MIT Voted Best College in America by Business Insider

Business Insider's annual list of the Best Colleges in America was released this morning, with MIT earning the top spot for the 4th year in a row.

Business Insider surveyed 1,000 professionals to determine the rankings, "based on how much those schools help graduates succeed in life." As for the top spot, according to the publication, "the answer was loud and clear: MIT."

"When it comes to hiring, you can be assured that all students who graduate from MIT have been through a rigorous college curriculum" wrote one of the voters.

MIT was also ranked first by finance professionals: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-for-finance-industry-2013-10

Business Insider also noted that MIT has "one of the coolest college campuses in the country": http://www.businessinsider.com/these-two-buildings-show-why-mit-is-one-of-the-coolest-college-campuses-in-the-country-2013-11

Read more about the rankings here: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-in-america-2013-10

Last Week at MIT...(11/3)

Read up on some of the things that happened around the MIT campus last week:


Hungarian President visits MIT Media Lab...


Boston Red Sox Win World Series...


MIT Professor Has the Answer to Eliminating Mysterious Traffic Jams...


MIT Wristband Could Make Air Conditioning Obsolete...


MIT Arts Professor Wins Prestigious McDermott Award...


Women's Tennis Wins NEWMAC Championship...

Congratulations to Assistant Coach DiBernardo on Birth of Twins

Graham and Ruby Dibernardo

MIT Assistant Coach Rob DiBernardo and his wife, Leigh, welcomed two new members to their family and the MIT Basketball Family, Graham and Ruby. The twins were born last weekend with Graham coming in at 7lbs. 2oz. and sister Ruby 5lbs. 7oz.

"My wife, Leigh, and I are absolutely thrilled. This is the best moment of my life," proclaimed the 4th-year coach. 

When asked about the twins' future basketball careers, Coach DiBernardo said "training has already started! We have two future MIT point guards on our hands."

Coach Rob DiBernardo prepares the players in Salem, VA at the Final Four (photo: Tom Gearty)

Coach DiBernardo joined the MIT staff with a wealth of basketball experience at the high school ranks and is currently finishing up his PhD in Sports Psychology. His wife, Leigh, is the creator and owner of Curly Girl Design, a unique gift company with stores all over the United States and overseas. 

MITHoops.NET wishes the DiBernardos all the best to their family. 

MIT Basketball's Summer Recap 2013: Higgins, Butala, Pierce, Gatewood

Tim Higgins, Freshman, 6'10", VA

Tim Higgins, along with the rest of MIT's freshman class, didn't waste any time after graduation, preparing themselves both mentally and physically for the college game. Higgins spent his summer honing his skills against top-level competition in the Nike Pro City Kenner League at Georgetown University. This heralded league consists of college, NBA, and overseas professional players. 

Tim Butala, Freshman, 6'8", CT

Tim Butala, the 6'8" swing-man from Connecticut, spent his time off the court working at O'Keefe Controls Company in Monroe, CT. Butala worked in R&D, testing new orifice and valve fluid flow as well as data extrapolation for the company. 

Dakota Pierce, Freshman, 6'3", CA

Dakota Pierce, hailing from California, played in an elite collegiate league out of Los Angeles over the summer called "Nike Say No Classic." Pierce's team captured the league championship, including a semi-finals win over a highly-touted Division I squad. Pierce also spent time off the court and in the studio, recording his first full piano album in Hollywood.

Hunter Gatewood, Freshman, 6'5", TX

Hunter Gatewood, a 6'5" sharp-shooter from Texas, spent his summer working for Deep Imaging Technologies as a Field Technician. His work consisted of imaging underground oil and gas reservoirs using electromagnetism. 

MIT Engineering Ranked #1 in Nation, Business #2

The latest U.S. News & World Report rankings list MIT's undergraduate engineering program #1 in the country and undergraduate business program (Sloan) #2. The rankings are based on a wide range of criteria, including acceptance rate, retention rate, SAT/ACT scores, class sizes, faculty performance, and financial resources, among many others.

Over 66% of MIT's classes are less than 20 students, allowing for more personal attention from professors

MIT's graduate program also took home a number of top rankings:
#1 - Engineering
#1 - Economics
#1 - Chemistry
#1 - Mathematics
#1 - Physics
#1 - Computer Science
#1 - Earth Sciences
#2 - Biological Sciences
#4 - Business
#8 - Political Science
#9 - Psychology

Read more about MIT's rankings here: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-166683/overall-rankings

MIT Basketball's Summer Recap 2013: Johnson, Frankel, Tsontzos

Russell Johnson, Sophomore, 6'6", NY (Mechanical Engineering)

Russell Johnson spent the summer after his freshman year at PASSUR Aerospace in New York. Johnson worked as intern for the company, using big data management and predictive analytics to improve inefficiencies in the aviation industry. Johnson also teamed up with Dennis Levene and Ryan Frankel in the NY Urban Basketball League. 

