Colleges Against Cancer at MIT participates in several cancer-fighting projects on campus and all around Boston. We encourage our members to get involved in the fight against cancer in as many ways as possible, and so we’ve put together this list of projects as a comprehensive resource for those interested.
If you would like to see your project on this page, please email cac-exec@mit.edu.
Relay For Life of All-University
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s biggest fundraiser of the year. It’s a great way to involve entire communities in the fight against this disease. Relay aims to Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, to Remember loved ones lost to the disease, and to Fight Back against it through research and treatment.
This year’s Relay will take place at Harvard University in April 2010.
Get involved: Email cac-exec@mit.edu if you’d like to start a team or help with planning.
Learn more: Visit our Relay For Life information page.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk
The annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. This year’s 5.7-mile walk will take place on Sunday October 4th along the Charles River Esplanade.
MIT CAC organizes a team each year to participate in the walk. We set up various fundraisers, design t-shirts, and have a great time together. This walk is one of our first major events of the school year and is always a great time for a great cause.
Get involved: Email cac-exec@mit.edu if you’d like to join the team or help with planning.
MGH Shadowing program
MIT CAC and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center have teamed up to organize a physician shadow program for MIT students interested in the field of medicine.
Students apply at the end of the first semester, and if they are selected to participate, they will be paired up with a physician at the Cancer Center. It is up to the student to contact this physician and set up a mutually convenient day for the student to observe the physician during his or her clinic hours.
Get involved: If you are interested in participating in this program please contact Vidya Eswaran.
Camp Kesem
Camp Kesem, another student group at MIT, is a week long camp run entirely by MIT students for children whose parents have or have had cancer. This camp allows these children to be kids again and leave their troubles behind and allows college students to channel their passion for making a difference while building leadership skills.
Get involved: Students interested in Camp Kesem can help out in many ways, including volunteering at one of their fundraisers or applying to be a camp counselor over the summer. If you would like more information about Camp Kesem, please visit their website.
The Great American Smokeout
The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout is held every October with the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of smoking and encouraging smokers to quit.
In line with the spirit of our school, MIT CAC teamed up with MIT Medical to give our Great American Smokeout festivities an ‘engineering’ twist. Participants in the Kick-BUTT competition must create “a deliberately over-engineered mechanical apparatus that performs the simple task of extinguishing a cigarette in an extremely indirect and convoluted fashion”. The winning team is awarded a cash prize for their efforts.
In addition to this competition, MIT CAC passes out Quit Kits and awareness materials for individuals who are interested in learning more about quitting smoking.
The Jimmy Fund walk
Started in 1989, the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk gives participants the opportunity to follow the course of the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon in honor or memory of friends, family, co-workers, and patients facing all forms of cancer.
The Jimmy Fund is part of the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute, a Boston-based clinic that focuses on cancer research. Since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has worked to treat and cure childhood cancers, raising over $500 million dollars for childhood cancer research as of 2006. The Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund are an integral part of the Boston community and have close ties with organizations like the Red Sox.
Get involved: Join team MIT at www.jimmyfundwalk.org/mit
MIT CAC Lecture Series
The MIT CAC Lecture Series began with a bang last semester. At our inaugural event we were honored to present the noted cancer researcher and MIT professor, Robert Weinberg, who gave an excellent talk about the basic science behind current cancer research. The lecture drew an audience of over 100 people.
We hope to continue the success of the lecture series into the new academic year. Stay tuned to news about upcoming lectures—sign up for the fightcancer mailing list to ensure you don’t miss out!