Dear Physics Community,

Happy Monday.  Perhaps an oxymoron for many, but Monday’s can be a day of hope for better weeks ahead.  Gov. Baker asked only essential businesses to stay open.  According to their guidelines, MIT’s delivery of online education is essential.  So are liquor stores.

Todaly’;s post is shorter than usual, reflecting planning that went on through the day.

Upcoming Departmental Events

• Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 4-5 pm EST – Graduate student office hours.  Nergis, Cathy, Syd, and I will be on hand to answer questions and see how the graduate community is doing.
• Thursday, March 26, 2020 – Faculty-Staff lunch, our biophysicists will tell us about viruses, how they are transmitted, and how to limit epidemics
•  Thursday, March 26, 2020 – Colloquium – Prof. Scott Gaudi, Ohio State, “The Demographics of Exoplanets”
•  Thursday, April 2, 2020 – Colloquium – Prof. Alan Guth, MIT, “Inflation”
• April 1-3, Admitted Graduate Studnet Open House, details to come.

Academic Continuity Meeting

New advisories of interest see here for a complete list,

• Update on efforts to provide PPE for local hospitals
• Additional webinars about teaching remotely, engaging students virtually

City of Cambridge – MIT and Cambridge are working out ways to support our students living off-campus.  News to come.

Housing – the housing situation has stabilized with about 1,300 graduates and 249 undergraduates remaining housed in Maseeh, Baker, and McCormick houses.  About 450 graduate students are planning to leave in the coming weeks.

Commencement – in-person commencement likely canceled.  Virtual replacement and in-person event later.

Physics Department

Graduate academics – we are working on policies for

• Written exams
• Oral exams
• Thesis defenses

for this term and aims to have clear guidance for the graduate community by the end of the week.  (I know I wrote before that it would be today, but today I learned the questions need to be thought through carefully.)

Graduate office hours – Nergis, Cathy, Syd, and I will be available Wednesday, 4-5 pm via zoom to answer questions and hear how our graduate students are doing.  We’d like to make this a regular event.  Questions in advance welcome.

Did you know that coffee was invented at MIT by the Dean of Science?

Peter

P.S. I am posting these messages in my blog roll here and I have been accumulating useful links that have gone by here. In particular, I am trying to keep a list of MIT policy communications.

Thanks to Physics Council, Cathy Modica, Vicky Metternich and Christina Andujar for input and comments on these messages.