At MIT, one of the well known places for projects in mechanical engineering is the Edgerton Center. The Edgerton Center is creates opportunities for students to engage in challenging activities and projects in engineering and science.
I went down to the Edgerton Center this weekend and talked to some of the staff that work there. Two high school students from one of the local schools were working to shoot a laser into a glass square without letting any of the light leave…and they did it! By using milk of all things. It was pretty cool.
I talked to some of the staff members at the EC and was blown away by the many projects that have been going on at MIT. There were hover-boards (machines that allow a person to stand on top and hover off the ground), BattleBots (like in the video I posted a while ago), strobes, and other cool things. The coolest project was this one machine, where you could stand on top of it and use the handles to move around. if you pushed it forward, you accelerated forward, if you pulled back, you moved back, and so on. I learned that it was made by some students not that much older than most of you. I got to ride on it up and down the hall – it was a LOT of fun.
You guys should check out the Edgerton Center and look at the cool projects it has to offer. I know I’ll be visiting the EC a LOT more now that I see what’s in store. Visit http://web.mit.edu/Edgerton/
Hey guys. It’s Macdaleine again. I happen to have a really cool Biology TA (teaching assistant), and when I asked him if he wouldn’t mind being interviewed about his research for Insite, he readily agreed. So check out some of the questions that I asked him and be sure to watch the video tour around his lab at the Center for Cancer Research.
What is your name?
Eliezer Calo.
Where are you from?
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Where did you do your schooling?
University of Puerto Rico/ (UPR-RP).
What made you get involved in Biology?
I actually did my degree in Chemistry but joined a biochemistry lab during my undergrad and got more interested in biology. I enjoyed working with receptors and the immune system and finding out how they work and help with survival.
What type of work do you do here at MIT? What is your research about?
I deal with cancer research at the Center for Cancer Research on campus. I try to understand the pathways and the genes involved with cancer. At the center, we use the mouse and zebra fish model to study disrupted pathways and monitor the effects of cancer.
The genes involved with cancer are similar for mice, fish and humans so we can use our results from mice and fish and apply them to humans. There are some potential discoveries in the works but more research and data is needed.
What aspect of your work do you enjoy the most?
Everything. My job isn’t perfect, but I try to be motivated and enjoy everything so that the small things seem less important.
Is there anything that you would say makes you unique from the other people working in the lab?
I’m really messy and you can always find me dancing.
What plans do you have for the future?
I plan to continue in science. Having a PhD help open a lot of doors in industry, consulting, and research, but right now, I’m not too worried about it. I have three more years of schooling (I’ll actually graduate with you). Biology at MIT is competitive, but once you’re in, you’re good.
What advice do you have for kids in middle/high school interested in science and technology?
Everyone has a little scientist inside of them. The only thing is you have to explore because science is a very broad area. It’s hard to decide what to concentrate in but that’s why I would recommend going to a school that gives you exposure to different types of science to give you an opportunity to find out what you enjoy.
*For more info, check out the website for the center for cancer research at
Are you interesting in learning more about chemistry and biology? Here are some interactive GAMES to teach you some basics before we discuss more advanced topics.
Hello kids! I interviewed Assistant Dean Carter and it came out to be a really cool chat like anyone of you guy and I could’ve had. He is a really cool and humble guy who more than being my boss’ boss is also a very close friend mine, my advisor and mentor. He is the person that made this whole MIT dream become a reality for me and it is the person who inspires me to be better every day. I hope you guys like the interview and take notes on how to be more than successful in your life, but also how to stay true to yourself being humble and an inspiration to others! Enjoy!
This is an interview with Dr. Carter, Assistant Dean of Engineering for Development and Strategic Initiatives and Executive Director, Office of Engineering Outreach Programs (this means that he is our boss). We talk about life, sports and math of course. Enjoy !
Hey guys. After some weeks of hard work and not so much hard work I found time to post my intro. I hope you like it and keep giving us feedback so that this site can be as much yours than it is ours.
Yes, I am not kidding. John Legend performed in our athletics center this past Sunday afternoon. Why was he here among a group of nerdy kids? Three words: Global Poverty Initiative. (Also, who says we don’t like music too!?)
MIT’s Global Poverty Initiative aims to educate students all across the country to tackle the difficult and prevalent problem of poverty. MIT is known for taking the best and the brightest and then cranking out students who go on to be the next great national and even global leaders. GPI strives to make sure that these upcoming future leaders know the impact of the poverty crisis. By doing this, they allow us the opportunity to not only apply our intelligence to calculus or physics problems, but to also tackle the social problems plaguing our society.
This past weekend, MIT’s Global Poverty Initiative hosted the Millennium Campus Conference, a weekend of poverty awareness through various keynote speakers, lectures and movie screenings. There was even a Millennium Action Challenge, where students sent in proposals to “create sustainable water systems to raise living standards”.
Check out MIT’s Global Poverty Initiative website for more details: http://gpi.mit.edu. Challenge yourself to come up with a couple ideas to solve this year’s challenge. John Legend is on board, MIT Global Initiative is on board…you’re next!
Hey guys! So, when I was studying for my biology exam, I found this website with a really cool virtual lab that I thought you might find interesting. It’s on a process called gel electrophoresis. Gel electrophoresis involves a substance very similar to Jell-o, except you can’t really eat it. Gel electrophoresis is used to identify different individual’s DNA. As some of you may know, DNA makes every person who they are. While about 99.9% of DNA is the same from person to person, the other .1% is what makes each person different. Gel electrophoresis allows engineers and scientists to identify people based on these differences. Gel electrophoresis is one of the ways crime scene investigators (like the guys on CSI or Law and Order, if you watch those) can tell who is guilty of committing a crime.
Although gel electrophoresis is rather complicated, it is still a pretty cool process. Basically, pieces of DNA are placed inside of little wells on one side of a gel. Then, electricity is run through the gel, causing the DNA to move from one end to the other. The reason the DNA actually moves is because of its chemistry. It is negatively charged and wants to go to the positive end of the gel, which is on the side opposite to the wells. The DNA strands that were placed in the wells are different sizes, and will move at different speeds. The bigger strands will move slower than the smaller strands. After a set amount of time, the electricity is turned off, and the gel is examined. There are several bands that are in different spots depending on the size of the DNA. The DNA in the gel can be compared to the DNA found at a crime scene, and can prove if a person is guilty or innocent.
This virtual lab walks you through the steps of gel electrophoresis. There is even an interactive part once they introduce you to the whole process. Check it out! learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/biotech/gel/
Again, I know some of this may be confusing, so feel free to ask me any questions that occur to you.
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