A week ago, MIT hosted a Day of Action when the MIT community and our neighbors came together to learn, collaborate, and explore avenues of action. According to the organizers, this day was a call to renewed civic engagement among the scholars, students, and staff of our community....and a call to open-minded dialogue with peers and colleagues of diverse backgrounds and views...we act to fulfill MIT’s mission “to bring knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges.” Topics were wide-ranging: climate change, nuclear proliferation, MIT's history of activism, criminal justice and race, gentrification, and the causes and consequences of the rise of right-wing popularism to name a few. 

The day was educational and inspiring. I met many students, faculty, staff and community members who are eager to take on "the world's great challenges".  It's clear that technology will only take us so far in solving these challenges and the day gave us some practical advice on how to move forward. The Day of Action website has an abundance of information on  organizations and initiatives to help navigate and guide you. Radius is part of that network. We will continue to sponsor programs looking at critical issues of the day and providing resources to faculty, students and staff--whether it is by hosting a wide array of programs, teaching an undergraduate ethics seminar, or mentoring and providing logistical assistance to student initiatives.

To that end, we would like to invite you to our upcoming programs--all of which deal with some of these "great challenges". On Thursday, April 27, we are honored to co-sponsor (along with FFMIT and others) the visit of Dr. Robert Bullard who is often referred to as the "father of environmental justice." His talk, The Quest for Environmental and Racial Justice for All: Why Equity Matters, will explore health disparities and sustainability and environmental justice as seen through a social justice and racial equity lens. On May 1, we welcome Ehsan Zaffar,  Washington College of Law at American University, who will discuss privacy, security and civil rights. Radius is also co-hosting two all-day conferences in May: May 6: Reducing the Threat of Nuclear War and May 13: The 11th Annual Youth Summit on Climate Change and Sustainability. Please see our Program page for complete details. 

We hope to see you at our programs, and others on campus, as we strive to continue "to bring knowledge to bear on the world’s great challenges.”