In This Edition

History and Culture

Part 1: Tools of History

Part 2: Cultural Lenses

Part 3: MIT's Historic Path

Questions & Answers

Professor John Dower Pulitzer Prize winning author who reexamines modern Japanese and US-Asian history.

Professor Philip S. Khoury Award winning political and social historian of the Middle East.

Arian Shahdadi '02 Won the History Prize for his essay "The Continued Violence of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863".

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MIT's Historic Path

Want a glimpse of what will make history at MIT? In 23 minutes? Take an online video tour with '01-'02 MIT Alumni Association President Bob Johnson '63 who introduces new research projects from genomics to environmental engineering and innovations in education and campus life.

The MIT Libraries hold the Institute's collective memory in Institute Archives and Special Collections. These collections chronicle the founding and growth of MIT, the Institute's impact, and the evolution of modern science and technology. The Institute Archives is devoting a year to organizing MIT's historical records. By February 2003, the expanded collection -- one of the most significant records in the history of science and technology in the United State -- will be available.

Student theses, catalogued since 1868 in the Archives, help determine early research facts and define topics to be explored. Harold ("Doc") Edgerton's 1931 study of efficiency in synchronous motors and I. M. Pei's 1940 design for standardized propaganda units for China were first coherently expressed in tangible form as MIT theses.

Gems from the collection:

• Early maps in Boston and Cambridge
• Early documents about MIT's founding
• MIT Seal depicting a laborer and a scholar

"See how far an idea can go" is the MIT Museum's mantra. The Museum focuses on inventions, particularly those sparked at MIT. Online, web visitors can explore Flashes of Inspiration, a multi-media exhibition of MIT legend Harold "Doc" Edgerton's work, including his development of the electronic strobe. In the e-gallery, find the virtual LightForest, a fusion of traditional landscape and holography.

At the museum, visitors can explore the world's largest holography collection starting with 1940s efforts, rare nineteenth century architectural drawings, Robots and Beyond: Exploring Artificial Intelligence at MIT, and Thinkapalooza, a participatory game for all ages. The ongoing exhibit, "Mind and Hand: The Making of MIT Scientists and Engineers," tackles how a teenager morphs into a top scientist or engineer.

Crop Circle - the Newest Hack MIT's legendary hacks were featured on the Discovery Channel, which commissioned five students to create a Crop Circle Hack.

Ask the Archives MIT and non-MIT information seekers can ask questions via email.

Annan Kicks Off Sloan 50th See the online video of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, SF '72 addressing Sloan's 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

Lincoln Lab Honored at 50th Anniversary Lincoln Lab received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service for development of critical defense capabilities.

History of the Research Lab of Electronics Online Histories of research groups and an online video tell the story since 1946.

Re-Live the 1949 Mid-Century Convocation at MIT See the online video documenting the 1949 conference that drew Winston Churchill and other leaders to MIT to appraise the post-war world.