Dear Physics Communiy,

This is the last message of 2020.  The first was March 13 and there have been 108 since then.  Seems like forever. We have some time now without the frantic pace of the term.

Speaking of forever, Tavneet and I handed in our reports — Tavneet’s to the Chair of the Faculty and mine to the Provost.  We started Oct. 15, 2019 and worked through the pandemic because we thought it was important.  We still do and I believe the Administration will act on our recommendations in January.

I’ve been watching the COVID-19 measurements in the waste water at Deer Island — went up, was going down until Thanksgiving, then up, now going down again.  Maybe it stick this time.

Many will celebrate the end of 2020 by burning their calendars or with dumpster fires of 2020 memorabilia.  I saw a lot of good in 2020 — our students that worked as mentors and tutors, staff that, after taking care of their normal work plus the extra COVID-19 work, to the faculty that held courses, research groups, and advisees together.  All of us had families and friends remotes from us that we had to find new ways to care for and love.  And we all had to take care of ourselves.  This is what I hope I remember.

Peter

Above the Fold

• Slides on COVID-19 vaccine rollout at MIT
• FAQ, etc. for international students from Ian Waitz

Announcements

• Announcement of DOE Diversity Program here
• Announcement of DOE Quantum Information Science  funds here
• Jack Steinberger, physicist and alum, dies at 99.  His daughter, Julia, is also a physics alum
• JWEL grants call for proposals here

Physics

• New quantum thermo-electric cooler from Liang
• LIDAR on a chip, started in Marin’s group
• New history of the Milky Way from Quanta
• AMO results: quantum magnetic behavior from Wolfgang  and a new atomic clock from Vladan

Message here

Dear Physics Community,

You may have heard that the Office of the Vice-Chancellor has sent a letter to require all graduate students outside the US to return to the US or risk losing their support from MIT.  A similar directive was issued in the Fall.  As in the Fall, the Department will work with all such affected students to arrange that they can remain where they are and continue to receive support from our Department.  In some cases, this will mean changing how they are supported, and in others, it will mean us helping them through an exception process.

Our Academic Programs Administrator Cathy Modica will lead this effort, and we expect, as was the case in Fall, that we will be able to find solutions for all our impacted students.  The downside to this is that it will consume staff time and discretionary funds, but supporting our graduate students is our top priority, and we will have to live with the consequences.  We are a strong Department, and we will manage, though I do not know how at this moment.

Thank you to everyone on the Physics staff for their work on this.  They have been ahead of the curve since Monday.

Peter

Above the Fold

• News story, “Pompeo Shames MIT…”
• Cambridge Good Riddance to 2020 this weekend here

Announcements

• Five reasons to be an AFRL Scholar here
• Spring Canvas info from Krishna and Sheryl

Physics

• DOE Office of Science funding for Advanced Computation
• People like Will and Phiala try to make computers go fast, but some work at making them go slow.

Dear Physics Community,

Yesterday, Dec. 8,  was “Safe Harbor Day”, the day by which states are supposed to have certified their elections and accredited their Electoral College delegates.  I believe all the states except Wisconsin did.  Yesterday was the day the first COVID-19 vaccine injections were given in Britain.  Some progress.

Some sad news  – I’m writing to share the disappointing news that Ibrahim Cissé will be leaving our department and MIT.  Ibrahim has accepted a position at CalTech. Nergis and I worked hard to keep him at MIT.

Ibrahim Cisse earned tenure earlier this year and formally became a joint faculty member in Biology.  In his 6 short years at MIT, he has made significant contributions to understanding gene expression in living cells, using and developing techniques of super-resolution microscopy in live cells. He has been awarded numerous grants and awards, including the NIH New Innovator Award and the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. He has been a positive force in the department in all ways: his science, as an instructor (especially in our first-year subjects), his service (especially as Colloquium Committee Chair), and his powerful voice in DEI issues. 

Please join me in wishing Ibrahim well as he begins the transition to CalTech and Los Angeles.

Peter

Above the Fold

• Listening to the gravitational wave hum of the universe, Sylvia Biscoveanu, here

Announcements

• NRT announcement for seniors here
• University of Chicago Grainger Postdoctoral Fellowship in Experimental Physics, deadline Dec. 15, here

Physics

• EPR redux – Quanta article on new Bell-like theorem
• Martin makes a perfect fluid
• Ray’s cool teaching video here

Dear Physics Community,

Happy Thanksgiving.  In my view, today is one of the honest holidays: we give thanks for what we have and think of how to help those around who need help. I feel like I have much to be thankful for — everyone in the Department has worked hard to get hear and now has a few days of rest before the final push. Thank you all and I am very grateful.

