[act-ma] Events

[George Mokray]

MIT

Monday, January 25, 2010
Seminar Series: Self-Assembling Biological Systems
Speaker: Scott Stagg, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry &  
Biochemistry, Florida State University

Time: 11:00a–12:00p

Location: NE30-1154

The Structure of a Novel COPII Tubule

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Biology


Monday, January 25, 2010
Transformative Values and Designing Cities
Speaker: Aseem Inam

Time: 3:00p–5:00p

Location: 1-277

The Fellows Series
Fellows of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics & Transformative Values at  
MIT share their work.

Based on professional practice and scholarly research, this workshop  
will present ideas about how cities are designed and built, and the  
values that underlie the city-building process. Using illustrative  
examples and case studies, the workshop will offer alternative sets of  
values that can transform cities in fundamental ways.


Web site: http://thecenter.mit.edu/events/upcoming/

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values

For more information, contact:
The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics & Transformative Values
4-6030
info at thecenter.mit.edu



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Seminar Series: Self-Assembling Biological Systems
Speaker: Wes Sundquist, Professor of Biochemistry, Department of  
Biochemistry, University of Utah

Time: 11:00a–12:00p

Location: NE30-1154

Hexagonal Assemblies of the HIV-1 Capsid and its Restriction Factor,  
TRIM5alpha

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Biology





Tue Jan 26,
02-03:30pm
E52-175
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

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

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

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

Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Adaptive Technology Open House
Time: 1:00p–3:00p

Location: 7-143

The IS&T Adaptive Technology Information Center (ATIC) invites you to  
its annual open house, showcasing the latest adaptive technologies for  
persons with disabilities.


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/atic

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): IS&T ATIC Lab

For more information, contact:
ATIC Lab
253-7808
atic at mit.edu


Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Child Education in Afghanistan: A Presentation From Barakat
Speaker: Chris Walter, co-founder of Barakat

Time: 6:00p–8:00p

Location: E51-325

Barakat is a Cambridge-based nonprofit that does work in Afghanistan  
and the region around it. Their mission is to advance literacy and to  
strengthen education systems in these areas. Come learn directly from  
representatives of Barakat about the work they have been doing and how  
you can take action to aid the human rights situation in Afghanistan.


Web site: web.mit.edu/amnesty

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Amnesty International, GSC Funding Board

For more information, contact:
Kayvan Zainabadi
mitai-exec at mit.edu


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

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

Thursday, January 28, 2010
Applied Storytelling--How to talk so they will listen
Time: 9:00a–12:00p

Location: E15-209

Reach people when describing your research and projects so they "get  
it." Learn to present with confidence in front of any audience. People  
want to hear a good story; learn how to tell one that leaves sponsors  
and faculty wanting to hear more and asking you the questions you want  
them to ask. In this 3 hour introductory workshop with optional follow- 
up coaching sessions, students will Identify, develop and craft a  
story from their own lives and work; Learn theories of applied  
storytelling for performance and public speaking.

This workshop is led by seasoned performing storyteller and Media Lab  
alum Kevin Brooks.

Sign up by emailing Kevin Brooks

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Media Lab

For more information, contact:
Kevin Brooks
brooks at media.mit.edu


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

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

Thursday, January 28, 2010
Seminar Series: Self-Assembling Biological Systems
Speaker: Shuguang Zhang, Associate Director, Center for Biomedical  
Engineering, MIT

Time: 11:00a–12:00p

Location: WI-Auditorium

Follow Nature's Lead: Designer Self-assembling Peptides

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Biology



Thursday, January 28, 2010

IDEAS Competition - Monster Challenge workshop
Time: 6:00p–8:00p

Location: 2-136

The IDEAS Competition is pleased to announce a new and exciting  
opportunity with Monster.com! Come meet and speak with Giles Phillips,  
Director of Innovation; Matthew Mund, Vice President, Global  
Applications; and Damon Dimmick, Interaction Designer.

Monster.com is teaming up with the IDEAS Competition and challenging  
students to come up with innovative ideas and implementable solutions  
to help change web and search technology. This is an exciting chance  
for students to work with Monster.com to develop feasible, innovative  
and effective solutions to revolutionize the way that people look for  
jobs.

