MIT SHASS

The SHASS Challenge

Challenge Format

On March 14, the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) is hoping that our alumni and friends will answer the call to support our students, faculty, and staff.   

If 175 donors give to SHASS, Nancy Lukitsh ’78 will give $20,000. If 350 donors make a gift, a generous benefactor will give an additional gift of $20,000, a total of $40,000 for SHASS. 

School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences 

About the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) 

The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) at MIT empowers young students, thinkers, and citizens with a range of competencies needed for success in every endeavor. Home to highly rated disciplines ranging from political science to linguistics to history and literature, SHASS contributes to the Institute’s research agenda and teaches 100 percent of MIT undergraduate students.   

Each of the three disciplinary areas of SHASS―humanities, performing arts, and social sciences―is incredibly important to the life of the Institute, and has significant impact on the world beyond campus. Below, please find ways you can help ensure the continued strength and success of SHASS:    

ECONOMICS FACULTY RESEARCH FUND  

Economic science is the key to answering fundamental questions, providing pragmatic policy advice, and exploring the world in profound ways. Researchers in MIT Economics are leveraging massive quantities of big data to study natural experiments happening in real time. They are bringing a bold new perspective to a wide range of issues and research areas: from poverty and climate change to health care and globalization. It is crucial for the department to secure the resources that will allow it to invest in this innovative research in order to effectively address these challenges―and to continue to build upon its legacy as one of the world’s premier economics departments.   

- MIT Economics Faculty Research Fund #3965300   

MUSIC AND THEATER ARTS  

In a typical year, more than 2,100 students enroll in Music and Theater Arts courses, making the section one of the top five highest enrolled for undergraduates. Long recognized as a fundamental component of an MIT education, the performing arts are poised for even greater impact as they capitalize on the new programming made possible by the new, dedicated buildings on campus. As always, Music and Theater Arts will continue to serve conservatory-level students as well as those just discovering the power of the arts. 

- Friends of Music at MIT Fund #2415000  

- Friends of Theater Arts Fund #2444000  

DIGITAL HUMANITIES LAB  

The Digital Humanities Lab (DH Lab) provides an opportunity for MIT undergraduates to gain hands-on research experience at the intersection of humanistic and STEM fields. Working closely with faculty mentors, students apply their programming and computing skills to cutting-edge topics in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Since its founding in 2019, the DH Lab has launched over 20 diverse projects in collaboration with a dozen different disciplines, with students exploring efforts such as how to create music out of multidisciplinary data, analyze gender across thousands of novels, and navigate vast archives of historical photographs through machine learning. With approximately 25 participating students each semester, the lab is now the largest Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) host on campus. 

- Digital Humanities Fund #3854610