Peter

Above the fold

• A New England Thanksgiving tradition: Alice’s Restaurant
• Congratulations to Rhodes Scholar Ghadah Alshalan

Announcements and Useful Information

• How MIT handles positive COVID cases
• The Biden’s Op Ed on thanksgiving
• A virtual Aspen Conference on Dark Matter and how to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in experimental particle physics

Dear Physics Community,

Many things were pushed from the week before last to last week, which I am hearing was miserable.  Also, many, including me, spent a good deal of time distracted, anxious, and out of sorts, for the reasons we all know.  I am surprised to find myself mildly optimistic.  The vaccines present good news, but I am also cheered to offer a little more in-person instruction in the Spring than this Fall,  a small step towards getting everyone back to MIT.

This takes place against the backdrop of a huge increase in the number of COVID-19 cases — Massachusetts was running 2,000 new cases a day compared with 200 a few weeks ago.  The wastewater monitors at Deer Island show we a nearing a peak…maybe. MIT and the local community seem to be managing well — the hospitalization rate much lower than Spring, and most are complying with the COVID-19 rules on campus.   Our students will have the next week off, while faculty and staff will work until Wednesday. We have less than a week to go before Thanksgiving day.

I am grateful for all these things and how everyone in the Department has worked hard under these hard circumstances.  Thank you.

Peter

Above the Fold

• Science article on Political Secratianism in America
• Kenneth G. Wilson Award for Phiala

Announcements

• Nominate for Infinite Expansion Award for Post Docs
• Nominate a colleague for MLK Visiting Professor
• Assistant Professor Position at University of Tennesee
• Job posting: NSA Research Director

Physics

• Anna Frebel on Chalk Radio
• End of Aricebo

Dear Physics Community,

Wednesday, 8:15 am – Here we are, as expected, with the Presidential election a tossup.  Please keep in mind the process is slow and formal (timeline here).  There may be court challenges and recounts of various kinds that formal prescribed processes required – pay attention to these and not what candidates, campaigns, or pundits are saying.  I’m limiting my exposure to the election to checking twice a day, and you may wish to consider doing this as well.  I am also taking things more slowly and concentrating on the most important things and people around me for the rest of the week.

Good luck to all of us,

Peter

Above the Fold

• Deer Island COVID-19 wastewater monitoring has turned over and is decreasing.  The amount of Sar-COV-2 RNA in our wastewater leads the case rate by 5-7 days, so I am hoping the current surge turns over soon.
• Reboot week Nov. 2-11, stress reduction
• Chancellor’s announcement about Spring term

Announcements

• “The Age of Living Machines” by Susan Hockfield wins the American Institute of Physics Communicating Science Award
• Nominate a college for an MLK award
• New holiday break Dec. 24-Jan 1, official announcement here 
• APS Women in Physics grants for students and faculty here 
• Joint School of Science and School of Engineering class “New class on modeling using machine learning: 6.883J/2.168J/… J” here
• Video and Poll from MIT Divest about fossil fuels companies: Video link: https://youtu.be/1H9e_aae- Poll link: https://mit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6X1CGkItBnoNDLv
• Call for proposals: experiential learning here.
• Tenure track position Cal State Long Beach here

Physics

• Quanta article on the black hole   paradox with Netta
• Radcliffe Institute Talk, “Unraveling the Mystery of Cosmic Acceleration,” here

Dear Physics Community,

The election is tomorrow, and this week may be tumultuous.  I am hopeful but will not make predictions. If you are interested in the electoral college’s details, the Congressional Research Service has a report here on the college and a timeline here.  The timeline is two pages and well worth reading.

Everyone in the community feels a great deal of stress and concern – there is just no way around it.  For myself, I am so distracted that I have trouble typing.  I know this feeling will pass, but it is upsetting anyway.

I am asking all of us to, when appropriate, to acknowledge these feelings in others as we try to go about our business.  Just hearing someone say they know you are having strong feelings helps and is necessary in many cases.  A simple sentence like, “I know you are worried.” helps.  Expressing your feelings briefly can also help too.

This week is probably not a good time to be making important decisions that could be put off until next week.  Similarly, it may be good to postpone difficult meetings or discussions to make some time to live in the present.

