[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Nov 7 19:54:35 PST 2010


MIT
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Monday, November 08, 2010

Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT) Leadership Conference
Time: 10:00a–8:00p
Location: various
The Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT) Leadership Conference (Monday,  
November 8 - Wednesday, November 10, 2010) seeks to provide MIT  
graduate women across all departments an opportunity to gain practical  
skills and tools that will enable them to lead and communicate more  
effectively. *Men are welcome at our events.*
Web site:http://sites.google.com/site/thegwamitleadershipconference
Open to: the general public
This event occurs daily through November 10, 2010.
Sponsor(s): Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT), Office of the Dean for  
Graduate Education, MIT School of Science, School of Engineering,  
Dean's Office, GSC Funding Board, Microsoft, WGA3

For more information, contact:
gwamit-sec at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

OrigaMIT Crane Booth!
Time: 10:00a–5:00p
Location: W20, First Floor Student Center Table
OrigaMIT hosted public crane folding! We provide the table and paper,  
you fold cranes! The goal is 1000 cranes. Come fold!
Web site: http://origamit.scripts.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
This event occurs daily through November 12, 2010.
Sponsor(s): Origamit

For more information, contact:
Jason Ku
origami-info at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Urban Studies and Planning Open House

Time: 11:45a–2:00p

Location: Simmons Hall

The Department will hold an Open House for prospective students this  
Fall on Monday, November 8th, 2010. Registration will begin at 11:30  
am at Simmons Hall at 229 Vassar St. Please RSVP to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QQ6B62N 
  by Friday, October 29th. Space is limited. Please bring a picture id  
for security purposes. The agenda for the day will be posted as soon  
as it becomes available.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Greco
kgreco at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

The Evolution of Business Ecosystems -- Interspecies Competition in  
the Steel Industry

Speaker: Akshat Mathur, Dr. Ted Piepenbrock

Time: 12:00p–1:00p

Location: Webinar -- see web page below for registration information

MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
This series, which is open to all at no charge, examines how complex  
challenges can be approached using systems thinking and an  
interdisciplinary approach.

This presentation builds on the work of Theodore F. Piepenbrock, whose  
2009 MIT doctoral thesis, "Towards a Theory of Evolution of Business  
Ecosystems," proposed that firms in the same industry vary  
systematically in performance over time as a result of differences in  
architecture. Piepenbrock defines architecture in terms of the  
strength, closeness, and the specific morphology of relationships that  
exist between the core firm and the four markets that are its key  
stakeholders-product markets, capital markets, supplier markets and  
labor markets. Mathur extends Piepenbrock's model to examine its  
validity in commodity industries, specifically the steel industry from  
the 1860s to the present.

Web site: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_110810/webinar_110810.html

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free, but registration requested

Tickets: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_110810/webinar_110810.html

Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division

For more information, contact:
Lois Slavin
617-324-0320
Chris Bates

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Energy Discussions: Plan B for the Climate

Speaker: Bill Bonvillian

Time: 12:00p–1:00p

Location: 8-119

Join members of the MIT Energy Club for a round-table discussion with  
Bill Bonvillian, the head of the MIT Washington Office. We'll be  
discussing the future of climate legislation and regulation in the  
United States in the context of the midterm elections and the failure  
of a cap-and-trade bill to pass the Senate in 2010. What is our Plan B  
for the climate?
Please go to the event web page for more details.
A light lunch will be served.

Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Reserve Prices in Internet Advertising Auctions: A Field Experiment  
(Joint with Harvard)

Speaker: Michael Ostrovsky (Stanford)

Time: 2:30p–4:00p

Location: at Harvard Littauer M16

Reserve Prices in Internet Advertising Auctions: A Field Experiment  
(Joint with Harvard)


Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/5713

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): IO Workshop (Sponsored by Analysis Group)

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

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Denmark's renewable energy island

Speaker: Soren Hermansen

Time: 3:30p–5:00p

Location: 4-270

A presentation about a community pursuing a 100% renewable energy  
supply over a span of 10 years using an approach based on government  
policy, widespread public participation and local ownership.

In 1997, the Danish government challenged the five populated islands  
to cut their carbon footprint and increase production of renewable  
energy. Samsoe, an island of 4,100 people west of Copenhagen, won the  
contest.

The effort started with Hermansen, a former high school environmental  
studies teacher, going around to community meetings talking up the  
benefits of clean energy. He set up investment plans for island  
residents to buy shares in giant wind turbines, large solar panels and  
straw-fired central furnaces for homes and buildings in heating  
districts.

Today, the island exports wind-powered electricity to the Danish  
mainland and has cut its carbon footprint by 140 percent. Most  
Samsingers still use gasoline for their cars, but in the meantime,  
wind power exports more than make up for the carbon from Samsoe's  
tailpipe emissions.

Soren Hermansen is the director of Samsoe Energy Academy and the head  
of the Samsoe renewable energy island project. In 2008, Hermansen was  
named one of the 'Heroes of the Environment' by Time Magazine. And in  
2009 he was awarded the Gothenborg Award - the Nobel prize of the  
environment. Other and Awards include the Energy Globe 2008 and  
Eurosolar 2002. Hermansen is Adjunct Professor at Aalborg Universitet.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative

For more information, contact:
Jameson Twomey
617-324-2408
jtwomey at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Innovation Leadership:  GWAMIT (Graduate Woman at MIT) Leadership  
Conference Keynote

Speaker: Dr. Sophie Vandebroek

Time: 4:00p–6:00p

Location: Microsoft NERD, 1 Memorial Drive.

GWAMIT Leadership Conference
The Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT) Leadership Conference (Monday,  
November 8 - Wednesday, November 10, 2010) seeks to provide MIT  
graduate women across all departments an opportunity to gain practical  
skills and tools that will enable them to lead and communicate more  
effectively. *Men are welcome at our events.*

The GWAMIT Leadership Conference will kick-off with opening remarks by  
MIT President Susan Hockfield followed by a keynote speech by Dr.  
Sophie Vandebroek. Graduate women across MIT will have an opportunity  
to mingle and network over drinks and food at the reception afterwards  
(5-6 pm).

Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, CTO of Xerox and President of the Xerox  
Innovation Group, is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical &  
Electronics Engineers and a Fulbright Fellow. She holds 12 US patents.  
Dr. Vandebroek is a member of the Board of Directors of Analogic  
Corporation, of Nypro Corporation, and is a member of The US National  
Academies Committee on Science, Technology & Law. She is a trustee of  
Worcester Polytechnic Institute and also serves on the advisory  
council of the Deans of Engineering at MIT and at Cornell University.  
She received her PhD in electrical engineering from Cornell  
University. She lives with Jesus del Alamo, her husband and Prof at  
MIT, in Lincoln MA and they enjoy spending time with their 6 almost  
grown-up children.

Schedule
3:45 - 4 pm: Seating will begin 15 minutes prior to 4 pm. Refreshments  
will be available.
4 - 4:10 pm: Dr. Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, will kick-off the  
first-ever GWAMIT Leadership Conference with opening remarks.
4:10 - 5 pm: Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, will give the keynote, entitled,  
"Innovation Leadership."
5 - 6 pm: Networking mixer with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres.


