Volume 21, Number 30

HST Community Notices

Course & Academic Resources

Conferences, Lectures & Seminars

Student Opportunities

Professional Opportunities

Career & Financial Guidance Programs

HST Community Notices

MIT & HARVARD COVID-19 RESOURCES

[New] Office of Graduate Education (includes consolidated resources list) https://oge.mit.edu/about/

Find a full list here: https://hst.mit.edu/covid-19-resources

COMPILATION OF OPPORTUNITIES TO OFFER OR REQUEST HELP IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

[New] CoVent-19 Challenge (https://www.coventchallenge.com/), a global collaboration to create ventilation solutions that we can rapidly deploy around the world to battle the COVID-19 mechanical ventilation crisis.

[New] PanFab (panfab.org) is a group of volunteer scientists, engineers, clinicians, and concerned citizens dedicated to helping healthcare professionals, first responders and patients respond to pandemic disease response (currently to COVID19) by using innovative approaches to alleviate shortages in medical products, coordinate product testing, and promote hospital uptake of innovative solutions.

Find a full list here: https://hst.mit.edu/covid-19-resources#Opportunities

UPDATE YOUR STUDENT DIRECTORY PROFILE ON THE HST WEBSITE

The HST website now has a searchable student profile directory (restricted to HST students, faculty and staff). We hope this will be a great resource for students to connect over research interests, shared hobbies, questions about lab search, etc. All students have a skeleton profile with name, start year, degree program and school email address, other available fields are opt in.  Please consider logging on via Touchstone and updating your profile (available fields include: photo, personal email, personal website, PI, research interest keywords, hometown, hobbies, and more!)

Course & Academic Resources

UPCOMING GUEST LECTURES - HST.576 - TOPICS IN NEURAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

Here is info for upcoming virtual lectures in Dr. Emery Brown's class - open to everyone even if not registered in the class!

All of the remaining class lectures will be virtual. All of the instructions for how to join will be updated at the following link each week: https://bit.ly/2Qbmz5T 

Mike Prerau, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia, HMS/BWH
Spectral Analysis of Sleep States

Pulkit Grover, PhD, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Silence localization

Abstract: Many neuroscientific tools use noninvasive EEG/MEG recordings to localize where in the brain the activity is. For many disorders, however, what is of most interest is where in the brain the activity is not. I call the regions with less than normal activity as regions of silence. Silences arise in stroke, brain tumors, etc. spreading depolarizations, and localizing the region of silence can inform clinical decisions. In this talk, I will present some of our recent work on localizing silences in the brain using high-density EEG. This work builds on our work in the past 5 years on questioning the self-fulfilling prophecy of low resolution of EEG. EEG was thought to be limited in the spatial resolution to the resolution provided by ~100 electrodes, in part due to theoretical results on spatial Nyquist rate of EEG. Our work examined the question from a theoretical and experimental perspective, demonstrating that "super Nyquist rate" EEG can outperform Nyquist rate EEG, in the process obtaining the first fundamental limits on EEG's spatial resolution.

Finally, along this journey, we also came across many societally impactful problems, including the challenges in installing EEG electrodes on thick and curly hair common in individuals of African descent. I will briefly overview the feel-good story of how we observed this issue, and worked towards addressing it. I would love to learn if there are other biases inherent in how biomedical signals are acquired or treatments are performed that you are aware of.

Bio: Pulkit Grover (PhD UC Berkeley'10, B.Tech, M. Tech IIT Kanpur) is an associate professor at CMU (2013-present). His main contributions to science are towards developing and experimentally validating a new theory of information (fundamental limits, practical designs) for efficient and reliable communication, computing, sensing, and control, e.g. by incorporating novel circuit-energy models and developing new mathematical tools for information flow analyses. To apply these ideas to a variety of problems including novel biomedical systems, his lab works extensively with system and device engineers, neuroscientists, and doctors. Specifically, work of his neuroengineering lab is focused on tools (theoretical, computational, and hardware) for understanding, diagnosing, and treating disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injuries. Pulkit received the 2010 best student paper award at IEEE Conference on Decision and Control; the 2011 Eli Jury Dissertation Award from UC Berkeley; the 2012 Leonard G. Abraham best journal paper award from the IEEE ComSoc; a 2014 NSF CAREER award; a 2015 Google Research Award; a 2018 Dean's Early Career Fellowship from CMU CIT; a 2018 inaugural award from the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research; the 2018 Joel and Ruth Spira Excellence in Teaching Award from CMU, and the 2019 best tutorial paper award from IEEE ComSoc. He's learning how to play the sax and enjoys his free time with his wife, Kristen, and son, Utsah.

HST.590 SCHEDULE OF LECTURES & COURSE EVENTS

Topics in Product Development and Health Care Policy

HST.590 will continue as scheduled online. Registered students will receive the zoom link via email; others interested in attending virtually should email Max Cotler (mjcotler [at] mit.edu (mjcotler[at]mit[dot]edu)) to request the link.

  • April 9, 2020: Amy Winslow - President, BioPorto Diagnostics; Kate Rumrill - CEO, Ablative Solutions
  • April 16, 2020: Muhammad Zaman - Professor, BU Biomedical Engineering and International Health, Op-ed contributor to Huffington Post
  • April 23, 2020: Ashley Mateus - VP, Akili Interactive; HST Alumna

MIT COMMUNITY WELLNESS VIRTUAL CLASSES AND RESOURCES

Find current information on classes and resources provided by MIT Community Wellness here.

