Dear Octet,

I hope you enjoyed a joyous conclusion to 2023 and that you are filled with hope in Christ as you serve the common good. At MIT, Octet is addressing the need for virtues and values that make for a flourishing community and world. In January, we held two IAP classes, "Disagreeing Well" and "Science, Tech, and Ethics in the Real World." This month, we launched a for-credit class in partnership with two MIT faculty called "A Better Future" that encourages students to step back from their innovations to consider what kind of future is worth building. And, on February 15th, students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners participated in a Diálogos event with Prof. Jennifer Herdt on "Moral Formation in a Pluralistic Society"––another opportunity to engage this topic. With each effort, Octet is creating space for honest, productive, and formative conversations that lead to personal growth and by extension, cultural change. We are excited about the relationships God is building and the ideas that are being shared. Kindly read on to learn more!

With joy and kind regards,

Mia Chung-Yee

Executive Director

• Read an essay titled, "The Virtues" by Jennifer Herdt, Yale University Divinity School Professor.
• Listen to a conversation between Lucas Attia, MIT graduate student (Course 10) and member of the Graduate Christian Fellowship, and Nathan Barczi.
• Congratulations to Glen Comiso on his years of service to MIT!

The Virtues

By: Jennifer Herdt, Professor of Christian Ethics at the Yale University Divinity School

How can reflection on the virtues help to shape the life of Christian discipleship? And how can we embody the virtues as scholars and in the life of the university? This essay explores how Christian reflection on the virtues is rooted in the Bible while also being informed by ancient ethical reflection and able to connect fruitfully with other traditions. It also addresses questions surrounding the virtues of institutions and the possibilities for cultivating the virtues in our scholarly lives, within academic disciplines, and in the life of the university.

Diálogos: Moral Formation in a Pluralistic Society

Octet hosted Jennifer Herdt, Professor of Christian Ethics at the Yale University Divinity School, for the third Diálogos event of the academic year. More than 50 of MIT community members—faculty, students and staff—gathered to discuss moral formation in the pluralistic university that is experiencing deep division and conflict.

IAP Courses

In January 2024, the Octet Collaborative offered two courses during IAP (Independent Activities Period).

Science, Technology & Ethics in the Real World



Over the course of January, Octet hosted four virtual classes with experts in industry and the academy to examine the frameworks for thinking about what sorts of technologies we should be building, asking questions of meaning, purpose, and ultimate goals. The topics included climate science, artificial intelligence, and gene editing.

Disagreeing Well



Students, faculty and staff attended four workshops focused on learning the skills of empathic intelligence and engaging in meaningful dialogue amidst difference. At the end of the course, participants discussed the sensitive and challenging events occurring in the Middle East.

What is a Better Future? Course

In early February a new for-credit course launched, co-taught by Professors Rosalind Picard and Sherry Turkle, as well as Nathan Barczi of the Octet Collaborative. The course is part of Octet's science and ethics programming that explores questions of the good alongside challenge and impact within the science and technology space at MIT. Students will probe multiple philosophical and faith traditions to explore ultimate questions, followed by case studies of how to apply such questions within specific areas of science and engineering.

Sabbath Midweek

Each Wednesday, the Octet Collaborative hosts Sabbath Midweek, a lunch and prayer event open to MIT faculty, staff and students. The weekly event is meant to provide space and time for rest, prayer and fellowship during the busy week. All are welcome for a free lunch and time of prayer. If you'd like to receive weekly reminders on Sabbath Midweek, text JOIN to 833-459-3187.

Lucas Attia

Lucas is a graduate student in the Chemical Engineering Department and a leader of MIT's Graduate Christian Fellowship. Listen to his conversation with Nathan Barczi.

Scholarly News

Anne Carpenter was announced as a finalist for the 2023-24 MIT-Royalty Pharma Prize Competition that supports female entrepreneurs in biotech.

Rosalind Picard is the senior author on a paper about dermatologists' and other doctors' difficulty in diagnosing disease when looking at images of darker skin and how AI might be able to help.

The MIT Alumni Forum is hosting a webinar, "Building the Future of AI with Human Intelligence and Ethics," on February 21 at 4 pm ET.

Congratulations, Glen Comiso!

On January 31, Glen Comiso stepped down from his role as Senior Director for Institute Affairs in the Office of the President at MIT. Glen served as a Faculty Advisor for Octet since its inception and has played an integral role in Octet's formation and first three years of programming. We extend a warm message of thanks and gratitude for the investment of Glen's time and expertise and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

• DiOnetta Jones Crayton stepped down from her role as Associate Dean and Office of Minority Education on February 2. Congratulations on 14 years of impact!
• MIT engineers have developed an ultrasound sticker that can detect stiffness changes within internal organs.
• Smart devices' ambient light sensors are vulnerable to privacy threats, a new study has found.

Ministry News & Events

• The Veritas Forum is hosting Dean Bernard S. Chang of Harvard Medical School, who will interview social scientist Arthur Brooks of the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School, about his empirical research on seeing happiness as a direction, exploring a transcendent perspective as a pillar of a happier life, and viewing work as “love made visible”. The event is in-person at the Harvard Medical School on February 21 at 5:30 pm.
• The MIT Baptist Student Fellowship will host its Refuge Question Night on February 28 at 5:30 pm in W11-080. Submit your question anonymously!
• The MIT Tech Catholic Community hosts a weekly Spaghetti Supper on Fridays at 7 pm in the DEN (3-108).
• The MIT Asian Christian Fellowship hosts its large group every Friday at 7:30 pm in Twenty Chimneys (Study 3).
• MIT RUF hosts its Dinner and Discussions on Tuesdays at 6:30 in W11-080.
• MIT Cru's large group gathering is on Tuesdays at 8 pm.

Alan Love

In December, Octet hosted Alan Love, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, for an intellectual hospitality event. Love led a discussion of the value of making the sacrifices necessary to preserve interdisciplinary dialogue and pursue intellectual hospitality. Listen to the audio recording via the link below.