Web site:http://sites.google.com/site/thegwamitleadershipconference

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Graduate Women at MIT, GSC Funding Board, School of  
Engineering, Dean's Office, MIT School of Science, Office of the Dean  
for Graduate Education, Microsoft

For more information, contact:
gwamit-sec at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Lauren Bon

Speaker: Lauren Bon

Time: 7:00p–9:00p

Location: E15-070

MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night  
lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to  
discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension  
of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot  
and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary  
between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be  
required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under  
water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested  
cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lauren Bon - Metabolic Studio

Lauren Bon will talk about current projects with her Metabolic Studio,  
including Silver and Water, a film made out of the silver and water  
historically mined out of the Owens River Valley. The film--to be  
released in November 13, 2013, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of  
the opening of the Los Angeles River pipeline--is physically made out  
of the materials of the valley and developed with the trona excavated  
from the dry lakebed. She will also discussThe Anabolic Monument. The  
monument is at the site whereNotacornfield was located--at the other  
end of the L.A. River, some 240 miles away. Her talk will address how  
these metabolic works use creative endeavor to galvanize social and  
political transition within complex bureaucracies such the Department  
of Water and Power and the State Park System.

Lauren Bon is an artist and MIT alumna. Her Metabolic Studio is based  
in Los Angeles.

Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at  
20 Ames Street)


Web site: act.mit.edu

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology

For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act at mit.edu

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Folk Music Concert and Demonstrations: Jeff Warner

Speaker: Jeff Warner

Time: 7:30p–9:00p

Location: Killian Hall

Folk Music of the British Isles and North America
Folk music concert and demonstrations

Jeff Warner is among the nation?s foremost performer/interpreters of  
traditional music. His songs from the lumber camps, fishing villages  
and mountain tops of America connect 21st century audiences with the  
everyday lives?and artistry?of 19th century Americans. ?Providing more  
than just rich entertainment, Jeff will leave you with a deeper  
appreciation of the land you live in? (Caff? Lena, Saratoga, NY). His  
songs, rich in local history and a sense of place, bring us the latest  
news from the distant past.

Jeff grew up listening to the songs and stories of his father Frank  
Warner and the traditional singers his parents met during their  
folksong collecting trips through rural America. He accompanied his  
parents on their later field trips and is the editor of his mother?s  
book, Traditional American Folk Songs: From the Anne and Frank Warner  
Collection. He is producer of the two-CD set, Her Bright Smile Haunts  
Me Still, the Warners? recordings of rural singers, many of them born  
in Victorian times. ?The scion of one of the nation?s most eminent  
families of folksong collectors, he represents a tradition that is  
fundamentally unbroken since preindustrial times? (Stuart Frank,  
Senior Curator, New Bedford Whaling Museum).


Web site: http://www.jeffwarner.com/

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Literature Section

For more information, contact:
Graham, Jamie
258-5629
jamiecg at mit.edu

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

"Inside Job" Filmmaker Charles Ferguson Presents the Brunel Lecture:  
The Financial Crisis, the Recession, and America's Future: A Systemic  
Perspective

Speaker: Charles Ferguson

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 54-100

Brunel Lecture Series on Complex Systems
The Brunel Lecture Series on Complex Systems, presented by MIT's  
Engineering Systems Division (ESD), was made possible by funds  
assembled and underwritten by Frank P. Davidson, convener of the  
Channel Tunnel Study Group (1957). It was this group's design,  
accomplished by agreement with Bechtel Corporation, Brown & Root, Inc.  
and Morrison-Knudsen Company, Inc. in 1959, that formed the basis of  
the subsea railway link now in service between England and France.

Speaker Charles Ferguson, director of Inside Job (about the causes of  
the 2008 financial meltdown, premiering nationwide on October 15) will  
present the talk: The Financial Crisis, the Recession, and America's  
Future: A Systemic Perspective.
Ferguson was a mathematics major at the University of California at  
Berkeley and earned a doctorate in political science from MIT. During  
his postdoctoral work, he consulted for the White House, government  
trade and defense agencies, and American and European technology  
firms. In 1994, he co-founded Vermeer Technologies, which created the  
FrontPage website development tool, then sold it to Microsoft two  
years later. He lectured or pursued research projects at MIT,  
Berkeley, and the Brookings Institution before becoming a filmmaker.  
His first film, No End in Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq  
(2007) was nominated for an Academy Award.

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division

For more information, contact:
Stefanie Koperniak

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November 9

4:00–6:00 pm

Here Come's Everybody's Journalist
Clay Shirky, Author, new media maven

MIT E51-149

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Thermal Phenomena in Electronic Nanostructures

Speaker: Dr. Kenneth E. Goodson

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 34-101

MTL Seminar Series
Refreshments at 3:30 p.m.

Electronic devices based on nanowires, nanoparticles, and thin-film  
multilayers enable breakthroughs in computation, energy conversion,  
and data storage. Heat generation and conduction govern the  
performance and reliability of these nanodevices and pose fundamental  
questions: How is heat generated and conducted within nanowire  
transistors? What is the thermal conductivity of films laden with  
nanoparticles? Can nanowire films efficiently convert waste heat to  
electrical power? This seminar addresses these questions with a focus  
on the physics, metrology, and simulation techniques of nanoscale heat  
transfer. Focus applications include phase change memory (PCRAM),  
thermoelectric energy converters, and thermal interface materials for  
microelectronics.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories

For more information, contact:
Mara Elena Karapetian
452-2545
webmaster at mtl.mit.edu

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Predictive Defect Engineering for Scalable Photovoltaics at $1/Wp

Speaker: Tonio Buonassisi, Photovoltaics Research Laboratory, MIT

Time: 4:15p–5:30p

Location: 66-110

MITE Seminar Series sponsored by IHS Cambridge Energy Research  
Associates

At $1 per peak watt installed cost, solar photovoltaics is projected  
to be cost-competitive with traditional fossil fuels in many markets  
across the United States. To meet this cost target and ensure scalable  
production, thin low-cost materials must be used. Herein lies an  
important trade-off: Low-cost materials are typically defect-rich, and  
defects impede electronic transport and photoconversion efficiency.  
Since efficiency and cost are inversely related, defect-rich materials  
have until recently resulted in poor-quality, economically  
uncompetitive solar cells.

In this presentation, we explore a path towards low-cost, high- 
performance, and scalable photovoltaic absorbers. We introduce the  
concept of ?defect engineering,? the science of controlling defects to  
engineer desired material properties. We review recent successful  
applications of defect-engineering technologies to traditional ingot  
multicrystalline silicon that have led to cell efficiencies above 16%.  
We will review recent advances in macroscopic CCD-based PV device  
characterization tools, and elucidate how these can be coupled to  
synchrotron-based nanoprobe techniques to characterize chemical  
natures and distributions of performance-limiting defects less than 20  
nm in diameter. We then consider candidate PV materials with cost- 
reduction and scaling potential to support $1/Wp installed costs, yet  
which are currently defect-limited.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative

For more information, contact:
Jameson Twomey
617-324-2408
jtwomey at mit.edu

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Starr Forum: Report Card on Obama: Climate, Afghanistan, the Economy

Speaker: Henry Jacoby, Barry Posen, Simon Johnson

Time: 4:30p–6:00p

Location: E15-Bartos Theatre

A Starr Forum Event-
MIT experts assess Obama's work on
Afghanistan, Climate, and the Economy
and how the results of the Nov. 2 mid-term elections will affect
these important issues

Richard Samuels, CIS director and Ford Int'l Professor of Political  
Science, will moderate the discussion.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Barry Posen is Ford International Professor of Political Science at  
MIT and director of the MIT Security Studies Program.

