[act-ma] Events - IAP at MIT

[George Mokray]

IAP is Independent Activities Period, the month of January at MIT when  
anybody from a professor emeritus to a maintenance worker can give a  
class.  This is generally for the MIT community but, if you ask  
nicely, you can probably attend the sessions that interest you.  Lots  
of knowledge.  Below is the URL for the full schedule and the list of  
events that jumped out at me.

Have a Happy Merry New,
George Mokray

http://web.mit.edu/iap/

High-Performance Rechargeable Batteries for Sustainable Transportation  
and Large-scale Storage of Electric Power
Prof. Donald Sadoway
Mon Jan 11, 11am-12:00pm, 32-155

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

The road to sustainability is paved with advanced materials. Advances  
in rechargeable batteries would enable widespread adoption of  
practical electric vehicles taking us beyond hybrids and obviating the  
need for fuel-cells. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions plus  
the freedom from reliance on overseas sources of petroleum with  
attendant geopolitical implications give special value to an all- 
electric fleet. Innovation in stationary electrical energy storage at  
high amperage would enable us to store off-peak power from the grid  
for subsequent delivery on demand during high usage periods. Adoption  
of wind or photovoltaic generation hinges to a large extent on the  
advent of proper storage technology: renewables are enabled by  
colossal batteries. Examples of innovation in both portable and  
stationary energy storage will be presented.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/liquid-battery.html
Contact: Jennifer DiMase, E19-370D, 452-3199, jdimase at mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Power Up!: Strategies for Getting Energy Information
Angie Locknar, Chris Sherratt
Mon Jan 11, 12-01:00pm, 14N-132 (DIRC)

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event

Information on energy is everywhere! How do you find the scientific  
and technical information you need and keep on the cutting edge of  
what is published? Attend this hands-on session to find out.
Contact: Angie Locknar, 14S-134, x3-9320, locknar at mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries
Cosponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Shigeru Ban: An Architect for Emergencies (2007 - 52 min)
Jolene de Verges
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (1957–) is usually referred to as an  
“ecological architect.” His reputation has grown steadily in recent  
years, not only because of the heightened concern about global ecology  
and the increased practice of recycling, but also because he is  
interested in the development of prefab, low-cost housing for the  
victims of natural disasters and other emergencies, of which there  
have been many.
Mon Jan 11, 12-02:00pm, Rotch Library, Meet in Rotch Conference Room

Climate Science I: Paleoclimate to the Present
Kat Potter and Tim Cronin
Tue Jan 12, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk will cover paleoclimates: variations in the climate over  
longer time periods from millions of years to the recent past, and the  
history and development of climate science. The event is open to  
everyone and no advance sign-up is required. It stands alone from  
Session II.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones at mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Cosponsor: Center for Global Change Science

Home Repair Basics: Window Repair and Maintenance
Arthur Pitari
Wed Jan 13, 09:30am-12:00pm, E18-169

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None

Come learn all there is to know about window repair and maintenance.  
This hands-on class will teach you what it takes to repair and  
maintain window glass and screens by one of MIT’s expert Glaziers.
Contact: Melody Craven, x2-2407, mcraven at plant.mit.edu
Sponsor: Department of Facilities

Power-up!: Energy Industry Resources
Katherine McNeill
Wed Jan 13, 01-02:00pm, 14N-132 (DIRC)

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event

Interested in researching or working in the field of energy? Want to  
find out how your energy project fits into the landscape of various  
industries? This session will give you the skills to research the  
business and statistical information on energy to find industry  
overviews, market research, news and data.
Contact: Katherine McNeill, E53-168c, x3-0787, mcneillh at mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries
Cosponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

"Fuel Your Mind" -- A Primer on Transportation Fuels, Current and Future
William H. Green (MIT Dept. of Chem. Eng.), George Huff & Jim Simnick  
(BP Global Fuels Technology)
Thu Jan 14, 09am-04:00pm, 56-114

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up

The goal of this short course is to gain a better understanding of  
fuels using a combination of video, photos, diagrams, text and audio.  
The material is based on seminars our fuels technology staff has given  
to automotive mechanics, as well as our marketing and advertising  
agencies. We have included four modules which deal with the most  
common topics that have been requested at these seminars. These include:
1. Refining, Supply and Pricing
2. Gasoline
3. Biofuels
4. Ethanol & E-85


Contact: William Green, 66-207, x3-4580, whgreen at mit.edu
Sponsor: Chemical Engineering

Energy and Environment Projects Showcase
Jennifer DiMase
Thu Jan 14, 06-07:30pm, Lobby 10