Ryan Frankel, Sophomore, 5'11", NY (Management Science/Computer Science)

Ryan Frankel spent his summer at Metamorphic Ventures, a New York City based venture fund. Frankel worked as an intern for the company, which "invests in start-up and early stage technology businesses focused on the digital media and digital commerce sectors." In addition to working at the Larry Byrnes Basketball Camp, Frankel joined teammates Russell Johnson and Dennis Levene in the NY Urban Basketball League. 

Lampros Tsontzos, Sophomore, 6'10", Greece (Mechanical and Ocean Engineering)

Lampros Tsontzos spent his summer back in his native country of Greece. The 6'10" big man participated in the "International Basketball Coaching Seminar: Athens 2013" among selected athletes to demonstrate coaching techniques. Here he worked with Vance Walberg (assistant coach for the Denver nuggets), Giorgos Bartzokas (head coach of Olympiacos B.C, Euroleague champion 2013, Euroleague Coach of the Year) and Luca Banchi (head coach of Emporio Armani Milano, Italian League and Italian Cup Champion 2013). Tsontzos also volunteered at Impact Hellas preparing high school kids in Greece to play college basketball in the States.

MIT Basketball's Summer Recap 2013: Redfield, Acker, Pedley

Matt Redfield, Junior, 6'8", CA (Mathematics with Computer Science)

Redfield, an All-Conference selection last year and co-captain this season, spent the first month of his summer traveling throughout Europe. Upon his return, Redfield worked in the Bay Area for Streetline Inc., a smart-parking start-up. Redfield performed large data analysis, running simulations and building probabilistic models for the company. 

Andrew Acker, Junior, 6'8", PA (Mechanical Engineering)

Acker, who rounds out the trio of captains, worked this summer as a Research Assistant for the McKay Lab of the University of Pennsylvania. Acker researched bone resorption and reformation, and was the resident mechanical engineer for the entire lab. In addition to studying and taking the MCAT, Acker played in the Delco ProAm League outside of Philadelphia.

Justin Pedley, Sophomore, 6'6", WA (Mechanical Engineering)

Pedley, who started as a freshman for the Engineers last season, spent his summer in Pasco, WA working for Ral-Boy Inc. Pedley performed contracting work with duties that ranged from construction to landscaping. 

MIT Basketball's Summer Recap 2013: Bender, Strobos, Levene

This past summer the members of the MIT Basketball team were busy both on and off the court, honing their skills in gyms across the US and taking advantage of the many research and work opportunities available. In this series we highlight each student-athletes' summer experience, beginning with three Juniors:

David Bender, Junior, 6'6", TX (Chemical Engineering/Materials Science Engineering)

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Bender, the younger brother of former stand-out Billy Bender '12, was a research intern at Baker Hughes in Texas. Bender analyzed the physical properties of NiCr (nickel-chromium) superalloy under varying tests of time and temperature to determine the allows longevity in deepwater high pressure/high temperature wells.

Reinier Strobos, Junior, 6'7", TX (Computer Science/Materials Science Engineering) 

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Strobos spent his summer working for Yahoo as a Software Engineer Intern. Strobos worked on the platforms team at the Internet giant's headquarters, building a web service which filtered social content so that it could be served more effectively to appropriate teams. 

Dennis Levene, Junior, 6'7", CT (Management Science/Mechanical Engineering)

(Photo: Tom Gearty)

Levene, a co-captain for the upcoming season, spent his summer working as an analyst for Marketfield Asset Management in New York City. Levene conducted equity research as well as performance and risk analysis for the fund, working closely with the head of research and senior management. Levene stayed on the campus of Columbia University, and was able to train with some of Columbia's basketball team. In addition to playing with teammates Russell Johnson and Ryan Frankel in the NY Urban League, Levene also played in NIKE Pro City for Big Apple Basketball. Competition in this heralded league included international, D-league, and NBA talent.  

MIT Career Fair This Friday

MIT students and companies from around the world will have the chance to meet each other this Friday

The annual MIT Career Fair begins this Friday at 10am at the Johnson Athletic Center and Rockwell Cage. Nearly 400 companies will be on campus connecting with students offering full-time, part-time, and internship positions.

Members of the MIT Basketball team took advantage of the many job and internship opportunities over the summer; their experiences will be highlighted in upcoming posts.

A list of all companies attending the Fair can be found here: http://career-fair.mit.edu/company_all.php

More information about the Career Fair can be found here: http://career-fair.mit.edu/

MIT Endowment Grows to $10.9 Billion

Killian Court (photo: hsa.mit.edu)

MIT recently released its annual Report of the Treasurer for fiscal year 2013 (ending June 30, 2013), highlighting a growth of 7% in its endowment over last year to $10.9 billion. The endowment generated returns of 11.1% during the year, funds which are used to "support current and future generations of MIT scholars with the resources they need."

The average financial aid award for students in 2012-2013 was $40,952.

MIT's endowment has steadily grown since 2009 (photo: MIT's Report of the Treasurer)

Read more about MIT's endowment and fiscal performance here: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/institute-endowment-figures-0913.html

MIT Ranked #1 University in the World

MIT began the Fall Semester with exciting news from the QS World University Rankings as MIT is ranked the #1 university in the world for 2013-2014. This is the second straight year MIT has earned this honor.