MIT ONLINE WRITING AND COMMUNICATION CENTER

Need a hand with your writing project, thesis, or job application? Have questions about delivering an important presentation? Our communication professionals have helped thousands of MIT students, post-docs, and faculty solve their writing and communication challenges. The Writing and Communication Center is an MIT service provided free to the entire MIT community. We look forward to working with you!

We are MIT lecturers with many years of experience working with writers from every department across the Institute. At the WCC, we consult with you one-on-one to address your specific academic or professional needs.

Our consultations help you produce outstanding written, visual, and spoken communication, including: Theses, dissertations, Journal articles, Dissertation proposals, CVs/resumes, cover letters, Personal statements, Research and teaching statements, Writing for any MIT class, Grant and fellowship proposals, Creative writing, Procrastination, Scientific and technical reports, English Language Learning issues, Start-up materials and elevator pitches, Classroom and professional presentations, Conference and job talks, Interview practice, Dissertation defense, Slide design, Poster design, Pronunciation and conversation practice, Shyness/stage fright, Writer’s block, And many other communication challenges.

To make an appointment: Go to https://mit.mywconline.com and click “Register.”

We look forward to meeting with you remotely! We’re excited about the opportunity to work with you on your communication challenges.

During our meeting, we’ll have live audio and video, and we’ll review your text using Google Documents.

Be sure to see the complete instructions for remote WCC consultations.

Please note that we can no longer meet with alumni or spouses/partners.

MIT LIBRARIES - RESOURCES FOR ONLINE COURSES AND RESEARCH

As you transition to online course and research, here are some important resources and updates from the MIT Libraries.

  1. Expanded and free e-resources during COVID-19 closure: In addition to our regular e-resources, many publishers are making e-resources available for free and expanding existing subscriptions. See https://libguides.mit.edu/covid19closure-resources for the complete list.
  2. To suggest a purchase of any ebooks or other online resources, especially those originally available as print materials, please submit your requests through https://libraries.mit.edu/suggest-purchase or contact me at crummett [at] mit.edu (crummett[at]mit[dot]edu) directly.
  3. Please continue sending your interlibrary borrowing requests for articles, book chapters, and other potential e-access as usual. However, all BorrowDirect and interlibrary borrowing (ILB) loan requests are suspended for borrowing of physical materials until the Libraries re-open.
  4. Review our tips on access to library resources off-campus at https://libraries.mit.edu/offcampus . If anyone needs troubleshooting, contact Ask Us at https://libraries.mit.edu/ask/ 
  5. Theses for the May 2020 degree period may be submitted electronically in accordance with the Emergency Academic Regulations in effect March 15, 2020. The Libraries are working with the Institute to develop new specifications, and we will post updates on the Specifications for Thesis Preparation page when available.

All MIT Libraries (including 24-hour spaces and book drops) are closed until further notice. Library staff members will remain available remotely during the closure. You can find up-to-date information about library services at https://libraries.mit.edu/about/covid19/ .

UPCOMING EVENTS FROM THE TEACHING + LEARNING LAB (TLL)

Information about upcoming workshops for graduate students and postdocs can be found here.

If you have any questions about programs and resources available to graduate students through the TLL, contact Ben Hansberry, Asst. Director for Graduate Student Teaching, bhansber [at] mit.edu (bhansber[at]mit[dot]edu)

Subscribe here to the TLL Newsletter.

HARVARD INNOVATION LABS CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Information about the Harvard i-lab and it's upcoming events and activities can be found here.

Conferences, Lectures & Seminars

MIT COVID-19 CHALLENGE

Please join us for the second MIT COVID-19 Challenge virtual event, Beat the Pandemic, Friday, April 3 till Sunday, April 5.

MIT is hosting a series of challenges to empower the broader community to take action on the COVID-19 crisis. This is part of a series of virtual hackathons with partners from across the MIT and healthcare ecosystems. In this event, participants will form teams to generate solutions for the most pressing technical, social, and financial issues caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you are up for #MITCOVID19Challenge and want to join our community in leaning into these issues, please sign up using the link below. All participants are welcome!

https://covid19challenge.mit.edu/

MGH NEUROLOGY GRAND ROUNDS - MTT MEMORIAL LECTURE

Topic: Conceptual refinements that justify brain death determination

Presenter: James L. Bernat, MD, Professor of Neurology and Medicine, Active Emeritus Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College

James L. Bernat, MD is a neurologist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Formerly the Louis and Ruth Frank Professor of Neuroscience, currently he is a Professor of Neurology and Medicine, Active Emeritus. Following graduation from Cornell University Medical College, he trained in internal medicine and neurology at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He has been a Dartmouth faculty member for 43 years. Dr. Bernat has been elected to fellowship in the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, and the Hastings Center. He is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. His scholarly interests are in ethical and philosophical issues in neurology, particularly brain death and disorders of consciousness. He has authored over 250 articles and chapters on topics in neurology and bioethics. He is the author of Ethical Issues in Neurology, 3rd ed. (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008) and co-editor of Ethical and Legal Issues in Neurology (Elsevier, 2013) and Palliative Care in Neurology (Oxford University Press, 2004).

