Ibuki Iwasaki came to MIT without a clear idea of what she wanted to major in, but that changed during the spring of her first year, when she left her comfort zone and enrolled in 4.02A (Introduction to Design). For the final project, her group had to make a modular structure out of foam blocks, producing a design with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional components. The team ended up shaping 72 unique cubes, with each block's pattern and placement carefully planned so that when assembled, they formed a structure with an unassuming facade but an intricate tunnel-like interior. It also introduced her to the role that technology can play in design, whether through coding, processing components to analyze how they might fit with each other, or using programs to assess functionality or success of a model. She became excited to explore how design and technology work together. Now a senior, Iwasaki double majors in art and design, in the Department of Architecture, and in computation and cognition, in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, finding creative ways to develop technology that prioritizes individuals and how they think. She believes that considering the person who uses the technology is fundamental to the design....

Michale Fee, the Glen V. and Phyllis F. Dorflinger Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, has been named as the new head of the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), effective May 1. Fee, who also is an investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, succeeds James DiCarlo, the Peter de Florez Professor of Neuroscience, who announced in December that he was stepping down to become director of the MIT Quest for Intelligence. “I want to thank Jim for his impressive work over the last nine years as head,” says Fee. “I know firsthand from my time as associate department head that BCS is in good shape and on a steady course. Jim has set a standard of transparent and collaborative leadership, which is a solid foundation for making our community stronger on all fronts.” Fee notes that his first mission is to continue the initiatives begun under DiCarlo’s leadership — in academics (especially Course 6-9); mentoring; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) — while maintaining the highest standards of excellence in research and education....