Henry (Jake) Jacoby is the William F. Pounds Professor of Management  
Emeritus at the MIT
Sloan School of Managment

Simon Johnson, an expert on the financial sector and economic crises,  
is Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan  
School of Management.

For more details please see "Web Site" link


Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_110910_reportcard.html

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies

For more information, contact:
starrforum at mit.edu

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

"Brazil on the Rise: What Comes Next? First Look at the Post-Lula Era"

Speaker: Larry Rohter

Time: 5:00p–7:00p

Location: E 40-496

MIT-Brazil Contemporary Brazil Lecture Series

A lecture and book signing by Larry Rohter, New York Times Journalist  
and Author of "Brazil on the Rise: The Story of a Country Transformed"

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MIT-Brazil Program,  
Harvard Brazil Studies Program

For more information, contact:
MIT-Brazil
258-6007
mit-brazil at mit.edu

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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

GWAMIT Leadership Conference: Negotiation Seminar - How to Get What  
You Want!

Speaker: Dr. Deborah Kolb, author of "Her Place at the Table," and  
expert on gender issues in negotiation and leadership.

Time: 5:00p–6:30p

Location: 56-114

GWAMIT Leadership Conference
The Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT) Leadership Conference (Monday,  
November 8 - Wednesday, November 10, 2010) seeks to provide MIT  
graduate women across all departments an opportunity to gain practical  
skills and tools that will enable them to lead and communicate more  
effectively. *Men are welcome at our events.*

Learn the importance of negotiating and advocating for yourself. Learn  
how to ask for the mentors, support, resources, assignments, and  
promotions you want and deserve.


Web site:http://sites.google.com/site/thegwamitleadershipconference

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): GSC Funding Board, MIT School of Science, School of  
Engineering, Dean's Office, Office of the Dean for Graduate Education,  
Graduate Women at MIT (GWAMIT), WGA3

For more information, contact:
gwamit-sec at mit.edu

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BABCNE: Wind Energy - Understanding Market Developments in the US & UK

November 10, 2010  8:00a–9:30a

Offshore Wind plays an critically imporant role in helping the UK meet  
aggressive renewable energy standards. The UK is home to the world's  
largest offshore wind farm, and significant plans are underway to  
develop additional resources. In the US, offshore wind has seen much  
interest and activity, but is still at an early stage of development.  
Offshore wind presents massive opportunities for investment and  
infrastructure development, from ships to ports to wind farm supply  
chains. Join us on November 10th as we explore and discuss the latest  
issues in offshore wind both in the US and UK Markets.

Category:  lectures/conferences

Speaker:  Joel Whitman, Director of Strategy & Marketing, Global  
Marine Systems & Jim Gordon, President, Cape Wind

Location:  The British Consulate General, One Broadway, Cambridge, MA  
02142

Sponsored by:  MIT Energy Campus Events, British American Business  
Council of New England

Admission:  Complementary

Open to the public

Tickets available from Pre-registration(on website), by November 5, is  
a must for entry into the building. Please bring a picture ID.

For more information: 617 720 3622

http://www.babcne.org/events/events4/icalrepeat.detail/2010/11/10/36/-/environment-a-energy-breakfast-series-wind-technology-a-implementation.html

-----------------------


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A No-Strategy Nation: Muddling Through Will No Longer Do
Speaker: Lawrence Wilkerson, The College of William and Mary
Time: 12:00p–1:30p
Location: E40-496
SSP Wednesday Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact:
617-253-7529
valeriet at mit.edu

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Marine Snow: midwater activity and community centers in the world?s  
ocean

Speaker: Mary Silver, UC Santa Cruz

Time: 2:30p–3:30p

Location: 48-316

Environmental Fluid Mechanics / Hydrology Seminar Series
weekly presentations from local and international researchers in the  
field of hydrology and environmental fluid mechanics.

?Marine Snow? is the descriptor given to the ubiquitous, readily  
visible, non-living particles found in waters from the ocean?s surface  
to the sea floor. Many of the particles have fractal geometry and are  
physical aggregates of smaller particles, whereas others have  
discernable and unique biological origins. In the sea, these particles  
are ?hotspots? of biological and chemical activity, often with  
abundant associated microorganisms and an interior with altered  
physical and chemical properties, as compared with surrounding waters.  
In this presentation, I discuss the origins and characteristics of  
marine snow, review aspects of particle dynamics, show images of the  
often unique associated microorganisms, and present in situ video  
footage of the particles in the Monterey submarine canyon, obtained  
from MBARI?s (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute?s) submersible,  
a remotely operated vehicle. The seminar will take an ?overview?  
perspective, mostly focused on what we know from field observations,  
but will also identify several new research areas that are now ripe  
for study, given recent advances in microbiology and ocean-related  
sciences.

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering

For more information, contact:
Sheila Anderson
8-5554
sherah at mit.edu

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Advances in modeling neocortex and its impact on machine intelligence

Speaker: Jeff Hawkins, Co-Founder of Numenta, Inc

Time: 4:15p–5:15p

Location: 45-3002, Singleton Auditorium, Bldg 46, off of 3rd floor  
atrium

MIT Intelligence Initiative Seminar Series 2010/2011

Coaxing computers to perform acts of perception, language, and  
robotics, let alone high-level thought, has been difficult. Our belief  
is that to solve many problems of machine intelligence we first need  
to understand the principles by which the brain works and then build  
machines that work on those principles. To this end, Numenta has  
developed a model of the neocortex and is applying it to practical  
problems.

In this talk I will give an overview of our overall neocortical theory  
and then present the new cortical learning algorithms. I will conclude  
with a discussion of how I believe machine intelligence based on  
hierarchical learning models will evolve.


Web site: http://isquared.mit.edu/

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Tickets: N/A

Sponsor(s): Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT Intelligence Initiative

For more information, contact:
Kathleen D. Sullivan
kdsulliv at mit.edu

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

UNMAKING CITIZENS: THE LAW AND POLITICS OF DENATURALIZATION IN THE  
20TH CENTURY UNITED STATES

Speaker: Patrick Weil

Time: 4:30p–6:00p

Location: E40-496

Patrick Weil of Yale University speaks as part of the Myron Weiner  
Seminar series

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies

For more information, contact:
Casey
258-8552
caseyj at mit.edu

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Soap Box: Mixing Oil and Ecosystems

Speaker: Chris Reddy

Time: 6:00p–7:30p

Location: N52, MIT Museum

Soap Box: The Gulf Oil Spill & Its Consequences
The MIT Museum sponsors a series of salon-style, early-evening  
conversations with cutting-edge scientists and engineers who are  
making the news that really matters.

