Dear Octet,

Welcome to the 2024-25 academic year! It feels great to be starting another year with you. The Octet team and I are thrilled to share the latest goings on at MIT along with a few updates from the summer.

Thanks to our Lord's goodness, the Octet team continues to grow in number and in confidence for the things God will do on campus through His people. This year, we will continue to pursue Sabbath rest even as work pressures mount and explore a fuller understanding of what it means to be human in the face of artificial intelligence and other technological innovations.

May this newsletter bring you encouragement as you read the monthly essay, introduction to our newest team member, the activities of our campus faith partners, and news from near and far. 

With joy and peace,

Mia Chung-Yee

Executive Director

• What does it mean to be human? asks Nathan Barczi, Octet Collaborative Associate Director and Senior Theologian. Read this new essay on Octet's website!
• Mia Chung-Yee gave a Beethoven-themed plenary session for the Consortium of Christian Study Centers! (Keep scrolling to learn more. You'll want to stop and listen to the music.)
• We have a new team member! Watch a short video introducing Amy Crouch, our new Operations Lead.
• ...and more updates about Octet's fall plans.

What does it mean to be human?

by Nathan Barczi, Associate Director & Senior Theologian

Nathan Barczi actually enjoys doing ministry in Cambridge, MA. Why? He writes in this essay about the question that keeps coming up over his twenty years: what does it mean to be human?

This question might have seemed theoretical a century ago, but it's utterly practical today. Our embodied selves are clashing with the digital world. We're creating tools that make us ask the difference between artificial and natural intelligence.

To learn more about the ancient & modern approaches to these deep questions, read Nathan's essay below.

(It's just the start: Octet is spending the whole 2024–25 academic year exploring this crucial idea.)

2024 Fall Diálogos:

Kavin Rowe & Special Guest

We've been hard at work programming our 2024–25 Diálogos offerings.

This fall, we'll host one Diálogos conversation on the role & work of the university, featuring C. Kavin Rowe, professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity, in conversation with another special guest! We look forward to welcoming him to MIT. (Note: Due to capacity limits, this event will be by invitation only.)

We're also planning exciting conversations for the spring of 2025 — look forward to hearing from Praveen Sethupathy, Cornell University geneticist, and from David Robinson, policy head at OpenAI.



Professor C. Kavin Rowe.

Read his book Christianity's Surprise! to be reminded of the earthshaking nature of Christian belief.

Professor Praveen Sethupathy.

Hear him consider at the Veritas Forum, "Why can biology be so cruel?"

David Robinson of OpenAI.

Read his book Voices in the Code to consider the moral ramifications of algorithmic design.

A national event with our peer organizations:

Our very own Mia Chung-Yee and Nathan Barczi presented at the Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers! You can hear Mia speak with CCSC's Executive Director here.

Mia also gave the plenary address—giving a talk on "Individuality Redefining Tradition" through the lens of Beethoven's extraordinary Waldstein piano sonata! Take a moment to listen to Richard Goode performing the Waldstein. (Or, if you want video, watch Claudio Arrau.)

It's well worth it to bask in the awe of this music.

Plus, Nathan Barczi collaborated with Hannah Eagleson to give a talk on how Christians can engage with AI!

And our campus events:

P. S. Want to join us? Text JOIN to (833) 459-3187 to receive details by text.

We're delighted to welcome Amy Crouch to our team as Operations Lead! She'll be working behind the scenes to bring Octet's big ideas to life. Amy joins us from work in hospitality and the arts at Laity Lodge. Get to know her by listening to this conversation Amy shared with Nathan Barczi.

• Are you in the Boston area? Friend of Octet Rosalind Picard will be speaking at FaithTech Boston's fall kickoff this Wednesday (9/29). Stop by Sattler College to meet, learn, and build with other Christians in tech.
• MIT grad student Emilie Eldracher competed on the US Paralympic mixed-four rowing team — which just brought home a silver medal!
• Friend of Octet Iwnetim Abate has received the Young Scientist Award from the International Society for Solid State Ionics. Congratulations, Tim!
• Karl Reid ‘84, SM ‘85 has been appointed Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, following the interim appointment of Prof. Dan Hastings (Octet faculty advisor). We are grateful for Karl’s leadership, particularly his promotion of civil discourse on MIT’s campus (including Octet’s own Diálogos series). Read here about Karl’s story and background.
• MIT's class of 2028 is the first admitted after the Supreme Court's decision in SFFA v. Harvard to ban the consideration of race in undergraduate admissions. Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill shares the changes in MIT demographics for this class and thoughts on the future of MIT.

Ministry News & Events

Here's your start-of-semester guide to ministry events:

• MIT's Grad Christian Fellowship meets for Large Group at 6:45pm on Fridays.
• MIT Cru meets for Large Group at 8pm on Tuesdays.
• RUF holds Dinner & Discussion every Wednesday at 7:30.
• And more! Check out United Christian Organization's guide to participating MIT ministries.