2020
Remote Teaching and Learning at the Media Lab
Back in March of 2020, universities and academic labs across the world were forced to cease operations and ramp down due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a way, our group was uniquely equipped for this unprecedented situation. Learn about our experiences.
2019
Teaching at the Media Lab
To me, teaching equals sharing while learning. At the Media Lab, I teach a popular course series, entitled Decoders (1.0, 1.1, 1.2): Learn, Imagine, Integrate, Design, Fabricate, Demo. Learn about our experiences.
Exhibiting at the Media Lab: Canan Dagdeviren reflects on exhibiting student work
It can be easy to focus on the negative. Instead, I feel that it’s important to teach my students—the scientists who will address tomorrow’s needs—to find joy in frustrations and turn them into an elegant response. In our case, that response is a Media Lab lobby exhibit that blends media, art, and science: The Bees of Science. Learn about our experiences.
Mentoring UROPs at the Media Lab
Right before departing from my postdoctoral studies at MIT’s Koch Institute, I had one of my shortest—yet most memorable—meetings with my postdoctoral advisor, Dr. Bob Langer: Me: Dr. Langer, what should I do to be a good mentor like you? Dr. Langer: There is no equation; just follow your heart. Keeping this short yet deep advice in mind, I have kept working on my dream projects while mentoring amazing young minds at the MIT Media Lab: the UROPs.
2018
Managing a Lab
The best things in life are never achieved easily. They take passion, compassion, vision, diligent and cooperative work, patience, and endurance. Learn about how we established a framework of managing principles to maintain our state-of-the-art research facility.
2017
Launching A Lab
Canan Dagdeviren joined the MIT Media Lab faculty in January this year to establish and direct a new research group, called Conformable Decoders. Here’s how she went about that process.