Important: Zoom User Guide– Grand Rounds Participants

  1. Join Zoom Meeting via https://partners.zoom.us/j/7980131942.
  2. Do not unmute Audio
  3. Do not enable Video
  4. Ask questions only through Chat

For questions or support, please contact Bo (Carol) Qian (bo.qian [at] mgh.Harvard.edu)

MEDTECH BOSTON INFORMATION SOURCE & CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Boston has long been known as a medical mecca of scientific discovery. Boston’s healthcare professionals and administrators are adopting practices from other high-risk and service industries. The ‘big data’ movement is thriving, fundamentally changing our healthcare delivery systems. Digital health investments are higher than ever before. Medical hackathons and un-conferences are now an every-weekend occurrence. And both redesign and innovation promise to change medicine as we know it. It’s all happening right here, right now. But the problem is that many of us don’t know it. Despite Boston’s innovative energy and a solid medical infrastructure, many medical providers and health care entrepreneurs remain in the dark about the opportunities, events and work happening in and around the city of Boston – and across the country. That’s where we come in.

At Medtech Boston, we highlight exciting medical innovation work in and around the city of Boston. We aim to start a discussion about the most exciting and controversial new healthcare offerings, igniting a new reputation for Boston as a city with first-class medical research and patient care, but also as a city full of passionate people who use new technology to think big thoughts about medicine’s most pressing problems.

More organizational information and event postings from Medtech Boston is available here.

MIT GLOBAL HEALTH AND MEDICAL HUMANITIES INITIATIVE (GHMHI) UPCOMING EVENTS

The goal of the Global Health and Medical Humanities Initiative (GHMHI) is to provide MIT students the training to analyze critically the determinants of health and roles of medicine in society from historical and cross-cultural perspectives.

Global Health programs in medical schools, schools of public health, and universities and colleges across the U.S. emphasize how biomedical training, research, and practice, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations beyond the health sciences, are necessary to improve the determinants of health—whether social, political, economic, or biological.

Medical Humanities is a subfield of medicine that draws on the humanities, arts, and social sciences to analyze medical education and clinical practice.

Find more information and a calendar of upcoming events at http://ghmhi.mit.edu/.

BRAINMAP SEMINARS

Future topics will be similar to the previous Brainmap season, with some talks on Optogenetics, MR-PET, BOLD physiology, ultra-high field MRI, multimodal integration, contrast agents, and many more exciting topics! Unless otherwise noted, seminars (webinars) are held on Wednesdays at noon.

Brainmap website: http://www.martinos.org/training/brainmap

To sign up for the mailing list, please go to: https://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/brainmap

Student Opportunities

MIT GRADUATE STUDENT SHORT-TERM EMERGENCY HARDSHIP FUNDING 2019-2020

Graduate Student Short-Term Emergency Funding assists graduate students by providing financial support when they need help with unexpected and unavoidable emergency expenses. Typically, registered students apply for funds when they have exhausted all other resources. If Graduate Student Short-Term Emergency Fund disbursements are granted, they do not have to be repaid. Graduate Student Short-Term Emergency Fund disbursements may be subject to taxation based on withholding rates set by the IRS.

Student Eligibility: Be currently registered in an MIT PhD program or Master’s Program. Students on leave from MIT during Fall or Spring either semester are not eligible to receive the award. 

Eligible expenses: Unanticipated or unusual expenses that may have a negative impact on the student's educational experience and well-being. These expenses most commonly include basic living necessities and travel expenses due to family emergencies. 

Costs must have been incurred or become due while continuously enrolled during the current academic year. Each request will be considered individually and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of OGE. 

Expenses that are not eligible: Personal debt and other pre-existing voluntary obligations, tuition and program-related expenses, and other costs that may be covered by financial aid or loans.

Please fill out the Graduate Student Hardship Form if you are experiencing financial hardship related to COVID‑19 and we will do our best to support you during this difficult time.

MIT 100K LAUNCH - EXTENDED APPLICATION DEADLINE

Deadline: Wednesday, April 15th (11:59pm, ET)

Winner: $100K - Second Place: $50K - All Finalists receive cash prizes

MIT $100K Launch is MIT’s flagship business plan competition, where teams compete to develop and showcase their ventures to the world. First round is a written application from which the top teams are selected for the Semi-finals. Shortlisted semi-finalists present their prototypes along with full business plans leading up to the Grand Finale in May.

To facilitate participation of teams from different geographical locations, all competition rounds, mentoring sessions and presentations will be held online via virtual meetings and webinars.

Apply now: www.mit100k.org

To support competitors in their preparation for the finale, all semi-finalists will receive $500 of reimbursements to further their ventures.

SHAPE STUDENT LIFE ON CAMPUS - JOIN THE ASA

What will student life look like next year? What policies and regulations will need to change, in response to the COVID-19 crisis or otherwise? How should the MIT administration be best supporting student groups right now and going forward?

If you’re interested in answering those questions and forging the path ahead for student life on campus, join the Association of Student Activities!

The year ahead will be tough for student groups personally, financially, and logistically, especially as they deal with the uncertainty of what the fallout of this crisis will be. The role of the ASA will be even more critical during this time: representing student groups to the MIT administration and solving the problems that will present themselves over the next year. As a board, our responsibilities range from recognizing groups, granting funding and space, and being student representatives to SOLE and the Division of Student Life in their discussions of student group policies and initiatives. More than ever, we want students who are interested in having a voice in student activities and care about student life on campus to join us and help shape the MIT student experience.

If you are interested in taking part, you can find information on all ASA positions here and apply using this form if you are interested. Elections will take place during our spring General Body Meeting on April 15th.

Contact asa-exec [at] mit.edu (asa-exec[at]mit[dot]edu) if you have any questions about our board.

MITAC OPPORTUNITIES - VIRTUAL TOURS, EVENTS, PERFORMANCES,ETC.

