Dear Octet,

This Advent season feels particularly laden with longing for the Prince of Peace. World events in the Middle East and elsewhere have made us weary and created a need for rest and reconciliation. What are God's people to do in the waiting? At Octet, we are praying fervently and looking for opportunities to foster dialogue wherever and whenever possible. During the Independent Activities Period (January term), Octet will be offering two classes: "Disagreeing Well" and "Science, Tech, and Ethics in the Real World." Both are designed to equip people to bear His likeness in difficult moments and spaces, and to welcome those who think differently. Please pray with us as we prepare. May Jesus' patience, humility, and sacrifice inspire a new way of being in all of us.

With gratitude and blessings,

Mia Chung-Yee

Executive Director

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

– Isaiah 9:6

• Watch a sermon delivered by Mark Booker of Park Street Church on humility and the subversion of worldly values in God's Kingdom.
• Listen to a conversation between Robyn Bunch, Communications & Marketing Manager at MIT, and Nathan Barczi.
• Read Octet's 2022-2023 Annual Report.
• Listen to the Infinite Corridor podcast featuring Rocklyn and Eva Clarke, MIT alum and Pastors at Life Church Boston.

The People of the Cross

By: Mark Booker, Senior Minister of Park Street Church

The gospel liberates us from the need to pursue glory, praise, status or honor from the world. God's choice of the lowly Corinthians humbles the wise and the strong and demands an end to our boasting. The people of the cross are not marked by worldly status but by the boast-less freedom and humility that come through the love of God for sinners like us.



Sharing the Table: Conversation Across Disagreement & Discipline

Octet hosted Alan Love, professor in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota, for the second Diálogos event of the year. Dozens of MIT community members—faculty, students and staff—gathered to discuss the importance of academic collaboration across disciplines and lines of difference.

IAP Courses

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

Science, Technology & Ethics in the Real World

Disagreeing Well

In this mini-course, we will examine frameworks for thinking about what sorts of technologies we should be building, asking questions of meaning, purpose, and ultimate goals. The discussion topics include climate science, artificial intelligence and gene editing.

This course offers an in-person and a remote option.



In these polarized times, what does it mean to disagree well? This IAP, you are invited to participate in a workshop that will equip you with skills of empathic intelligence and enable you to pursue meaningful dialogue across difference, based on the work of the Ideos Institute.

In our dialogue lab, we will be focusing on questions pertaining to the sensitive and challenging time we are experiencing on campus regarding events in the Middle East.

This course is in-person.

Spring 2024 Course, "What is a Better Future?" Taught by Rosalind Picard, & Diálogos Receive $200,000 Support

The McDonald Agape Foundation will invest $200,000 over the next three years in support of Diálogos events and "A Better Future," a course being taught and developed by MIT Professor Rosalind Picard. The course is part of the Octet Collaborative's science and ethics programming that explores questions of the good alongside challenge and impact within the science and technology space at MIT. Thanks be to God for his provision and blessing on this ministry, and for McDonald Agape Foundation's interest in partnering!

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.

2023 Annual Report

Read the Octet Collaborative’s 2022-2023 Annual Report and learn about Octet’s impact on MIT and the greater MIT community.

Robyn Bunch

Robyn is a Communications and Marketing Manager in the MIT Licensing Office. Listen to her conversation with Nathan Barczi.

Scholarly News

Anne Carpenter contributed to a USA Today article on the use of artificial intelligence for performance enhancing drugs.

Jing Kong co-wrote a paper on safely integrating fragile 2D materials into devices.

Rosalind Picard was featured on Curiosity Stream to discuss the opportunities and risks posed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

Danielle Wood spoke at the United Nations' COP28 in Dubai.

The MIT "Civil Discourse in the Classroom & Beyond" project hosted two events during the fall semester and has two more planned for the spring semester.

Infinite Corridors Podcast

Rocklyn and Eva Clarke discuss their journey to faith at MIT, their experience as African American students on campus, and the many projects they're currently working on, including MITCAN (MIT Christian Alumni Network).



Listen via the buttons below or wherever you get your podcasts!

• MIT President Sally Kornbluth was featured on the Higher Ed Spotlight podcast to talk about how graduating students with great technical skills isn't enough in today's demanding job market.
• A group of MIT researchers and administrators released a set of policy briefs on artificial intelligence governance.
• Two undergraduates, Anushree Chaudhuri and Rupert Li, were named 2024 Marshall Scholars.

Ministry News & Events

Most MIT Campus Ministries have concluded their programming for the year as the fall semester ended on December 13.

Joshua Swamidass

In October, Octet hosted S. Joshua Swamidass, Associate Professor of Pathology, Immunology and Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, for an intellectual hospitality event. Swamidass delivered a talk on science and the common good and addressing societal problems while public distrust in science is on the rise. Listen to the audio recording via the link below.

Advent Reflection