The MIT spotlights answer the question, "What interesting and wonderful things are happening at MIT?" The spotlight images and headlines change frequently in order to integrate and showcase a multitude of aspects of MIT.

We provide the history of links for reference, but note that some of these pages have changed since they were in the spotlight. We also have a small gallery of MIT homepage images.

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February 2008
Go Global - Immerse yourself in a new culture, study in a foreign language, design a new technology to improve the life of an underserved community, and more. Explore the possibilities, and how you can go global.

January 2008
Independent Activities Period - IAP at MIT is a chance to explore an intriguing array of possibilities, from anime to zoology and everything in-between.

November 2007
Highlights for high school - MIT OpenCourseWare announced the launch of a new website, Highlights for High School, that will provide resources to improve science, technology, engineering and math instruction at the high school level.

Popularity in brain science grows as more students join course IX - Housed in a glass-paneled building at the corner of Vassar and Main Streets, MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences has seen increases in size and renown in recent years.

October 2007
Course 1: Freshman Open House - Stop by the Bush Room this Friday from 12-4 to learn more about Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.

September 2007
Teaching with technology - The TeachTech website brings together services that support teaching and learning at MIT. Get information about class management tools, technology-enabled learning spaces, and putting courses and teaching materials on the web.

MIT bulletin is a tour de course - The MIT bulletin has comprehensive information about MIT's schools, courses and academic programs. Peruse MIT's offerings online or in print.

August 2007
welcome, class 0f 2011 - Orientation offers opportunities to mingle with your new classmates and explore academics, student life, housing options, campus resources and the Boston/Cambridge area.

MIT movies and online videos - Enjoy a summer snack of pop culture and food for thought at MIT's online video gateway.

July 2007
Making a world of difference - This summer, MIT students are working in Tanzania, Uganda and India to develop sustainable solutions to challenging problems. Read excerpts from their blogs to learn how these MIT students are indeed making a difference.

June 2007
Kabcenell Foundation awards MITEI $1 million for new curricula - Thanks to a gift from the Kabcenell Foundation, MIT's Energy Education Task Force will gain a boost in its ability to develop new energy curricula and strengthen existing programs.

Commencement 2007 - MIT President Emeritus Charles M. Vest guided MIT grads to optimism and service in the main address for MIT's 141st Commencement exercises.

Commencement 2007 photo gallery - See Commencement 2007 in pictures and video.

May 2007
Commencement 2007 - Congratulations, graduating students! MIT's 141st Commencement Exercises will be held on Friday, June 8 at 10:00am in Killian Court.

Final exams - Spring 2007 final exam week is May 21-25. View the exam schedule online.

creating from Scratch - A new programming language turns kids from media consumers into media producers, enabling them to create their own interactive stories, games, music, and animation for the Web.

April 2007
Tech Video Showcase - MIT puts you in the director's seat with the Tech Video Showcase. Submit short online videos that illustrate what you love about engineering and science for the opportunity to win cash prizes (up to $1000).

Cambridge Science Festival - Join us for the first annual Cambridge Science Festival, April 21-29, 2007. We've got 9 fun-filled, action-packed days of science-and-technology themed events.

March 2007
Biodiesel wins - This student-led initiative aims to turns fries into fuel. The winning proposal won $25,000 from mtvU and will go towards turning MIT Dining's used vegetable oil into certifiable biodiesel to run MIT's campus shuttles.

February 2007
Make career connections - MIT's career and technology fairs offer students numerous chances to network, as well as opportunities for jobs and internships.

January 2007
Independent Activities Period (IAP) - Take a chance this IAP: develop an idea and roll with it. Independent Activities Period runs January 8 through February 4, 2007.

December 2006
Tech'ing it to the Next Level - This multi-disciplinary, interactive exhibit at the MIT Museum showcases how educational technologies are radically changing the ways people learn and interact with one another.

final exams - Final exam week runs Monday, December 18 through Friday, December 22.

