Includes bibliographical references and index.; Introduction: moments of decision / David Kaiser -- "God speed the institute": the foundational years, 1861-1894 / Merritt Roe Smith -- Mergers and acquisitions / Bruce Sinclair -- Patrons and a plan / Christophe Lécuyer -- MIT and war / Deborah Douglas -- Elephant on the Charles: postwar growing pains / David Kaiser -- "Time of troubles" for the special laboratories / Stuart W. Leslie -- "Refrain from using the alphabet": how community outreach catalyzed the life sciences at MIT / John Durant -- Putting gender on the table / Lotte Bailyn, with an afterword by Nancy Hopkins -- Epilogue / Susan Hockfield.;