This will serve as a guide for how to plan Cluedumps during IAP.

First, we need to find people to give talks. For this, I recommend looking at past cluedumps and asking those speakers to come again since they already have the material for a lecture. Check out:

http://cluedumps.mit.edu/wiki/SIPB_Cluedump_Series and https://sipb.mit.edu/iap/

Finding people to give talks is definitely the hardest part, it may also be useful to look through dormspam and ask previous speakers that came to MIT to come and give their talk again! Also, don't be afraid to pester the alumni to give talks as well - they have a lot of expertise that people would love to hear about! On that note, don't be afraid to pester people in general. Persistence is key to getting a variety of speakers.


Once you find your speakers, I've found it helpful to keep a spreadsheet or doc with each lecture information for planning and budgeting purposes. There, you can put classroom reservations for everyone. Classroom reservations should be made on https://classrooms.mit.edu/classrooms/#/choose (make sure that you are a space reservation signatory on Engage!). Because Cluedumps span all of January, this event also needs to be registered on Atlas, which should be done at least two business weeks before the start of the first cluedump.


Next step is publicity - we want people to know that these lectures are happening! Get your speakers to write a short description and title for their lectures so people know what each is about. Here is an example dormspam that I used for the 2024 IAP Cluedumps:


Hello everyone and Happy New Year!


SIPB, MIT's student computing club will be hosting Cluedumps during IAP! SIPB Cluedumps are informal technical talks open to the entire MIT community. There will be snacks, boba, or pizza at each event!


Every Wednesday, from 6 - 7 pm in room 6-120 there will be a lecture, and a few other dates/locations. Please check out the list below and come to any event you think will be interesting. Once again, every lecture will have food!

Encryptions    Wed. Jan 10 6-7 pm in 6-120

  • Unlock the secrets of security! Join us for a quick lecture on RSA encryption and gain insights into how it protects your messages, transactions, and sensitive information online. This is meant to be fairly introductory, and there are no prerequisites!
  • Speaker: Inna Voloshchuk, innaavo@mit.edu


AI for Dummies    Wed. Jan 17 2-4 pm in 6-120

  • Do you believe computers will take over the world? Join us as we discuss roadmaps for various Machine Learning projects, dispel the myths associated with Artificial Intelligence, and discuss the ethics of Computational Intelligence. No previous coding experience is needed, and there are no prerequisites!
  • Speakers: Nathaniel Mogan, nmorgan@mit.edu; Madison Landry, almonds@mit.edu


How to Get a Website on mit.edu: An AFS Cluedump      Wed. Jan 17 6-7 pm in 6-120

  • Do you want to learn how to set up your own website with a .mit.edu? We will go through AFS and Athena in this cluedump. 
  • Speaker: Colin Clark, colclark@mit.edu


Fundamentals of Git     Tues. Jan 23 6-7 pm in 2-190

  • Perfect for beginners, come join SIPB as we discuss the fundamentals of git. From version control to branching to rebasing, learn how to use one of the most widespread and powerful tools for collaborative development.
  • Speaker: Pratyush Venkatakrishnan, psvenk@mit.edu


Web Authentication @ MIT      Wed. Jan 24 6-7 pm in 6-120

  • Are you a student creating MIT web services and struggling with authentication? In this Cluedump, we'll be covering the different authentication systems at MIT (Shibboleth, certificates, OIDC/Petrock) and give you the rundown on how you can incorporate them in your website.
  • Speakers: Huy Dai, huydai@mit.edu; Gabriel Rodriguez Castillo, rgabriel@mit.edu


An Engineer's Guide to American Football      Sat. Jan 27 2-3 pm in 2-190

  • You’ve heard of the Super Bowl, but what do you know about play action? Illegal use of hands? The jumbo package? This cluedump will provide a thorough look at the rules and tactics of football as played at the highest levels in the United States. Forget just watching large men collide – at top tiers, this game has deeper tactical planning and heavier minimaxing than any other team sport. You’ll come away not just ready to watch and discuss football but to think about it too. No prior football knowledge or skills necessary!

  • If the weather permits, we’ll also head outside and learn to throw, catch, and even kick a football. If you want to participate, closed-toed shoes are recommended.

  • Speaker: Benjamin Barenblat, bbaren@mit.edu


Web Game Challenge      Mon. Jan 29 7-8:30 pm in 6-120 & Thurs. Feb 1 7-8:30 pm in 2-190

  • You will be provided with a sample multiplayer game made with Phaser. We will go over how to use the framework and how the game was implemented. Then, you will have until Thursday to make a mod that expands the game and makes it your own. Emphasis on creativity and uniqueness. Winners will earn epic, invaluable prizes.
  • Speaker: Luis Turino, turino14@mit.edu


Sysadminning: Taking Care of Your Server        Wed. Jan 31 11-12:30pm in 2-190

  • Maintaining a server is kind of like taking care of a pet. Want to become a new pet server owner? Get hands-on with servers in our 90-minute workshop, perfect for beginners. You'll learn by doing, from setting up a server and buying or requesting a domain to sorting out SSL certs. We'll cover how DNS works, firewalls, VMs and VPSs, how SSH works, and things like that. We'll also go over some of your options for hardware or "the cloud", particularly if you're an MIT student, and discuss what you can even do with a server.
  • Speaker: Madison Landry, almonds@mit.edu


Intro to Linux and the Command Line       Wed. Jan 31 6-7 pm in 6-120

  • What really is Linux? and why is it special? Come listen in and learn why Linux is used by professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. We’ll demystify the command line by guiding you through core commands, while also speaking about open-source operating systems. 
  • Speaker: Gabriel Rodriguez Castillo, rgabriel@mit.edu



If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the lecture speakers or sipb@mit.edu! All of this information is also available at sipb.mit.edu/iap/.

bcc'ed to dorms, fuzzball-black for bc-talk

check out https://sites.mit.edu/how-to-dormspam/send/ for more information about how to dormspam. Make sure to bump this email the day of each event to remind people!


Because of the current situation with dormspam, it may also be helpful to put up posters about each event! here is the template that was (going to be) used last year:

Information on how to properly poster can be found here - https://asa.mit.edu/advertisingpublicity/public-advertising-space - recruit some SIPB members to help distribute the flyers! As a student organization, we also have space to display information on the monitors in the infinite. If you have the time to get that together, information on how to do that can be found here: https://copytech.mit.edu/infinite-display-digital-signage.


We try to entice new people to come to the talks through food! If its around dinner time, we usually get a few large pizzas. Make sure to include vegetarian and perhaps gluten-free/vegan options for people. If it's during the day, I would recommend perhaps having boba at the event. I have never done it, but I think this link is helpful for that: https://www.teadocafe.com/bulk-order-catering. I would get enough food for around 20 people each time, maybe less.


During each event, it would also be nice if the speaker could talk a little bit about SIPB in the beginning so that people know who we are! It can be a very quick blurb about what we do and where you can find us. Also, having a sign in form for people to fill out before/after the event is helpful! You'll want to take in their kerb, what cluedump they are attending, and what information they would like to be emailed out (i.e., nothing, the slides from the cluedump, the slides and future sipb events, etc).



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