Some nuts and bolts things about presidential elections: a network may call an election, or a candidate may claim victory, but these do not mean anything.  Formally, the outcome of a presidential election is not known for at least several days as state election commissions meet, tally, and certify their state’s votes.  The Electoral College does not meet until January to make their final decision.  In between, there can be challenges, court decisions that are formal decision-making processes with specific outcomes.  The media may provide plenty of distraction, and “analysis” can cause further stress.  My suggestion is to try to limit your news intake as much as you can for the next week.

If you are interested in the electoral college’s details, the Congressional Research Service has a report here on the college and a timeline here.  The timeline is two pages and well worth reading.

If you need help:

• Undergraduate students: Student Support Services (S3)
• Graduate students: GradSupport
• Weekends or after business hours:  Dean on Call or MIT Police
• Faculty and staff:  HR resources

We will all get through whatever this is and gather together later in the week.  Good luck to all of us.

Peter

Dear Physics Community,

As the election approaches, many of us are becoming distracted, to say the least.  This will be a time for us to be extra patient, focus on those around us and what we can do for each other, and not expect so much from ourselves.  Regardless of the outcome or lack of outcome, we are all Physics Community members, whether politically we are republicans, democrats, or independents.

The Physics Department follows the guidance from the Academic Policy and Requirements Team’s (APART) expanded guidance (here) item 17:

Activities around Election Day Instructors are strongly encouraged to avoid scheduling exams or having major assignments due on Election Day and the day following Election Day (November 3 and 4).

All of our lectures should be available online, and this will allow for voting.  MIT has also posted guidance for on-campus gatherings around electron time here.

November 4 will be a difficult day for many, regardless of political views.  As with any difficult time, sometimes the best we can do is acknowledge that others may be in distress, let them know they are part of our community, and leave it at that.

I must admit to being pretty distracted and nervous myself, “Like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” as Jed Clampet would have said.  I try to remind myself that I am really okay in a Maslow’s Pyramid sort of way – whatever happens in the next week will not change who or where I am, and I am in a place with a strong mission and values.  Still, it’s hard, and there is no way around that.

Peter

Resources

• http://mitvote.mit.edu/ has all kinds of information about the voting process
• There will be special events all election week Nov. 2-11 here.
• MIT has resources (faculty and staff here, students here)  if you find yourself in need of help or feel bad and don’t know what to do.  Getting help when you need it is a sign of strength.

Announcements

• New academic calendar here – Spring term starts Feb 16, 2020
• Insight Fellows Program announcement here.
• Spring 2021 Planning – Chancellor’s talk at Faculty meeting Oct. 21, 2020, here
• A new program in MIT Physics, Statistics, and Data Sciences, here
• Nominate a colleague for an Excellence or Collier Award
• Caltech WAVE summer program

Physics

• “Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality,” a new book from Frank Wilczek, cover here
• ORISIS-Rex: another cool sample return mission to an asteroid.  It seems to have worked out.
• I found “A system hierarchy for brain-inspired computing” in Nature fascinating here.

Dear Physics Community,

Despite the difficult times, I am looking ahead and thinking more of the future.  A third COVID-19 surge is underway, but we are managing well so far.  Success will depend testing, distancing, masks, and not taking chances. It is hard, but we have been doing these things at MIT is it is working, so keep it up.

Christina and Ryan keep a departmental calendar of events.  There are instructions on how to access it at the bottom of this announcement.  Please contact one of them if you have an event to advertise.

There is a lot of career news – our students have been working hard on bringing alumni onto campus to talk about their career, so please check it out.  Also, a friend of mine, Dawna Wright, and EE for the State Department, will be presenting on opportunities on the Bureau of Overseas Buidlings Operations, a very cool job.

Peter

Above the Fold

• Tavneet Suri and I wrote a FNL piece about our reports.  Much shorter than the report themselves.
• MIT has entered Research Restart 3 (RR3) in which hourly resitrictions on lab work have been ended.  This is good news.
• Nov. 3 looms.  Here are WorkLife/WellBeing tips on election stress

Physics

• Sample return mission to asteroid Bennu.  OSIRIS-REX did a touch and go to collect samples from Bennu to return to Earth.