Service learning - Service learning strives to foster reciprocal community partnerships, in which communities contribute to students' learning while MIT students contribute to community projects and goals.

November 2006
d'Arbeloff fund: call for proposals - Building on the recent task force report, the d'Arbeloff fund is seeking proposals to enhance the educational experience of first-year students at MIT.

October 2006
Undergraduate educational commons - MIT just released faculty recommendations for the most far-reaching changes to its undergrad curriculum in the past half-century.

Graduate student life grants - These grants enhance graduate community, gather fresh, creative ideas, and shape the graduate community of the future. Proposal deadline is October 13.

September 2006
MIT Energy Initiative - MIT announces a new Institute-wide center to address the global energy challenge.

Career Week - The MIT Careers Office is hosting resume critiques, mock interviews, and special walk-in hours this week in advance of Thursday's Career Fair.

MIT Bulletin - The MIT Bulletin has comprehensive information about MIT courses and programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

August 2006
Class 0f 2010: begin your journey here - A full schedule of orientation events and activities, known as the Hitchhiker's Guide to Orientation, will be provided to first-year students upon arrival in August.

June 2006
Vehicle design summit - 73 students from 21 universities around the world will gather at MIT this summer to design and build commuter vehicles that exploit human power, biofuels, solar technologies and fuel cells to get over 500 MPG.

May 2006
Energy Classes - Energy Classes is an interactive database of classes focusing on energy at MIT. Browse by department, topic and more.

April 2006
Term regulations - These policies are designed to help students anticipate and manage their workload. Any issues can be worked out with the help and backing of UA SCEP and the Chair of the Faculty.

OpenCourseWare thrives at five - Five years ago, MIT announced it would make the materials for nearly all of its courses available on the Internet. Since then, OCW has flourished beyond all expectations.

March 2006
Educational transformation through technology - See a snapshot of MIT's education technology development through case studies and a sampling of educational technology projects.

January 2006
Energy Classes - Energy Classes is an interactive database of classes focusing on energy at MIT. Browse by department, topic and more.

December 2005
Independent Activities Period (IAP) - IAP is a chance to try something new and different: internships, archery, python, and more! January 9 to February 5, 2006

final exams - Final exam week runs Friday, December 16 through Thursday, December 22.

smart synergy - New architecture brings neuroscientists together at MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex.

November 2005
brain and cog complex - MIT explores the frontiers of cutting-edge neuroscience research in a variety of major events held in association with the opening of its new brain and cognitive sciences complex.

October 2005
Big questions after big hurricanes - These 4 MIT-wide symposia bring together MIT faculty in Civil Engineering, Economics, Meteorology and more to discuss the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

September 2005
MIT Bulletin - The MIT Bulletin has comprehensive information about MIT courses and programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

August 2005
welcome to MIT orientation! - explore your options, seek out new challenges, tackle new problems, research possibilities, and meet new people

Dean Magnanti offers Congress views on education - Thomas Magnanti, speaking to the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, called for improvements in math, science and engineering education at all levels.

July 2005
L. Rafael Reif named MIT provost - President Susan Hockfield has appointed Professor L. Rafael Reif as provost of MIT, succeeding Robert A. Brown, who is leaving MIT to become president of Boston University. Reif's appointment will be effective Aug. 1.

June 2005
MIT takes on the world's energy crisis - MIT President Susan Hockfield and Provost Robert A. Brown have established an Energy Research Council to spearhead efforts to address the world's mounting energy problems.

Commencement recap - Commencement 2005 was held Friday, June 3. The webcast archive and photo gallery are now available online.

May 2005
Commencement - Commencement 2005 will be held Friday, June 3. Irwin Jacobs, co-founder of QUALCOMM, will be the guest speaker.

final exams - Spring 2005 final exam week is May 16-20. View the exam schedule online.

