as is practicable, much

more needs to be done for his strategy towork on a global scale. The importance,both in planning and prestige, of nuclearweapons needs to be reduced, so that theyare less desirable. This will require allnuclear powers to make major reductionsin their arsenals, and a firm global com-mitment to a no-first-use policy. This is atall order, not to be accomplished in a yearand, probably, not even in a decade.

For the Obama strategy to succeedpolitically at home, many constituencieswill have to be convinced that reductionsin the number of nuclear weapons, andchanging policy on their utilization, willnot jeopardize the safety of the U.S. and itsallies. After over 50 years of consideringthem as a deterrent, it is not easy for allparties, both at home and abroad, to shifttowards seeing them as a threat. Thelength of time that it took for the admin-istration to formulate the Nuclear PostureReview indicates that the process ofworking with the U.S. military on thisissue has been done carefully with appro-priate consultation. The very importanttask of working with our allies is justbeginning. Many countries do rely on U.S.protection in a willingness to forego a

nuclear arsenal of their own. This is par-ticularly important for neighbors ofNorth Korea and Iran.

The political issues of arms control aremore difficult than the technical ones.Nevertheless, as in climate control, scien-tists and engineers have a significant roleto play. Reasonable skeptics must be con-vinced of the strength of a regime withfewer nuclear weapons and stronger poli-

cies against their use. The AmericanPhysical Society has recently published areport on “Technical Steps to SupportNuclear Arsenal Downsizing,” in whichissues of verification, arsenal safety andreliability, and the assurance of the peace-ful uses of fissile materials are empha-sized. The National Academy of Science isworking on an updated study of the relia-bility of the nuclear arsenal when they arenot explosively tested.

I am reminded of the passion of thegeneration of scientists and engineerswho, at the end of the Manhattan Project,worked so hard to inform Congress andthe public about the realities of nuclearenergy in order to realize its peacefulpotential and to prevent the future use ofit in weapons. With nuclear weaponsissues in the news, and political debatefocused on numbers and uses, as theSenate gears up for debate on the newSTART treaty, it is as vital as ever for theMIT faculty to make their voices heard,and to help provide scientific and techni-cal bases for rational discussion.

For the Obama strategy to succeed politically at home,many constituencies will have to be convinced thatreductions in the number of nuclear weapons, andchanging policy on their utilization, will not jeopardize thesafety of the U.S. and its allies. After over 50 years ofconsidering them as a deterrent, it is not easy for allparties, both at home and abroad, to shift towardsseeing them as a threat.

Aron Bernstein is a Professor Emeritus in theDepartment of Physics ([email protected]).


16

Phillip L. ClayCostantino ColomboDaniel E. HastingsSteven R. Lerman

The Chancellor and Student Deans AskStudents to Share “What’s On Your Mind?”

MIT STUDENTS ARE EAGER to beinvolved in discussions of the key issuesand challenges facing the Institute today.However, both real and perceived gapshave existed in communications betweenstudents and MIT’s senior officers. In therecent past, the Chancellor and threestudent deans engaged students throughmeetings with student leaders, by includ-ing students on key Institute committees,and talking with students at formal andinformal gatherings. But students felt theywere not being heard. They complainedabout the level of student participation inkey decisions that affected student life andlearning and criticized what they per-ceived as a lack of transparency.

In 2008, the Task Force on StudentEngagement brought together studentsand senior officers to find more opportu-nities for student participation. While thiswas a good first step in improving studentinvolvement, the Chancellor hoped tomake even more significant strides bydeveloping a thoughtful and deliberateprocess for open and frequent two-waycommunications with students. Last year,he formed a team with the three commu-nications officers who represent theoffices of the Dean for UndergraduateEducation, Dean for Graduate Education,and the Dean for Student Life, and beganto lay a new foundation.

This team created a plan – and a broadstrategy for its implementation – thatwould enable the senior officers to com-municate more effectively with students,and vice versa. Inherent to the plan wereseveral key themes: student life and learn-ing are inextricably linked; the Instituteunderstands and cares about student con-

cerns; and while the Institute valuesstudent input, decisions need to balancethe views of all stakeholders.

