Ring Design
The Bezel
Following the tradition of all previous Grad Rat and Brass Rat rings, a beaver stands front and center on the bezel. As MIT’s enduring mascot, the beaver represents nature’s engineer and is a symbol of resilience, determination, and adaptability – characteristics embodied by the MIT graduate community. In its paws, the beaver holds a graduate degree while wearing its own Grad Rat ring. The beaver is pictured facing Boston while gazing fondly back at MIT, representing the many graduates embarking on their journeys into the real world, while carrying the knowledge and lessons learned at MIT with them.
On the left bank of the Charles River, we see MIT’s campus. The Great Dome, a symbol of the institute’s commitment to excellence, stands tall overlooking the river. To the right of the Dome is Walker Memorial, home to the Muddy Charles Pub – a safe haven for graduate students to come together to relax, recharge, and celebrate their accomplishments over a few well-deserved beers.
Also featured on the left side of the ring are some of MIT’s most recognizable buildings – the Lisa T. Su Building, the Green Building, and the Stata Center – symbolizing the Institute’s dedication to innovation and pushing the boundaries of science and technology. Beyond campus, the Longfellow Bridge connects Cambridge to Boston, where we have several prominent features on the Boston skyline shown, including the Prudential Tower, 111 Huntington Avenue, and the famous Citgo sign. An MIT Tech Dinghy sails along the Charles River, representing both MIT’s history of naval design and a favorite pastime of many graduate students at MIT. Many other hidden symbols and easter eggs unique to MIT and its culture are also featured throughout the bezel – we encourage you to try and find them all! The Grad Rat you see here today is a modern rendition of a nearly 100-year-old MIT class ring tradition passed down through many generations of students and alumni.
Degree Shank
The Degree Shank features a modern portrayal of the traditional MIT seal, with its two figures, the scholar and the blacksmith, representing “mind and hand” or mens et manus. This motto reflects MIT’s longstanding mission of combining theory and practice, while the reimagined figures represent the modern-day diversity of MIT’s graduate student body. To the left of the seal, an owl feather represents Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom – and the name of MIT’s distributed computing system. To the right is a banana leaf, representing MIT’s banana lounge – a welcoming sanctuary frequented by many of MIT’s hardworking and hungry graduate students. The lamp’s flame burns in the shape of a “G” to distinguish the ring’s creation by graduate students, for graduate students. Finally, the base of the shank features the degree letters, which you can personalize with your own graduate degree.
Year Shank
The Year Shank features Atlas, an embodiment of MIT’s graduate students as we carry the weight of the institution and the world, while also serving as a reference to MIT’s online portal. The globe represents MIT’s diverse and global community of graduate student innovators and leaders, while a star marks our home here in Cambridge. Behind this we see the iconic Great Dome and Killian court lined by its historic oak trees. This site marks both the beginning and end of many students’ journeys at MIT, as it hosts many of MIT’s orientation events and graduation ceremonies. Finally, Atlas is shown crossing a finish line, representing the completion of the rigorous journey we’ve taken at MIT and the momentous occasion of finally receiving our degrees.
For PhD students, we recognize that you might not know your graduation year when you first come to MIT and order your ring. Therefore, for the first time ever, you will have the option to leave your graduation year blank on the finish line. At graduation, you will be able to send your ring to Herff Jones to have your graduation year engraved, free of cost
Skylines
The Cambridge Skyline is depicted in the nighttime, representing the many late nights that graduate students spend working on campus. The skyline features many iconic MIT buildings, including the Great Dome, Lobby 7, Kresge Auditorium, the Alchemist statue, Stata Center, Walker Memorial, and the Green Building.
During graduation, students are asked to flip the ring around so that the Cambridge Skyline faces them. This represents the view of Cambridge from Boston and serves as a reminder for us to look back fondly on our time at MIT after we graduate and go out into the world.
The Boston Skyline is depicted in the daytime showing the spectacular view graduate students see while working in their offices and labs, or sailing on the Charles. The skyline features recognizable buildings and structures such as the Citgo sign, Zakim Bridge, Hancock and Prudential towers, and Fenway Park.
Graduate students typically order a ring during their first year and wear it throughout their time at MIT. During your time at MIT, the ring is worn with the Boston skyline facing the student – symbolizing the bright future that awaits us!
The MIT Campus is engraved on the underside of the bezel. We included as many of the MIT buildings as possible to be inclusive of the diverse graduate student community spread far and wide across campus. See if you can spot your dorm or your lab on the map!