[act-ma] Events

[George Mokray]

MIT

Monday, December 07, 2009

MIT Energy Club Lecture: Commissioner Suedeen Kelly, FERC
Time: 5:00p–6:00p

Location: E51-395

Commissioner Suedeen Kelly from the Federal Energy Regulatory  
Commission will share her perspectives on the following topics:

*** Getting Renewables to the Electricity Marketplace
- Are we going to build more renewable generation in America?
- If so, are we going to change the way we regulate transmission in  
order to do it?
- Transmission planning going to the government?
- Siting authority transfer from the state to
the FERC?
- Broad cost allocation to pay for long lines?

*** The Smart Grid
- Will smartgridding be part of our future?
- What is the government doing to lead us there?
- Is it the "right" thing to do?
- Will it work?

Speaker Bio:
Suedeen G. Kelly is a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory  
Commission, who has served since November 2003. In December 2004, she  
was confirmed to a second term that expires June 30, 2009. Previously  
she was a Professor of Law at the University of New Mexico School of  
Law, where she taught energy law, public utility regulation,  
administrative law and legislative process. She also worked with the  
law firm of Modrall, Sperling, Roehl, Harris & Sisk in Albuquerque  
from 2000 through 2003 and the law firm of Sheehan, Sheehan, and  
Stelzner from 1992 through 1999. In 2000, Ms. Kelly served as counsel  
to the California Independent System Operator. In 1999, she worked as  
a Legislative Aide to U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman.



Monday, December 07, 2009

Comparative Media Insights: Stephen Duncombe: "Art of the Impossible:  
Utopia, Imagination, and Critical Media Practice"
Speaker: Stephen Duncombe, Associate Professor at the Gallatin School  
of New York University where he teaches the history and politics of  
media

Time: 5:15p–7:00p

Location: 14n-310

In an economy of informational abundance, does the traditional truth- 
revealing role of critical media practice still have any political  
relevance? Or are there other, perhaps more politically potent, ways  
of thinking about the liberatory possibilities of media? By  
considering a range of examples, from Thomas More's 16th century  
Utopia to 21st century political art, we will explore the  
possibilities and pitfalls of mediated utopias as a means of  
revitalizing the critical practice of communications. Of particular  
interest are impossible utopias, "no-places" whose unrealizability is  
inscribed in their depiction. For it is through the encounter with  
their very impossibility that conditions for new critique and new  
imagination may be created.


Web site: http://cms.mit.edu/events/specialevents.php#120709

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies

For more information, contact:
Andrew Whitacre
617.324.0490
cms at mit.edu



Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Tim Heidel
heidel at mit.edu



Monday, December 07, 2009

Bike-Sharing 3.0 - The future of urban shared transport systems
Time: 5:30p–7:30p

Location: 32-123, Kirsch Auditorium, Stata

A discussion of the past, present and future of shared-transport  
systems using Paris Velib as a model.

Panelists:
Matthieu Fierling- Velib, the Paris bike-sharing project
Robin Chase-Founder of ZipCar and GoLoco
Nicole Freedman- Director of Bicycle Programs, City of Boston
Carlo Ratti- Director, SenseableCity Lab, MIT
Chris Zegras- Assistant Professor,
Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
Ryan Chin-PhD Candidate, MIT Media Lab, Smart Cities group


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/misti/events/bike-sharing.html

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MISTI, SA&P, The  
Cultural Services of the French Consulate in Boston

For more information, contact:
Erin Baumgartner
253-8813
embaum at mit.edu

Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Transportation at MIT Seminar: Autonomous Vehicles and Urban Mobility
Speaker: Emilio Frazzoli, Aeronautics and Astronautics

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 32-124

The feasibility of safe interaction between robotic vehicles and human- 
driven  traffic has been recently demonstrated in the DARPA Urban  
Challenge event. The MIT team was among the six out of almost 100  
world-wide entries to successfully complete the  60-mile challenge.  
Even though the Urban Challenge was hailed by many as a milestone in  
robotics, there are still many challenges to face before autonomous  
vehicles will be an integral part of urban mobility systems. This  
seminar will be focused on the current state of the art in autonomous  
vehicle technologies, especially from a planning and control point of  
view, through a discussion of recent and current research activity in  
the field, and lessons learned in field experiments. Perspective on  
the challenges to be addressed for autonomous driving and, more in  
general, situational awareness and autonomous decision making in  
transportation systems will also be discussed.

Transportation at MIT Seminar Series


Web site: transportation.mit.edu

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Transportation at MIT

For more information, contact:
Rebecca Fearing
transportation at mit.edu



Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Earth System Initiative Seminars
Speaker: TBA

Time: 4:15p–5:15p

Location: 56-114

Earth System Initiative Seminars

Occasional seminar series on varied Earth Systems topics of broad  
interest to the greater MIT community. Specific speakers and topics  
will be posted as they are added to the program. If you are reading  
this message, no seminar is currently planned for this date.

