MIT Museum

Marking fifty years since the 1976 Cambridge recombinant DNA debate, this day-long program brings together historians, scientists, policymakers, journalists, and artists for a conversation about how societies identify, debate, and govern world-changing technologies. The symposium asks questions that remain deeply relevant today: who raises the alarm, how institutions respond, and how public trust is built and sustained over time.

The symposium is presented in conjunction with the new theatrical production No Recombination Without Representation, with performances taking place at Sullivan Chamber in Cambridge City Hall.
Lunch will be provided.

Existential Risk, Emerging Technology and Democracy:
The Cambridge Recombinant DNA Debate 50 Years On
📅June 12, 2026
⏰9:00 am to 4:15 pm
🎟️$10 for MIT affiliates and $20 for the general public

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

At the MIT Museum, we welcome students to participate in our unique culture of problem solving and playful creativity throughout their learning journeys and beyond.

We are celebrating graduates Teagan Sullivan Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, 2026, David DePalma Graduate Student in Physics, MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research both who shared their expertise with our community at the MIT Museum during their time on campus!

Wishing them and the many other recipients of the Brass Rats who will join together today to sing the School Song all the best!

With admission always free for the MIT Community – students, faculty, staff, alum with one guest, we can't wait to see you soon!

Split I Second takes visitors through the history of precision time measurement, offering a close-up look at the instruments developed to measure time as a part of our year-long exploration of TIME,

Housed in our Art + Science gallery, Split I Second features objects from our collection, combined with responses from the larger community draw from our TIME Open Call. The exhibition explores attempts to measure time using everything from sundials to quantum atomic clocks.

Learn more about the exhibition here: https://hubs.ly/Q04j33Hg0

Image: Anna Olivella

Ready for summer dreaming?

We welcome you to participate in a dream study exclusively available at the MIT Museum.

Join us for a 90 minute nap in Hotel Room #2: Communal Dreams, a collaboration by artist Carsten Höller, dream scientist Adam Haar and MIT Museum Studio Director Seth Riskin, the work makes the dream itself a site of artistic experience. Enjoy what VOGUE shared as the opportunity “for a few suspended moments, the line between wakefulness and dreaming blurs, reminding us that perception is pliable and that science, when dressed in light and sound, can feel like pure magic.”

Sign up using this form to book your availability and we will notify you once confirmed.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=utmvZM8Oz0q8NpNfYjW6i48SotPG6RZIi5bGLMm0s7RURUpJQlVYRUVNWVk4OFRLUEVZTDRQWEM3WC4u

Learn more about the Lighten Up! On Biology and Time exhibition along with our thematic focus on TIME. https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/exhibitions/lighten-up-on-biology-and-time

Dream study sessions will occur each Tuesday from 2:30 – 4:40pm.