IDSS News September 2018
Munther Dahleh photo by Lillie Paquette MIT School of Engineering
Greetings,

This month, I had the privilege of convening our Academic Advisory Board for the first time. We looked at all IDSS has accomplished in just three short years, and our leadership received extremely valuable feedback as we chart our strategy for the next few.

This summer, we were very happy to share the news of the creation of a new society of scholars with the Hammer Fellowships. Of note also is the recent launch of our MicroMasters in Statistics and Data Science, and new leadership for our TPP program, which is poised to grow under Professor Noelle Selin. More on this below, along with a look at how our faculty and students are combining diverse tools, skills, and disciplines to tackle some of society's largest and most complex challenges.

It's a promising September, and I wish you all a great year.

Munther Dahleh, Director
William A. Coolidge Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
NEWS
A gift from Phyllis Hammer and the Hammer family will support doctoral fellowships in IDSS.

Selin will spearhead the IDSS master's Technology and Policy Program.
FEATURED
Munther Dahleh proposes a marketplace that bases the cost of data on the financial value it generates.
FACULTY AND STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Prof. Jessika Trancik researches the pace of innovation in technology and the forces that accelerate or slow that progress.
Prof. Alberto Abadie is an econometrician who works to refine the statistical methods of economics and answer policy questions.
Jehangir Amjad
Recent LIDS graduate Jehangir Amjad uses a new take on classical statistical methods to predict likely outcomes with limited data.
One of the first alumni of the new Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics, Tetsuya works at the intersections of economics, statistics, & machine learning.
Minghao combines econometrics, statistics, and atmospheric chemistry to identify the impacts of environmental policies.
EDUCATION
Master the skills needed to solve complex challenges with data with an MIT MicroMasters.
Turn your big data into even bigger results in this 8-week online course.
RESEARCH
Fake news spreads online faster and farther than truth does Sinan Aral talks about how it can be contained.
Tommi Jaakkola works with CSAIL on a machine-learning model that could speed up the drug development process.
LIDS researchers' Navion chip helps mini drones process camera images at 171 frames per second while consuming just 1/1000th the energy required to power a lightbulb.
EVENTS
Propose policy solutions to societal challenges: register now for the MIT Policy Hackathon, a student-run event partnered with Boston's HUBweek. October 8 - 12.
Join us Thursday, October 25 for Data-Driven Disruption in the Retail Sector. Speakers from Stitch Fix, Turo, Microsoft, Adobe, MIT and more. Email idssretail2018@mit.edu.