An artist directed the painting of a mural on the sidewalk near the corner of Ames Street and Main Street outside the newly-opened Koch Institute on Friday afternoon.

My name is Jessica Yang, and I’m from Richard Montgomery High School in a suburb of Washington, D.C. For fun, I play recreational soccer, bake desserts, and teach elementary school kids science through my nonprofit, Kids Are Scientists Too, Inc. I also enjoy reading various manga, managing our high school newspaper, and watching House. I like simple things, like walking in the rain or sitting on a patch of grass and reading. I’m really excited about attending MIT — but next semester, I think I could substitute the grass with a snow chair.

Children curiously watch a soccer-playing robot demonstration at the Stata Center on Saturday afternoon.

I am Callie McRee, and I’m from the sunny central coast of California. I’m graduating in June from San Luis Obispo High School, and I’m eager to transition from my small town to the city. Outside of school, I spend most of my time dancing ballet, jazz, and contemporary; I plan on continuing dancing at MIT. I’m excited to meet my new classmates in September!

An Army UH 60 Black Hawk helicopter visited Briggs Field Saturday afternoon for an inspection by MIT’s Army ROTC.

A crowd mostly composed of college students gathered at the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common late Sunday evening to celebrate the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden. Two days ago, President Barack Obama announced that bin Laden was killed by a joint ground operation of the Navy SEALs and the CIA. The crowd sustained itself for almost two hours with an ebullient atmosphere, chanting and occasionally singing. Police officers stood nearby to monitor the energetic gathering. The students seemed to be predominantly from Boston University and MIT, with sparser showings from other area colleges.

A team from the Research Laboratory of Electronics helped open house guests build a simple DC motor using insulated copper wire and ferromagnets in the Stata Center Saturday afternoon.

At noon on Saturday, an organized “flash mob” convened in Lobby 7, singing and dancing to a selection of pop and dance music. The flash mob required advance sign-up and rehearsal attendance.

Chihuly’s Neodymium Reeds is now on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

Situation for Noon Eastern Time, Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Children learn the inner workings of a joystick-controlled robotic manipulator during a technology demonstration at the Stata Center during MIT’s Under The Dome open house celebration on Saturday afternoon. Approximately 20,000 attendees visited campus for the first open house in over 30 years, part of MIT’s 150th anniversary celebrations. For more photos of Under The Dome, see p. 11.

A decrepit upright piano sails off the roof of Baker House during the traditional Spring drop date celebration on Memorial Drive. The drop was held over a week after the April 21 drop date to coincide with MIT’s Under The Dome open house.