The team agreed on the following goalsfor more effective communications:

• Increase the transparency of decisions bysharing relevant data to the extent possible;

• Strengthen existing communicationschannels for students through studentleaders and student government, partic-ularly the student representation onfaculty and other committees;

• Focus on efforts that support students’contributions to current discussions andactivities at the Institute;

• Ensure that students have many differentmechanisms to make their voices heard.

Based on these goals, the Chancellor,the three student deans, and their commu-nications officers initiated several mecha-nisms to exchange ideas with students.

Communicate more frequently viamonthly letters to studentsOn a rotating monthly schedule duringthe academic year, the Chancellor or oneof the student deans writes an e-mail letterto the student body on a topical theme.Topics have included hacking, the currentjob market, and the H1N1 flu. Letters areconcise and informative, and often includelinks for more comprehensive informa-tion. They encourage students to submittheir comments and reactions directly tothe deans or Chancellor. These letters arealso posted on each officer’s Website as

“letters to the community.” Seeweb.mit.edu/odge/dean/letters/index.html.Provide more ways for students tocommunicate via a “comment box” Each senior officer has a “Comment Box”page on their Website where studentsshare their thoughts, ideas, questions, andcomments via e-mail. Each submissionreceives a personal response. Studentshave been very appreciative of thedetailed, thoughtful replies. Seeweb.mit.edu/chancellor/commentbox.html.

Create opportunities for open, two-way communication through Dinnerswith Dialogue and Cookies withConversationTwo different venues were created toconvene students with the chancellor anddeans for a face-to-face exchange of ideas,questions, and answers. These events areloosely patterned on the longstanding andenormously popular series of RandomFaculty Dinners, in which a small group ofrandomly selected faculty meets infor-mally over dinner to discuss a theme ofcommon interest. Similarly, invitations tothese events are sent to a randomlyselected group of students. As part of theirresponse, students are asked to submit awritten question or comment to guide thediscussion. When their schedules permit,all four officers attend each event.

The Dinners with Dialogue aredesigned for a small group of 25 to 30 stu-dents and are held in one of the residencehalls. These events begin with the studentsstriking up a conversation over a meal.Then, the Chancellor or one of the deanstakes the floor and leads an informal dis-


17

cussion. Cookies and Conversationresembles a town hall event for a largergroup of 30 to 40 students. Light refresh-ments are served and one of the seniorofficers leads an informal exchange ofquestions and ideas. For the current aca-demic year, seven separate events havebeen planned, three for graduate studentsand four for undergraduates.

In these gatherings, students expresstheir thoughts and concerns on a widerange of topics, from the ramifications ofbudget cuts on everything from Athenaclusters to sports teams; best practices foradvising and mentoring; incentives forgraduate students to interact with oneanother; to support for students withfamilies. Without exception, conversa-tions have been thoughtful and respectful,even though opinions vary. Most impor-tant, the feedback has been very enthusi-astic – students continually express theirdelight and appreciation for such aunique opportunity to meet with Instituteleadership.

Provide students access to current,relevant information via a StudentLife and Learning WebsiteAnother priority for the communicationsstaff is to create an efficient onlineresource to help students learn about and

locate the broad array of campus servicesavailable to them. A few months ago, thethree communications officers began col-laborating on a new iteration of the MITWebpage for “current students.” Theupdated site will be renamed “Student Lifeand Learning” and will be the first steptowards creating a site that enables stu-dents to not only find resources they needbut stay connected to what is happeningon campus. Students are essential to thisprocess; brainstorming sessions haveincluded representatives from theUndergraduate Association and GraduateStudent Council leadership teams. Theenhanced Website will be introduced laterthis semester: web.mit.edu/student/.

Going ForwardBy measures both subtle and concrete,these changes introduced over the pastyear have been successful in strengtheningtwo-way communications – leading to abetter understanding of how the adminis-tration works (on the part of students)and what students are looking for (on thepart of administrators).