To find out more about this new IDEAS Competition challenge, come to  
the workshop to connect, share your ideas and skills, and meet  
potential team members!

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 25-Jan-2010
Single session event

For more information, contact:
Samantha Cooper
5-5474
ideas-rsvp at mit.edu


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ideas

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Graduate Student Life Grants, MIT IDEAS Competition,  
Public Service Center

For more information, contact:
Samantha Cooper
5-5474
coopers at mit.edu

Friday, January 29, 2010
Seminar Series: Self-Assembling Biological Systems
Speaker: Katharina Ribbeck, Assistant Professor, Department of  
Biological Engineering, MIT

Time: 11:00a–12:00p

Location: WI-Auditorium

 From Nuclear Pores to Biofilms - a Study of Biological Filters

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Biology


Harvard

Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
WHEN
Wed., Jan. 27, 2010, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Science, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Museum of Natural History
SPEAKER(S)
Richard Wrangham
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
Lecture & booksigning with Richard Wrangham. In his latest book,  
Harvard biological anthropologist Richard Wrangham puts forth a bold  
theory — that our Paleolithic homo ancestors tamed fire and began  
cooking 1.8 million years ago, much earlier than conventionally  
believed. Wrangham will discuss how the cooking kick started a  
revolution in human evolution — driving whole scale changes in our  
physiology, behavior, and cognition that define our species to this  
very day.
LINK
www.hmnh.harvard.edu


Global Climate Change Mini-Conference
WHEN
Thu., Jan. 28, 2010, 1 p.m.
WHERE
First Parish, 3 Church St., Cambridge, MA
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Cambridge Forum
COST
Free and open to the public.
NOTE
During the afternoon, scientists explore the impact of atmospheric  
methane on the earth's temperature, as well as the impact that climate  
change will have on human health, environmental migration,  
agricultural production, and sea level. The impact of the 350.org  
movement, the Copenhagen talks, and the likely follow-up on the part  
of individual governments will be the focus of the 7:00 p.m. closing  
address by James Hansen.
LINK
www.cambridgeforum.org

Other

Boston Bookfuturists: Introducing experiments in storytelling and  
publishing  — exploring the intersection of books and technology.
The first ever Bookfuturists Meetup is this month at Microsoft New  
England Research & Development Center near the MIT campus in Kendall  
Square. Come listen to presentations on experiments in storytelling  
and publishing. The event is free. Please RSVP:
Boston Bookfuturists 1
7-9pm
January 29
Microsoft New England Research & Development Center
One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
Interested in presenting at future events? Please contact us: info at bookfuturists.com
Please visit our website: http://bookfuturists.com/
Host: Joanne McNeil, The Tomorrow Museum
Presenting:
Joshua Glenn, a Boston-based journalist and scholar, is coeditor of  
Hilobrow.com and co-curator ofSignificant Objects, an online  
experiment that pairs writers with secondhand junk, then sells the  
junk on eBay (using the story as an item description), in an effort to  
answer this question: "What makes things meaningful?"
Peggy Nelson is a new media artist whose work encompasses film,  
augmented reality, performance art, and reenactments. In Search of  
Adele H is a Twitter movie, a re-imaging of the life and  
fictionalizations of Victor Hugo's daughter Adèle. But as with a book,  
the moving images are intentionally missing. The Twitter movie happens  
in your head, much as the main character's life happened in hers.
Stona Fitch writes powerful novels that have earned an international  
following. His novel SENSELESS is now a UK feature film and a cult  
classic that critics often refer to as the most disturbing novel ever  
written. St. Martin's is publishing his next novel, Give + Take, in  
April. He has been selected as one of the Boston Public Library's 2010  
"Literary Lights." In 2008, Stona and other writers/thinkers founded  
theConcord Free Press, the world's first generosity-based publisher,  
which publishes original novels and gives them away in exchange for  
voluntary donations to worthy causes or people in need.
Matthew Battles has written about technology, language, and culture  
for such publications as the American Scholar, the Atlantic, and the  
Boston Globe. He's cofounder of the blog Hilobrow.com and author of  
the book Library, an Unquiet History.

Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html

Links to greater Boston college and university lectures and events at http://hubevents.blogspot.com