Join marine chemist Chris Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic  
Institution in exploring the long-term environmental impacts of the  
Gulf oil spill and the roles that humans play in these processes.


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

Open to: the general public

Cost: free admission

Sponsor(s): MIT Museum, MIT/WHOI Joint Program

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

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Complexity and Sustainability: Symposium in Honor of Prof. David Marks

Speaker: Many; including Jared Cohon, President of Carnegie Mellon  
University

Time: 1:00p–5:00p

Location: E51-Wong, Ting Foyer

This is a symposium about the future of systems approaches to  
sustainability study; associated educational elements; and Prof.  
Marks's role in establishing these at MIT in his 41 years of service.  
A reception will follow the symposium


Web site: http://cee.mit.edu/marks-symposium

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative, Civil and Environmental Engineering

For more information, contact:
Teresa Hill
617 253-1341
thill at mit.edu

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Local Engagement Games (LEGS) and How Neighborhoods Can Use Local  
Engagement Games to Build Community and Plan for the Future:  She's  
got LEGs and Knows How to Use Them

Speaker: Eric Gordon

Time: 3:00p–5:00p

Location: 54-100

CMS Colloquium Series
The CMS colloquium series provides an intimate and informal exchange  
between a visiting speaker and CMS faculty, students, visiting  
scholars and friends. Each week during the term, we host a figure from  
academia, industry, or the art world to speak about their work and its  
relation to our studies. These sessions are free, open to the public,  
and serve as an excellent introduction to our program.

There are a growing number of games that are location-based. They use  
mobile devices and locative technologies to turn physical space into a  
game board. Games like Foursquare get people moving from place to  
place, exploring the world around them and potentially meeting people  
nearby. But while many games use location as the context for  
interaction, few use location as the content for interaction. Local  
Engagement Games (LEGs) are location-based games designed for the  
specificity of a location, with the intention of integrating into  
local cultures and local institutions. They reinforce existing  
geographical communities because the rules of the game are couched  
within existing rules of civic participation. Whether it's a game  
built around a town hall meeting or a government planning process,  
LEGs scaffold local processes to foster community and commitment to  
civic life.

In this talk, Gordon will discuss two LEGs developed at the Engagement  
Game Lab. Participatory Chinatown is a 3-D role-playing game designed  
to be integrated into the master planning process of Boston's  
Chinatown. And CommunityPlanIt, a location-based mobile game platform  
(in development), is designed to engage neighborhoods in official  
planning processes, while forging geographically-based communities and  
advocacy groups around local issues.

Eric Gordon is an associate professor in the Department of Visual and  
Media Arts at Emerson College and director of the new Engagement Game  
Lab.


Web site: http://cms.mit.edu

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies

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

-----------------

Thursday, November 11, 2010

MITHENGE (Infinite Sunset) 4:18pm and 52 seconds, Altitude, 51 feet

Speaker: The Setting Sun

Time: 4:18p

Location: Infinite Corridor (Between Buildings 7 & 8)

The Infinite Corridor is 825 feet long X 9 feet wide X 16 feet high  
(Nearly 3 football fields).
This layout allows the corridor to capture the setting sun at a  
particular moment creating a solar phenomenon sometimes called  
MITHENGE. When this occurs, given favorable weather conditions, a  
shaft of sunlight is thrown the entire length of the corridor.The best  
viewing occurs at the third-floor level, which has fewer obstructions  
and less traffic.


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

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Information Center, The Sun

For more information, contact:
617-253-4795
infocenter-www at MIT.EDU

-----------------------------

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Renewable Energy Certificates and New England Wind Power

Speaker: Kate Bogart, Marketing and Programs Manager, Mass Energy

Time: 5:30p–7:00p

Location: 4-145

Series: Advances in Wind Energy

The Status of Renewable Energy Certificates relative to New England  
Wind Power Development


Web site:http://web.mit.edu/windenergy/windgroup/windgroup.html

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club, MIT Wind Energy Group, Dept of Urban  
Studies Environmental Policy & Planning Group

For more information, contact:
MIT Wind Energy Group
wind at mit.edu

----------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

Tour of the EnerNOC Facility

Time: 9:00a–11:00a

Location: Boston, MA

EnerNOC is a world class energy management service company that  
assists commercial, institutional and industrial organizations use  
energy more intelligently and cost effectively while generating cash  
flow that benefits the bottom line. EnerNOC provides a wide array of  
energy management solutions including demand response services for  
maintaining grid stability and maximizing revenue for organizations,  
energy-use monitoring and greenhouse gas tracking tools to facilitate  
energy savings and carbon footprint management across the enterprise.

In the tour we will learn how the EnerNOC team executes demand  
response events and manages a "virtual" power plant with up to 3  
Gigawatts of electricity at customer locations. We will also learn  
more about the real-time process of remote triggering of electric  
consumption reduction, backup generation and performance monitoring of  
customer energy use. The tour will comprise a presentation by members  
of the EnerNOC team, followed by a tour of the facility.

To sign up, use the following link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dERyZ0hQZDZ2MHVhbGNPRFZBQm9ZWVE6MQ

Space is limited so be sure to sign up early. Since the tour will  
start a bit early in the day, our hosts have offered to provide  
breakfast at the venue. For more information about EnerNOC, check out  
the site: http://www.enernoc.com


Web site: http://www.enernoc.com

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Daniel Apo
djapo at mit.edu

----------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

What Climategate Says about Whether Science Is a Public or Private Good

Speaker: Terence Kealey

Time: 12:00p–2:00p

Location: 16-128

Dr. Terence Kealey,
Vice Chancellor, University of Buckingham, Buckingham, England


Web site: http://web.mit.edu/concourse/www/series.html

Open to: MIT-only

Cost: free of charge

Tickets: RSVP to Cheryl at least a week in advance

Sponsor(s): Concourse

For more information, contact:
Cheryl Butters
(617) 253-3200
cbutters at mit.edu

--------------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

Special Gateway Lectures: Addressing Inequalities

Speaker: Robert M. Solow, Professor Emeritus, Economics, MIT

Time: 12:00p–2:00p

Location: 32-141

Urban Studies and Planning Departmental Speaker Series
Weekly Lecture Series of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.  
Light lunch served.