Welcome! The MIT Activities Committee offers discounted tickets to the MIT community for local arts and culture, sporting events, and family activities.

View our list of Virtual Tours and Performances
Due to current COVID-19 concerns, all tickets are available for purchase online only.

Members of the MIT community: subscribe here (at the bottom of the page) to our mailing list/newsletter to receive the latest updates delivered right to your inbox!

CURES WITHIN REACH FOR CANCER (CWR4C) - SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

Overview: Cures Within Reach for Cancer (CWR4C) is a nonprofit startup that is getting new and affordable
cancer treatments to patients faster by repurposing generic drugs. This is a great opportunity for students to
learn about the drug development process and get hands-on experience working at a cutting edge social impact
startup at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), biology, and medicine.

About Cures Within Reach for Cancer: More than 200 drugs FDA-approved for non-cancer indications and now
off-patent and inexpensive may also be effective for treating cancer. These repurposed generic drugs offer a
major opportunity to improve outcomes for cancer patients and reduce healthcare costs. Yet these therapies are
not being pursued due to a market failure for developing low-cost treatments. CWR4C harnesses AI and
machine learning to mine “big data” from scientific literature and real-world evidence in order to identify the
most promising drugs to repurpose for cancer. We are developing new funding models for clinical trials and
enabling widespread adoption of the treatments.

Details: You will work directly with members of the founding executive team ( www.cwr4c.org/team ).
Responsibilities may include one or more of the following:

  • Literature review of preclinical and clinical data on repurposed drugs
  • Conducting meta-analyses of scientific studies to aggregate clinical outcome measures
  • Exploring strategies for patient engagement and the collection of patient-reported data
  • Analysis of real-world data in electronic medical records
  • Building machine learning models for text classification and evidence inference tasks
  • Designing and building interactive web applications and data visualizations
  • Researching social impact bonds or public policy changes to incentivize investment in clinical trials
  • Preparing marketing and communications strategies and materials

Specific roles we are currently looking to fill are described in greater detail below. A commitment of 30-40
hours per week for 8-10 weeks is preferred. The team currently operates out of Boston and Portland, Maine; the
ability to meet near either location is preferred, and some remote work may be possible. This is an unpaid
nonprofit internship, so interested students should apply for funding through their school.

Qualifications: This is a highly cross-disciplinary effort that could be a good fit for students in diverse fields
such as: biology, medicine, global health, computer science, statistics, biomedical informatics, design, business,
healthcare economics, public policy, communications, or marketing. You should be passionate about expanding
treatment options for cancer patients, a hardworking self-starter with attention to detail, and effective at both
independent and collaborative work.

To Apply: First check out the CWR4C website (https://www.cwr4c.org/) and watch the 5-minute overview video
(http://bit.ly/cwr4c_video). Then send your resume and a short explanation of why you are interested in
working with CWR4C to Founder and CEO Laura Kleiman at laura [at] cureswithinreach.org (laura[at]cureswithinreach[dot]org) .

Internship Opportunities for Summer 2020:

Biologist: Help us develop our research and evidence platforms to enable synthesis and integration of relevant
information from scientific literature and various real-world data sources. The ideal candidate is pursuing a
major in biology or a related biological sciences field and has experience in research and in conducting
literature reviews. Specific knowledge of cancer biology-related concepts and of statistics is preferred.

Biomedical scientist: Review and implement statistical methods to rank drugs by combining clinical criteria
(such as survival outcomes) and non-clinical criteria (such as publication bias) from multiple studies. Students
should be familiar with meta-analyses and statistical approaches to calculate aggregate measures based on
systematic reviews of scientific literature. The ideal candidate has a background in statistics, epidemiology,
computer science, or biostatistics with the ability to analyze and interpret quantitative data using R or Python.

Qualitative analyst: Help us learn about off-label use of non-cancer generic drugs by cancer patients through
engaging patients. Design and implement surveys, interview guides, focus groups, and other qualitative
approaches to systematically capture and analyze patient experiences and outcomes. The ideal candidate has
experience designing qualitative and mixed methods research, submitting IRB protocols and securing informed
consent, conducting interviews, and performing analytic coding and data analyses.

Machine learning / data engineer: Help us build, test, and deploy NLP pipelines to extract features from
scientific literature to handle language-based tasks (named entity recognition, parsing, classification). You will
build infrastructure to manage extraction, transformation, and storage of data using AWS or other cloud-based
technologies. The ideal candidate is majoring in computer science or another quantitative field and has
experience implementing NLP techniques such as transformer-based models and machine learning frameworks.

UI / UX / front-end engineer: Conduct research on habits and digital interactions of target users to design
UI/UX strategies and build elegant web applications for our drug repurposing AI platform. Create digital assets
including design files, wireframes, and interactive mockups, and develop reusable HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
code. The ideal candidate is a computer science major proficient in one or more JS frameworks (React, Node,
Express, Vue), who enjoys creating data visualizations and is comfortable working across the technology stack.

Backend / full-stack engineer: Help architect and build our initial drug repurposing AI platform, including
development of server-side logic, data pipelines, and micro services to interact with machine learning models in
research and production settings. The ideal candidate is a computer science or engineering major proficient in
one or more languages (Java, Python, Go, Node), with knowledge of databases and experience setting up
production pipelines using AWS or other cloud technologies.