Center for Biomedical Innovation - MIT's Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI) will build on MIT's special strengths across science, engineering and management to more efficiently and safely move life sciences advances into actual public health use.

April 2005
Uncommon | In Common - Uncommon | In Common: A Celebration of MIT and the Presidential Inauguration of Susan Hockfield takes place May 6, 2005

UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) - Approximately 80% of MIT undergraduates participate in UROP at least once during their time at MIT. Direct funding proposal deadline is April 14.

March 2005
grad-ified - Two-thirds of graduate students are satisfied with the resources available on campus and the great majority are pleased with their advisors, according to the 2004 Graduate Student Life Survey.

Langer named Institute Professor - Robert Langer, the Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, has been named Institute Professor, the highest honor awarded by the MIT faculty and administration.

MIT global habitat longevity award - This award recognizes research into long-term trends affecting Earth's environment and habitat. It is open to any member of the MIT community. Application deadline is March 15.

fellowship information session - A workshop on applying for foreign scholarships will be held Wednesday, March 2. See the scholarships website for hints, tips, and preparation advice.

February 2005
MIT ranks high for postdocs - MIT was ranked third among U.S. academic institutions in the annual survey, "Best Places to Work for Postdocs," published by The Scientist.

MIT Sloan offers management minor - A major new initiative will allow MIT students to add business skills to their science and engineering arsenal. This fall, MIT Sloan will begin to offer a minor in management to undergrads campuswide.

the light fantastic - Over IAP, students took a mini-course in holography at the MIT Museum and the Media Lab.

TBP career fair - The 2005 TBP Career Fair takes place Thursday, February 3 at Rockwell Cage.

January 2005
WebSIS - January 31 is Registration Day, and February 1 is the first day of Spring term classes.

IAP offers infinite (almost) possibilities - Try something different this January: from astrophysics to watercolor painting, and everything in-between

December 2004
Ocean and mechanical engineering merge - An ocean engineering specialization will be offered by mechanical engineering.

Final exams - Fall 2004 final exam week is December 13-17. View the exam schedule online.

October 2004
MIT launches Ph.D. program in Computational and Systems Biology - This interdisciplinary program at the interface of biology, engineering and computer science is the first of its kind in the U.S.

DeFrantz taps across the water - Three MIT dancers in tap shoes and street clothes took part in an international conversation exploring movement, culture, passion and technology's role in teaching.

changing the subject - The Choice of Major fair, Monday, October 18, is a chance for freshmen and sophomores to ask questions and explore their options for majors and careers.

September 2004
i-Teams ready technologies for market - Grad students bring technologies from test tube to market in a new hands-on course called "i-Teams", a joint project of MIT Sloan and the School of Engineering.

900 on OpenCourseWare - MIT OpenCourseWare continues to expand, with materials from 900 courses and 33 disciplines now freely available on the Web.

U-info - Undergraduate information and advising resources to help make your education what you want it to be.

MIT catalog is a tour de course - The 2004-2005 MIT course catalog is out now - in print, on CD, and online.

August 2004
computing for incoming students - wondering what kind of laptop to buy or how to connect to the MIT network? IS&T's information for incoming students can help you get started.

July 2004
taking the code less traveled - the women's technology program offers high school students an introduction to college-level electrical engineering and computer science.

June 2004
remote research - Away for the summer? The MIT Libraries' website offers online resources such as electronic databases and e-journals to let you conduct research wherever your travels take you.

Faculty votes for MIT to strengthen diversity - The MIT faculty voted to assume a leadership role among peer institutions in successfully recruiting underrepresented minority faculty and graduate students.

MIT Commencement - On June 4, about 2,205 undergraduates and graduate students are scheduled to receive their degrees and listen to principal speaker Elias A. Zerhouni, director of the NIH.

May 2004
Brown reaches half-century teaching mark - Professor Gene Brown, who has taught general biochemistry at MIT for 50 years, says simply of teaching: "It's what I like to do."