Professor Robert Solow is Institute Professor Emeritus of Economics at  
MIT. Professor Solow has worked on issues of growth theories, income  
distribution, the role of technological change in development,  
unemployment and economic policy. He has received numerous awards,  
including the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1987 for his  
contributions to the theory of economic growth. He was a chief  
architect of the Department of Economics at MIT, along with Paul  
Samuelson, and he continues to lecture widely. Among other activities,  
he is a valued advisor on current economics questions and a regular  
contributor to the New York Review of Books.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning

For more information, contact:
Ezra Glenn
617-253-2024
eglenn at mit.edu

-----------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

Human Dynamics: From Human Mobility to Predictability (a NECSI and ESD  
Seminar)
Speaker: Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
Time: 12:30p–2:30p
Location: 35-225
Speaker: Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Center of Complex Networks Research,  
Northeastern University and Department of Medicine, Harvard University
Albert-Laszlo Barabasi is a complex systems scientist widely  
recognized for developing our understanding of real-world networks,  
especially the concept of scale-free networks. He also recently  
demonstrated the role of 'bursts' in human behavior. Register here: http://necsi.edu/events/upcomingevents.html
Web site: http://necsi.edu/events/upcomingevents.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division
For more information, contact:
Stefanie Koperniak

----------------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

Computation Lecture Series FA'10

Speaker: Neri Oxman - Media Arts and Sciences, MIT

Time: 12:30p–2:00p

Location: 7-431

Title: Mediated Matter

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Computation Group Events, Department of Architecture

For more information, contact:
Daniela Stoudenkova
danielas at mit.edu

-------------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

MITHENGE (Infinite Sunset) 4:20pm and 07 seconds, Altitude, 31 feet

Speaker: The Setting Sun

Time: 4:20p

Location: Infinite Corridor (Between Buildings 7 & 8)

The Infinite Corridor is 825 feet long X 9 feet wide X 16 feet high  
(Nearly 3 football fields).
This layout allows the corridor to capture the setting sun at a  
particular moment creating a solar phenomenon sometimes called  
MITHENGE. When this occurs, given favorable weather conditions, a  
shaft of sunlight is thrown the entire length of the corridor.The best  
viewing occurs at the third-floor level, which has fewer obstructions  
and less traffic.


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

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Information Center, The Sun

For more information, contact:
617-253-4795
infocenter-www at MIT.EDU

------------------------------

Friday, November 12, 2010

Architecture Lecture

Speaker: Sheila Kennedy, Kennedy Violich Architects, and Carlo Ratti,  
Director, MIT Senseable City Lab

Time: 6:30p–8:30p

Location: 7-431

BOS "Kennedy/Ratti discussions on (an) architecture"


Web site: http://architecture.mit.edu/

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture

For more information, contact:
617-253-7791

-----------------

Harvard

--------

Internet Architecture and Innovation with Barbara van Schewick
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 12 – 1:15 p.m.
WHERE
Maxwell Dworkin G115, Harvard SEAS
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Information Technology, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Center for Research on  
Computation and Society at SEAS
SPEAKER(S)
Barbara van Schewick, associate professor of law at Stanford Law  
School and director of Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and  
Society
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
Amar Ashar: ashar at cyber.law.harvard.edu
NOTE
Barbara van Schewick will give a talk on her recently released and  
widely praised book, "Internet Architecture and Innovation."
Professor Marvin Ammori has described the book as "essential reading  
for anyone interested in Internet policy-and probably for anyone  
interested in the law, economics, technology, or start-ups." The book  
analyzes how the Internet's internal structure, or architecture, has  
fostered innovation in the past; why this engine of innovation is  
under threat; why the "market" alone won't protect Internet  
innovation; and which features of the Internet's architecture we need  
to preserve so that the Internet continues to serve as an engine of  
innovation in the future. Whether you are tired of or confused by the  
network neutrality debate, or simply wondering what is at stake, van  
Schewick's talk will be refreshing and illuminating. More information  
on the book, including an overview and excerpts, is available at  
netarchitecture.org.
Complete bio of van Schewick: netarchitecture.org…
LINK
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2010/11/vanschewick

--------------------------

Turning Around Distressed Neighborhoods One Block at a Time
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 1 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall, Room 508
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Joint Center for Housing Studies and the Rappaport Institute for  
Greater Boston
SPEAKER(S)
Ann Houston, executive director, Chelsea Neighborhood Developers
LINK
http://www.jchs.harvard.edu

-----------------------

Workshop on the Political Economy of Modern Capitalism: "Social  
Metabolism and Ecological Distribution Conflicts"
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE
History Library, First Floor, Robinson Hall
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
SPEAKER(S)
Joan Martinez-Alier, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
CONTACT INFO
Caitlin Rosenthal: crosenth at fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://scholar.harvard.edu/polecon/event/joan-martinez-alier-social-metabolism-and-ecological-distribution-conflicts

---------

Running on Hope: International Soft Support and Chinese Environmental  
Lawyers
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 5:15 – 6:55 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS South, Room S030, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies: New England China Seminar
SPEAKER(S)
Rachel Stern, junior fellow, Harvard University Society of Fellows
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
lkluz at fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~fairbank/index.html

--------------------

Cost of Good Intentions: Cities Under Stress
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE
Allison Dining Room - Taubman Building 5th Floor
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Business, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Taubman Center for State and Local Government with the Rappaport  
Institute for Greater Boston
SPEAKER(S)
Mayor Joseph Curtatone - city of Somerville
Mayor James Fiorentini - city of Haverhill
Mayor Lisa Wong - city of Fitchbug
Moderated by Edward Glaeser
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
RSVP to:Heather Marie Vitale: 617.495.5140, heather_marie_vitale at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
The economic downturn has hammered local governments throughout the  
Commonwealth and the nation. Tax revenues have dropped, the need for  
many social services has increased and the flow of federal stimulus  
support may soon dry up. How can localities best react to this fiscal  
firestorm? What is the right balance between raising revenues and  
cutting services? Hear from three local mid-size city mayors as they  
discuss successes and disappointments.

--------------------------

Come and Play 20 Questions with Charles Fried and Gregory Fried: A  
Discussion of Their New Book — "Because It Is Wrong: Torture, Privacy  
and Presidential Power In The Age of Terror"
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 6 p.m.
WHERE
Thompson Room, Barker Center 110, 12 Quincy St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Ethics, Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
The Humanities Center at Harvard
SPEAKER(S)
Charles Fried, Gregory Fried, Homi Bhabha; questioners include:  
Jacqueline Bhabha, Nanc y Cott, Thomas Scanlon, Elaine Scary, Carol  
Steiker
CONTACT INFO
humcentr at fas.harvard.edu, 617.495.0738
NOTE
Read an excerpt of "Because It Is Wrong" at: www.fas.harvard.edu…
LINK
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~humcentr/

------------------------

China’s Economic Boom and Environmental Bust as a Global Security  
Challenge

WHEN
Mon., Nov. 8, 2010, 7:30 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS South, Room S030, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies: New England China Seminar
SPEAKER(S)
Jonathan Watts, Asia environment correspondent, The Guardian
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
lkluz at fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~fairbank/index.html

--------------------------

Tuesday, November 9, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp at cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast 
  and archived on our site shortly after at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive

As more and more content moves into the cloud, libraries are  
decreasingly the single place to go to find the material you need for  
your research (except for rare books and special collections). But  
libraries know a huge amount about their contents. This metadata is  
becoming even more valuable as research moves online, since now it can  
be deployed to help scholars and researchers discover, understand, and  
share what they need to know. The co-directors of the Harvard Library  
Innovation Lab at Harvard Law School -- Kim Dulin and David Weinberger  
-- along with members of the Lab will demonstrate their lead project  
(ShelfLife) and talk about the Lab's proposed multi-library metadata  
server (LibraryCloud).

About David
David Weinberger writes about the effect of technology on ideas.

