MIT welcomes nine MLK Scholars for 2024-25

Yearly given that 1991, MIT has actually invited superior checking out scholars to school with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Going To Professors and Scholars Program. The Institute desires draw in prospects that are, in King’s words, “innovators in human, scholastic, clinical and spiritual liberty.”

MLK Scholars boost the intellectual and social life of the Institute with training at the grad and undergraduate degrees, and with energetic research study cooperations with professors. They function within MIT’s scholastic divisions, however likewise throughout areas such as medication, the arts, regulation, and civil service. The program honors King’s life and tradition by increasing and expanding the reach of our neighborhood.

” The MLK Scholars program is a gem– a resource of deep satisfaction for the Institute,” claims Karl Reid ’84, SM ’85, MIT’s vice head of state for equity and addition. “Scholars that concern us widen the point of views of our pupils in the class, and they aid power advancements in our laboratories. In general, they make us far better. It is an honor to progress this program with collaborations with professors and pupils throughout the Institute.”

Headquartered in the Institute Community and Equity Office, the MLK Scholars Program is likewise functioning carefully with MIT’s brand-new Vice Provost for Professors, Institute Teacher Paula Hammond. “These people bring a lot toughness to us. We wish to broaden the program’s reach and interaction,” she claims. “We wish to cast a broad web when we hire brand-new scholars, and we wish to maximize our time with each other when they are right here with us on school.”

This year’s associate of MLK Scholars signs up with a team of greater than 160 teachers, professionals, and specialists– every one of whom are included on the program’s brand-new web site: https://mlkscholars.mit.edu/

The 2024-2025 MLK Scholars:

Janine Dawkins functions as the principal technological supervisor for Jamaica’s Ministry of Transportation and Mining. She holds an MS in civil design and PhD in viewpoint, both from Georgia Technology. Held by teacher of cities and transport preparation Jinhua Zhao, Dawkins brings a wide range of experience in transport design and preparation, federal government management, and public law. Among her locations of emphasis is determining a well balanced strategy to web traffic conformity.

Signing Up With MIT in January 2025, Leslie Jonas, a senior participant of the Mashpee Wampanoag People, is an Aboriginal land and water guardian with a concentrate on weaving conventional environmental expertise (TEK) and scientific research, innovation, design, arts, and math (HEAVY STEAM). She is a founding board participant of Country of origin Conservancy Inc. in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and gained a MS in neighborhood financial advancement from Southern New Hampshire College. Her job is concentrated on entailing and informing neighborhoods concerning ecological justice, social regard, liable stewardship and land-management methods, in addition to the effect of environment adjustment on seaside locations and Aboriginal neighborhoods. Her professors hosts are Christine Walley and Bettina Stoetzer, both from MIT Sociology. Along with her continuous cooperation on an MIT Sea Give task, “Lasting Solutions for Environment Modification Adjustment: Weaving Typical Ecological Understanding and Vapor,” she will certainly aid cultivate partnerships in between MIT and regional Aboriginal neighborhoods.

Meleko Mokgosi is an associate teacher and supervisor of graduate research studies in paint and printmaking at the Yale College Institution of Art. He is organized by Danielle Timber, an associate teacher with joint visits in the Media Laboratory and Division of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Mokgosi will certainly sign up with Timber’s Room Made it possible for Research study Team in the MIT Media Laboratory. His proficiency in post-colonial research studies and vital concept straighten with the team’s objective to “progress justice in Planet’s facility systems making use of layouts made it possible for by room.” In cooperation with Timber, Mokgosi will certainly utilize art to discover the definition of African room tasks. He gained his MFA in interdisciplinary workshop program from College of The Golden State in Los Angeles.

Donna Nelson, a 2010-2011 MLK checking out teacher formerly organized in the Division of Chemical Design, goes back to the program funded by Wesley Harris, the Charles Stark Draper Teacher of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as her professors host. She is a teacher in the Division of Chemistry and Biochemistry And Biology at the College of Oklahoma. Her 2 locations of emphasis get on fentanyl information standardization and circulation and making use of state of mind and individuality studies as efficiency forecasters in her operate in STEM education and learning research study. Her checking out visit starts in January 2025. Nelson gained her PhD in chemistry from the College of Texas at Austin.

Justin Wilkerson is presently a tenured associate teacher and the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Profession Advancement Teacher in the J. Mike Pedestrian ’66 Division of Mechanical Design at Texas A&M College. His research study rate of interests consist of micromechanics and multiscale modeling. He gives MIT a specialized expertise in the thermomechanical actions of products based on severe atmospheres as a feature of their structure and microstructure. Zachary Cordero and Raul Radovitzky, both from the Division of Aeronautics and Astronautics, are his professors hosts. Wilkerson gained his PhD in mechanical design from Johns Hopkins College and got the 2023 National Scientific Research Structure Profession Honor.

4 participants of the 2023– 24 MLK Checking out Scholars associate are expanding their browse through with MIT for an extra year:

Morgane Konig proceeds her checking out visit within MIT’s Facility for Theoretical Physics (CTP). Her professors hosts are David Kaiser, the Germeshausen Teacher of the Background of Scientific research and teacher of physics, and Alan Guth, the Victor F. Weisskopf Teacher of Physics, both from the Division of Physics. Konig will certainly improve the significant progression she has actually attained in numerous research study tasks, consisting of those on early-universe rising cost of living and late-universe trademarks. These initiatives can supply important understandings to the clinical neighborhood pertaining to the enigmatic nature of dark issue and dark power. Konig will certainly arrange a collection of workshops to link African physicists with the worldwide clinical neighborhood to give a system for cooperation and intellectual exchange.

Angelica Mayolo-Obregon returns momentarily year co-hosted by John Fernandez, a teacher of developing innovation in the Division of Design and supervisor of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Campaign, and by J. Phillip Thompson, an associate teacher in the Division of Urban Researches and Preparation (and previous MLK Scholar). Mayolo-Obregon will certainly remain to lead the Afro-Interamerican Online forum on Environment Modification (AIFCC), a discussion forum that raises the voices of Afro-descendant individuals in resolving environment activity and biodiversity preservation and broaden its network.

Jean-Luc Pierite, a participant of the Tunica-Biloxi People of Louisiana and the head of state of the board of supervisors of North American Indian Facility of Boston, is organized by Janelle Knox-Hayes, a teacher in the Division of Urban Researches and Preparation and supervisor of the Resilient Communities Laboratory. Together With Leslie Jonas, Pierite will certainly proceed his deal with the continuous task, “Lasting Solutions for Environment Modification Adjustment: Weaving Typical Ecological Understanding and Vapor.” He will certainly lead 2 complete practica tasks on the assimilation of Aboriginal expertise in reconstruction tasks along Mill Creek with the City of Chelsea and developing a city greenhouse design that companions with Aboriginal neighborhoods.

Christine Taylor-Butler ’81 will certainly improve her existing collaborations on school and in the regional neighborhoods in advertising vapor proficiency for kids. Held by Graham Jones, associate teacher in MIT Sociology, she will certainly finish The Lost Tribes collection and discover possibilities to develop increased experiences for guide collection. Structure on an effective Independent Activities Duration (IAP) workshop in January 2024, she will certainly establish an extra extensive IAP program in 2025 that will certainly furnish pupils to streamline complicated product and make it easily accessible to a bigger variety of analysis degrees.

For concerns and even more details concerning the MLK Scholars program, please call Beatriz Cantada or go to the program website