Becoming MIT: Moments of Decision (MIT Press)

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Description

The evolution of MIT, as seen in a series of an important decisions Through the years.

How did MIT develop into MIT? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology marks the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2011. Through the years, MIT has lived by its motto, “Mens et Manus” (“Mind and Hand”), dedicating itself to the pursuit of knowledge and its application to real-world problems. MIT has produced leading scholars in fields ranging from aeronautics to economics, invented entire academic disciplines, and transformed ideas into market-able devices. This book examines a series of turning points, an important decisions that helped define MIT. Many of these issues have relevance today: the moral implications of defense contracts, the optimal balance between government funding and private investment, and the correct mix of basic science, engineering, and humanistic scholarship in the curriculum.

Chapters describe the educational vison and fund-raising acumen of founder William Barton Rogers (MIT used to be some of the earliest recipients of land grant funding); MIT’s relationship with Harvard–its rival, doppelgänger, and, for a brief moment, degree-conferring partner; the battle between pure science and industrial sponsorship in the early twentieth century; MIT’s rapid expansion all the way through World War II as a result of defense work and military training courses; the conflict between Cold War gadgetry and the humanities; protests over defense contracts at the height of the Vietnam War; the uproar in the local people over the perceived riskiness of recombinant DNA research; and the measures taken to reverse years of institutionalized discrimination against women scientists.

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