[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jan 16 19:59:20 PST 2011


MIT
-----

Monday, January 17, 2011
Renaissance Project - Hope for Haiti
Time: All day
Location: 9-Lobby
This exhibit represents the work of Professor Jan Wampler and his  
architectural students in the Haiti Workshop and shows more detail of  
the structures for the Village designed for Archahaie, Haiti. This  
design is for a Village that willhouse 1000 people and a school that  
will educate 400 students. It includes housing, classrooms, community  
facilities, dormitories, commercial facilities and a farm to  
financially sustain the community. Energy for the village will be  
provided by solar panel and wind turbines; the buildings will be  
constructed primarily out of bamboo and other local materials.

Open to: the general public

This event occurs daily through May 1, 2011.

Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning, Department of  
Architecture

For more information, contact:
Scott Campbell
253-5380

scottc at mit.edu

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

Introduction to Nuclear Power
Benoit Forget, Paul Romano, Jacob DeWitte
Tue Jan 18 thru Fri Jan 21, 10:30am-12:00pm, 4-149

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 50 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Course 1: Historical perspective of nuclear fission; Overview of  
radioactive decay and nuclear fission; Basic concepts of a nuclear  
power reactor. Course 2: Introduction of nuclear reactor safety.  
Discussion of reactivity and feedback mechanisms. Overview of defense  
in depth concepts. Discussion of Chernobyl accident. Course 3:  
Overview of the fuel cycle; From mining to waste disposal, this course  
will discuss ore processing, enrichment, spent nuclear fuel and long  
term disposal. Course 4: Overview of closed-fuel cycles possibilities  
such as Pu recycling and Minor actinides recycling. Introduction to  
fast reactors.

Particularly geared for Freshman.
Contact: Benoit Forget, 24-214, (617) 253-1655, bforget at mit.edu
Sponsor: Nuclear Science and Engineering

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

Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series
Peter Catto, Abhay Ram, John Rice, Paul Rivenberg
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

This series introduces plasma physics research and areas of related  
interest at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. See URL below.
Web: http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg at psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Using models to study climate
John Marshall
An approach to the study of climate that emphasizes modeling  
hierarchies, but based on a common set of modeling tools. Prof.  
Marshall will illustrate some of the science that such models  
facilitate in the context of paleo climate (focusing on the past 50  
million years), exploring, for example, whether more than one stable  
climate might exist for a given external forcing.
Tue Jan 18, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218

Climate change, nuclear proliferation and fusion energy
Rob Goldston, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Tue Jan 18, 03-04:00pm, NW17-218

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wind Resource Assessment Demonstration

Speaker: Wind Energy Projects in Action

Time: 4:30p–6:00p

Location: 32d-507

Presentation and demonstration on wind resource assessment and wind  
farm layout using matlab.

Web site: http://windenergy.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
wepa at mit.edu

------------------
Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Human Rights on the Web: dinner discussion with Ethan Zuckerman

Speaker: Ethan Zuckerman

Time: 6:00p–7:30p

Location: 4-145

Can the internet be used to promote human rights and to take down  
oppressive regimes around the world? Or do new technologies actually  
empower the authoritarian states that activists seek to challenge?  
Journalistic accounts of the recent turmoil in Iran suggest that new  
media played a key role in organizing and inspiring activists, but  
other evidence shows that the regime used the same tools to to harass,  
identify, and imprison protesters. Finally, what implications do these  
questions and stories have for the development of new web technologies  
for social change?

Join Amnesty International and Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of the  
global citizen media network, Global Voices, and senior researcher at  
the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, for a theoretical and  
empirical discussion on the interface between the web and human  
rights. A recent paper, co-authored by Zuckerman, on the topic can be  
found here (http://www.usip.org/publications/blogs-and-bullets-new-media-in-contentious-politics 
).

Please RSVP to karenli at mit.edu by Sunday January 16 so I know how much  
food to order.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Amnesty International, UA Finance Board

For more information, contact:
Karen Li
karenli at mit.edu

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tour of the MIT Cogeneration Plant

Time: 10:00a–12:00p

Location: 42

Join the energy club on a tour of the MIT Cogeneration Gas Fired Plant  
that supplies power and steam for heating to MIT.

This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history, technology  
and operations strategy behind the MIT Cogeneration plant. The tour  
will expose you to the cutting edge technologies employed in the  
cogeneration plant, the real-time operational issues involved in  
running the plant and the various power equipment - from steam driven  
chillers to high performance turbines - installed in the facility.  
There is limited space available.

To sign up for this tour, use the following link:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGFib1dST1BLd2gzRkNJMmVPcVZSZVE6MQ 
#gid=0

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

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

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

Fifty Years of Fusion
Dale Meade, Fusion Innovation Research and Energy (FIRE)
Wed Jan 19, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Father of Chaos: The Life and Times of Edward N. Lorenz
Speaker: Prof. Kerry Emanuel, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary  
Sciences, MIT
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: 54-915
This talk is part of series that celebrates the 150th anniversary of  
MIT, founded by a geologist, William Barton Rogers by highlighting  
accomplishments of EAPS faculty and students. The series features  
talks by current and past members of the EAPS community to cover  
topics about the major discoveries in the Earth and Planetary Sciences  
and contribution from EAPS scientists.

