MIT Disobedience Award

The MIT Disobedience Award, given by the MIT Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a $250,000 cash-prize award that recognized and honored the efforts of an individual or an organization whose ethical disobedience of authority resulted in a positive social impact.[1] The award was active from May 2017 to September 2019,[2] when it was cancelled after connections between the Media Lab and Jeffrey Epstein became public.[3]

The physical award was a glass orb, fabricated by MIT Media Lab professor Neri Oxman.[4]

The Disobedience Award was an international award, and individuals and organizations from all disciplines and specialties, including science, medicine, human rights, politics, law, journalism, and technology, were eligible for nomination.[5]

History

The Disobedience Award was created by former director of the MIT Media Lab Joi Ito and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman in July 2016.[6] In July 2017, the Media Lab presented the Disobedience Award to recipients Marc Edwards and Mona Hanna-Attisha to honor their efforts in exposing high levels of lead in the water supply of Flint, Michigan during the Flint Water Crisis.[7][8][9] In 2018, the annual award was presented to the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, and to BethAnn McLaughlin and Sherry Marts;[10][11] who were recognized for activism in the #MeToo movement and the #MeTooSTEM movement, and for efforts in combating sexual harassment and misconduct in science and in academia.[12][13]

In September 2019, one of the awards' jurors Anand Giridharadas resigned after news came out involving Ito's associations with Jeffrey Epstein.[14][15] MIT gave orbs similar to the glass orb that was part of the prize to both Epstein and Hoffman.[4]

Recipients
Year Name Affiliation
2017 Mona Hanna-Attisha and Marc Edwards[5] Hurley Medical Center's Pediatric Residency Program and Charles Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering
2018 Tarana Burke, BethAnn McLaughlin, and Sherry Marts[16] #MeToo and #MeTooSTEM Movements

References
  1. Wadman, Meredith (2018-11-27). "Scientists share MIT 'disobedience' award for #MeToo advocacy". Science | AAAS. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  2. "Disobedience Award". MIT Media Lab. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-08-11. Disobedience Award was active from May 2017 to September 2019.
  3. Hsu, Tiffany; Tracy, Marc; Griffith, Erin (2019-09-05). "Jeffrey Epstein's Donations Create a Schism at M.I.T.'s Revered Media Lab". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-08-11. Mr. Epstein's contributions have already disrupted the lab's work. It will not hand out this year's Disobedience Award — a $250,000 prize that has recognized #MeToo activists and others "challenging the norms, rules or laws that sustain society's injustices" — as Mr. Ito focuses on "healing the Media Lab community," according to an email he sent that was reviewed by The Times.
  4. Salmon, Felix (2019-09-12). "Exclusive: Reid Hoffman apologizes for role in Epstein-linked donations to MIT". Axios. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  5. "Disobedience Award 2017: winners and finalists". MIT Media Lab. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  6. Tousignant, Lauren (2017-03-15). "MIT announces $250,000 reward for 'disobedience'". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  7. Korth, Robby (20 July 2017). "Tech's Flint water professor wins MIT disobedience award, plans to give away prize money". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  8. "2016 Michigan State of the State Transcript" (PDF). State of Michigan. 19 January 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2019.
  9. Egan, Paul; Gray, Kathleen (19 January 2016). "Snyder apologizes for Flint crisis, to release e-mails". Detroit Free Press.
  10. "Women in science take on sexual harassment". www.asbmb.org. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  11. "Tarana Burke, BethAnn McLaughlin, and Sherry Marts win 2018 Media Lab Disobedience Award". MIT News. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  12. "MIT and LinkedIn co-founder award MeToo leaders". Insider. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  13. "MIT Media Lab Disobedience Award, 2018". MIT Black History. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  14. Siemaszko, Corky (2019-09-06). "MIT Media Lab hit with Twitter tirade by writer upset over Epstein ties". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  15. Rogers, Taylor Nicole (2019-09-08). "LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman defended a former MIT official who accepted donations from Jeffrey Epstein". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  16. "#MeToo Leaders To Get MIT Disobedience Award". CBS Boston. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
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