The GradRat design follows the traditional guidelines of the classic MIT Brass Rat: a prominent beaver in the bezel (top), a shank (one side) that features the MIT seal, and a shank (the other side) with the MIT dome. But it also features many hidden images that represent the Graduate experience at MIT. This section presents all the design features of the GradRat.
The GradRat features three main parts:
Timothy (Tim) F. Flynn is the Balfour artist who helped design the GradRat using the committee members input.
Bonnie Glendinning, based at the Austin office of Balfour, is the graphic designer who created the image of the GradRat logos.
The bezel is the top of the ring, the main identifying feature of the classic MIT Brass Rat, and a major element of the GradRat. The bezel features the MIT mascot, the beaver, like every other Brass Rat. The beaver is surounded by a myriad of symbols that represent our graduate experience at MIT.
The GradRat design team chose a left viewing beaver like the original 1930 Brass Rat does. The beaver's posture was chosen to show a strong nature, while maintaining a friendly attitude.
The GradRat features several elements that have come to be expected in a Brass Rat of the 21st Century: the skylines of Boston and MIT, and the map of MIT on the inside of the ring.
Until you graduate, you wear the GradRat with the Boston Skyline facing you just as you continuously look at the Boston skyline while at MIT. The GradRat features the major elements of the skyline, including the Prudential, the old and new Hancock towers, downtown Boston, and the Citgo sign. The image also features the Harvard bridge and the Longfellow bridge (including the salt & pepper shakers). A sail boat finishes the details of this image.
At graduation, you turn the GradRat around so the MIT skyline faces you as you look back at your years at MIT. The skyline features those buildings that are an important part of Graduate life: the old Ashdown House, the oldest graduate dorm, the main campus including the domes of Lobby 7 and Lobby 10, the pyramids of Bldgs 1 and 2, the Green Building, and the Media Lab (including its special shape that spells MIT).
The map inside the ring features the largest ever engraved in a Brass Rat. This map makes an effort to encompass every academic building of MIT where Graduate students spend their time. Next to the map your full name (up to 18 letters,spaces and/or numbers) can be engraved.
The seal shank follows the classical design of the Brass Rat; it carries the official MIT Seal and puts the Institute in the GradRat.
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Mens et Manus |
The Department Shank is what makes the GradRat the GradRat, it sets it apart from any other Brass Rat. This shank maintains basic elements from the Brass Rat, but brings in customizations that are unique to the Graduate Student. Killian Court in the center of shank features an icon of the owner's department.
The department shank is crowned by the letters of your MIT degree. Choose from all the official MIT degrees granted by MIT.
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The dome of Building 10 is a renowned icon of MIT, and it is featured in the GradRat department side.
Your graduation year will be engraved into the scroll at the foot of the shank. This can be replaced with MCMXVI, the year that MIT moved to Cambridge and which is actually engraved on Building 10.
