Here is a 3D model of the 2014 Brass Rat and all of its details. Feel free to click and rotate the ring to get another look at the Brass Rat. You can also zoom in and out either by using a mouse scroll button or by right clicking while scrolling on a mousepad. If it doesn't load, please close all of your internet windows and try again. On occassion, the hosting website is down, so if it still doesn't work, we sincerely apologize.

With a handsome body and fiercely intelligent eyes, the 2014 Beaver serves as the centerpiece of our Bezel while standing as a symbol of wisdom and inspiration. Maintaining tradition, our Beaver’s tail flips upward to represent a positive outlook for the future. Hidden within its tail is our unofficial motto, “IHTFP,” and hidden within these letters is a “14”, one of fourteen “14’s” represented on our Brass Rat. Our Beaver holds two items in his hands — the first is a compass. The compass guides us Northward toward MIT, reminding us that no matter how far we go, we must remember our starting point at the Institute. Inscribed on the lid of the compass is a symbol that reads out as “2014”. In our Beaver’s right hand is a candle with a screw protruding from the bottom. The flame represents knowledge and intelligence; it also forms a “C” to commemorate the 100th birthday of our Beaver mascot that will occur in 2014 and to honor the recent passing of Dennis Ritchie, the inventor of C programming. The screw embodies both our commitment to a hands-on learning style and the way many students feel on a weekly basis. Together, the screw and the bright flame represent our official motto, Mens et manus.

Sitting on eight Ivy leaves to confirm MIT’s academic dominance, our Beaver builds the Mass Ave Bridge using the sticks from his dam. Like us, he builds outward from MIT, using the materials provided to him to expand to the rest of the world. The Roman numerals “XIV” appear amongst these sticks, and the 214th Smoot can be seen on the bridge, with a small zero added to make a “2014” as it appears on the actual bridge.

The backdrop of our bezel features fourteen buildings in a perspective of Boston and Cambridge that has not appeared in any previous Brass Rat, with the MIT campus comprising two-thirds of the background and Boston occupying the rest. On display in the Charles River is the MIT float from the FAST light show. Appearing at the top of the Green Building is an apple to commemorate the passing of Steve Jobs. Above the Longfellow Bridge is the moon, depicted in the same phase that it will be on the night of our graduation in June 2014. In the Boston skyline, one of the building’s spires has been transformed into a champagne saucer, as our class was the last to have Professor Sadoway teach 3.091. Finally, a cue stick can be seen in the Hancock Tower, a tribute to the first hack many of us saw at MIT, the upside-down lounge that occurred during our CPW.

An imposing and realistic view of the Big Dome adorns the Class Shank of our Brass Rat. Fourteen crown molding marks wrap around the Dome, while the numerals MCMXVI have been replaced by E≈mc2 to commemorate the claim that the neutrino had broken the speed of light. Snow covers the building, symbolic of the snow day during our freshman IAP, the first at MIT in recent history. Spiraling around the outside columns are a strand of DNA and a string of binary to represent the recent merger of Courses 6 and 7 to form the new Computer Science and Molecular Biology major. The DNA strand on the left forms a 6 and a 7, while the strand on the right reads “14” in binary. The goddess Athena valiantly stands in Killian Court as her dress billows in the wind, symbolic of the motivated and dynamic nature of MIT students. The feathers on the spear that Athena grasps make a “14”, and the goddess displays the right hand rule as she holds her weapon. In her other hand is a shield that reads MIT in the manner of the old nuts and bolts logo. Punt and Tool, MIT’s words for play and work, can be seen in the veins of the laurel wreath that surrounds Athena. Behind the Dome is a patchwork of symbols, much like those found on the Alchemist statue outside the student center. A 59 can be seen on the left side celebrating the number of countries represented in our diverse class; the pi symbol to the right recalls the day many learned of our admission to MIT. Finally, an awareness ribbon to the right recognizes the first Relay for Life at MIT.

Our Seal Shank maintains a bold and classic appearance. A vivid positive relief of the letters “MIT” sits atop our university’s traditional seal. Adopted in 1863, this seal depicts a worker and a scholar, demonstrating the unification of the two worlds at MIT. Looking closely, one will notice that the flames from the lamp on the seal form a “14”. Serving as a backdrop to the seal, the world reminds us of MIT’s global influence and our desire to better humanity. A space shuttle orbits the globe, symbolizing the retirement of the revered NASA space shuttle program and the 100th anniversary of Course 16 at MIT that will occur in 2014. All of this rests upon a pillar engraved with the number 150 in honor of the yearlong celebration of the Institute`s anniversary during our freshmen year. The pillar serves as both a foundation and a symbol of strength, indicative of how the institute has flourished since its inception over a century and a half ago. A fierce owl, the symbol of our Athena system, rests at the bottom of the shank. An open book, embodying the freedom of knowledge at MIT, forms the owl’s brow. Looking closely, one can see the Roman numerals X, I and V in the owl’s brow and beak, making another “14”.

Keeping with tradition, the side of the 2014 Brass Rat depicts the skyline of Boston as observed from MIT, with the Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center as two of the most distinctive buildings. Fenway Park also figures prominently on the skyline to honor the 100th anniversary of the stadium during our Sophomore year and to recognize the brick that will be placed there to commemorate our Brass Rat. The city appears as it would at night since this is the sight many students see while pset-ing at late hours; the night also reminds us of how Boston can serve as an escape from MIT on the weekends. A firework appears in the skyline to celebrate the Stanley Cup victory of our hometown Bruins.

Several well-recognized MIT buildings are embossed on the Cambridge skyline, which appears during the day, when students spend the most of their time on campus. Lights can finally be seen in the newly opened Maseeh Hall, and their pattern forms a “14”. The Green Building windows feature the number “147” in binary, as we are the 147th graduating class. To the right is Walker Memorial, the infamous building that has become synonymous with test taking during our undergraduate careers. Opened during our freshmen year, the Koch Institute completes the buildings on the skyline.

A sailboat, with a sail that makes a “14”, appears in the Charles River on the left. Engraved on the right side are two crew shells, with one rower and four rowers to make a “14”. The single rower wears a Charlie Hat as a tribute to the inclusion of the Charlie Card on the 2014 student IDs, the first time this was done at MIT.

Celebrating MIT’s long history of hacking, a map of MIT and its tunnel system, including those tunnels connecting to the new Koch Institute, is inscribed on the inside of our Brass Rat. May it help you in all your future endeavors, whether you become lost, come back to visit in later years, or are planning a, well, you know.

Since hacking is an activity shrouded in secrecy, we have included several hidden symbols to honor hacks that have occurred in our time at MIT that have not been described here. For more information on these symbols, visit https://classof2014.mit.edu/ring/hacks