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Tickets: none required

This event occurs every 2 weeks on Tuesdays through December 22, 2009.

Sponsor(s): Earth System Initiative

For more information, contact:
Kurt Sternlof
esinfo at mit.edu



Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy at MIT Energy Club Muddy  
Tuesday
Time: 5:30p–7:30p

Location: Muddy Charles

Staff and researchers from the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable  
Energy Systems will be joining the bi-weekly MIT Energy Club Muddy  
Tuesday. The Fraunhofer CSE, located here in Cambridge, is a branch of  
the German Fraunhofer Society. Fraunhofer CSE currently focuses on  
improving the performance of solar modules, building energy efficiency  
and energy device prototyping.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Tim Heidel
energy-events at mit.edu



Tuesday, December 08, 2009S

oap Box: Humans in Space
Speaker: Dava Newman

Time: 6:00p–7:30p

Location: N51, MIT Museum at 265 Massachusetts Avenue

Hear from Professor Dava Newman about new technologies, companies, and  
policies that are leading people back into space above low Earth  
orbit. Discuss the issues around space flight from national pride and  
scientific discovery to wealth distribution and the meaning of being  
human.
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Free admission, light refreshments.


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/soapbox.html

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free Admission

Sponsor(s): MIT Museum

For more information, contact:
617-253-5927
museum at mit.edu



Wednesday, December 09, 2009

MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: Carbon Capture and Sequestration  
Seminar and Industry Panel
Time: 2:30p–4:15p

Location: 66-110, Kirsch Auditorium - Enterprise Forum Event

Join us for an Energy Club panel, poster session and the MIT  
Enterprise Forum Industry panel!

Moderator: Melanie Kenderdine, MITEI Executive Director

Panelists: Joe Chaisson with the Clean Air Task Force and MIT Faculty:  
Howard Herzog, Ruben Juanes, and John Reilly

2:30-4:15 Research Panel - 66-110
6:15-8:00 MIT Enterprise Forum Industry Panel - Kirsch Auditorium  
Stata Center

Generation of electrical power is responsible for roughly 40% of  
carbon dioxide emissions in the US and coal-fired generation, in  
particular, contributes over 80% of the CO2 emissions from this  
country's electric power sector. A recent report from the U.S.  
National Research Council recently called for building a suite of 15  
to 20 power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) before 2020.  
Today, a few such projects are under development as capture and  
sequestration of carbon dioxide is still in its infancy stage. A  
substantial ramp up is needed for this technique to have an impact on  
atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. This afternoon research  
seminar and evening industry panel will discuss the current state of  
technology in CCS as well as the economic, and policy-related hurdles  
to making it a scalable reality in the US, the EU and in China.


Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/iseries/dec09.html

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM, INC., MIT Energy Initiative, GSC  
Funding Board, MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Elsa Olivetti
elsao at mit.edu



Wednesday, December 09, 2009
"The Dawn of Green," a talk by Harriet Ritvo, MIT History Faculty
Speaker: Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, MIT

Time: 4:00p

Location: 14N-118

A talk by Harriet Ritvo, author of the new book, "The Dawn of Green:  
Manchester, Thirlmere, and Modern Environmentalism"

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): History Office, Institute Archives and Special Collections

For more information, contact:
Margo Collett
253-4965
history-info at mit.edu



Wednesday, December 9

Virtual Work--Working in an Inter-Connected World
Jack Hughes
Founder and CEO, TopCoder

4:00-5:30 pm
5 Cambridge Center, MIT Building NE25, Room 746, McClintock Room



Abstract

Instant access to information and global resource are changing the  
very nature of core principles like work and management.   
Organizations in the not distant future will look very different from  
what we are used to.  Relationships between individuals,  
organizational structure, and management processes all need to evolve  
to incorporate more open and fluid environments.  Mr. Hughes will talk  
about the evolution of TopCoder--one example of a company designed for  
an inter-connected world.

Speaker bio
In 2001, Mr. Hughes founded TopCoder, Inc. with the purpose of  
identifying the top computer software engineers worldwide. TopCoder is  
the world’s largest competitive software development community and  
uses a unique "virtual workforce" model that is combined with a large  
library of re-usable software components to build large-scale software  
applications for a growing list of Fortune 1000 companies.

http://cci.mit.edu/SeminarsFall09.html


Thursday, December 10, 2009

Delay as Agenda Setting
Speaker: Dennis Yao (HBS)

Time: 2:30p–4:00p

Location: E52-244

Delay as Agenda Setting


Web site: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k62885

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Organizational Economics Seminar

For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu



Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Point-of-Care System for the Developing World
Speaker: Prof. Paul Yager, University of Washington

Time: 3:00p–4:00p

Location: 36-428

Micro/Nano-technology Seminar Series

The Micro/Nano-technology Seminar Series is a multi-departmental  
School of Engineering seminar series focused on fundamental micro- and  
nano-technology and its applications in sensing and actuation, thermal  
and life sciences and energy among many. It is co-sponsored by the  
Department of Mechanical Engineering, MEMS at MIT, RLE and MGH.