An example of one successful outcomeappeared in a front-page article in TheTech, just one day after the Chancellor’sletter to the student community address-ing controversial budget cuts (February

25, 2010). The article quoted the letterextensively and accurately; in it, thestudent reporter wrote:

“Clay’s response to the community andhis recent email to students are part of thesenior administration’s efforts to demystifythe budget cuts for the community, to gaininput from students and faculty, and tobetter address widespread concerns.”

The new channels of communicationintroduced over the past year are a meansto close gaps that have existed betweenstudents and MIT’s senior officers. Whilethey offer the opportunity for administra-tors to reinforce key messages: (“we wantto provide what’s best for students withthe resources at hand”), good communi-cations is more than “messaging.” Theseopportunities to share ideas, to clarifyviews, and even to disagree respectfully –to truly hear from one another – are afoundation for developing mutual trustand respect.

Philip L. Clay is Chancellor and Professor ofCity Planning ([email protected]);Costantino Colombo is Dean for Student Life([email protected]);Daniel E. Hastings is Dean for UndergraduateEducation ([email protected]);Steven R. Lerman is Vice Chancellor andDean for Graduate Education([email protected]).

MIT Finance Advancing Digital Tools andServices: ePaystubs Available in June

IN A RECENT E -MAI L to the MITcommunity, Vice President for FinanceIsrael Ruiz highlighted progress on aseries of projects to move to digitaladministrative tools and services. Theprojects are tied to themes that emergedfrom the Institute-wide Planning TaskForce and are part of efforts to forge

what Ruiz calls a digital evolution atMIT.

In a major change to MIT’s payrollservices, all MIT faculty, staff, and studentswill begin receiving electronic paystubs inlate June. After a transitional period, theywill no longer receive paper paystubs as ofJuly 30. The ePaystubs service will be avail-

able through SAPWeb Employee SelfService and will provide access to historicalpaystubs for up to 24 months.

To learn more about ePaystubs, pleasevisit: vpf.mit.edu/site/epaystubs. For moreinformation on the Office of the VicePresident’s works to forge a digital evolu-tion, see vpf.mit.edu/site/digital.


18

Robert M. RandolphIn MemoriamArthur C. Smith

WHEN ART SMITH DIED RECENTLY,

MIT lost a 50-year member of the com-munity. When it comes to thinking aboutcontributing members of the Institute, Artwas always my best illustration. FromChair of the Committee on AcademicPerformance (1972-1974) to Chair of theFaculty (1983-1985) to Dean forUndergraduate Education (1990), Art wasalways willing to take on the task MITasked of him. Whereas all these officialefforts were important, it was the quietleadership Art exhibited that touched somany areas removed from his formal roles.

Art was raised in Oklahoma and edu-cated at the University of Kansas andHarvard. He came to MIT in 1959, and Ialways thought his commitment to stu-dents grew out of remembering where hehad started. I arrived at MIT in 1979 whileArt was acting head of the Office ofMinority Education. When I went to seehim I sat outside his office, and through

the glass watched one side of his conversa-tion with his daughter, Amy. I learned twothings that day: 1) his daughters alwayscame first, and 2) never assume. SeeingAmy, I assumed she was adopted since Ialso assumed that the Head of OMEwould be black. Imagine my surprise.

But that was part of who Arthur Smithwas. He believed in equality not because itwas trendy, but because it was right. Hehad worked with Paul Gray and others tolevel the playing field in EECS for all stu-dents. It was a commitment he believed inand made real by actions. Later, theCommittee on Student Affairs benefitedfrom his leadership and he worked withthe Minority Student Issues Group.

In 1990, Art began a term as Dean forUndergraduate Education that morphedinto the Dean for UndergraduateEducation and Student Affairs on the res-ignation of Dean Shirley McBay. He heldthe office for five years and turned over

the roll to Roz Williams in 1995. Heoversaw the renovation of Senior House, avery emotional project. He also had theunfortunate experience of learning firsthand the power of the press, when hementioned in passing to The Tech thatAshdown House ought to be an under-graduate dorm. The reaction was quickand negative, but his wisdom was con-firmed with the decision to build a newAshdown and renovate the older resi-dence for undergraduates. It only took 25years to come to fruition! He was morecareful with his comments to The Techduring the remainder of his time as Dean.