Final exams - Spring 2004 final exam week is May 17-21. View the exam schedule online.

MIT launches Leadership Center - MIT's Leadership Center tackles tough questions about the nature of leadership and how best to educate the next generation of leaders.

April 2004
Margaret Atwood at MIT - "Any act of poetry, fiction, nonfiction is an act of hope," said author Margaret Atwood, speaking to MIT students about the writing process.

handshakes: they're not just for modems anymore - UPOP students learn the joys of networking at an interactive seminar designed to help engineering students become leaders.

engineering a systems approach - The emerging field of engineering systems is vital to solving the complexities of modern engineering, said participants at an MIT symposium last month.

March 2004
In the pipeline - An MIT freshman is keeping a blog with an ongoing account of his class's trip to study oil drilling in Alaska.

Distance learning in developing countries - LINC symposium on creating and sustaining learning communities, March 23-26

budding scientists create interactive tree exhibits - "The Engineering of Trees", one of 70 freshman seminars, has created tree demos for the Boston Nature Center and the Museum of Science.

Arthur, Arthur! - Arthur Ganson, the artist and engineer whose kinetic sculptures delight visitors to the MIT Museum, plays an animated version of himself on PBS's Arthur.

February 2004
The physics of Picasso, the magnetism of Mondrian - Over IAP, physicist Walter Lewin took students on a whirlwind tour of modern art, and discussed new ways of looking at the world.

add some green to your class schedule - Get your hands dirty with environmental classes from a variety of perspectives, including science, engineering, policy, and society.

January 2004
WebSIS - February 2 is Registration Day, and February 3 is the first day of Spring term classes.

MathML: Mathematical Markup Language - Get started with MathML, a W3C standard for representing mathematical expressions on the web

MathML: Mathematical Markup Language - Get started with MathML, a W3C standard for representing mathematical expressions on the web

The Persistence of Memory: A Molecular Perspective - Nobel Laureate Dr. Erik Kandel presents the Francis O. Schmitt lecture in Biology, Tuesday, January 13th.

December 2003
Independent Activities Period (IAP) - Hundreds of classes from the practical to the whimsical are offered during January at MIT.

Sloan to offer undergraduate minor - MIT's Sloan School of Management is planning to offer an undergraduate minor, starting in the 2005-2006 school year.

November 2003
View MIT videos and lectures online at MITWorld - MITWorld is a free and open site featuring on-demand video of significant public events at MIT.

September 2003
MIT everyware - Opencourseware is just one of the ways MIT's intellectual curiosity and pervasive learning extend far beyond the classroom.

dig into environmental classes - Get your hands dirty with environmental classes from a variety of perspectives, including science, engineering, policy, and society.

August 2003
2003-2004 course catalog - The MIT course catalogue for 2003-2004 is now available at several locations around campus, and is also available online

orientation 2003 - according to the hitchhiker's guide to orientation, MIT, like Earth, is mostly harmless. hope you brought your towel!

science in the summer - high school students came together from 14 countries this summer to conduct graduate-level math and science research under the mentorship of distinguished researchers.

July 2003
Notable alumnae - Women at MIT have come a long way-- from Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to study at the Institute, to today's alumnae who go on to become astronauts, architects, business leaders, and more.

Summer programs for girls 11-14 - Fun activities and engaging experiments are designed to excite girls about science and inspire them to think about their lives in new ways.

June 2003
Summer professional programs - This curriculum of 60-90 courses is presented in an intense 1-2 week format, for working professionals with little or no time to spare.

May 2003
Commencement - Commencement 2003 will take place Monday, June 9. George J. Mitchell, former US Senator and chairman of the 1998 Northern Ireland peace negotiations, will speak.

a techie's history of the United States - MIT professors Maier and Smith co-authored "Inventing America," a book that examines U.S. history through science and technology.

April 2003
pre-meds shadow medical mentors - MIT students interested in medical school have been learning from area physicians who are also MIT graduates.