He is that author of "Small Pieces Loosely Joined" and "Everything Is  
Miscellaneous," and is the co-author of "The Cluetrain Manaifesto." He  
is currently working on a book, tentatively titled "Too Big to Know"  
about the Internet's effect on how and what we know.

Dr. Weinberger is a senior researcher at the Berkman Center. He is  
also co-director of the Harvard Law School Library Lab, and is a  
Franklin Fellow at the United States Department of State. He has   
doctorate in philosophy.

About Kim
Kim Dulin is the Associate Director for Collection Development and  
Digital Initiatives at the Harvard Law Library.  She is also Co- 
Director (along with David) of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab.   
Kim has been a librarian at Harvard for the past seven years and prior  
to that was a law librarian at Northeastern and Boston University.   
She has also taught legal writing at BU Law and appellate advocacy at  
Northeastern.  Many moons ago she was a Legal Services Attorney in the  
Missouri Ozarks.

-------------------------------------------

Harvard Africa Seminar: Economic Growth and Institutional Development  
in Sub-Saharan Africa
WHEN
Tue., Nov. 9, 2010, 4 p.m.
WHERE
Room S250, Center for Government and International Studies, 1730  
Cambridge St., 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Committee on African Studies
SPEAKER(S)
Catherine Duggan
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
Sponsored by Harvard's Committee on African Studies and chaired by  
Professor Caroline Elkins, the Harvard Africa Seminar is a multi- 
disciplinary lecture that explores important issues and topics on  
Africa. On November 9th, Catherine Duggan will examine Sub-Saharan  
Africa’s process of economic growth and institutional development.
LINK
www.africa.harvard.edu

---------------------------

HGSE Virtual Information Session: Human Development and Psychology &  
Mind, Brain, and Education Programs
WHEN
Tue., Nov. 9, 2010, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE
Online. On the date and time of the event, you can join the session  
directly at:gseacademic.harvard.edu…
TYPE OF EVENT
Information Session - Online
BUILDING/ROOM
Other
CONTACT NAME
HGSE Admissions
CONTACT EMAIL
gseadmissions at harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE
617-495-3414
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT
HGSE Admissions
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Yes
RSVP REQUIRED
Yes
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education
NOTE
Please visit the website above to RSVP and for details about system  
requirements for the web conference software.
LINK
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/connect/virtual_events.html

---------------------

HGSE Virtual Information Session: Human Development and Psychology &  
Mind, Brain, and Education Programs

WHEN
Tue., Nov. 9, 2010, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE
Online. On the date and time of the event, you can join the session  
directly at: http://gseacademic.harvard.edu/~admitphp/login2.php
TYPE OF EVENT
Information Session - Online
BUILDING/ROOM
Other
CONTACT NAME
HGSE Admissions
CONTACT EMAIL
gseadmissions at harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE
617-495-3414
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT
HGSE Admissions
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Yes
RSVP REQUIRED
Yes
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education
NOTE
Please visit the website above to RSVP and for details about system  
requirements for the web conference software.
LINK
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/connect/virtual_events.html

----------------------

The Ecology of Fear and the Ecosystem: How Predation Risk Drives  
Ecosystem Nutrient Dynamics
WHEN
Wed., Nov. 10, 2010, 5 p.m.
WHERE
Biolabs Lecture Hall,
16 Divinity Ave,
Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment, with support from Bank  
of America
SPEAKER(S)
Oswald Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology,  
Yale University
CONTACT INFO
Lisa Matthews: 617.495.8883, lisa_matthews at harvard.edu
NOTE
This is held jointly with the OEB Weekly Seminar Series. The lecture  
will be followed by a reception.
Schmitz will present insights into species interactions and ecosystem  
functioning gained during 17 years research in a New England old-field  
ecosystem as part of the HUCE "Biodiversity, Ecology, & Global Change"  
lecture series.
Schmitz' research resolved how predator species influence ecosystem  
functioning, mediated by direct and indirect interactions with their  
leaf chewing herbivore prey and a diversity of herbaceous plant  
species. The presentation will address the role of consumers in  
influencing nutrient transfer through an ecosystem. The reigning view  
is that the rate and efficiency of nutrient transfer up the food chain  
is constrained by herbivore-specific capacity to secure N-rich  
compounds for survival and production. This presentation will,  
however, show how physiological stress response of grasshopper  
herbivores to fear of spider predation alters the nature of the  
nutrient constraint from nitrogen to carbon and accordingly the  
elemental stoichiometry of herbivore body tissue and excreta and of  
the plant community from which grasshoppers select their diet. Schmitz  
concludes by advancing conceptual theory on how flexible herbivore  
physiological responses to the fear of predation provide a fundamental  
mechanism to explain context dependence in the nature of trophic  
control over ecological stoichiometry and nutrient transfer in  
ecosystems.
LINK
http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/2010-11-10/biodiversity-ecology-and-global-change

---------------------

The Science of Dogs:  History, Psychology, and Geneology of Man's Best  
Friend
WHEN
Wed., Nov. 10, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Armenise Amphitheatre
Harvard Medical School
200 Longwood Ave
Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Lecture,  
Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School  
Division of Medical Sciences
CONTACT INFO
sitnboston at gmail.com
NOTE
Free weekly science seminars about today's hottest science topics.
LINK
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu

-----------------

November 12, 2010
6:00pm

Climate Change: What’s been happening in recent decades? What might  
we do about it?
Dr. Robert F. Cahalan, Doctor of Physics, Head of the Climate and  
Radiation Branch at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Grossman Room 51 Brattle Street Cambridge MA
A study of climate change due to anthropogenic activities is presented  
in the context of natural climate forcings due to volcanoes, solar  
activity, and natural variability on planetary and regional scales.  
Climate change data from NASA and their interconnections are presented  
in unprecedented detail and precision. Uncertainties due to aerosols  
and clouds that are a key focus of research at NASA and of the United  
States Global Change Research Program are presented. Concluding will  
be discussing approaches to the mitigating, and adapting to, future  
climate change.

Contact:  Susan Cahalan  scahalan at fas.harvard.edu

---------------------------------------

Boston University

-------------------

When
Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 at 3:00pm
Where
Photonics Center, 8 St. Mary's Street (PHO 339)

"Towards the Convergent Networks of the Future: Social Media Computing  
Inc."

Speaker(s): Jacob Chakareski, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Social networking has become a landmark of our online existence. If  
Facebook was a country, it would be the third most populous one in the  
world. The $106 question then is how to take advantage of our drive to  
network online to engineer better systems and design novel services.

This talk will overview some recent advances in bringing social media  
computing into the mainstream of network optimization. Jacob  
Chakareski will show how, by taking advantage of social contacts and  
content preferences, the information flow-cost ratio of the underlying  
transport network can be maximized. Similarly, he and his team will  
use multi-graph regularization to design efficient node-weighted multi- 
cast trees for distributing user-generated content in social networks.  
Lastly, he will examine the problem of estimating unknown content  
preferences in online social networks via message passing or sparse  
graph-transform based reconstruction techniques.