Web site: http://student.mit.edu/iap/ns12.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
For more information, contact:
Roberta Allard
253-3382
allard at mit.edu

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Noon - 1:30p.
"IT-Enabled Electricity Services."
Marija Ilic
MIT:  E51-145

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

Inspiration from Nature: Biomimicry Design Competition Preparatory  
Lectures
Kachina Gosselin
Wed, Fri, 19, 21, 26, 28, 01-03:00pm, 66-160

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

Have you ever marveled at the swiftness of a cheetah? The adhesive  
ability of gecko feet? The coherence of a flock of birds? Nature has  
an amazing ability to solve challenges that seem at first glance to be  
insurmountable. Peer into the design of natural systems and perhaps  
glean insight into solutions to the pressing problems facing our  
civilization. Compete to contribute to solving the greatest challenges  
of our generation.

Coordinated with The Biomimicry Institute and with guest lectures in  
topics from engineering to design to business development, this course  
will introduce you to basic biomimicry tools and concepts,encourage  
you to approach engineering problems from a systems thinking  
perspective, and help you create technically novel solutions with the  
simple elegance that nature inspires. This is a preparatory course to  
prepare students for a new biomimicry design competition to be held in  
the spring.

Sustainability is all around us, we just need to learn how to emulate  
it.
Contact: Kachina Gosselin, (617) 893-1988, kachina at mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering

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

Two Nuclear Lectures
Dr. Kosta Tsipis
Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

Dr. Kosta Tsipis will present two nuclear lectures:
Jan. 19, 2010, 2-3PM, room 5-233: Nuclear Proliferation
Jan. 20, 2010, 2-3PM, room 5-233: The Origin, History and  
Accomplishments of "Pugwash"
Contact: Dr. Kosta Tsipis, 3-435B, 253-2228, tsipis at mit.edu
Sponsor: Mechanical Engineering

Nuclear Proliferation
Dr. Kosta Tsipis
Wed Jan 19, 02-03:00pm, 5-233

The Origin, History and Accomplishments of "Pugwash"
Dr. Kosta Tsipis
Thu Jan 20, 02-03:00pm, 5-233

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

An Alcator chronicle, or What happened to Alcator B?
Ron Parker
Wed Jan 19, 03-04:00pm, NW17-218

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

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
UN Climate Roundtable: What should we expect from the UN climate  
negotiation process? A Discussion of International Climate Governance
Speaker: Rebecca Dell
Time: 3:00p–4:00p
Location: 5-231
The international community unanimously resolved to "prevent dangerous  
anthropogenic interference with the climate system" at Rio Earth  
Summit in 1992. In the 18 years since then, we have achieved one  
binding international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions--the  
Kyoto Protocol--but global emissions now exceed the worst case  
scenario outlined in the 1990s. Many have found the international  
process slow, confusing, and uninspiring, but there is no viable  
alternative framework for addressing a truly international problem  
like climate change.

Please join us for a round-table discussion on the UN climate  
negotiations process, where we will try to clarify how the UN is  
addressing climate change, what are some of the key sources of  
conflict and obstruction, and where the UN is making progress (because  
we are making progress in some areas). The discussion will be lead by  
Rebecca Dell, a PhD student in climate science and the MIT student  
delegate to the recent meeting of the parties to the UN Framework  
Convention on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico.

Light refreshments will be served.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitei/iap

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative

For more information, contact:
Jennifer DiMase
jdimase at mit.edu

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

The challenge of fusion burn and ITER
Steven Cowley, Culham Center for Fusion Energy
Thu Jan 20, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218

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

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tour of Energy Features of Sloan E62

Speaker: Peter Cooper, Frank Higson

Time: 1:00p–2:00p

Location: E62-Lobby

Energy efficient features of the new Sloan Building (E62) will be  
visited and discussed on this tour conducted by Department of  
Facilities' Engineers. Sloan is the most efficient building of its  
kind on the MIT campus. Features incorporated to achieve this will be  
shown, and the integrated design process that was employed will be  
described.

For more information about this building visit: http://web.mit.edu/facilities/construction/completed/sloan.html

RSVP to Damaris Colono by 1/17/2011 4:00 pm damarisc at plant.mit.edu

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitei/iap
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Facilities, MIT Energy Initiative
For more information, contact:
Damaris Colono
damarisc at plant.mit.edu

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

Museum of Science Wind Lab Tour

January 20, 2011  2:30p–4:00p

tour of the the wind turbine facility on the roof of the museum of  
science
- rsvp to Maraian Tomusiak

