Hacker News Reader

Comment by woofie11 | Hacker News Reader

Patrick Winston was one of the last of the old-guard of MIT -- the type of professor who genuinely cared about students, acted with integrity, scientific progress, and was the soul of the old Institute.

A few remain, but not many.

I'm deeply saddened by each loss. The soul of the Institute dies a little bit more each time.

View on HN

The only exemplar I can recall right now still living is Merritt Roe Smith, historian of technology. Do you know of more?

Sussman is still around. There are also a few newer professors that I think try to uphold these standards. Ed Boyden comes to mind- he also was an MIT undergrad, and although not as involved with student culture as PHW, he is amazingly responsive to students in his classes. I've had him answer emails with my shitty ideas like 4 am the night I send them, which is crazy given what a busy guy he is

Gerald Jay Sussman. But yes, they're a rare breed. When I asked an MIT professor to name a few people in the Institute with uncompromising integrity, they could only think of three. Jerry and Pat were two of them.

In this age, it's nearly impossible to make professor at MIT, let alone tenure, without lapses of integrity.

Haynes Miller who I think is still around (math dept) is a good person with tons of integrity who cared a lot about me as an undergrad, and was very devoted to teaching undergrads in an accessible way. Mike artin (algebra Prof) is a fabulous lecturer and human being too --he's emeritus but hangs around campus a ton. Two of the few bright spots of my depressing years at the institute.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com