Career News

• Subscribe here to the new weekly careers newsletter from SPS and PGSC! Every Wednesday, you’ll receive a list of upcoming job, internship, and career development opportunities including information relevant to both grad students and undergrads. ​Thank you to our physics careers team, consisting of Quinn Brodsky, Joseph Johnston, Eugene Knyaev, Maya Reese, and Prof. Mike Williams for setting this up.
• If you have opportunities you would like advertised to the physics student newsletter, please email them to 8careers-owner@mit.edu.
• Research Opportunities with the Department of Defense
• Princeton Princeton Electrical Engineering faculty  position
• Faculty position in astroparticle physics at Louvain
• Interested in careers in industry? Want to get a sense of the many options available to you? Come attend the Fall 2020 Alumni Careers Panels hosted by the Society of Physics Students! The two panels will be held on Wednesday, October 28, from 6-7 PM EDT, and Thursday, October 29, from 5-6 PM EDT. Each panel will feature five alumni from varying career fields, such as software, finance, consulting, teaching, and many more. Further details to be announced shortly!
• Career Fair information here

Announcements

• Teaching position at Deerborn academy here
• SoS teaching prize nominations here
• Moore inventor awards announcement
• Experiential Learning Grants Request for Proposals
• Nominate for the MITx prize

From SPS

• Next week: SPS is hosting alumni panels! Come hear about the diverse options available to Course 8s beyond academia and research.
• Contribute to the first version of the Course 8 Handbook, a guide to the department for underclassmen and prospective majors! Sign up here to help.

From PGSC

Upcoming events

• Thursday, October 22: from the producers of Pciture a Scientist, Bending the Arc – Oct. 22, 2020, 7 pm
• Friday, October 23: Mark your calendars — PGSC will be holding a Zoom trivia night this Friday (10/23) and movie night next Friday (10/30).
• Sunday, October 25-Saturday, October 31: Black in Physics Week – professional development; mixers for undergrads, grads, postdocs, and faculty; jobs fair
• Friday, October 30: Deadline for students living in the US to get a flu shot and submit documentation here, lest MIT block your spring registration

Outreach and recruitment

• The  Black in Physics Week Job Fair will run on Friday, Oct 30, from 11am – 1pm ET and the PVC will have a virtual booth in the job fair. We invite you to join the MIT Physics booth and to advertise any open postdoc positions you may have during the event. Please contact the Physics Values Committee at at physics-values@mit.edu .
• Help applicants out through PhysGAAP! Dominika Durovcikova and Mason Ng have created a new graduate application assistance program through PGSC’s Grads Advising Graduate Admissions (GAGA). Graduate students should sign up here.
• GAGA and APO staff are also managing a student-led Q&A service. Learn more and please sign up to help out here.

More ways to get involved

• The Physics Values Committee is looking for a new undergraduate student member! For more information, please click here.
• There are currently open positions for Graduate Community Fellows, who work on projects for the community and receive a stipend of $675/month

Resources

• MITvote has a help form if you have any questions about the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 3
• GAGA and Sydney Miller worked together to significantly update the Physics Graduate Admissions website and FAQs pages.
• Information about campus dining during the pandemic. MIT also provides food resources and family food grants​.

Accessing the Physics Community Calendar:

• In cooperation with Christina Andujar and myself an MIT Physics Community Calendar was created for use in Microsoft Outlook.If you want your Physics event on the calendar please email Christina Andujar (candujar@mit.edu) and myself (higginsr@mit.edu) with all of the information for the talk itself as well as how to access it (e.g. a zoom link).When you set up this calendar, you will be able to view and open the individual appointments on this calendar to find the zoom details and eventually the DropBox link will be added with the video if the talk was recorded. Our hope is to have all events posted to this calendar during our time working remotely to help you have a place where the zoom links can live and login information can be accessed.Windows Users:
  Steps to access the calendar for those who use Microsoft Outlook:
  1.     Go to the calendar in Outlook
  2.     Click on “Open Calendar” and then “Open Shared Calendar…”
  3.     In the text box type: PHYSICS: Community Calendar
  4.     When you press “OK” the calendar should appear on your end.

  Apple Users:
  Steps to access the calendar for those who use Microsoft Outlook:
  1.     Go to the calendar in Outlook
  2.     Click on “View” then “Go to” and then “Calendar” and then “Open Shared Calendar…”
  3.     In the text box type: PHYSICS: Community Calendar
  4.     When you press “OK” the calendar should appear on your end.

  Please note: For this calendar to appear you must type the name exactly as I have it listed, “PHYSICS: Community Calendar”