Art’s commitment on issues of racealso carried over to matters of gender.According to Sheila Widnall, he had donea study of the relationship between theMath SAT and the graduating cumulativegrade point average for both men andwomen. He found that the Math SATunder-predicted the performance ofwomen by about 30-40 points. This wasthe basis on which admissions decisionswere modified. In one year, the percentageof women in the freshman class wentfrom 26% to 38% (1990) and climbedthereafter. The subsequent results of theperformance of women as MIT studentsconfirmed expectations.

Art was a faculty leader. He was one ofthose who could bring faculty and theadministration together in the event of acritical issue. He was central to the gover-nance of MIT during difficult times; VietNam, and divestment from South Africaimmediately come to mind, but matters ofstudent privacy were also important tohim, and he weighed in to support theright of students to grow into adulthood


19

In MemoriamRichard K. Yamamoto

RICHARD K . YAMAMOTO D I ED

October 16, 2009 at the age of 74 fromcomplications related to lung cancer.Yamamoto, who was born and raised inHawaii, entered MIT as a freshman in1953 and spent his entire career at theInstitute. He loved hands-on experimentalwork and contributing to advances in theunderstanding of elementary particles.

Yamamoto earned his Bachelor’s andPhD degrees, both in physics, from MITin 1957 and 1963, respectively. He joinedMIT’s Laboratory for Nuclear Science in1963 and became an instructor of physicsin 1964. Joining the MIT faculty as anassistant professor in 1965, he thenbecame a full professor in 1972.

Yamamoto’s career of particle physicsresearch included experiments atBrookhaven, Fer milab, and SLAC. He

worked early in his career at Brookhaven,and when the National AcceleratorLaboratory, which became Fermilab, wascreated near Batavia, Illinois, he as sumed aleading role in the creation, operation, andexploitation of the 30-inch BubbleChamber Hybrid Spectrometer in studyinghadronic interactions. Later, at SLAC hejoined the SLD Collaboration, to study pro-duction and decay of Z0 bosons producedwith polarized electron-positron collisionsat the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC).Working on this exper iment, he con-tributed to the most precise measurementof the electroweak mixing angle (sin2θW )based on a single process

This measurement remains an impor-tant constraint on models of electroweaksymmetry breaking, including the possi-ble mass of the Higgs Boson in theStandard Model. A key element of thiswork, in which Yamamoto’s group playeda central role, was the precise measure-ment of the electron beam polarizationbased on Compton scattering.

Yamamoto’s research team also con-ducted precise studies of decays ofcharmed and bot tom particles with theBaBar Collaboration at the SLAC B-

factory. His group was heavily involved inthe construction, calibration, and opera-tion of the BaBar drift chamber, a keycomponent of the BaBar experiment, andcontributed to the measurement of CPviolation, and other important propertiesof the heavy mesons.

Yamamoto loved working with stu-dents both in the classroom and in thelaboratory. He taught Junior Lab at MITfor many years and was a master of all theexperiments. He was happiest buildingsomething and making it work. Many ofhis students have gone on to careers inphysics and carry with them his love ofexperimental hardware. Colleagues foundhim a pleasure to work with; his manage-ment was low-key, but quietly effective.

Yamamoto loved good Japanese food,was an excellent auto mechanic, and adevoted fan of fast cars. He was known forrebuilding his own car engines andenjoyed taking driving courses atNASCAR racetracks.

Yamamoto is survived by his wife,Kathleen Yamamoto; his former wife, LilyYamamoto; three daughters, Cara-JeanDonaghey, Lani Yamamoto, and SharonYamamoto; and eight grandchildren.

Robert M. Randolph is Chaplain to theInstitute ([email protected]).

protected from prying eyes. He was a keycontributor to the faculty and administra-tion working effectively together – whichis how MIT does its best work.

Art could also be stubborn; but thereis a fine line between being stubborn andholding steady. Young people can disap-point you when you expect the most ofthem, but Art did not let disappointmentkeep him from believing in our students.