Web site: http://www.rle.mit.edu/mnss/

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MNSS

For more information, contact:
Chadwick Collins



Thursday, December 10, 2009

Center for 21st Century Energy Fall Seminar Series
Time: 4:00p–5:30p

Location: 37-212

Center for 21st Century Energy Seminar Series

Technical seminars or a broader seminars on a topics related to  
engines, fuels, vehicle behavior, broader transportation energy  
questions.


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/sloan-auto-lab/seminars/thisweekseminar.pdf

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

This event occurs on Thursdays through December 10, 2009, except  
October 1, 2009, October 15, 2009, October 29, 2009, October 22, 2009,  
November 5, 2009, October 8, 2009, September 17, 2009, September 10,  
2009, September 24, 2009, November 19, 2009 and December 3, 2009.

Sponsor(s): Center for 21st Century Energy

For more information, contact:
Janet Maslow
3-4529
jsabio at mit.edu



Thursday, December 10, 2009

Energy Entrepreneurship Lecture: Clean Energy Innovation Consortia
Speaker: Peter Rothstein

Time: 5:00p–6:00p

Location: E51-395

Come hear the Senior Vice President of the New England Clean Energy  
Council, Peter Rothstein, as he discusses the Clean Energy Innovation  
Consortia proposal in the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill.

Speaker Bio: Peter is Senior Vice President of the New England Clean  
Energy Council and leads the Council?s Energy Innovation Consortia  
project and other innovation-stage initiatives, including the Council? 
s Clean Energy Fellowship Program. Peter has many years of venture,  
entrepreneurial, executive and deal experience across the cleantech  
venture market. Previously, Peter was part of the Flagship Ventures  
team, a leading seed and early stage venture capital firm in Cambridge  
Massachusetts, and founder of Allegro Strategy, a consultant, advisor  
and interim executive with early-stage cleantech start-ups. Peter has  
been in early-stage deal or executive roles with a number of cleantech  
companies, including Mascoma, Planar Energy Devices, Ze-gen, Novomer,  
Boston-Power, and Mechanology. Peter is actively involved in a range  
of leading cleantech and entrepreneurial organizations, including the  
National Renewable Energy Lab?s VC Advisory Board, catalyst to MIT  
Deshpande Center solar and energy storage MIT projects, and a Board  
member of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Zack Cordero
zcordero at mit.edu


Harvard

Monday, December 7
6p.   "Methods of Digital Note-Taking."
Alexander Parker, Director, Research Computing in Humanities, Harvard.
Harvard:  Barker Center 133.


Tue., Dec. 8, 2009
6:30 – 8 p.m.
African Refugees Artist Club and Youth Development:  Art Workshops at  
the UN Compound, Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya
SPEAKER:  Atem Aleu
Barker Center, 12 Quincy St, Cambridge











Wed., Dec. 9, 2009, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
Turkish-Russian Relations: The Role of Energy
Room S354, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
SPEAKER(S)
Tuncay Babali, fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
COST
Free and open to the public.
LINK
www.daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu


Thu., Dec. 10, 2009, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
Diffusion of Information Technology Use in Congressional Offices
Taubman Building, Room 301, Harvard Kennedy School
Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S)
David Lazer, director of the Program on Networked Governance at the  
Kennedy School and associate professor at Northeastern University.
CONTACT INFO
617.496.4491, christina_marchand at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
What is the potential use of the Internet by members of Congress to  
better connect with their constituents? This talk will summarize the  
results of a multiyear NSF-funded study on the potential and actual  
use of Internet by members for communication purposes.
This event is part of the Innovations in Government Seminar Series,  
which explores various aspects and approaches to the study of the  
replication of government innovations. This yearlong series seeks to  
educate and inform the next generation of government innovators.
Refreshments will be served.
LINK
http://ashinstitute.harvard.edu/corporate_site/knowledge_building/seminars/innovations_in_government_seminar_series/12_10_09


Boston College

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Is Global Warming Affecting Hurricanes?
Kerry A. Emanuel, Ph.D., Professor of Atmospheric Science,  
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
381 Concord Road, Weston, MA 02493
Department of Geology & Geophysics
Contact:  617-552-8300
margaret.mccarthy.1 at bc.edu
Directions :  www.bc.edu/about/maps