| Course 1 - Civil and Environmental Engineering This icons features a bridge (civil engineering) over a river (environmental engineering) to bring the two aspects of the course together. |
| Course 2 - Mechanical Engineering The GradRat for Mechanical Engineers features a gear and a hex nut, two items that boldly represent the tools and results of working in that major. |
| Course 3 - Materials Science and Engineering A BBC structure (Body Centered Cubic Unit Cell) represents the depth of the work done with materials in Course 3. |
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Course 4 - Architecture |
| Course 5 - Chemistry The periodic table backs a beaker where Boron, the fifth element of the table, is darkened. |
| Course 6 - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science The 0 and 1 on top represent Computer Science, and the lightning bolt and XOR gate Electrical Engineering. Also, the bolt is meant to resemble a 1 and the gate a 0, so that the four symbols together give 0110 -- 6 in binary, for the course number. The line separating the top and bottom halves is both a sine wave (EE) and a tilde (CS). |
| Course 7 - Biology The DNA double-helix represents biology majors. |
| Course 8 - Physics There are many icons that could represent physicists; with substantial help from Course 8 students, we found one that is still obviously physics, but by its complexity represent the uniqueness of MIT students too: a feynman diagram depicting an intermediate stage (graduate school). |
| Course 9 - Brain & Cognitive Sciences In addition to symbolizing the goal of understanding the workings of the brain and the mind, the icon is of Brain & "Cog". |
| Course 10 - Chemical Engineering Chemistry is depicted by the beaker and egineering by the cog. |
| Course 11 - Urban Studies & Planning DUSP students emphasized the importance to their program of the human elements of people and collaborative planning. The picture in the background is of a city skyline. |
| Course 12 - Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences EAPS students study the Earth, and their feedback said they wanted the Earth in their icon, so the Earth it is. |
| Course 13 - Ocean Engineering Inside a cog, which represents engineering, is the ocean shoreline and a star fish which lives within. |
| Course 14 - Economics Economics is about understanding numbers and representing them, usually in a graph. This graph shows a positive outcome after being at MIT! |
| Course 15 - Sloan School of Management The Sloan Senate and Sloan students worked together to decide on the icon that would represent them --- they chose that icon which alreay says "Sloan" across the world: the iconized MIT Killian Court facade which is part of all Sloan gear. |
| Course 16 - Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering An Apollo 11 command module, whose guidance system was designed at MIT, represents the Astro students; a supersonic airplane, whose propulsion system was developed mostly at MIT, represents the Aero students. A circle in the background represents the Earth, from which the Apollo module is departing and inside which the supersonic plane is flying. |
| Course 17 - Political Science Design refers to the Roman Republic. |
| Course 18 - Mathematics The simpliicity of this symbol is both elegant and full of meaning: it denotes the ring of integers, uniquely appropriate both for math and for the ring. |
| Biological Engineering Program (BE) The DNA double helix represents biology; the cog brings in the engineering. |
| Course 21 - Humanities MIT Humanities encompass a large range of studies: music and theater arts, literature, writing, anthropology, and foreign languages. We put as many symbols as possible into this icon to put together the many parts that make up a Course 21 student. |
| Course 22 - Nuclear Engineering There are many icons that denote nuclear engineering, so we asked the students in the Nuclear Engineering department to chose one icon to represent them. |
| Course 24 - Linguistics & Philosophy Linguistics is clearly shown by the sound waves comming off the silhouette of a human face. Philosophy asks and tries to answer many questions, mostly about the human being; a subtle question mark in the icon represents philosophy. |
| Computation for Design and Optimization (CDO) The curriculum design choice for MIT graduate program, Computation for Design and Optimization (CDO). |
| Comparative Media Studies Program (CMS) CMS students work with a lot of media - in our times media is quickly identified as writing or video, so we put together both into one icon. |
| Center for Real Estate Program (CRE) The CRE icon displays the Hancock Tower, a world famous Boston landmark, against the city skyline in reflection of the legacy that real estate developers leave for their communities as a result of their professional ambitions. |
| Engineering Systems Division (ESD) Systems bring together different complex entities (the two different cogs) and makes them work together as part of one system. |
| Division of Health, Science and Technology (HST) The snakes in a cross spiral are classic symbols of medicine; but in this case they go around a test tube, rather than a cross, to represent the science and technology aspect. |
| Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) LGO already has a logo that represents them, it is used here. |
| Media Arts and Sciences Program (MAS) If you need this one explained, you're not a MAS student. Take a look inside their building, or at their business cards. |
| Masters of Engineering in Logistics (MLOG) The existing logo of the MLOG program was a perfect choice for the MLOG icon. |
| Naval Engineering Students from the Naval Engeineering program chose this propeller as their icon. |
| Operations Research Center Members of the Operations Research Center requested and approved this icon. |
| System Design and Management Program (SDM) SDM already has a logo that represents them, it is used here. |
| Sloan Fellows
Members of the Sloan Fellows groups requested and approved this icon. |
| Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) The star above STS symbolizes the union of Science (the rounded element), Technology (the pointy start), and Society (the union). |
| The Technology and Policy Program (TPP) TPP requested that we use their own logo, shown here. |
| WHOI Oceanographic Institute This image is an iconic representation of the sailboat used in the official WHOI logo. |