Jacob Chakareski is an associate scientist at EPFL where he conducts  
research, gives lectures, and supervises students. He did his doctoral  
thesis in the Information Systems Laboratory at Stanford University.  
His research interests span computer networks, multimedia systems,  
optimization and control, and wireless communications. He is a  
recipient of fellowships from Texas Instruments and the Soros  
Foundation. Most recently, he was awarded the Ambizione Fellowship  
from the Swiss National Science Foundation that recognizes research  
excellence among foreign nationals working at Swiss universities.

Who
Open to General Public
Admission is free
Contact
Electrical & Computer Engineering
617-353-2811

------------------

Other

--------

Tuesday, 9 November, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Boston Harbor Sea Level Rise Forum
New England Aquarium IMAX Theatre, Long Wharf, Boston
Join The Boston Harbor Association (TBHA) in examining the impacts of  
climate change on Boston Harbor. Specially prepared maps showing  
potential impacts of sea level rise and climate change in Boston  
Harbor and local neighborhoods will be presented. Gina McCarthy,  
EPA’s Assistant Administrator, will give the keynote address. Open  
mike sessions will allow for public comments and questions. Free;  
reception following. Reservations required: mail at tbha.org or register  
for November 9 by clicking https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e31xi4sr60823d0b

-------------------------

Wednesday, 10 November, 8:30 a.m. –  12:30 p.m.
Boston Harbor Sea-Level Rise Forum
John Joseph Moakley Courthouse, Fan Pier, South Boston
Join The Boston Harbor Association (TBHA) in examining the impacts of  
climate change on Boston Harbor. The half-day session will include  
responses to specially prepared maps showing potential impacts of sea  
level rise and climate change in Boston Harbor, as well as a keynote  
speech by Guy Nordenson, Coordinator of the Museum of Modern Art’s  
exhibition “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront,  
NY, 2010. Open mike session will allow for questions and comments by  
the general public. Free, lunch included. Reservations required: mail at tbha.org 
  or register for November 10 by https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e31z7je016c30762

-----------------

Editorial Comment:  The Boston Harbor Association is also having  
community meetings on sea-level rise in East Boston and Dorchester  
later in the month.  See http://www.tbha.org/events.htm

----------------------
GreenPort Forum

Being Persuasive About Climate Change (Skills for Thanksgiving Dinner)

Just in time for family discussions at Thanksgiving dinner: Learn how  
to be persuasive with climate change skeptics, rather than growing  
flustered and upset. Todd Feinburg, a WRKO talk-show host and a  
genuine skeptic, will be there to explain as clearly as possible why  
he is skeptical and to answer your questions.  Dan Chavas, an MIT  
graduate student, will list the top 5 persuasive scientific facts  
about climate change, and Dr. Sarah Conn, a psychologist, will explain  
how to frame the subject while using facts to communicate  
successfully.  It will all round up with you trying out your new  
skills on the skeptic to practice for Thanksgiving dinner with your  
less liberal relatives.

Wednesday,  November 10, 2010

5:30 to 7:30 pm

Emerson Hall, Rm 101, Harvard University,  adjacent to  Widener  
Library in Harvard Yard

Co-sponsored by HEET, Cambridge Energy Alliance, Greenport, and  
Harvard College Environmental Action Committee
---------------------------------

Fifth screening in an Environmental Film series:
“The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”

WHEN: November 10, 2010, beginning at 6:30pm

WHERE:  Ballroom, Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave,  
Cambridge, MA

"When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a  
tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80  
percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and  
struggles as well as the community and creativityof the Cuban people  
during this difficult time. Cubans share how they transitioned from a  
highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic  
methods of farming and local, urban gardens."

More info available at http://www.powerofcommunity.org

*A FREE event, with light refreshments provided*

Co‐sponsored by the Cambridge Renewable Energy Action Team (CREATe),  
the Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA), Sierra Club: The Greater Boston  
group, the Office of the Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis, and Cambridge  
Green Decade

------------------

Thursday, Nov 11th
A reception begins at 7:00 p.m., with the program beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum

Abi Barrow, Director, Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center
"Six Years with the MTTC Annual Conference on Clean Energy:  
Highlights, Impact, and Moving Forward"

Dr. Barrow will talk about this year's Clean Energy conference and  
presenters, as well as the newest data on presenters from the last  
five years. What are the success stories?  What are the ingredients  
for success?  A unique opportuity to follow-up the ideas, innovations  
and companies presenting over the past six years.  http://greenovationconference.com/

1st Parish Unitarian Church, #3 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge

http://www.basea.org

------------

Upcoming

-----------

Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:00:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robbie Samuels <send2robbie at gmail.com>
To: act-ma at act-ma.org
Subject: [act-ma] SoJust co-sponsoring RootsCampMA - you don't want to
	miss	this
Message-ID: <4cd3f1da.8c6fe60a.63a0.27a2 at mx.google.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

It's very, very rare that Socializing for Justice finds an opportunity  
to
co-sponsor events because we purposely don't align ourselves with  
specific
issue groups. So it is with great pleasure that I share that SoJust has
partnered with New Organizing Institute (NOI) to host RootsCamp MA<http://bit.ly/rootscampma 
 >in Boston on November 13 & 14 (just $10 for both days!). NOI
is coordinating statewide RootsCamps in 25 states and then a national
RootsCamp in DC in December.

*What's RootsCamp?* It's a friendly environment where you'll have time  
to
make real connections with people working on and interested in lots of
different issues. (Sound familiar?) Over one weekend in Boston*,  
*RootsCamp
will bring together a broad spectrum of organizers to discuss and
collaborate, share lessons learned, and drive the conversation about   
best
practices in progressive organizing. Discuss the successes and  
challenges
facing progressive organizers. Help us to bring together diverse  
voices and
perspectives from across the state and create a powerful, inclusive, and
productive event. Join us, and help drive the progressive movement  
forward.

*How's it organized?* *It's an "unconference"* - meaning YOU get to  
present
a session without having to submit a proposal. The whole point of this
RootsCamp unconference is for local organizers to own and drive the
conversation. It's the only conference this year where you are  
guaranteed to
have a chance to talk about what YOU want to talk about. It's part
reflection: a candid environment to share what's working and what isn't.
It's also a chance to get to know each other better and plan the year  
ahead.Here's a quick video explaining the unconference concept:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM6htb8Hifg&feature=player_embedded

*Who should come?* All interested progressives, defined broadly, from  
across
Massachusetts who have lessons to share, more to learn, or campaigns and
projects to move forward.  Whether you consider yourself a  
"progressive" or
simply work on an issue or matter that moves our country forward, add  
your
voice and perspective -- help shape and take ownership over RootsCamp.

*Where is it?* SEIU 1199 is generously hosting us in their space: 150  
Mt.
Vernon Street, Second Floor, Dorchester Near UMass/JFK T stop - free  
parking
available.

