Ever since, each class has appointed its own Ring Committee, which endeavors to craft a ring that will inspire us while we are here, unite us once we leave, and, above all else, unmistakably symbolize the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hidden within the Boston cityscape is a building representing a memristor, the final fundamental circuit element, which was developed during our freshman year. A Red Line train runs across the Longfellow Bridge with the Zakim Bridge in the distance. So started the Institute tradition of the Brass Rat, the affectionate nickname for the ring that has become a symbol of MIT as well as one of the most recognizable rings worldwide. Unlike any Brass Rat before, the beaver sits on the Harvard Bridge between Cambridge and Boston. With the debate settled and the ring finally designed, the Class of 1930 was the first to proudly wear a Brass Rat. Citing the fact that many other schools had buildings similar to our Great Dome, the committee ultimately decided to honor our hard-working and industrious mascot on the ring-and thus the Brass Rat was born. The committee agreed upon a three part construction, with a primary image on the bezel of the ring and two other images on the two shanks.Ĭontroversy quickly arose over whether to honor the Beaver or the Great Dome on the bezel some members of the committee even questioned MIT’s choice of the beaver as its mascot. Brigham Allen, then President of the Class of 1929, called upon one member of the classes of 1930, 1931, and 1932 and entrusted them with the task of designing a ring that the Institute Committee would ultimately approve as the Standard Technology Ring. MIT legend says that the ring is one of the most recognized rings in the world, facilitating alumni connections everywhere from job interviews to the supermarket.The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Brass Rat tradition was born in the spring of 1929. Upon graduation, the ring is flipped around so that the graduating year along with the MIT skyline is seen, showing that you have entered the real world, and have the perspective to look back at your time at MIT. A few of us tried getting a jeweler to make these when the first film came out and NO dice. While still an undergraduate, students wear the Brass Rat such that the MIT seal and motto and the Boston skyline is viewed, reminding you that you're still a student. Unfortunetly though, unless you go to M.I.T., the chances of getting it are going to be slim to none unless of course you are willing to pay a pretty penny on Ebay for an official Brass Rat ring. At Commencement, MIT students wait not to move their tassles from one side to the other, but rather for the moment when they flip the ring around. The Brass Rat is also a part of MIT graduation tradition. The year ends with a delivery event, where every sophomore finally receives the Brass Rat. In a typical year, 90% of all students will purchase the ring. The unveiling of the ring design is one of the most exciting moments of an MIT student's college years.įollowing the premiere, sophomores happily line up in MIT's Lobby 10 to view and purchase their very own Brass Rat. Since its debut in 1929, the MIT class ring affectionately nicknamed the Brass Rat for its featured mascot, the MIT beaver has become a distinctive symbol of the Institute, worn proudly by many of its 138,000 alumni. The class ring has three main sections: the bezel, containing MITs mascot, the beaver the MIT seal (seal shank) and the class year (class shank). In the spring term, the sophomores - brimming with curiosity - come together for a grand event: the Ring Premiere. Massachusetts Institute of Technologys class ring, often called the Brass Rat, is a commemorative ring for the graduating class of students at MIT.The ring is redesigned each year by a committee of MIT students. A student design committee incorporates secret icons and codes special to their class year. People with MIT connections always recognize it: Hey, you were MIT So was my wife/daughter/brother - let me introduce you And no one else does. The brass rat gets exactly the right reactions. However, each class's brass rat is unique in its design. My hand feels strange and weightless without it. Every Brass Rat includes elements standard to every ring: a beaver on the bezel, the MIT seal on one shank and the class year of graduation on the other shank.