Presidential portrait of L. Rafael Reif unveiled

A brand-new picture notes the tradition of L. Rafael Reif, MIT’s head of state from 2012 to 2022. Repainted by Jon Friedman, the picture was introduced at a current event at Gray Home, where pictures of a number of Reif’s precursors additionally decorate the wall surfaces.

The introduction worked as something of a get-together for several MIT professors and personnel that had actually functioned very closely with Reif at numerous factors in his 4 years at MIT, particularly his years as head of state. It additionally included a number of generations of the Reif household and unique buddies such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Susan Whitehead, a life participant of the MIT Company and life board participant of the Whitehead Institute, and Ray Stata ’57, SM ’58, founder of Analog Gadgets, offered comments recognizing Reif and his influence at the Institute.

MIT Head of state Sally Kornbluth opened up the occasion by inviting the target market to the head of state’s house on school.

” As most of us understand, Gray Home comes from the MIT neighborhood, which indicates that each household that lives right here takes obligation for stewarding the location for the future. Which, in a larger feeling, is a respectable method of defining what it indicates to be head of state of MIT,” she claimed.

Praising the “several grand points he propelled,” Kornbluth defined numerous of Reif’s impactful accomplishments as MIT’s 17th head of state, such as developing the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, leading the revitalization of Kendall Square, and imagining and releasing The Engine, MIT’s endeavor company for “difficult technology.”

” Each of those accomplishments aided prime MIT for the future, and every one has actually had effective favorable results well past our neighborhood as well,” Kornbluth claimed, keeping in mind that the term “difficult technology” really did not also exist prior to the facility of The Engine.

” MIT has actually been a phenomenal location from the actual beginning, and it has actually had plenty of visionary head of states. Yet there is no doubt that MIT was extra remarkable when Rafael completed than when he started. And we owe him a terrific financial debt of appreciation,” Kornbluth claimed.

Even more details regarding the Reif presidency can be located in this article created when Reif introduced his choice to tip down.

After the picture was introduced, Ma executed a brief item by Johann Sebastian Bach on the cello. Later, Stata supplied an extensive individual and historic viewpoint on Reif’s extensive payments to MIT and the country, including his essential function in developing MIT’s ground in the semiconductor landscape, and in showing and supporting for the essential function of scholastic study beforehand the growth of the united state semiconductor market. Whitehead complied with, highlighting a series of Reif’s success throughout his period as MIT head of state, consisting of developing the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and MIT.nano, leading the Campaign for a Better World, supervising the redevelopment of the Volpe Center in Kendall Square, and extra.

” Every one of the above was enabled due to the fact that you are an amazing synthesizer and contractor,” she claimed. “We saw as you faced concerns, paid attention thoroughly, inside and beyond MIT, and afterwards you relocated. You were vibrant as soon as you had actually manufactured. None of the above campaigns would certainly have occurred without your definitive large reasoning.”

Whitehead additionally applauded Reif’s generosity and compassion, keeping in mind the several choices he supervised to advertise pupil wellness at MIT and recognizing his management throughout challenging times, such as the fatality of MIT Policeman Sean Collier. She nearby advising the group of the Institute-wide goodbye dance party he held as he tipped down.

When Reif required to the platform, he gave thanks to the audio speakers in addition to various other participants of the target market, consisting of Company Life Participant Fariboz Maseeh ScD ’90; Reif was the inaugural owner of the Fariborz Maseeh Professorship of Arising Innovation prior to coming to be MIT’s head of state. He additionally thanked his partner, Christine– whose very own picture, additionally repainted by Friedman, currently awaits the Emma Rogers Space (Space 10-340)– for her assistance.

Reif remembered several of his favored memories of living at Gray Home, consisting of holding his grandchildren for pajama parties at what they called “the Castle” and taking part in a snowball battle with pupils on Killian Court.

” Each one of you affected my reasoning, offered me intellectual breadth, endured my funny bone, and formed the individual I came to be,” Reif claimed. “So, whatever top qualities you think you see caught in Mr. Friedman’s picture, please recognize that every one of you are stood for there as well, in your radiance and your benefits. It has actually been a remarkable advantage to be component of the MIT household for all these years.”