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This showcase is a mix and mingle style poster session at which  
students who have been doing research or who belong to groups on  
campus that revolve around energy, environment, and sustainability  
will share and explain their work. This is a great opportunity to  
connect with fellow students active in a wide array of energy research  
and projects. Light refreshments will be provided. Come and learn  
about the great research and student group activities that your  
classmates have been working on!
Web: http://mit.edu/mitei/education/groups.html
Contact: Jennifer DiMase, E19-370D, 452-3199, jdimase at mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Low Carbon Emission Electricity Generating Technology Options
Ja'nos M. Bee'r
Fri Jan 15, 01-03:00pm, 66-110

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up

As CO2 emission control from fossil fuel based power generation is  
gaining increasing acceptance, high generating efficiency and CO2  
capture and storage are becoming key concepts for both new and  
existing plants. State of the art technology options and those in R&D  
and Demonstration stages are discussed together with their timeline  
and the possibility of speeding up their deployment.
Contact: Ja'nos M. Bee'r, 66-301, x3-6661, jmbeer at MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Chemical Engineering

Climate Change Challenges in Developing Countries: Low Carbon Economic  
Development Options for Indonesia
Dr. Gary Kleiman Sr. Environmental Policy Analyst, World Bank Office,  
Jakarta
The Government of Indonesia recognizes that climate change is a key  
economic development issue, and also that early action to address  
mitigation and adaptation concerns will be strategically beneficial.  
Indonesia is studying options to address climate change mitigation  
without compromising development objectives. This talk will review the  
overarching goals of the study and present early findings across  
several sectors.
Tue Jan 19, 12-01:30pm, E51-145, brown bag lunch; refreshments

Climate Change 101: Introduction to Climate Change Economics and Policy
Valerie Karplus and Jennifer Morris
Tue Jan 19, 02-04:00pm, E51-335

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Concerned about climate change, but unsure how our policy options  
stack up? Come learn enough to hold your own at a cocktail party on  
current climate policy topics! From the basic economics to the pros  
and cons of different policy options to the status of international  
negotiations on a global agreement, this course will be a tour de  
force of current issues in climate change economics and policy. This  
discussion will provide helpful background for the upcoming session on  
recent developments in U.S. climate policy legislation.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones at mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Dancing with the Stars: Quest for Fusion Energy
Abhay Ram
How do our earthly efforts to generate fusion energy compare with  
nature's working fusion reactors? This highly illustrative talk will  
compare and contrast the approach to fusion from a laboratory  
perspective with that taken by nature in forming and operating the  
Sun. The progress towards energy's holy grail will be part of the  
presentation.
Wed Jan 20, 11:15am-12:30pm, NW17-218

Climate Change 102: Recent Developments in U.S. Climate Policy  
Legislation
Jennifer Morris
Wed Jan 20, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

U.S. climate policy is on the move—the Waxman-Markey Bill passed the  
House last spring, and before you could say Kerry-Boxer the Senate had  
a bill too! Wondering what these landmark bills are made of, but don’t  
have time to sift through 1,400 pages of legalese? Come learn about  
the substance and potential impacts of these recent developments in  
U.S. climate policy.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones at mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Conscious Capitalism with Bud Sorenson
Kenneth C. Zolot, Ralph Z. Sorenson
Wed Jan 20, 05-07:00pm, 32-155

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 18-Jan-2010
Limited to 125 participants.
Single session event

With special guest Ralph “Bud” Sorenson, member of the Board of  
Directors of Whole Foods Markets, moderated by Ken Zolot.

Today, the laissez faire concept of capitalism espoused by Milton  
Friedman is under siege. This workshop will focus on whether there is  
a way to retain capitalism as a powerful positive force for creating  
jobs, wealth, and innovation, while at the same time making it more  
responsive to the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

It will explore the concept of “Conscious Capitalism” that is based on  
the proposition that the primary goal of corporate leaders and  
entrepreneurs should be to optimize the returns to all stakeholders:  
customers, employees, supply chain partners, communities, the  
environment and, of course, shareholders.

Enrollment limited. Please sign up at the URL below
Web: http://iapcc.eventbrite.com
Contact: Kenneth C. Zolot, 32-386, x3-6481, zolot at mit.edu
Sponsor: Kenneth Zolot, 32-386A, 617 253-6481, zolot at mit.edu

Climate Change 103: Issues in Climate Policy- Technological Change and  
Biofuels
Nidhi Santen and Suhail Ahmad
Thu Jan 21, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Part 1: Climate Policy-Induced R&D and Technological Change in the  
Energy Industry

This lecture provides an overview about climate policy-induced R&D,  
innovation, and technology change in the energy industry, with  
extensions about the state of important technological change  
considerations within climate policy models.