FLAGSHIP PIONEERING - SUMMER FELLOWSHIP

Flagship Pioneering conceives, resources, and builds life-changing bioscience companies that create breakthroughs in health and sustainability. We harness science and entrepreneurialism to envision alternative futures, beginning with seemingly unreasonable propositions and navigating to transformational outcomes through an iterative, evolutionary methodology. We call this process “pioneering”.

We believe pioneering is best done in teams, and that pioneering is a process that can be taught, learned, and replicated. We are looking for extraordinary scientists, engineers, physicians and entrepreneurs to learn this process and work alongside individuals within the Flagship Ecosystem who are defined by their passion, boldness, and creative optimism. We collaborate, encourage failure, trust one another, and celebrate successful solutions to hard problems. We respect diversity of opinion, because we value the freedom to explore hunches.

At Flagship Pioneering, company creation begins with investigating “What if?” and “If only…”. Flagship Pioneering Fellows work in teams, starting with “What if” or “If only” and a blank sheet of paper, relying not on literature but on their scientific instincts and creativity to generate novel scientific concepts that challenge dogma. Flagship Pioneering Fellows learn to variate, iterate, and shape these ideas into unreasonable yet compelling venture hypotheses.

Fellowship:

  • 12 Week Full-Time Fellowship: June 1, 2020 – August 21, 2020
  • Flagship Pioneering Fellows receive a stipend
  • Flagship Pioneering Fellows work at the Flagship Pioneering offices in Kendall Square (55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA, USA)

Key Benefits of the Flagship Pioneering Fellowship Include:

  • Learn Flagship Pioneering’s system of generating and refining actionable pioneering hypotheses
  • Exhibit and develop your creativity, adaptability, and ability to innovate
  • Contribute to the creation of game-changing ideas & innovations that can be developed into the next breakthrough companies
  • Work directly with highly experienced Flagship Pioneering team members—a group of widely recognized scientists, entrepreneurs, and executives
  • Build relationships and expand your network with a diverse and highly successful group of peers
  • Work alongside and learn from science and business leaders, leaders providing a unique platform for personal growth
  • Explore opportunities to become a full-time member of the Flagship Pioneering team

Qualifications

  • Deep scientific or business background aimed at life sciences
  • Demonstrated entrepreneurial behaviors
  • Academic excellence and self-starter mentality: confident, passionate, persuasive
  • Creativity and the ability to solve complex scientific and business problems
  • Previous Peace Corps, military, or public service experience considered
  • Currently a graduate or post-graduate student (MBA, MS, PhD, MD, etc.) with a scientific background from a top university
  • Preferably no more than 1-2 years away from full-time employment

Applications are open for summer 2020. Apply here.

ANNOUNCING THE 2019-2020 BENJAMIN SIEGEL PRIZE

The Benjamin Siegel Prize of $2500 is offered to the MIT student submitting the best written work on issues in science, technology, and society. The Prize is open to undergraduate and graduate students from any school or department of the Institute.

Submission Requirements

  • Please submit one electronic (PDF) copy of a single-authored work of no more than 50 pages written within the last two academic years.
  • Include one cover page with author identification, complete contact information, year and program of study.
  • Do not include any identifiers within the body of the work.

Email Submissions to: Gus Zahariadis at gusz [at] mit.edu (gusz[at]mit[dot]edu)

Deadline: Monday, April 6, 2020 - to midnight
Announcement of the winning paper will be made on Thursday, May 14, 2020

OFFICE OF GRADUATE EDUCATION - FELLOWSHIP WORKSHOPS & FINANCIAL LITERACY RESOURCES

Financial Literacy and Fellowship Workshops
Visit the OGE website (https://oge.mit.edu/finances/financial-literacy/workshops/) to find out about financial literacy and fellowship workshops.

iGrad
OGE also offers the free iGrad Financial Literacy platform (offered in collaboration with the MIT Federal Credit Union). Customized for MIT with videos, articles, games,  job board, searchable scholarship database, and interactive modules on a wide range of topics, including emergency-funding, credit card management, identity protection, spending-smarts, etc. it is a great financial literacy tool for students and the MIT community in general. More information can be found at https://iGrad.com/schools/MIT.

OGE’s Website Financial Literacy and Fellowship section updates
A new Financial Literacy section has been added to the website - https://oge.mit.edu/finances/financial-literacy/

Check out the updated fellowships section at https://oge.mit.edu/finances/fellowships/ especially the Fellowships Tips content at https://oge.mit.edu/finances/fellowships/fellowship-tips/

MIT Credit Union Events

https://www.mitfcu.org/Financial-Retirement/Event-Calendar

MIT GRADUATE STUDENT ROADMAP

The nearly 7,000 graduate students at MIT are one of the most talented scholarly cohorts in the world. Their educational experiences on campus go beyond just research.

In April 2017, when Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart brought together the offices of graduate and undergraduate education into the new OVC, the goal was to enhance existing services and identify new ways to provide every student, from orientation through commencement, with an exceptional student life and learning experience.

To help us meet our charge, we have been listening and responding to the ideas and concerns of MIT’s graduate students, and we have started to build stronger connections between members of the OVC team and the Division of Student Life (DSL).

Based upon meetings with graduate students in small and large groups, we have identified shared goals:

  • strengthening the support network for graduate students and their families;
  • addressing pain points associated with the cost and supply of housing; and
  • enhancing diversity and inclusion, advising, and professional development programs and services.

The Road Ahead

To achieve our goals, we have launched a series of initiatives, known collectively as the Graduate Student Roadmap, as part of a strategic effort to improve the graduate student experience at MIT.