When then-provost John Deutchappointed him dean, he spoke of “[Art’s]deep understanding of the institutionand the concerns of the students, devel-oped over more than 30 years as ateacher, faculty leader, advisor, and fatherof two graduates.” John could have alsomentioned his passion for the Celtics, hisability to cook and bake, his interest inmaking good beer, and the textbooks he

co-authored. He did not need to mentioneverything Art gave us; he couldn’t havebecause for over 50 years Arthur C.Smith lived a life marked by quiet com-mitment to family, community, and MIT.We are the better for what he gave us andwe owe his family thanks for sharing himwith us.


20

Robyn FizzJoan Cyr

New AT&T and Sprint Nextel TransmittersPromise Better Cell Phone Coverage

INFORMATION SERVICES AND

Technology (IS&T) has been working withAT&T and Sprint Nextel to improve cellphone coverage at MIT by installing cellu-lar transmitters on campus. These outdoortransmitters will enable more successfulpenetration of building infrastructure, aswell as improved overall coverage.

Earlier this year, in collaboration withthe MIT Department of Facilities and theOffice of the General Counsel, IS&T com-pleted negotiations with AT&T for theinstallation of a transmitter on Building16 and with Sprint Nextel for the installa-tion of transmitters on Buildings E17,E19, and W34.

MIT has obtained building permitsfrom the City of Cambridge for all ofthese transmitter locations. AT&T expectsits Building 16 transmitter to be up andrunning on or before Commencement.Sprint Nextel is on the same timetable forits Building E17 and E19 transmitters,with its site on W34 not far behind.

For updates on these projects, checkIS&T’s Cellular Telephones page,ist.mit.edu/services/telephony/cellphones.

Many Challenges, Matching InitiativesThe installation of cellular transmitters isthe most effective means for improvingindoor cell phone coverage on campus, butIS&T is taking a multi-pronged approach toaddress coverage challenges throughoutMIT’s diverse environment. No one solu-tion can fix all of the gaps, because eachzone with spotty coverage usually has a spe-cific, and often different, source.

As an example, each time a new build-ing goes up on campus, coverage in sur-rounding buildings can be affected.

Recently, construction of Building 76, thenew home of the Koch Institute, hasblocked AT&T signals in Building E19.The new AT&T transmitter on Building16, which will include an array of trans-mitters facing east, should address this gap.

In-building service can also be weak,depending on building materials, sur-

rounding structures, and location (e.g.,cell signals do not penetrate well intobasements). IS&T has partnered withCisco and MobileAccess to develop a newtechnology that delivers cellular signalsover traditional network cabling, thusleveraging existing infrastructure at MITin a cost-effective way. This technology isbeing piloted in Buildings 1, 3, and W92.Initial results have been very positive, andIS&T plans to leverage this technology inother campus buildings and, with Ciscoand MobileAccess, to explore its integra-tion into future wireless access points.

Meanwhile, wireless technology andinnovation continues to move forward, andfourth-generation (4G) broadband wirelessis on its way. There are currently two stan-dards for 4G broadband wireless: WiMAX,which Sprint Nextel will be offering, andLong Term Evolution (LTE), which will beoffered by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.Verizon’s LTE service is being piloted inBoston, one of two test markets in the U.S.,and Sprint’s WiMAX service is being tested

in Boston as well, with T-Mobile looking tobegin testing in 2011. Once 4G wirelessbroadband services are fully launched in theBoston area over the next year, existing cellphone transmitters on and around campuswill be upgraded to support the new 4Gwireless broadband standards.

A Moving TargetProviding strong cellular coveragethroughout campus is a unique challenge,especially given the ongoing transmitterinstallations and changing technologies.Members of the MIT community, alumni,conference attendees, and other visitors tocampus use a variety of mobile devicesfrom multiple carriers each and every day,and IS&T continues to work with the car-riers and employ a range of technologiesto ensure the best possible mobile experi-ence for the MIT community.

This is no easy proposition, but giventhe explosive growth in mobile comput-ing and devices, IS&T has made it a keygoal in support of MIT’s digital future.

If you have questions or feedbackabout cellular service on campus,contact the Cell Feedback Team at:[email protected].

Robyn Fizz is IS&T News Coordinator([email protected]);Joan Cyr is Senior Telephony Analyst, IS&T([email protected]).