*What can you do to get involved?*

*We're doing this as volunteers and could very much use your help to  
make
this happen and strengthen Massachusetts' cross-issue progressive  
community,
network and movement (see it's right in line with SoJust's vision!):

*
1. Attend one or both days! <http://bit.ly/rootscampma> The best thing  
you
can do is *RSVP right now*- we're under a tight deadline to reach  
critical
mass. *It's only $10 for both days.*

2. If you can *volunteer your time* (in the next 8 days or the weekend  
of
the event) you'll attend for free or *become a $100 event sponsor* so  
we can
cover the cost of food and supplies, you're amazing. Just select  
volunteer
or sponsor when you RSVP:
https://sites.google.com/a/neworganizing.com/rootscamp-ma/

3. *Invite your network!* We really need your help to be sure we reach
everyone that would potentially want to be involved. Please share this  
email
with any groups you work with.

Questions? Fill out this form<https://sites.google.com/a/neworganizing.com/rootscamp-ma/home/volunteer 
 >and we'll be in touch.

On Twitter? Follow #maroots @SoJust & #sojust to receive updates on
RootsCampMA <https://bit.ly/rootscampma>.

Thanks!
Robbie Samuels
SoJust Co-Founder & Co-Organizer

----------------

Roll Against Coal - Boston to Salem bike ride and rally!
Nov 13 2010 - 9:30am

Join us for a bike ride from Boston to a rally in Salem, to help shut  
down the coal plant that is Massachusetts' 3rd largest source of  
carbon pollution, and put Massachusetts on a path towards 100%  
renewable energy!

RSVP at: http://members.greenpeace.org/event/view/3972/

WHY?
The Salem Harbor Coal Plant has negative impacts on people and  
environment. Salem Harbor is Massachusetts' third largest contributor  
of carbon emissions, and damages local ecosystems through waste  
discharge into the air and the Atlantic. There are 100,000 people who  
live within 3 miles of this plant, and these people are directly  
impacted by the plant. In 2001 The Harvard School of Public Health  
preformed a study that estimated that Salem Harbor and its sister  
plant, Brayton Point, cause 159 premature deaths, 43,000 asthma  
attacks and upper respiratory irritation in 300,000 people across New  
England. Governor Patrick has expressed interest in shutting down the  
Salem Harbor Coal Plant, but the people of Massachusetts need to make  
this issue a priority for the governor.

The Roll Against Coal will show Boston's solidarity with community  
groups in Salem (SAFE - Salem Alliance for the Environment and  
Healthlink) that have been laboring for more than a decade to shut  
down this obsolete and dirty plant. Building ties between  
organizations in Salem and Boston will be tremendously helpful in the  
fight to shut down Salem Harbor. An immediate result from the ride  
will be increased media attention to this issue.


WHO?
Greenpeace Boston is the lead organizer, and is currently campaigning  
against coal and for green jobs/energy. Shutting down Salem Harbor is  
a powerful first step to making a clean energy future a reality for MA.
Students for a Just and Stable Future is a student led volunteer  
network. One of SJSF's primary goals is to take on dirty energy, and  
in MA, students are campaigning for 100% clean electricity in 10 years.
Bikes Not Bombs (BNB) uses bicycles in local youth programs and  
international development work, as a tool for environmental  
sustainability and social justice. BNB is co-sponsoring the Roll  
Against Coal.
Salem Alliance for the Environment and Healthlink are Salem  
environmental organizations that have been campaigning to shut down  
this plant, and will be organizing the rally to be joined by the Roll  
Against Coal.
You! You can join the ride or rally to help Massachusetts take the  
next step towards clean energy!


THE RIDE
On November 13th at 9:30 am, activists will meet at Seven Hills Park  
(behind Davis Square Station in Somerville). A light breakfast will be  
provided, cyclists will be briefed by campaigners and bike rally  
leaders, and at 10:00 am will begin riding the 18-20 miles to Salem.  
Along the way, cyclists will stop at designated rest stops to maintain  
group formation, and meet with press. At 1:00 the cyclists will meet  
with local Salem activists for a rally in Salem Square. After the  
rally cyclists will return to Boston via the ferry and commuter rail  
(bikes are allowed on both).

Each cyclist is responsible for his/her bike, and is required to wear  
a helmet. Each cyclist should also bring snacks and water. Greenpeace  
will provide "Quit Coal" campaign t-shirts, flags to attach to bikes,  
and light snacks/water. Greenpeace has also designed a banner reading  
"Roll Against Coal" that will be displayed at the Salem Rally.  
Greenpeace will ensure that there is a mechanic, bike rally leader,  
and safety car to provide support to the cyclists.


VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
If you have experience riding in a group, either in Bikes Not Bombs  
teaching programs or otherwise, let us know. We're looking to sign up  
experienced riders to lead and marshal the group.


CONTACT
David Lands - dlands at greenpeace.org

Elsa Sebastian - elsa_sebastian at hotmail.com - 907-738-8879

Arik Grier - arik at bikesnotbombs.org - 617-522-0222 x100

---------

Ongoing

---------

Monday, November 08, 2010
OrigaMIT Crane Booth!
Time: 10:00a–5:00p
Location: W20, First Floor Student Center Table
OrigaMIT hosted public crane folding! We provide the table and paper,  
you fold cranes! The goal is 1000 cranes. Come fold!
Web site: http://origamit.scripts.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
This event occurs daily through November 12, 2010.
Sponsor(s): Origamit

For more information, contact:
Jason Ku
origami-info at mit.edu

--------------------------

GIS Day social tweetup #GISDBOS
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 6:00 PM (ET)
Where
Kennedy's Midtown
42 Province Street
Boston, MA 02109

Event Details
Come join us for a GIS Day social tweetup celebration.  Come hang out  
with others who can share your joy and pain over using GIS.
It's going to be an informal gathering, no name tags, no agenda...  
just find a seat at the bar and let's hang out and talk about GIS and  
spatial fun.
Please RSVP so we the bar can set aside some space for us. Also,  
please use the #GISDBOS hash tag so we can track the conversation  
online.

http://gisdbos2010.eventbrite.com/?utm_source=I+Spatial+Boston+List&utm_campaign=d17117a16d-November_Mailing11_5_2010&utm_medium=email

----------------------

To members of the Climate CoLab community,

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest,
as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.

The contest will address the question: What international climate
agreements should the world community make?

The first round ended on October 31 and the final round runs through
November 26.

In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be
briefed on the winning entries.

We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses
for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of
these briefings.

We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org
.

We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so
that members of the community can get to know each other.

And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the
contest.

Editorial Comment:  I played a previous version of this simulation.
This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero
emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=

----------------------------

Resource

-----------

Boston Food System

"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post  
announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships,  
programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles  
or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's  
food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take  
place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."

The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food  
system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food,  
farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health,  
environment, arts, social services and other arenas.   Hundreds of  
organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on  
week-to-week is not always well publicized.

Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let  
everyone know about these activities.  Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of  
subscribers.  Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and  
other posting guidelines will be provided as well.

It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

----------------------

Artisan Asylum  http://artisansasylum.com/

Sprout & Co:  Community Driven Investigations  http://thesprouts.org/studios

Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project  http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation

-----------------------------------------------------

Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents   http://hubevents.blogspot.com

Thanks to

Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area  http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html

Boston Area Computer User Groups  http://www.bugc.org/

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

http://green.harvard.edu/events

--------------------------------------------------

Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most
Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston
area that catch the editor's eye.

Hubevents  http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.

If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events
email gmoke at world.std.com



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