Find more information about the Graduate Student Roadmap here.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OFFICE NEWSLETTER

Read current and past issues of the ISO Newsletter here. For non-students, you can also subscribe to receive published copies by email.

OGE - DIVERSITY INITIATIVES NEWSLETTER

The Office for Graduate Education (OGE) Diversity Initiatives hopes your semester is off to a good start! The intent of our newsletter is to serve you so that you feel that the graduate community at MIT is a place where you feel at home; you are welcomed, you belong and you matter. 

Read current and past issues of the MIT OGE Diversity Initiatives Newsletter here.

MIT GRADUATE ASSISTANCE INFORMATION NETWORK (GAIN)

MIT Graduate Assistance Information Network (GAIN) is a free 24/7 network of professionals who provide life management resources and referrals to help make life easier for MIT Graduate Students and families.

MIT GAIN services, which are available at no cost to you and your family, include:

  • Legal consultation
  • Financial consultation
  • Child care resources and personalized research and referrals
  • Elder care resources and personalized research and referrals
  • Relocation guidance
  • School/summer camp selection for children in grades K–12
  • Nutrition counseling
  • Career assessment
  • Resources for other life concerns, such as moving services, home repair and cleaning services, pet care, fitness programs & trainers, and more.

Take advantage of these additional MIT Work-Life programs and resources:

Find more information here.

MIT SPOUSES & PARTNERS CONNECT

Open to all significant others of MIT students, postdocs, and staff who have relocated to the Boston area

Visit: http://spouses.mit.edu

Contact: spousesandpartners [at] mit.edu (spousesandpartners[at]mit[dot]edu)

Facebook @mitspousesandpartners

Instagram @mspconnect

PEER 2 PEER STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICE

Need Someone To Listen?

Whether you’re having a bad day or just want someone to talk to, Peer2Peer’s community of MIT students is here for you.

Log in and chat anonymously about whatever’s on your mind with someone who really understands.

peer2peer.mit.edu

COMMUNITY SERVICE WEEKLY BULLETIN

At the heart of the MIT mission statement is a call to serve the nation and the world—and this charge is embodied by the MIT Public Service Center. Every year, we send thousands of students into communities locally, across the nation, and around the globe to apply their skills and knowledge for the betterment of humankind. In the Institute's best traditions of hands-on experience, entrepreneurial spirit, and creative problem solving, these students donate their time, create new technologies, form communities and companies—and ultimately change lives everywhere they go.

As part of MIT's Division of Student Life, we provide a central point of communication and support for the outreach and humanitarian efforts of the MIT community. We engage students, alumni, staff, faculty, and others in life-changing initiatives and social entrepreneurship ventures that provide needed resources to individuals and communities.

Sign up for the weekly Community Service Bulletin of Events and Programs here.

News and upcoming events are posted on the homepage.

Professional Opportunities

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER – SYSTEMS AND DEVICE R&D – TRITON SYSTEMS, INC.

Triton Systems, Inc. (Triton), located in Chelmsford, MA, was founded in 1992 as a leading applied research and development company, dedicated to creating products and processes for the US government and commercial markets. Since then, we have evolved into an integrated applied R&D and product development firm with a technology venturing arm and a global expertise in myriad of markets. Our team excels at creating and applying innovation to meet our customers’ toughest requirements - with the desired results - all within the essential time needed.

Our Advanced Technologies group is seeking an Engineer with strong practical experience in the biomedical fields.  This position provides the opportunity to learn and develop a variety of new technical skills to support the design and development of a host of different types of novel regulated medical devices and systems for patient monitoring, diagnostics, and interventional applications. A strong candidate will have experience in government grant process.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

  • Experience and interest in a team leadership role
  • Systems engineering and medical device development experience inclusive of use case definition, systems and detailed design, verification and validation testing, and failure mode and effects analysis
  • Applied electrical engineering experience capable of designing and integrating off-the-shelf sensor and signal processing hardware
  • Signal processing with proficiencies in MatLAB and/or Labview
  • Some software design is a plus with experience using Python, C++ or other programming languages  
  • Some on-demand fabrication experience is a plus inclusive of use of CAD and on-demand fabrication tools  
  • Broad physiology background with passion to broaden their knowledge
  • Demonstrated ability to work on complex solutions that utilize cross-disciplinary technical, industry, and military teams
  • Good time management and reporting skills with proficiencies with common office productivity tools (i.e. MS Office: Excel, Word, and Power Point)

DESIRED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Bioengineering or Electrical Engineering degree with either MS and 4/5 years industry experience or PhD with industry internship experience is desired.  

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The successful candidate will report to the Medical Device Program Manager and is responsible for serving in a team leadership role to support the successful creation and execution of government and industry R&D program contracts. The candidate will contribute to generating innovative technical solutions that will reduce trauma related mortalities and morbidities in the military and civilian markets. Activities will encompass all phases of product development from conceptual design through and including production ready build and participating in pre-clinical/clinical testing and commercialization. Responsibilities include:

  • Supporting the detailed systems design process which may also include integration with other medical IT systems or transport platforms
  • Specifying and integrating off-the-shelf sensors and signal processing hardware   
  • Generate bench level testing strategies and/or conduct experiments to better understand and minimize signal variances and confounders
  • Work with military and civilian medical end-users to better understand standard practices and market needs
  • Write reports and create and give presentations and briefings  
  • Proposal writing and business development efforts in biomedical applications

Due to the nature of our business and information associated with this position, interested candidates must be US Citizens and may be subject to a security investigation.

We offer a competitive salary with full benefits package.

