The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department (Course 6) has agreed to fund a third month of paid maternity leave for its female graduate students, beyond the two-month maximum through the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE). The new policy will become effective in Spring 2014, according to department head Anantha Chandrakasan.

Munther A. Dahleh has been named the acting director of the Engineering Systems Division (ESD). He began his new position on Dec. 1, stepping down from his previous position as Associate Department Head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), which David J. Perreault has been appointed.

MIT Medical and Urgent Care saw an increase in people with acute gastroenteritis this week. MIT Medical saw 16 patients during the day on Wednesday with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to a statement to the MIT News Office from Associate Medical Director Howard M. Heller.

Nelson Mandela, who led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule and served as his country’s first black president, becoming an international emblem of dignity and forbearance, died Thursday night. He was 95.

Turning left off of the infinite corridor at Cafe Four could soon lead to a new destination. Director of Campus Planning, Engineering & Construction Richard L. Amster, confirmed that Building 12 could be demolished as early as this summer, pending approval by the City of Cambridge. The removal of the building will make way for the Nano-Materials, Structures, and Systems Lab (nMaSS), which is projected to be completed in 2018.

According to an MIT News Office press release, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) included five MIT professors in the group of 388 scientists it named as fellows last Tuesday.