Bezel

The 2017's beaver serves as the centerpiece of the bezel, while the Cambridge skyline takes up a majority of the landscape space, creating a Brass Rat unlike any before. Our beaver holds two items in its hands and has our unofficial motto, "IHTFP" hidden within its tail. In the beaver's right hand is a telescope, a finely engineered instrument often used to discover new things; a value that lies at the core of the MIT experience. This item transforms into a diploma, a representation of our promise to carry the MIT values with us long after graduation. In its left hand, a pocket watch can be found with its hands at 1:50, signifying the Class of 2017 is the 150th to graduate from MIT. The pocket watch also reminds us that MIT teaches us to manage our time wisely, as we are sure to run into trouble trying to balancing time with endeavors, as represented by the beaver splitting the use of its resourceful paws between the two items.

Our beaver sits upon a self-built dam. This represents the increasing importance of balancing nature with mankind and the changes that need to occur for there to be a healthy relationship between the two. It faces the vast world that lies ahead where the iconic Prudential Center, Citgo sign and Fenway Park can be seen in the Boston skyline. Cambridge is kept in its memories as it moves toward its future endeavors. Memories such as the dome (with columns in the shape of "MMXVII"), Kresge Auditorium (with football laces commemorating the Engineers undefeated regular football season), the Green Building (with a secret hack in the windows), and other features of MIT that have shaped our experience here.

A night sky and choppy river fill the remaining space of the bezel, representing how most of us complete our work here - late in the evening, with multiple challenges along the way. In the Charles River, waves spell out the words "PUNT" and "TOOL" to pay tribute to the special language we speak here. A Tech dinghy branded with a “17” may also be found in the river, reminding us of the resources we may take advantage of to have fun while at school.

Perched above the water in the beautiful night sky is a "supermoon" to remind us of the multiple lunar eclipses and astronomical events that have occurred, and will occur, during our time at MIT. Aimed for the moon is a shooting star with 13 points. Even though the course of our future is unknown, we should always aim unimaginably high, as represented by the star. Although 13 is said to be an unlucky number, we luckily entered MIT in 2013 and see the 13-point shooting star as the appropriate paradox that is MIT.

Class Shank

The class shank centers on the Great Dome with our class year, 2017, emblazoned above. The numerals atop the dome read MCMXVI, the year the Cambridge campus was founded. The five steps leading from Killian Court up to Building 10 represent the five schools of the Institute; architecture and planning, engineering, management, the humanities, arts, and social sciences, and science. One of the doors to Lobby 10 have been left open to remind us of the welcoming of open discourse at MIT.

Displayed between the pillars of the Great Dome are banners recreating the Ender's Game hack from freshmen year and a beanstalk commemorating a hack during Family Weekend our sophomore year. On the left side of the Dome is a security camera indicating the enhanced security measures that have been added during our time here. On the right is a beautiful origami crane that will remind us of our MIT family, which will never be forgotten and will always provide hope and support. Finally, hidden on the right side of the dome is one small, free Bitcoin for everyone in our class to keep forever.

Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom, courage and resilience (and the namesake of our operating system) stands strong in Killian Court. Atop her head is a laurel wreath, representing the creativity that will lead her to victory, something we will all be familiar with by the time we graduate. Carved into her shield is the nut-and-bolt insignia, overlapping to form the letters MIT. Hidden within that shield is the MakeMIT logo, a hackathon started our freshman year. Finally, behind Athena is the mythical three-headed guard dog, Cerberus. He guards the gates to what some of us like to affectionately call "hell". This creature provides protection and exemplifies strength.

Seal Shank

The side of the ring showing the MIT seal is sophisticated yet minimal, recognizable by admirers around the world. Engraved on this side of the ring is a nontraditional interpretation of the MIT seal: a craftswoman at the anvil, and a scholar with a book. These images reflect the modern face of MIT, while also personifying our motto, "Mens et Manus." Looking closely between them, one will notice that from the lamp, on the foundation of "The Science and the Arts," a flame burns bright with a 17.

Laurel and oak leaves elegantly frame the seal. These are symbols of strength and wisdom, two key qualities needed to succeed at MIT. A fierce owl, the symbol of Athena as well as of intelligence, rests at the bottom of the shank. An open book, embodying the freedom of knowledge at MIT, is formed over this brilliant owl's brow.

The Roman numerals CL are printed boldly on the pages of the book, announcing to the world we are the Institute's sesquicentennial class. Furthermore, these pages are open for us to fill with our own lessons and memories; every MIT experience is one-of-a-kind and the ending to each story has infinite possibilities.

Hacker's Map

The hacker's map represents both the hacking culture at MIT and the interconnectivity of the buildings on campus. Confusing to the outsider, the map is included to remind us of the convoluted paths we took to get to class on time and to best avoid the harsh weather. It includes all of the prominent fixtures of campus that are connected via tunnels or skywalks aboveground. This map, however, is missing building 12. The location of the future MIT.nano building, this area will remain inaccessible until after our graduation. This missing building will remind us of the construction during our time here, and the way we worked around it. 

May this map guide you during your time at MIT and forever remind you of the MIT campus.

Skylines

The Boston skyline is displayed during the day with silhouettes of the John Hancock Tower, 111 Huntington Avenue, the Prudential Tower, Back Bay brownstones and the familiar Citgo sign. A swimmer's figure cuts through the water to commemorate the Charles River being declared swimmable our freshman year. Engraved on the right is a crew shell to honor the 50th Head of the Charles Regatta and to remind us that the vitality of teamwork in crew is also ubiquitous at MIT.

The Cambridge skyline is depicted under a dark night sky to represent our various nightworks. The skyline includes several prominent buildings: Kresge Auditorium, the Maclaurin buildings, the Ray and Maria Stata Center, the Green Building, and the Media Lab. Also depicted is a roller coaster in the East Campus courtyard, which triumphantly returned during our sophomore year during orientation.