Part 2: Review of US Biofuels Policies and their Implications

In this talk, we provide an overview of the most prominent policies to  
date that impact the production and use of biofuels and biomass and  
outline their intended objectives and mechanisms. We focus on three  
economic sectors, electricity, transportation, and agriculture and  
attempt to describe the impacts of those policies on other sectors  
such as food production, energy and environment, infrastructure, and  
the economy at large.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones at mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Planning, Funding, and Implementing Transportation Projects in the  
Real World (or How It Really Works)
Kate Fichter, Eric Plosky
Fri Jan 22, 01-04:45pm, 9-450A

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event

As a vital and complex element of any urban or regional environment,  
transportation infrastructure both affects and is affected by land use  
patterns, economic development policies, political power-brokering and  
environmental resources, and so offers a lens through which to study  
many of the choices and constraints available to today's planners.  
This seminar will offer a practice-oriented overview of the issues,  
players and trends most relevant to contemporary transportation  
planning, as taught by two MIT/DUSP alumni/ae currently working in the  
field.
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn at mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning

Fighting Poverty with Scientific Evidence: Findings from the work of  
the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Rachel Glennerster, Executive Director, J-PAL
Tue Jan 26, 02-03:30pm, E52-175

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Policy makers need scientific evidence about what approaches are most  
effective if they are to make decisions such as how to spend limited  
education budgets to increase learning, or whether to tackle  
corruption with top down or bottom up monitoring. The Abdul Latif  
Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) within the economics department at  
MIT rigorously tests different policy options in close cooperation  
with local partners through the use of randomized evaluations.

This session will cover a brief overview of why randomized impact  
evaluations are being increasingly used by governments, agencies, and  
nonprofit groups to evaluate important policy questions. It will also  
briefly summarize some of the most recent results from J-PAL research.
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-232, x3-3399, levitsky at mit.edu

The ABCs of Environmental Compliance
Dan Kallin
Wed Jan 27, 10-11:00am, N52-496

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Audience: Entrepreneurs, startups and Industrial or manufacturing  
engineers H&S people interested in Environmental Compliance

CAA, CWA, SDWA, EPCRA, RCRA, CERCLA, SARA, TSCA, MEPA, WPA, and now  
CFATS!

These are just some of the rules administered by the EPA, DEP, MWRA,  
ConComs and the DHS

Will you need a permit? Do you need to report? To whom and how often?

This seminar will provide an overview of the major environmental Laws  
which can have direct impacts to entrepreneurs and manufacturing  
operations. Many of these rules have information reporting  
requirements which require data and support from designers, builders  
and the manufacturing floor.
Contact: Melissa Kavlakli, N52-496, x2-3233, mjpotter at mit.edu
Sponsor: Environment, Health and Safety Office

The Magic of Carbon Nanotubes: Properties, Growth, and Applications
Gilbert D. Nessim PhD Alum
Thu Jan 28, 01-03:00pm, Chipman Room, 6-104

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 25-Jan-2010
Single session event
Prereq: none

Carbon nanotubes, one of the most interesting structures in the  
nanotechnology landscape, are the closest implementation to a one- 
dimensional structure. Their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and  
thermal properties have made them a hot subject of research for many  
future applications. Carbon nanotube reinforced tennis racquets are  
already in the market. Research labs have already developed prototypes  
of electrical devices such as field effect transistors or field  
emission displays using nanotubes. The futuristic space elevator  
project has focused on carbon nanotubes as the material of choice for  
its super-strong cable.

This presentation will provide the audience with an understanding of  
the properties, growth methods, future applications, and challenges  
for integration of carbon nanotubes in future products.
Contact: Gilbert D. Nessim, gdnessim at mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Engineering

How Will We Pay for Things in the Future?
Kwan Hong Lee
Thu Jan 14, Fri Jan 29, 10am-06:30pm, E14-526

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 13-Jan-2010
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

The payment landscape has been rapidly changing in recent years with  
many potential disruptions on the horizon. Large financial  
institutions still dominate the landscape with little  
disintermediation, but are vulnerable. PayPal has become the standard  
in online transactions and payment services and now threatens to  
invade the physical world. Existing large institution infrastructures  
neither provide for rapid adaptation to these market changes nor rapid  
adaptation to customer requirements as they have all grown through  
mergers & acquisitions. And emerging technology is readily available  
to precipitate the paradigm shift. Introduce revolutionary disruption  
into payments system and make it fun (dreary old bankers); and win  
prizes! Come join us in reinventing a $5 trillion a year business  
model that is ripe for change!
Contact: Mutsumi Sullivan, E14-574L, x3-1908, msullivan at media.mit.edu
Sponsor: Media Arts & Sciences