News + Media

	News@E40 April 8, 2009 PHRJ summer internship grants The Center's Program on Human Rights and Justice is now inviting applications for its 2009 summer internship program. Six internship positions are available for MIT students pursuing international work experience in human rights, the environment, and environmental justice. The awards are available to current undergraduate and graduate students who will be full-time students in 2009-10. Internships are available for a maximum of $4,000, of which $1,000 will be paid upon completion of an internship report and oral presentation in the fall. The internship grant may be used for travel, living stipend and related expenses. The deadline for applications is May 11, 2009.
	News@E40 March 31, 2009 McKibben on the environment Science has given us, in the last 18 months, a real bottom line for the planet: a CO2 concentration above which, as NASA's Jim Hansen has put it, we can't maintain the "planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life is adapted." Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury College, an American environmentalist and prolific writer on related topics, will be calling on MIT students to join a global movement to share that alarming scientific truth to as many folks as possible. The CIS Starr Forum, entitled "The Most Important Number in the World," will be on Monday, April 13, at 4:30 PM, in the Wong Auditorium.
	News@E40 March 17, 2009 CIS co-sponsors Gaza symposium The second annual Gaza symposium, this year jointly organized by MIT and Harvard, will host a series of panels on the role of U.S. and international actors, as well as human rights and international humanitarian law in the wake of recent events in Gaza. Bringing together experts in the fields of human rights, history, political science, U.S. foreign policy and law, the two-day symposium will include a range of views from U.S., Israeli, Palestinian and UN/NGO perspectives. The public event will be held at MIT on Monday, March 30, and at Harvard University on Tuesday, March 31. For more details, visit the MIT-Harvard Gaza symposium event page. Video Now Available»
	News@E40 February 25, 2009 MISTI awards Global Seed Funds MISTI's new Global Seed Funds Program selected 27 of 104 proposals for grant money to jump-start international projects. The winning entries represent 26 MIT departments, involve 42 countries, and include projects ranging from the study of stem cell-based engineered tissues to the regional, economic, and environmental implications of dual ethanol technologies in Brazil. The selected teams, which are faculty-led but rely on student participation, will use the awarded $457,400 to cover international travel, as well as meeting and workshop costs. MISTI will provide cultural preparation for participating students before their departure. "By enabling MIT students to participate in faculty-led international projects, we hope to increase opportunities for hands-on, global learning and connection to innovation around the world," said Richard Samuels, director of the Center for International Studies. Read More»
	News@E40 February 24, 2009 On the calendar Citizenship Politics in Post-Soviet Russia: Between Identity and Real-Politika, Oxana Shevel, on March 10; The Search for Limits: American Foreign Policy in an Age of Austerity, David Hendrickson, on March 11; Techno-Blinders: How the Cult of Technology is Endangering U.S. National Security, Elizabeth Stanley, on March 18; and Human Rights and GIS Mapping Technologies, Lars Bromley, on March 18.
	News@E40 February 24, 2009 Bustani Seminar on Ahmadinejad On Tuesday, March 3, Ali Banuazizi, psychology research professor and political science professor at Boston College, will assess Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's domestic and foreign policies over the past four years, with special emphasis on the populist style of his leadership, his messianic worldviews, his failing economic policies, and his re-election prospects in the upcoming June presidential elections. He will also talk about the current efforts, both in Iran and in the U.S., to promote a US-Iran rapprochement. The talk is part of the Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar.
	News@E40 February 24, 2009 SSP Wednesday Seminars The Security Studies program's Wednesday Seminar Series continues with the following public talks: "Institutional Adaptation," by LTG Robert E. Durbin, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Army for Enterprise Management (Feb 25); "The Strategic Framework for U.S and Iranian Engagement," by Hillary Mann Leverett, Strategic Energy and Global Analysis (March 4); and "American Foreign Policy in an Age of Austerity," by David Hendrickson, Colorado College (March 11). The talks are held at noon in MIT Bldg E38-615.
	News@E40 February 24, 2009 Origami competition unfolds To help promote interest in origami within the MIT community and to showcase student work, the Center's MIT-Japan Program, the Office of the Arts, and the Office of Associate Professor Erik Demaine, are sponsoring a fourth annual Student Origami Competition. Original designs and credited executions of existing designs have been submitted and currently are being judged by a jury of origami experts. Winning entries will be exhibited in the Wiesner Student Art Gallery.
	News@E40 February 12, 2009 Weizman on the architecture of occupation On February 19, Israeli architect Eyal Weizman will present a public talk on the "architecture of occupation" in Israel Palestine. Weizman has taught, lectured, curated and organized conferences in many institutions worldwide. His books include Hollow Land, A Civilian Occupation, the series Territories 1, 2, and 3, Yellow Rhythms and many articles in journals, magazines and edited books. He became a member of B'Tselem's managing board in 2008. Joining the discussion as moderator is Salim Tamari. Tamari is director of the Institute of Jerusalem Studies and a professor of sociology at Birzeit University. He edits Hawliyyat al Quds and Jerusalem Quarterly and is the author of several works on urban culture, political sociology, biography and social history, and the social history of the Eastern Mediterranean. Event details»
	News@E40 February 12, 2009 Berger receives French Legion of Honor medal Suzanne Berger received a French Legion of Honor medal in recognition of both her research and her efforts to strengthen ties between MIT and French researchers. Berger, director of the Center's MISTI Program and the Raphael Dorman and Helen Starbuck Professor of Political Science, was notified by a letter from French President Nicolas Sarkozy stating that he had recommended her for this award. The award was presented on January 26 by Pierre Vimont, France's ambassador to the United States. Read More»