On the night of Nov. 26, Sloan Professor Eric von Hippel SM ’68 was awoken by explosions and gunshots from his room at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, India. Von Hippel experienced and survived the terrorist attack that devastated one of India’s largest and most developed cities.

While typical dorm meals bring to mind a bland culinary experience, Beverly Collet, the manager of the new Ashdown Dining Hall and Thirsty Ear Pub, describes her food philosophy as “white cloth service for brown bag clients,” distinguishing her operations from the typical college fare. Through inventive menus, theme nights, and attention to quality, Collet aims to become one of the best dining models on MIT’s campus.

Harrison R. Brown ’12, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in mathematics at MIT, didn’t need to do complex calculations to figure out he liked this deal: In exchange for letting researchers track his every move, he receives a free smartphone.

Isobel Oliphant felt she was making an offbeat choice when she graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., and enrolled at the ancient university in this quiet coastal town of stone ruins and verdant golf courses.