Not so FAST

Not so FAST At the end of my first week in my new job, I attended a gala reception in the MIT Museum celebrating the kick-off to MIT”s 150 Celebration. The party was dazzling â€" black tie servers weaving through the crowd carrying large silver trays piled high with mini beef sliders that were stacked alongside smoking test tubes. I was sipping a drink and taking it all in when I looked over at another large silver tray arranged with bite-sized, fondant-wrapped sugary surprises. Wait, is that a mini robot circling that piece of chocolate? Very MIT cool and quirky. The 150 exhibition was equally dazzling, showcasing 150 of MIT”s best inventions, events, people, surprises and hacks through the years (and if you haven”t seen it yet and find yourself in Cambridge before it all comes down in December 2011- definitely go!) One of my favorite artists, Christopher Janney, is just one of several whose work is profiled in the “artistic MIT’ portion of the exhibit. And then on my second month on the job, I had the real pleasure to listen to Tod Machover animatedly describe the FAST Arts Festival just another of many pieces to this impressive celebration going on around campus all Winter into Spring. I made a mental note to check it out. I was in the thick of reading applications as February whizzed by and my partner reminded me that we hadn”t been out on a date â€" or even out of pajamas â€" all winter long it seemed. “Looks like we will need to wait till summer to go see some art,’ she said looking over her laptop screen to me on the other side of the couch typing away on mine. “Not so fast,’ I said back, “How about a daylong pilgrimage to MIT to see three lectures/demonstrations about radical research on music and language, and vision and neuroscience? And then I”ll take you to dinner to that restaurant we”ve been meaning to try and we”ll finish it all off with a concert to hear the Language of Music by the Lontano Ensemble in the Kresge Auditorium. And it”s all free!’ Wow. This is why this MIT is such a great place to be. I”m looking forward to this Saturday at the FAST festival. Maybe I”ll see you there.