The MIT factor: celebrating 150 years of maverick genius by Ed Pilkington ‘The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has led the world into the future for 150 years with scientific innovations. Gl eared sepeeceetaes eae starting poine for a journey into one ofthe work's reat universcies. Bu, as you quickly realise when you sep inside the MassachusectsInsieute of Technology, precious litle going on that you would normaly se on a ‘university campus, The cello, resting ina corner of MIT's celebrated media laboratory — a hub of eretivity — looks like any other electric elasical instrument, Buti mach more. ‘Machover, the compose, teacher and in sponsible for its creation, calls it ahyperinstrument, a sore of thinking ‘machioe thar allows Ma and his cello ieterace with one nother and make music together. “The aim ise build an instrament worthy ofa great musician like Yo-Yo Ma that can understand what he i eying todo and respond ei ‘Machover sas. The cello has numerous sensors actos its body and by measuring the pressure, speed and angle ofthe vireoro's performance it can interpret his mood and engage with i, producing extrondinary new sounds. The cellise frequently performs on the instrument ashe tours round the woeld Machover’ passion for pushing at the bousdates of che existing world ro extend and unleash human potential is nota bad description of MIT as a whole. This unusual community brings highly gifted, highly motivated individuals together from a vas ange of disciplines, united by a common desire: co leap inc the dark and reach for the unknown. ‘The resule of that single unifying ambition i visible all around. For the past 150 yeats, MIT has been leading the world into the furue. The discoveries of is teachers and seudents ave Become the common everyday objects that ‘we now all cake for granted, The celephone,electromagnets, radars, high-speed photography, office photocopies, cancer treatments, pocket calculators computers, the Internet, the decoding ofthe human genome, lasers, space travel .. the lis of innovations chat involved essential contributions from MIT and is faculty goes on and on. From the moment MIT was founded by Willism Barton Rogers in 1861, ie was clear what c was noe. While Harvard scuck to the English model of «classical education, ts emphasis on Latin and Greek, MIT looked eo che German system of learning based on esearch and hands-on ‘experimentation. Knowledge was at premium, buc it had robe use ‘This down-to-earth quality isensheined in the school otc, Men f mana — Mind and hand — as well as is logo, which shows a gowned scholar standing beside an ‘nonmonger beating a hamener sod anvil, Thac symbiosis of incllee and craftsmanship still suffuses the insticure’s lastooms, where students are noc so much ughe as engaged and inspited ‘Take Christopher Merill, 21, a thied-year undergraduate in computer science, He is spending most of his time on a competition se in his robotics class, The contest i to see which student can most effectively program a robot co build “a house out of blocks in under ten minutes, Merrill says he could have gone fr the eases route ~ designing a simple robor chat would build che house quickly. Bue he wanted to Getng higher quliteations (@)ty co master an area of robotics that eemains unconguered ~ adeptabilcy, the ability ofthe robot co rethink asthe environment acound it changes, would a human plans ‘ike eo take oa things that have never been dane bef rather than to workin an iterative way just making small “steps forward, he explains Merrill is already planning the star-up he wants to set 3. He hasan ides for version of contact lens that woul augment up when he graduates ima years realty by allowing consumes ro ee ational visual informatio, ese ehat be might be just roo lt in taking his concep eo market, the has ead hat Silicon Valley frm is already developing something iil As such be might became oe of many MIT graduate who 0.0 ofc companies cha il. Atenatively he igh became one of tose who goon to sendin spectacle fashion. An thee ae many of der. A survey of ving MIT alumni fund tae chy have oemed 25,800 companiss, employing more than thre millon peo inching sbou a quarer of che workforce of Son Valle. ‘What MIT dlighsin is aking beiliane minds from around ce wold in as diverse diiplnes nd porting hern agether. You can se that in is sparkling new David Koch Inge far lnmgrative Cancer Research, which bring scietins, engineer an clnicans unde one rok (Orin es Energy Inicatve, which ats 8 ridge for MITs eee be eee ee eee tering ge resources inte the serch fr a olution to global ee eee ea cory soars, inlading miles power eis alo forging shea with alerativ energies rom slat to wind and terre eee neared so syhatin batts that could pore cuca in the sdrancement of etic as aa eee tee che World Wie Web, Tes not ja another sive. Eventhough T sper my time with my hea bated he eas of web ecology, be nice ting i that when Ido wal the coriors, bump ito people who ace working ee errant eet eee tht Eps efter! adap fom the Goan pple esi iver ole ofr comping tr sud thre @ ones © Work in pairs. 1 Look at Question 1 in the task below and the underlined words. Scan the passage to find the same or similar words. 2. Underline words or phrases in Questions 2-5 that might also occur in the passage. 3 Scan the passage and underline the same or similar words to those in the question, Questions 1-5 Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 1 The activities going on at the MUT campus are like those at any other university. 2. Harvard and MIT shared a similar approach to ‘education when they were founded, 3 The school motto was suggested by a former MIT student. 4. MIT's logo reflects the belief that intellect and craftsmanship go together. 5. Silicon Valley companies pay higher salaries to ‘graduates from MIT. © Read Questions 1-5 carefully, then read around the words you have underlined in the passage and decide whether each question is True, False ‘or Not Given. Exam advice ‘True / False / Not Given + Underline words or phrases in the question that will help you quickly scan forthe right place in the passage. + Read each statement carefully and decide on the ‘main idea. Compare this with what is stated in the passage. + Write “TRUE? ifthe ideas are the same. If the passage says the opposite of the information in the question, write FALSE’; i the passage does rot include the information expressed in the question, write ‘NOT GIVEN.@ Read Questions 6-9 and quickly check what pT {information you need for each gap. Then, using the ttle to find the right part of the passage, answer the questions. Short-answer questions + Underline words in each question which help to find the right place inthe passage. The questions follow the order of information in the passage. Questions 6-9 + Read that part carefully and undertine the Complete the notes below: + Copy the answer exactly, without including any ‘Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Unnecessary words, passage for each answer. Christopher Merrill ~ student at MIT @© Check your answers. You can lose marks with: Degree subject: 6 + answers that are hard to spell Pees tor the automated Did you copy your answers for Questions 6, 8 and construction of a house 9 correctiy? + answers that consist of a phrase, rather than Special focus on: the 8 of robots, a word Future plans: to develop new type of id you write both words for Questions 6, 9, 11 9 and 122 + questions that can easily be misinterpreted. _ SD Nowe compiztion 1s your answer to Question 1. proportion and se the title to find the right place in the passage. + Read the notes and decide what type of information you need for each gap. + The information in the notes may be in order from the information in the passage. + Be careful to copy words from the passage in exactly the same form. Is your answer to Question 12 an innovation? itferent © Work in p 1 Read Questions 10-13 and quickly check what information you need, 2 Underline words in the questions which wil help you to find the right place in the passage 3 Answer Questions 10-13, Questions 10-13 Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. 10 What proportion of workers at Silicon Valley. {© Work in small groups. are employed in companies set up by MIT 1 What personal qualities do you think inventors graduates? require? 11 What problem does MIT's Energy Initiative aim 2 Which areas of technology do you think feoive! governments should spend money on at the 12 Which ‘green’ innovation might MIT's work moment? Why? swith viruses help improve? 3 What sort of things do you think will be 13 In which part of the university does Tim invented in the future? Berners-Lee enjoy stimulating conversations 4 Ifyou could invent something, what would with other MIT st itbe? esting higher qualitations @)