We are an equal opportunity employer - M/F/D/VEEO.  We strongly encourage qualified women and minorities to apply.

Triton Systems invests in our team members and promotes qualified employees. We strongly encourage qualified staff to apply.

Triton Systems is a U. S. Government contractor; therefore, we are required to gather applicant information for Government reporting purposes.  To apply for this position please go to our website’s Careers section at www.tritonsystems.com and follow the link to  complete the application process.  This will ensure efficient processing of your application.

NIH FUNDED POSTDOC TRAINING FOR UNDERREPRESENTED AND MINORITY PHD STUDENTS

NIH Funded Postdoc Training in Informatics, Genomics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Biomedical Data Science at Boston Children's Hospital

The Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children’s Hospital is now accepting applications for an NIH Funded Postdoc Training opportunity. The program has been committed to recruiting and retaining postdoctoral trainees who are URiM. We have maintained our commitment to diversity through prioritizing applications from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.

MACHINE LEARNING SCIENTIST (ECG SIGNAL PROCESSING) - PHILIPS RESEARCH

Here is a new opening at Philips Research, looking for a research scientist with background in data science and experience with ECG waveform analysis and feature extraction.

The job is posted here.

TRAMMEL THERAPEUTICS - BIOINFORMATICS POSITION

Trammel Therapeutics is a biotechnology company founded by 5AM Ventures aiming to develop new therapeutics by identifying novel targets in the tumor microenvironment. Our early biology platform will include access to novel datasets with experts in stroma biology, including early access to patient-derived datasets and proprietary assay systems to dissect the complexity of the tumor microenvironment.

We are seeking an exceptionally motivated computational biologist to build and lead bioinformatics as a core part of our biology discovery platform.

The ideal candidate will bring scientific leadership, prior industry experience, and proficiency working with high-dimensional, multi-modal datasets. The role will include building our bioinformatics capabilities while working with our scientific team, collaborating with external academic groups, and ultimately establishing bioinformatics as a central pillar within Trammel.

To learn more, please send a CV to careers [at] trammeltx.com (careers[at]trammeltx[dot]com)

LABSHARES NEWTON

We are excited to announce the launch of LabShares Newton, the first collaborative laboratory and biotech incubator in Newton, Massachusetts. LabShares provides a fully equipped laboratory, office space, and shared services to entrepreneurial biotechs without the hassle, lag time, and high upfront costs associated with building and managing their own labs. 

Through participation in the LabShares community, members receive a wide range of benefits and services. LabShares is conveniently located in a light-filled, modern office park near the Charles River -- just 15 minutes from Kendall Square with free parking, a gym, and a Fooda cafeteria.

LabShares is near capacity for its current space and has begun an expansion to double in size. We expect to open our newly renovated second floor in early 2019 and are accepting reservations now.

Check out the links below for more information. If you would like to schedule a tour contact Hannah Schram (jenna [at] labshares.com (hannah[at]labshares[dot]com), 857-222-5817).

LabShares Website

LabShares Upcoming Events

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Clinical Research Training and Medical Education offers an extensive range of clinical research training opportunities to prepare the next generation of clinician-scientists. Brief descriptions of the programs are provided below. As world’s largest biomedical research agency, the NIH encourages future clinician-scientists and medical researchers to consider adding an NIH experience to their portfolio.

Graduate Medical Education
NIH currently sponsor 17 medical specialty or subspecialty programs which have been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). We also jointly sponsor clinical training programs with extramural training partners, to include Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, and the National Capital Consortium. In addition, we sponsor numerous "one of kind" translational medicine fellowship training programs. https://cc.nih.gov/training/gme/programs1.html

Clinical Elective Programs
Short term—4 to 12 week—clinically oriented elective rotations for senior medical and dental students; unique mentored specialty/subspecialty clinical research rotations are also available for combined program students (i.e., MD/PhD, DO/PhD). https://cc.nih.gov/training/students/clinical_electives.html

Clinical and Translational Research Course for PhD Students
Two-week intensive introductory course to demonstrate the role of PhD scientists in clinical and translational research, provide an overview and examples of how basic science and clinical observations lead to translational research, and increase awareness and access to Ph.D. role models, research resources, and potential career opportunities at the NIH. https://cc.nih.gov/training/phdcourse/index.html

Postdoctoral Research Training Awards
Provides the opportunity for recent doctoral degree recipients to enhance their research skills in the resource-rich National Institutes of Health (NIH) environment, which consists of more than 1200 laboratories/research projects. https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postdoc_irp

Graduate Partnerships Program
This program is designed to bring PhD graduate students to the NIH Intramural Research Program for dissertation research. https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/gpp

Core Curriculum in Clinical Research
Free courses offered include: Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (IPPCR); Principles of Clinical Pharmacology (PCP); and Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research. These courses are offered as distance learning courses. https://cc.nih.gov/training/training1.html

IIE EU - U.S.  EDUCATION COOPERATION FOR RESEARCHERS

For information on EU – U.S. cooperation in doctoral and postdoctoral education opportunities for U.S. researchers and organizations. Visit IIE online at www.iie.org. Please contact the programs directly for additional information or with any questions you may have.

A quote from a recent Fulbright U.S. student, "My advice to Fulbrighters of the future is that which was given to me. Go at it with an open mind; your experience will not be anything like you predicted and will mark you indelibly, but it will be great."