Tufts

Thursday, December 10
3 - 4:15p.
"Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Living."
Bryan Willson.
Anderson 112 - Nelson Auditorium, Tufts, Medford, MA
617-627-3239 | Fax: 617-627-3058 | MEinfo at tufts.edu


Other

Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum
Thursday Dec. 10th
Presentation begins at 7:30 PM ; Doors open at 7:00 PM
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist 3 Church Street ,  
Harvard Square,
Cambridge
Renewable Heating and Cooling Technologies
Chad Laurent, Meister Consultants Group, formerly with Massachusetts  
Energy Consumers' Alliance, and now with the Meister Consultants  
Group, will cover this technology segment, based on geothermal, solar  
thermal, and biomass energy.

Although these are among the lowest cost options for both reducing CO2  
emissions and fossil fuel dependency worldwide,the market growth has  
been relatively stagnant, especially when compared to the renewable  
electricity and transportation markets.  Chad will cover the  
technologies themselves and begin to explore the reasons for this  
neglected opportunity, as well as describe what policies can help  
develop this untapped market.

Chad holds a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School where he was a  
Rappaport Honors Fellow in Law and Public Policy, and a B.S. from the  
University of Michigan in Environmental
Policy & Behavior and Natural Resource Ecology & Management.  He was  
the Manager of Renewable Energy Programs for the Massachusetts Energy  
Consumers' Alliance, and while in law school, worked in the  
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and  
interned in the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office in the Energy  
and Telecommunications Division.  His professional experience also  
includes work with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Rocky  
Mountain Institute.

The Meister Consultants Group specializes in alternative energy,  
environmental sustainability, international dialogue, and corporate  
responsibility.  Chad himself is focused on renewable energy law and  
policy, sustainable business strategies, and renewable energy project  
development.

Winter-Spring Forums with, tentatively, speakers from the Solar  
Decathlon Tufts-BAC project, potential for wave and tidal energy, an  
update on storage
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...

GreenPort Forum - panel discussion

Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00pm

Central Square Library, 45 Pearl St., Cambridge


The Cambridge Climate Emergency Congress - Report and Response

Mayor Simmons has called a Climate Emergency Congress, with sessions  
in December and January. GreenPort's representatives will report on  
the first session of the Congress, and will ask for responses and  
ideas to bring back to the second session of the Congress in January.

GreenPort envisions and encourages a just and sustainable  
Cambridgeport neighborhood

For more information, contact Steve Morr-Wineman at swineman at gis.net


Monday, December 7
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville

Local Economies and Civic Economics:  panel discussion with Dan  
Houston, from Austin, Texas, whose company, Civic Economics, has  
performed many of the key studies that demonstrate the profound impact  
on the economy when people shift their spending from non-local  
businesses to Local Independents. They recently completed a  
groundbreaking study on the role of local independent businesses in  
the rebuilding of New Orleans, and Dan will be presenting their  
findings as part of the panel discussion.  Also participating on the  
panel will be Joe Grafton, the founder and Executive Director of  
Somerville Local First, Michael Kanter of Cambridge Local First, and  
Rebekah Gerwitz, Alderman for the City of Somerville.  The discussion  
will be moderated by WBUR's Robin Young.

Sponsors include Cambridge Local First, Somerville Local First, and  
Sustainable Business Network

350.org Candlelight Vigil for Climate Survival
December 11th
6:00PM - 7:30PM
Cardinal Cushing Park at Cambridge and New Chardon Streets, Boston
Bowdoin (closes at 6:30pm) Government Center (5 minute walk)
The United Nations climate change conference is happening right now in  
Copenhagen. Will it be the turning point in the fight for a safe  
climate? World leaders have said that they don't plan to agree on a  
legally-binding climate agreement at this conference.

We are running out of time.

Join us in solemn solidarity with the citizens of those nations who  
will soon face a challenge to their very survival posed by climate  
change. Call for a science-based international climate treaty and  
effective U.S. legislation to get us back to the level of 350ppm of  
atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Join with us in holding our leaders accountable. We need a Real Deal  
in Copenhagen!

Make and bring a lantern: Cut the top 1/3 of a 2 liter soft-drink  
bottle, put a votive or short taper in it, poke holes through the  
sides at the top and string a metal string through the holes to make a  
handle.  If it's cold, dress warm and bring a hot drink.
Co-sponsoring Organizations: Global Warming Education Network,  
Greenpeace, Home Energy-Efficiency Team, The Leadership Campaign,  
Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Council of  
Churches, Ocean Rivers Institute
RSVP to http://www.350.org/node/13013
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186121428405&ref=ts

Editorial Comment:  Can I bring my solar flashlight instead? And how  
about a solar cooker picnic instead of a candlelight vigil next time?