September/October 2007

TechTV

By Erica Naone

Credit: mit (fragile x)

Graduate student Brian Chan can fold Mens et Manus II, his award-­winning origami re-creation of the MIT seal, in 10 hours. His seven-minute video of the highlights, made with Theresa Guo '07 and featuring music by Anna Lo '08, is just one of those available on the new MIT TechTV website (techtv.mit.edu). Launched in beta this spring by the School of Engineering and MIT Libraries Academic Media Production Services, TechTV gathers videos--some serious and some quirky--about science, engineering, and life at MIT and puts them on the Web. Members of the MIT community, including alumni, are encouraged to upload.

The site kicked off with free popcorn for all at the MIT TechTV Expo in May; several student directors won cash prizes and choco­late "Oscars." Contest entries will go on a website to interest seventh, eighth, and ninth graders in studying math, science, and engineering. But TechTV is also meant to provide a virtual gathering place for MIT people and an entertaining and educational view of MIT research for the larger community.