IS&T has partnered with Cisco and MobileAccess todevelop a new technology that delivers cellular signalsover traditional network cabling, thus leveraging existinginfrastructure at MIT in a cost-effective way.


21

Allysa PichéThe Foremost Resource Students Need Is Your Time

IF YOU ARE READING THIS ARTICLE,

I would bet the balance on my loans toMIT that you had a mentor at some point.The importance of that individual orthose individuals in your life is assuredlyinvaluable. However, I wonder if you havereached out to mentor someone else?

I write to you today on behalf of theMentor Advocate Partnership program(MAP). It is a volunteer mentoringprogram for MIT first- and second-yearundergraduates designed to foster theirholistic development along both aca-demic and non-academic dimensions.The MIT Office of Minority Education(OME) initiated MAP believing thatbuilding strong relationships throughoutthe college experience plays an integralrole in academic success and personal sat-isfaction at MIT.

Studies have shown that students whoare integrated and involved in both theacademic and social mainstream ofcampus life are more likely to graduate[Brown, O. B. (1995). Debunking theMyth: Stories of African-AmericanUniversity Students. Bloomington, IN: PhiDelta Kappa.] and have greater satisfac-tion with their collegiate experience[Bowen, W. G., & Bok, D. (1998). TheShape of the River: Long-TermConsequences of Considering Race inCollege and University Admissions.Princeton, New Jersey: PrincetonUniversity Press.]. Specifically, studentswho report strong ties with faculty or staffand high quality interactions with peersgenerally fare better on key measures ofcollegiate success than those who fail tomake these institutional connections[Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College:

Rethinking the Causes and Cures of StudentAttrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Universityof Chicago Press. Light, R. J. (2001).Making the Most of College: Students SpeakTheir Minds. Cambridge: HarvardUniversity Press]. Thus, satisfaction inand about the college experience for manystudents is directly linked to the quality ofpeer and adult interactions.

MIT staff and faculty serve as mentorsand help participating students, known as“protégés,” build their networks, monitorpersonal well-being, offer encourage-ment, and provide a proactive support

layer. The partnerships in the program aredesigned to extend for two years, but weencourage the connection betweenmentor and protégé to continue after thisformal period ends. Designed to comple-ment the current undergraduate advisorsystem, MAP aims to provide a sincerecommunity of support between the com-munity of mentors and protégés at MIT.

In September, students and mentorswill attend a kick-off and orientationevent where they meet each other for thefirst time and, through training, learn howto make the most of the mentoring rela-tionship. Throughout the academic year,mentors and protégés attend MAP eventsand are encouraged to meet informally afew times per semester. Together, theycreate goals for the mentoring relation-ship, clarifying details such as the best wayto get in touch with each other and thebest times to meet.

Curious to be a mentor but don’tknow where to start? We have trainings for protégés andmentors as well as support staff to lean onwhen you have questions. During this past2009-2010 academic year, InstituteOmbudsperson Toni Robinson explainedwhat to expect and good ways to start outin a mentoring relationship. DuringJanuary’s National Mentoring Month,MAP held a joint session in which all par-ticipants were invited to speak with anddiscuss the different models of mentoringwith Dr. Mary Rowe, an adjunct professor

who teaches a course on conflict manage-ment at the Sloan School of Management.

All formality and not enough goodold-fashioned fun? To encourage a strong community whereprotégés and mentors can find resourcesand a close-knit group, MAP holds eventson and off campus, such as our spring eventat the MIT Museum, and just-for-funevents, such as our competition in whichprogram participants were encouraged todeliberate the finer points of local ice cream.

My purpose in this article was toremind you that your most valuableresource in a student’s mind is your time.If interested, please e-mail me with anyquestions or fill out a mentor applicationonline at: web.mit.edu/ome/programs-services/partnership.html. Allysa Piché is MAP Program Assistant,Office of Minority Education([email protected]).

MAP aims to provide a sincere community of supportbetween the community of mentors and protégés at MIT.


