EAPS 40th Anniversary Symposium + Building 55 Dedication

Since the merger of Course XII and Course XIX in 1983, EAPS has worked to prepare the next generation of leaders while providing the MIT community—and the broader public—with a deeper understanding of nature in all its forms.

Marking the occasion of four decades of discovery and education, we have much to celebrate! We’re also proud to open the Tina and Hamid Moghadam Building. Designed to meet LEED-platinum certification, the new Building 55 will be a vital center and showcase for environmental and climate research on MIT’s campus for the next 40 years, and beyond—and we invite the MIT community to be a part of the celebration.

Program of Events

March 21 | Dedication of Building 55, the Tina and Hamid Moghadam Building

3:30 – 4:30 pm  |  54-100 — Dixie Lee Bryant (1891) Lecture Hall
Dedication proceedings for MIT’s new, vibrant hub for climate and environmental science, featuring remarks by Dean Nergis Mavalvala, President Sally Kornbluth, EAPS Department Head Robert van der Hilst, ESI Director John Fernández, MIT-WHOI Joint Program Director Michael Follows, and Terrascope Director and EAPS Associate Department Head David McGee.

4:30 – 6:00 pm  |  55-Atrium – Tina and Hamid Moghadam Building
Reception and showcase of research by EAPS students and faculty in the Fred A. Middleton (1971) Atrium.

March 22 | EAPS 40th Anniversary Celebration

54-100 – Dixie Lee Bryant (1891) Lecture Hall
Symposium taking a look at EAPS past, present, and future, featuring presentations and discussions by EAPS faculty, students, alumni, and friends.

• 8:45 am — Registration & Coffee
• 9:30 am — Welcome and Reflections from the Department Head
  Robert van der Hilst, Schlumberger Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
• 9:50 am — Session 1: EAPS Discovery & Innovation Today
  Presentations by EAPS academic program chairs: Thomas Herring, Oliver Jagoutz, Susan Solomon, Benjamin Weiss

—Coffee Break—

• 10:45 am — Session 2: Ripple Effects — EAPS Impact on Science and Careers
  A conversation hosted by Fatima Husain with Linda Elkins-Tanton, Kerry Emanuel, John Grotzinger

11:30 am — 1:30 pm — Lunch, on your own

• 1:30 pm — Session 3: EAPS … How Times Have Changed
  A conversation hosted by Robert van der Hilst with Maria Zuber, Ron Prinn, John Southard

—Coffee Break—

• 2:25 pm — Session 4: Beyond Earth
  Presentations and panel discussion with Richard Binzel, Tanja Bosak, Richard Teague, Julien de Wit

—Coffee Break—

• 3:15 pm — Session 5: Climate Grand Challenges
  Presentations by teams led by Raffaele Ferrari and Noelle Selin; Paul O’Gorman and Kerry Emanuel

—Coffee Break—

• 4:05 pm — Session 6: What Does the Future Hold for EAPS?
  A conversation hosted by Andrew Babbin with Abigail Bodner, Gaia Stucky de Quay, Timur Cinay, Susana Hoyos

5:00 — 9pm  |  55-Atrium – Tina and Hamid Moghadam Building
Reception with demonstrations and posters by EAPS students and faculty, followed by an evening of live music and dancing in the Fred A. Middleton (1971) Atrium.