The bezel of the 2019 Brass Rat features MIT's mascot, the beaver,
sitting on the Harvard Bridge between Boston and Cambridge. In the
beaver's hand, we have the the stages of our time at MIT: our
silver acceptance tube for the day we get in, the MIT sticker for
our four years here, and the diploma for the day we graduate. Tim
wears a Brass Rat with his hand halfway down the tube to mark the
halfway point of our MIT career when we get our own Brass Rats.
The beaver's ear is in the shape of a '19' for our class year, and
the inside of the beaver's tail displays a '152,' as we are the
152nd graduating class of MIT. The 26.2 Smoot on the bridge
represents Marathon Monday, one of Boston's most celebrated days
and a staple holiday throughout our time at MIT. The railing of
the Harvard Bridge is a blend of DNA and circuitry units, a symbol
of the growing presence of biotech in Kendall Square.
In Boston, the quintessential brownstones and Hatch shell lie
along the Charles. Above, the the Prudential Center displays the
early decision super Pi date '3/14/15 9:26.' The Citgo Sign, made
a historic landmark our freshman year, holds our unofficial motto
'IHTFP' instead of the usual 'CITGO.' The seats of Fenway Park
form a 'P' and 'T' for the MIT dichotomy in work ethic: punt and
tool. Above, a lightstand displays the number '34' as homage to
David Ortiz, a Boston icon, who retired our sophomore year from
the Boston Red Sox. Wrapping around Fenway, a rocket launches into
the sky, representing the momentous SpaceX landing of the Falcon 9
our freshman year, as well as representing the 50th anniversary of
the Apollo 11 landing that will occur our senior year. In the
rocket smoke's wake, eight ivy leaves are left in the dust, and in
the Charles, a pinecone drowns.
Moving across our bezel, depicted is the recently repaired
Longfellow bridge with salt and pepper shakers as the towers, in
honor of its nickname - "The Salt and Pepper Bridge." Within the
river, a rippled wave runs down, representing the discovery of
gravitational waves by the LIGO group of MIT and Caltech our
freshman spring. The two sail boats docking at the MIT Sailing
Pavilion form a '1916' with their sails. This embodies the move
from Boston to Cambridge 100 years ago, celebrated our freshman
spring with the momentous "Moving Day."
On the Cambridge skyline, tents are featured in front of Kresge
Auditorium in honor of the Moving Day parties and the enormous
tents that frequent Kresge Lawn. The fireworks exploding in the
evening sky above the Great Dome are a reminder of the extravagant
display that ended the Moving Day pageant. An 'XIX' replaces the
'MCMXVI' on the Great Dome to signify our class year. Next to the
dome, a group of hackers can be found on the roof of Walker
Memorial, a frequent hacking destination for beautiful Boston
views. The early decision release time, '12/13/14 15:16,' on the
Green Building mirrors the regular decision time on the
Prudential. Additionally, BB-8, the Star Wars droid, replaces the
weather balloon on the top of the Green Building to pay tribute to
the first installment of the new Star Wars trilogy. The Cambridge
skyline also features many familiar sights, such as the Stata
Center, a group of tourists with a selfie stick, and the Media
Lab. The night sky, the remainder of the bezel, embodies the many
late nights of psets and (un)forgettable memories that we have
shared at the Institute.
See the Class Shank