22

Steven R. LermanHeather Fry

Graduate Fellows Build Community

THE GRADUATE COMMUN ITY

Fellows Program, created by the Office ofthe Dean for Graduate Education(ODGE), sponsors a cadre of graduatestudents who work on projects thatenhance graduate community in uniqueways.

The Fellows program represents one ofthe most recent outcomes of the lastdecade’s shift toward building graduatecommunity at MIT. Inspired by similarprograms at Harvard, Yale, and theUniversity of Pennsylvania, SeniorAssociate Dean Blanche Staton andODGE Director of CommunicationsBarrie Gleason proposed an MIT Fellowsprogram. Pilot projects began in 2007with five Fellows who reported tomembers of the ODGE’s senior manage-ment team and supported a portion oftheir work. The assistant dean in charge ofrecruiting supervised two Fellows to assistwith diversity efforts; the director of com-munications created a Fellow position tohelp administer the Graduate Student LifeGrants [web.mit.edu/gslg], an openrequest-for-proposal process that fundscreative programming to enhance gradu-ate life; the senior associate dean took on aFellow to support programming forwomen; and the dean responsible for theInternational Students Office hired aFellow to organize programs for interna-tional students.

Each of these focus areas expandedover the three years of the program. TheGraduate Community Fellows nownumber 13, served by ProgramCoordinator Heather Fry and supervisedby five different offices, including theOffice of the Dean for GraduateEducation, the Office of Student

Citizenship, the Technology and CultureForum, Organizational Development, andthe Community Innovators Lab (CoLab).The Fellows’ projects are both focused andfar-reaching.

Diversity Fellow Joy Johnson is build-ing a mentoring program that pairs first-year minority graduate students withpostdocs. She also works with depart-ments to identify student “successmarkers,” which may then be shared withprospective students in order to betterprepare them for graduate careers at MIT.Her teammates’ efforts involve buildingrelationships with feeder schools, devel-oping existing programs like the MITSummer Research Program, and docu-menting the Institute’s diversity-relatedmilestones.

Through his work with the GraduateStudent Life Grants, Kevin McComberkeeps in close touch with grant authorswho run projects such as the SciencePolicy Bootcamp, informal WeeklyWednesday gatherings, and the FamilyNetWebsite. Other Fellows also reach a broadaudience through a student mediationprogram called Resources for EasingFriction and Stress; through graduatestudent orientation; and by teachingothers to use various media to tell theirown stories more effectively.

Community Fellows Libby Putmanand Annalisa Pawlosky organize the Pathof Professorship workshop (web.mit.edu/odge/development/pop/), which giveswomen students more tools and resourcesto achieve their career objectives. Theyalso conduct focus groups in order tolearn about the graduate experience andhow it may be improved, and are planningan extensive celebration of graduate

women for this spring. Remaining Fellowprojects include international studentprogramming and efforts to end violenceagainst women.

The Fellows meet regularly to updateone another on their work and to identifyareas of collaboration. They also pooltheir observations, serving as an impor-tant conduit for informing the Deanabout the needs of the graduate studentcommunity. Fellows receive a monthlystipend in return for a workload of 10hours per week, and have access to addi-tional funding for such purposes as focusgroup refreshments or travel expenses forout-of-town speakers.

The addition of a part-time programcoordinator has enabled a centralizedapplication process for Fellows and foroffices that wish to request support for aFellow, as well as the creation of an inter-nal wiki to share information andresources, and a collection of reports fromeach Fellow on their annual body of work.Going forward, the program coordinatorwill solicit evaluations from the Fellowsand from their supervisors in order tofurther refine the program and identifyany unmet community needs.

As needs are determined and funds areavailable, the program will grow tosupport Fellows in new areas. The ODGEis always interested in forming new part-nerships in the service of graduate life andlearning. For more information, see theGraduate Community Fellows Website(web.mit.edu/odge/community/fellows).

Steven R. Lerman is Vice Chancellor andDean for Graduate Education ([email protected]);Heather Fry is Communications Officer, Officeof the Dean for Graduate Education.([email protected]).


