Tech (video) trivia
Every year, the Alumni Association produces up to a dozen videos showcasing the amazing accomplishments of alumni. Here are some recent highlights.
Every year, the MIT Alumni Association produces up to a dozen videos that showcase the amazing accomplishments and aspirations of some of the nearly 149,000 alumni around the world.
Here are a few highlights from videos created in the last year. See if you can answer the trivia questions—whether you’ve seen the videos or not! And if you haven’t, be sure to watch them and read the accompanying article to learn more about your fellow alums.
Watch the videos about these inspiring alumni and more at bit.ly/MITAlumniVideos.
Videos by Brielle Domings.
Sky is no limit for deaf pilot
Born deaf, Sheila Xu ’14 never imagined she could become a pilot—but she is flying now!
Trivia question: Xu is not the only deaf pilot in the United States. She is one of about ____ deaf pilots out of more than half a million people licensed to fly in the country.
A. 1,000
B. 100,000
C. 25
D. 200
Tapping bones to help people communicate
A scary scuba diving incident inspired Jordan McRae ’05 to address the problem of communicating in challenging audio environments. He ended up developing technology that delivers voice communication through bone conduction.
Trivia question: Bone conduction technology is most likely to involve which of these bones?
A. femur
B. carpus
C. mastoid
D. talus
CSAIL grad stars in Netflix’s Hack My Home
Jessica Banks, SM ’01, Eng ’07, went from physics to robotics to running her own furniture company; today, she is best known for cohosting Hack My Home on Netflix.
Trivia question: Banks designs furniture that incorporates movement or has moving parts, also known as _____ furniture.
A. quantum
B. kinetic
C. vintage
D. stata
A whale’s tale from artist Andy Cavatorta
Brooklyn-based artist Andy Cavatorta, SM ’10—who is a roboticist as well as a sculptor—designed a kinetic sculpture, Whale, that sings a song lasting the lifespan of a bowhead whale.
Trivia question: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which of the following is closest to the lifespan of the bowhead whale?
A. Over 50 years
B. Over 100 years
C. Over 200 years
D. Over 375 years
Keeping America’s oldest bells going
The bells in Boston’s Old North Church are said to be the oldest in North America, and they are still rung by hand thanks to the MIT Guild of Bellringers.
Trivia question: When were the bells in the Old North Church cast?
A. 1515
B. 1744
C. 1820
D. 1861
Illuminating the amazing work of bird brains
When Irene Pepperberg ’69 started her life’s work in the early 1970s, few people believed in the cognitive abilities of birds. But she had a passion for research and the courage to be a pioneer in the new field of animal cognition.
Trivia question: The brain of a parrot is said to be the size of a ______.
A. shelled walnut
B. lime
C. shelled pistachio
D. kidney bean
Answer key: Pilot: D, Bones: C, Netflix: B, Bells: B, Whale: C, Parrot: A
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