Beth Garvin, director of the Alumni Fund, MIT’s annual giving program. Photo: Ed Quinn

Campaign Update

The Campaign for MIT now exceeds the 90 percent mark of its $1.5 billion goal.

Nancy Drapkin of Palo Alto, Calif., is shown here with a photo of her late husband, Paul Drapkin, '57. Photo: Marc D. Longwood

Tribute of Love

Nancy Drapkin establishes a $20,000 scholarship to honor her late husband, Paul Drapkin, ’57.

Francis Moore Lappé, author of the 1971 blockbuster, Diet for a Small Planet, is now writing a sequel. Like the original work, the focus of the sequel extends beyond food.

Another Diet

Visiting Prof. Frances Moore Lappé is writing a sequel to her 1971 blockbuster, “Diet for a Small Planet.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Max Metral and his wife, Alexandra, surprised Max's parents at Christmas this year by giving MIT $155,000 to establish a fund in their honor. Photo: Ed Quinn

Serving Society

Max, ’93, and Alexandra Metral give MIT $155,000 to honor his parents and to celebrate a student’s work.

Prof. Steve Leeb is not only respected for his teaching but also for his research. His invention, Talking Lights, modulates the intensity of an arc of fluorescent light, transmitting signals that can carry useful data. At an airport, for example, it could direct the visually impaired to a specific gate or ticket counter. Photo: Donna Coveney

Hands-On Learning

Assoc. Prof. Steven Leeb, who believes in learning by doing, is preparing students for real-world engineering.

Hugh Herr, who at 17 lost both legs to frostbite, chose to view the incident as an opportunity to help others. Now a faculty member at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, he and a colleague are building a new and improved artificial knee. Photo: Ed Quinn

The Courage To Give

Hugh Herr, who at 17 lost both legs to frostbite, now holds seven patents for prosthetic leg improvements.

Alexander Wissner-Gross, a junior with a triple major — physics, math, and electrical engineering, with a possible minor in biology — has caught the attention of leading nanoresearchers. His insights could lead to the fabrication of pinhead-sized computer circuits that would make the power of today’s supercomputers pale by comparison. As a child, Wissner-Gross performed for two years with the New York City Opera. Photo: Ed Quinn

Big Ideas

Junior Alexander Wissner-Gross, who has performed with the New York City Opera, gains insights into nanotechnology that could advance the field.

Danny Fein was so bored he decided to write a novel. Photo: Ed Quinn

Paperback Writer

Senior Danny Fein, who recently published his first novel, “Shattered Alliances,” is now writing a sequel.

Jim Paris says:

Internet Laundry

Junior Jim Paris has figured out how to help his housemates save time doing the laundry.