Career & Financial Guidance Programs

VIRTUAL ALUMNI FIRESIDE CHAT WITH NELSON LIN

  • Thursday, April 9, 2020
  • 6pm EST

Contact: zrichard [at] mit.edu (Richard Zhang)

RSVP Requested Here

Alumni Fireside Chat is turning virtual! On April 9th, at 6:00pm EST, Nelson Lin (PhD Chemical Engineering), Director of Oncology Global Development at AbbVie and a board member of MIT Alumni Association Board of Directors, will share his personal stories and invite you to join the conversation. This will take place over Zoom (detail in the RSVP link).

Alumni Fireside chat features the career trajectory of an MIT grad alum. Speaking in an informal lecture style, these events take place in the form of a moderated interview followed by Q&A from the audience. In light of the pandemics, some of our discussion will focus on career exploration, job hunting, and networking during self-isolation. Other topics that are explored in these talks include:

-Academia vs. Industry

-How do they transition from a technical to a managerial position (should they prefer)? -How do they stay technical (should they prefer)? -How do they keep themselves motivated?

MCKINSEY & COMPANY: 2020 POSITIONS

Learn
Please visit our Advanced Professional Degree Showcase site for more information about offices & practices, diversity & inclusion, and recruiting timelines geared toward Advanced Professional Degree candidates.

You may also be interested in exploring our Careers quiz to learn more about roles available that match your skill set and interests.

Apply
Please apply on McKinsey's career website for the following opportunities:

  • 2020 full time Associate role: PhDs, postdocs, MDs, JDs, and master's degree* candidates who plan to complete their program between December 2019 and December 2020 (or 2021 for MDs only)
  • 2020 MD Fellow role: Medical students who are entering their third year of school (2021 graduates)

If you have a passion for digital and technology topics, consider joining Digital McKinsey by selecting Digital McKinsey (and an office) in the office preference section of the Associate application.

*If you are pursuing a masters degree and have earned an undergraduate degree fewer than four years ago, you will join as a business analyst. If you hold a bachelors degree and have at least four years of work experience, or completed or expect to complete your master's degree within four years of receiving your bachelor's degree, you will join as an associate.

Prepare
We want you to succeed in the interview process and believe you have the skills to do so. We provide support to all candidates who interview with us. You can find more information about our interview process, including practice cases on our careers website.

MIT ALUMNI ADVISORS HUB - ADVISING OPPORTUNITY FOR MIT STUDENTS

The MIT Alumni Advisors Hub is an online platform that students can use to ask for advice when they need it—from MIT alumni around the world. Students can get advice on their job and internship search, conduct a mock interview or informational interview, explore career paths and future entrepreneurial pursuits, and navigating life at MIT.

Sign up to gain access to a community of alumni who are eager to share their advice at https://alumniadvisors.mit.edu/.

Find an advisor today!

UPCOMING MIT CAREER FAIRS

Find out more information about career fairs here at MIT.

​GENIUSMESH JOB SEARCH PLATFORM

We all know that 75-80% of the jobs are not posted anywhere and most of these jobs are filled through referrals and networking. It takes months to network and find the right opportunities. Neerja Bharti, Sloan EMBA 15 has launched GeniusMesh to solve that particular problem within the MIT ecosystem.

GeniusMesh is a trusted job search platform that connects MIT AlumCos (companies founded or with current alumni) with MIT candidates looking for Sr. Manager to Executive roles. Being a trusted site for both parties, finding the right candidate for an existing job search or future potential opportunity becomes easy. You would be able to find a contract, contract to hire or full-time opportunities faster. Both local, as well as international candidates, would be able to take advantage of our platform.

“Our ultimate goal is to create an intimate and trusted hiring environment by making it easier for any MIT-affiliated graduate to connect with the right companies, and alums to find top talent faster”

Please sign up and let us know what you are looking for and we will bring the right opportunities to you. You would also be able to search part-time and full-time jobs in stealth mode. We don’t share your profile without your permission.

Joining the platform today will just take a couple of minutes! www.geniusmesh.com

Please contact Neerja directly at Neerja [at] geniusmesh.com (Neerja[at]geniusmesh[dot]com) if you have any questions.

MIT'S IGRAD FINANCIAL LITERACY & CAREER RESOURCES PORTAL

The OGE sponsors MIT's iGrad financial literacy portal, with resources to help with financial support.

The iGrad Financial Literacy platform (offered for free to the entire MIT community in collaboration with the MIT Federal Credit Union) is customized for MIT with videos, articles, games,  job board, searchable scholarship database, and interactive modules on a wide range of topics, including emergency-funding, credit card management, identity protection, spending smarts, etc. it is a great financial literacy tool for students and the MIT community in general.

More information can be found at oge.mit.edu/finances.      

GRADUATE STUDENT CAREER EVENTS - WEBSITE & CALENDAR

For those who are looking for other resources, recordings of career related workshops and sessions for grad students available here: http://capd.mit.edu

The CAPD Event calendar can be found here. 

Sign up for the Graduate Student Career Advising mailing list here.

CAPD OFFERS THE VERSATILE PHD RESOURCE TOOL

MIT Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD) is pleased to announce MIT’s subscription to The Versatile PhD, a web-based resource for PhDs considering careers beyond academia. Our subscription, generously supported by OGE, can be accessed by students and alumni via CAPD’s webpage and student CareerBridge accounts. Once students register, they can simply log in to the site directly (www.versatilephd.com) 

MIT CAREERBRIDGE

There are hundreds of jobs and internships now posted on CareerBridge, under both the Job Search and the On-Campus Interviews tabs. Check both tabs and apply as soon as possible.

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