An air of uncertainty descended on MIT’s campus in early March. Whispers and rumors about campus closing down swirled in the hallways. Students convened en masse on Killian Court to dance, hug, and cry as they were told they had until the end of the week to vacate campus. Within days, the Infinite Corridor’s usual stream of activity and noise was silenced. While MIT’s dorms and classrooms became unnervingly quiet, there was a thrum of activity among faculty and researchers. Research teams across the Institute quickly swung into action, hatching…
