Remembering Elise O’Hara, Media Lab staff member

"We feel fortunate to have worked alongside Elise and to have witnessed the remarkable person she was." Elise O'Hara, a cherished member of the Media Lab community, died on Dec. 12, 2023, as a result of complications following the birth of a healthy child. As an administrative assistant for multiple research groups and initiatives - most recently, the Space Exploration Initiative and Tangible Media Group - O'Hara managed a variety of complex, high-priority projects with skill, patience, and good humor. In her time at the Media Lab, O'Hara was perhaps best known for her warmth and her kindness. Professor Hiroshi Ishii says of her, "Elise was not just a colleague to us but a dear friend whose presence brought light and warmth to the Tangible Media Group and MIT Media Lab. All my colleagues loved and respected Elise; her beautiful soul positively touched many lives.