23

MIT Center for International Studies:Student Training and Faculty Funding

THE MIT CENTER FOR InternationalStudies (web.mit.edu/cis/) conductsresearch and training on a broad range ofglobal issues. Founded in 1951 and with anillustrious roster of scholars and practi-tioners as faculty and graduates, theCenter has been a leader in describing andanalyzing the challenges the United Statesfaces in the fields of security studies,migration studies, international politicaleconomy, East Asia, and increasingly in theMiddle East. Center scholars undertakeresearch and training, mainly of graduatestudents, engage with the national policycommunity and the interested public, andwith scholars, students, officials, journal-ists, and NGOs internationally.

The Center’s MIT Science andTechnology Initiatives (MISTI)(web.mit.edu/misti/), provides uniquelyrewarding training to undergraduates andgraduate students in a dozen countries,has developed a minor in applied interna-tional studies, and mounts many educa-tional activities on campus presentingtopics of culture, politics, social dynamics,and business on the dozen countries itnow covers. Working closely with anetwork of premier corporations, univer-sities and research institutes, MISTImatches over 400 MIT students (morethan 80 percent of whom are from theSchool of Engineering and School ofScience) with internships and research

abroad each year. MISTI Global SeedFunds (web.mit.edu/misti/faculty/seed.html)provide funding for faculty to jump-startinternational projects and encouragestudent involvement in faculty-led inter-national research. Other Center fundingopportunities for both faculty and stu-dents are available here (web.mit.edu/cis/fo_cisfg.html).

A summary of the Center’s activities ispublished at the end of the fall and springsemesters, and available online in theCenter’s newsletter, précis (web.mit.edu/cis/newsletter.html). To receive our elec-tronic newsletter, please subscribe online(web.mit.edu/cis/joel.html).

MIT Professional Education: Call forSummer 2011 Short Course Proposals

MIT PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION –

Short Programs (originally “ProfessionalInstitute”) celebrated its 60th anniversarylast year. During the program’s longtenure, several of MIT’s faculty (BobLanger, Danny Wang, Charles Cooney, EdCrawley, Dan Nocera, to name a few) havecontributed to teaching one or more three- to five-day courses for professionalsover the summers.

“Today the need for higher educationto connect with industry and professionalcommunities to help solve global issuesand concerns has taken on even greaterimportance,” says Bhaskar Pant, ExecutiveDirector, MIT Professional Education.“And there is a growing population glob-ally that is looking specifically to MIT toprovide the latest insights and knowledge

on technical and non-technical areas rele-vant to its needs.

“We want our summer programschedule to be market-responsive and tobe a showcase of the best that MIT has tooffer to industry and to the world.”

As an MIT faculty member, this couldbe a great opportunity for you to:

• Connect with industry professionals;make a difference• Increase industry exposure for yourresearch• Gain global perspectives from interna-tional attendees• Learn of new industry applications• Earn attractive supplementary compensation.

To help in the development of newcourses, MIT Professional Education isoffering a limited number of curriculumdevelopment grants (of up to $7500 each)for three- to five-day programs that focuson recent MIT initiatives and/or currentmarket high interest areas such as energy,environment, transportation, and life sci-ences. Programs may include comple-mentary material such as policy andregulatory matters that affect adoption ofnew technologies. High priority will begiven to courses that provide the rightcombination of theory and applications,enabling participants to use their newly-gained knowledge readily on their jobs.

A template and additional instructionson teaching in Short Programs can be foundat: shortprograms.mit.edu/2011programs.


M.I.T. NumbersU.S. News & World ReportGraduate School Rankings 2001–2010

1

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2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

U.S

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Ranking the Top 10 Engineering Schools

MIT

Stanford

Berkeley

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Carnegie Mellon

CalTech

Michigan

UT Austin

USC, Cornell (tied)

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2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

U.S

. New

s R

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Ranking the Top 10 Business Schools

Harvard, Stanford (tied)

MIT

Northwestern

UPenn, UChicago (tied)

Berkeley, Dartmouth (tied)

Columbia, NYU (tied)

Ranking the Top 10 Engineering Schools

Ranking the Top 10 Business Schools

mit faculty newsletter, vol. 22 no. 4, march/april/may 2010web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/224/fnl224.pdf ·...

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