Ink, Stone, and Silver Light

This exhibition draws on archival materials from the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT (AKDC) to explore a century of cultural heritage preservation in Aleppo, Syria. It takes as its point of departure the work of Kamil al-Ghazzi (1853–1933), the pioneering Aleppine historian whose influential three-volume chronicle, Nahr al-Dhahab fi Tarikh Halab (The River of Gold in the History of Aleppo), was published between 1924 and 1926. Al-Ghazzi’s scholarship emerged during a time of profound political and social transformation—from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to the rise of the French Mandate. More than being a chronicler, al-Ghazzi held civic and […]

A Wider Horizon

Throughout her life, Katharine Dexter McCormick (August 27, 1875 – December 28, 1967) widened the horizons of what was possible for women. A suffragist, philanthropist, and scientist, she broke boundaries from an early age, becoming one of the first women to graduate from MIT. She later went on to fund McCormick Hall, the first on-campus dormitory for women at MIT. Enrolling at MIT in 1896, first as a non-degree seeking “special student” and then as a matriculated student, she majored in biology (course VII), making her the 14th woman to graduate from MIT with a bachelor’s degree in the subject. […]

Afrofuturism and Otherworldliness

A new exhibit in Lewis Music Library celebrates the visionary contributions of Afrofuturist artists across various genres and mediums. From the cosmic jazz of Sun Ra and the psychedelic funk of Parliament-Funkadelic and George Clinton, to the neo-soul of Erykah Badu and the sci-fi narratives of Octavia E. Butler, these artists have pushed the boundaries of creativity and imagination. This event is presented as part of Artfinity: A celebration of creativity and community at MIT.

Refracted Histories

Hidden within MIT’s Distinctive Collections, many architectural elements from the earliest days of the Institute’s architecture program still survive as part of the Rotch Art Collection. Among the artworks that conservators salvaged was a set of striking windows of gypsum and stained-glass, dating to the late 18th- to 19th c. Ottoman Empire. This exhibition illuminates the life of these historic windows, tracing their refracted histories from Egypt to MIT, their ongoing conservation, and the cutting-edge research they still prompt.

From Samurai into Engineers

From Samurai into Engineers marks the 150th anniversary of the graduation of MIT’s first Japanese student, Eiichirō Honma (SB 1874), and highlights the experiences of Honma and other Japanese students at MIT who followed in his footsteps. It demonstrates how these students, and by extension MIT, contributed to Japan’s dramatic transformation into an industrial power at the turn of the nineteenth century and, in turn, how these students also began transforming MIT into a global institution within the first decades of its inception. The heart of the exhibit consists of historical documents from the MIT Libraries Distinctive Collections that relate […]

Out of Antiquity

The “Dead Cities,” a romantic Orientalist name given to a group of over 820 settlements in northwestern Syria, present the most complete classical rural setting in the world. Masterfully carved out of gray limestone and built without cement, many stood in pristine condition until the early 20th century. This exhibit features detailed drawings by Francesca Liuni for a book by Nasser Rabbat, as well as maps, models by Elshareef Kabbashi, academic books, and photographs, showcasing the widespread influence of the Dead Cities’ architecture on later Islamic structures.

Balconies Balconies Balconies

Balcony provides a very peculiar type of sociality in buildings. Oscillates between the personal and the public, it is neither oversharing nor withdrawing into complete seclusion. Regionally, balconies manifest in diverse adaptations. The Baltic boast soviet balconies with personalized features such as extended walls and fabrics, catering both privacy and thermal comfort. The Mediterranean elaborate historic balconies into vibrant social hubs, serving as communal bars and doubling as stages for performances. The Korean treats their balconies as front doors for logistics and moving furniture. Inspired by these social and spatial nuances inherent in balconies, HONMI have studied eight different […]

Under the Lens

Under the Lens examines the work of women scientists in biology and chemistry at MIT beginning with Ellen Swallow Richards, MIT’s first woman student, through the present day, when many women scientists hold leadership positions at the Institute. The women featured in the exhibit are scientists whose work engages with the materials of our world on a molecular level, using the lens of a microscope. At the same time, women’s ability to work as scientists and academics has been scrutinized in the lens of public opinion since Victorian-era debates about co-education. View the digital exhibit online

Sisters in Making

This project was supported by the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections and funded in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT Sisters in Making works to explore and reveal the multi-level efforts of women surrounding the invention and implementation of Core Rope Memory and Magnetic Core Memory in the Apollo Guidance Computer that put man on the moon in 1969. From their use in early NASA Mars space probes to becoming an integral component of the Apollo 11 Moon Mission, MIT dedicated a tremendous workforce, alongside its commercial and federal partners, to perfecting its implementation of Core Memories. […]

Paradigm Shift in Infectious Diseases

Panel Discussion December 5, 2023 Paradigm Shift in Infectious Diseases showcases the example of evolution of ideas in science through the example of infectious disease transmission from ancient Greece to current times, and through the use of comics and illustration. The overall broader goal is showcase the scientific method in action and the non-incremental shift in paradigms in science through a range of historical examples, and to put in perspective shifts in paradigms in more recent times, for example in the public health application of infectious diseases and pandemic science. The exhibit is envisioned as a unified story bringing different […]