Chancellor Eric Grimson
Aug 16 2011
Chancellor? What’s a Chancellor?
Posted in: Miscellaneous
Five months ago, I took on the position of Chancellor at MIT – a position I think of as a dream job. For the previous six years, I had been head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, which is also a totally cool job – head of the biggest (and best but don’t tell my colleagues in other departments I said that) department at MIT, and a department that is top ranked in Computer Science, in Computer Engineering, and in Electrical/Electronics/Communications Engineering. So it was not easy to give up a great job, but for me the chance to be Chancellor was impossible to decline.
Some of my colleagues are puzzled by this transition. How could someone give up heading a top academic department? Perhaps this sounds great to you, but perhaps you are wondering – “so what is a Chancellor, anyway?” The job description is actually pretty simple (okay, there is probably a formal specification somewhere in the depths of MIT’s web site chain, but here is my version). In... read the post »
Feb 28 2007
MIT Students Operate On Hawaii Time!
Posted in: Academics & Research
Spring term classes started a few weeks ago, and hence all of us (students, faculty and staff) are back into the rhythm of the academic season. This may sound like we simply fall back into a well-worn rut, but in fact MIT is quite remarkable in its constant pedagogical experiments and innovations. Some of the most successful examples are outside of the classroom: UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program), UPOP (Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program) and of course OCW (Open Course Ware). But MIT also is remarkably active in exploring innovations to classroom-based experiences as well.
For example, the course I typically teach, known as 6.001 or "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs," is normally taught in lecture-recitation-tutorial mode: students spend two hours per week attending lecture (as a class of 300); plus two hours per week participating in recitation (in groups of 25); plus one hour per week actively engaged in tutorial (in groups of 4 to 5).... read the post »
Jan 23 2007
Professors Are Human Too (Really!)
Posted in: MIT Facts
I am delighted to join the impressive cadre of admissions office bloggers - a source of insight into MIT that I hope is of value as you consider applying to or attending the Institute. Since this is my initial post, I'd like to briefly introduce myself, and then talk about how to succeed at MIT.
My name is Eric Grimson, and I am a professor at MIT. I have the honor of holding the Bernard Gordon Chair of Medical Engineering in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department (known as EECS - pronounced "eeks" - or Course VI to everyone at MIT). I also have the privilege of serving as the Department Head for EECS. EECS is the largest department at MIT, with roughly 130 faculty members, 900 graduate students (over 100 of whom work with the faculty as teaching assistants each term), and 700 undergraduate majors. Don't let the size scare you! - you deal with the faculty and fellow students a few at a time, in your classes and in research groups you may end up working with. We... read the post »