(photo: QS World Rankings)

The complete list of rankings can be found here: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2013

MIT Spring Career Fair on Thursday

MIT is hosting its annual Spring Career Fair for those students who are still seeking summer internship and employment opportunities. Dozens of companies will be on hand to meet with the MIT student body. MIT's main career fair is during the fall, when over 350 companies and organizations flock to the MIT campus to offer jobs.

Read more about the MIT Career Fair here: http://career-fair.mit.edu/index.php

MIT Tops in Academic Rankings Again

Times Higher Education:
#2 University in World

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/mar/15/top-100-universities-times-higher-education?newsfeed=true


US News and World Report (Graduate School Rankings):
1st - Engineering
1st - Supply Chain/Logistics (Sloan)
1st - Production/Operations (Sloan)
1st - Information Systems (Sloan)
1st - Mathematics
1st - Earth Sciences
1st - Chemistry
1st - Physics
1st - Computer Science
1st - Chemical Engineering
1st - Materials Engineering
1st - Computer Engineering
1st - Electrical Engineering
1st - Economics

2nd - Biological Sciences
2nd - Mechanical Engineering
2nd - Aeronautics and Astronautics
2nd - Nuclear Engineering

4th - Business School (Sloan)
4th - Entreprenuership (Sloan)

5th - Finance (Sloan)
5th - Biomedical Engineering

9th - Political Science

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Takes Over Sports World

The biggest and brightest names in the sports world convened on MIT's campus over the weekend to participate in the Sloan School of Management's 6th Annual Sports Analytics Conference.

Speakers this year included Bill Simmons (ESPN), Steve Pagliuca (owner- Boston Celtics), Scott Boras (sports agent with clients such as Alex Rodriguez), and Michael Wilborn (ESPN).

The extremely popular event has received much media coverage. Read ESPN's take on it: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-120305/nba-mit-sloan-wrap

MIT Ranked #1 College in America by Business Insider

MIT once again topped Business Insider's list of "The 50 Best Colleges in America".

Read more here: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-colleges-2011-11#1-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-50

Bloomberg: "Europe Crisis Rescue Begins with MIT Men"

Read more below about Bloomberg's piece on MIT and how MIT alums are in charge of solving the European debt crisis. MIT's Economics program is currently ranked #1 by U.S. News and World Report.

“The faculty makes the place but the students also make the place,” [former MIT professor and now Bank of Israel Governor Stanley] Fischer said in a telephone interview. “One of the reasons you go to MIT is because you have the best students in the world.” To him, economics was a tool to “do something useful.” 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-12/rescuing-europe-from-debt-crisis-begins-with-men-of-mit-as-matter-of-trust.html

Holiday Greetings from President Hockfield

Watch the animated video here: http://alum.mit.edu/holiday2011/

Senior Arni Lehto Wins Design Competition

An overflowing crowd of over 1,200 packed Kresge for the popular competition (Pic: 2.009 Website)

Senior Arni Lehto and his mechanical engineering design team recently participated in and were crowned winners in MIT's 2.009 Competition. This competition, the culmination of semester-long work in 2.009, MIT's Product Engineering Processes class, involves teams that "design and build working alpha prototypes of new products."

Lehto's team, who created a bicycle helmet "vending machine" in HelmetHub, beat out seven other teams' designs, which included a sonar-operated faucet, a heating and cooling unit for paraplegics, and an electric power boost for mechanical wheelchairs. Lehto's presentation in front of a packed Kresge Auditorium can be watched below (Lehto speaks from 2:12-6:18).

Lehto has been part of all three MIT conference championships (Pic: Tom Gearty)

Lehto, a native of Finland, is a four-year member of the men's hoops squad and a two-time Academic All-Conference selection. He and senior Billy Bender will graduate as MIT Basketball's all-time winningest class, and currently hold a record of 75-23 (.765).

NYTimes: MIT Scientists Capture Speed of Light

MIT's Media Lab

Scientists in MIT's world-renowned Media Lab have created an imaging system that captures light moving at the nanosecond level. The Media Lab has been a popular choice among undergraduates for UROPs, MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. This allows students to work alongside Nobel-Prize winning professors and researchers who are working on projects like the one mentioned above. 

Many of the MIT basketball players have taken advantage of "UROPs". For instance senior Dan Mccue worked with Professor Stephen Ansolabehere on a political science research project that analyzed campaign financing, while senior Arni Lehto spent time at the Hatsopoulos Microfluids Lab. "UROPs are an incredible opportunity," Mccue notes. "You get the chance to get your hands on ground-breaking research, all while getting funding and/or academic credit."

Read more on the Media Lab work in the New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/science/speed-of-light-lingers-in-face-of-mit-media-lab-camera.html

Sloan Undergraduate Program Ranked 9th in Nation

Bloomberg Businessweek recently announced its Best Undergraduate Business Schools of 2011, and MIT's Sloan was awarded as the 9th best in the country.

Despite the tough economic times, 90% of Sloan undergrads received job placements last year, with a median starting salary of $65,000.

Learn more here: http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110227/best-undergraduate-business-schools-2011/slides/10