Category:  MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups

Speaker:  Marian Tomusiak, wind turbine lab analyst

Location:  MOS

Sponsored by:  MIT Energy Club

Admission:  Open to the public

Tickets available from email Marian Tomusiak

mtomusiak at mos.org
http://windenergy.mit.edu

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


Recreating deep interior states of planets and stars in the laboratory
Rip Collins
Developments in inertial confinement fusion have led to new ways of  
exploring highly compressed materials, such as those found deep inside  
giant planets and low mass stars, where the crushing force of gravity  
makes matter extremely dense. Recent experiments show that such  
compressed materials have rather exotic properties; and some  
fundamental rules of condensed matter, chemistry, and plasma physics  
break down.
Thu Jan 20, 03-04:00pm, NW17-218

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

Friday, January 21, 2011
Wind Grid Integration Workshop
Time: 9:00a–7:00p
Location: 26-100
The Current Status and Future of Wind and the Grid

Friday January 21, 2009
9am - 5 pm, MIT Bldg. 26-100
Registration Required!!! - Sign-Up Today!
Wind energy contributes to an ever-growing percentage of electricity  
generation worldwide. While places like Denmark, Spain and Germany  
have already reached aggressive levels of wind adoption (contributing  
to near 20%, 10% and 8% of their respective electricity generaiton  
needs resepectively), the US has had far less development on a  
national scale. However, on a regional scale, wind development in  
midwestern states, Texas and California has also been considerable.  
The increased overall percentage of electricity generation that comes  
from this intermittent resource has led to a lot of discussion over  
the last decade on the furture development of the grid and the impacts  
and implications of large scale wind energy development. This workshop  
will bring several experts in the area of wind-grid integration to MIT  
for a full day workshop that will explore issues from short-term grid  
code specificaitons to long-term capacity expansion planning and policy.

The MIT Energy Club's Wind Energy Group and MIT Wind Energy Projects  
in Action are proud to bring you this workshop which will feature the  
below agenda as well as an informal post-workshop networking reception.

https://sites.google.com/site/mitwindweek2011/wind-integration-workshop

Web site: https://sites.google.com/site/mitwindweek2011/wind-integration-workshop
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
WEPA
wepa at mit.edu

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

MIT study on the future of natural gas
Daniel Cohn
Use of shale gas has created a large increase in the availability of  
low cost natural gas, and with it new opportunities for reducing CO2  
and oil dependence. This talk will discuss the MIT interdisciplinary  
study on the future of natural gas.
Fri Jan 21, 10-11:00am, NW17-218

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Diagnosing plasma turbulence in tokamaks
Anne White
Scientists have made great progress in understanding and predicting  
turbulent transport in tokamaks, but challenges remain. Future fusion  
reactor development depends on using fluctuation diagnostics to  
monitor plasma turbulence, and comparing the results with advanced  
theory and simulations. This talk considers recent advances in  
diagnosing turbulent transport in tokamaks, and the path to predicting  
transport in ITER.
Fri Jan 21, 11:15am-12:30pm, NW17-218

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

Tour of Alcator C-Mod and the Versatile Toroidal Facility (VTF)
Tour guide TBD
Visit the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, a well-tested approach to fusion  
research that has direct applications to ITER, the world's largest  
tokamak, currently under construction in France. Compare this to the  
Versatile Toroidal Facility, a small student-built tokamak used to  
explore magnetic reconnection, the process observed in solar flares.
Fri Jan 21, 01:30-02:30pm, NW17-218

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

Friday, January 21, 2011

Starr Forums: Gaza featuring Noam Chomsky

Speaker: Noam Chomsky, Nancy Murray

Time: 4:00p–5:30p

Location: E51-Wong Auditorium

Noam Chomsky addresses the ongoing crisis in Gaza followed by a  
question-and-answer session with the audience. Joining Chomsky is  
Nancy Murray, the director of education at the American Civil  
Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts. She is the author of Rights  
Matter: the Story of the Bill of Rights. Nancy holds a B.Phil. and  
Ph.D. in modern history from Oxford University. She has experience as  
a teacher, scholar and social activist in Great Britain, Kenya, and  
the Middle East as well as the United States, and has written widely  
on the themes of civil liberties, civil and human rights.

Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_012110_chomsky.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum at mit.edu

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

Friday, January 21, 2011

Smart Innovation calls for Smart People

Time: 5:00p–6:30p

Location: 6-120

Focus on projects in France's two most ambitious innovation campuses.

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MISTI, MIT-France

For more information, contact:
Erin Baumgartner
3-8813
embaum at mit.edu

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Harvard

---------

Rethinking Malaria:  The Science of Eradication Symposium
WHEN
Thu., Jan. 20, 2011, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE
Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Conferences, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Institute for Global Health
TICKET WEB LINK
gid.globalhealth.harvard.edu…
TICKET INFO
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
Brenda Rodriguez: brenda_rodriguez at harvard.edu
NOTE
This symposium will provide an in-depth discussion of current control  
and eradication efforts. It will also serve as a forum to discuss  
recent scientific and policy advances, challenges and new approaches  
to encourage interdisciplinary research in malaria. It will feature  
presentations and an expert panel discussion session. This will be the  
perfect setting for networking with faculty, students, researchers,  
and invited guests.
LINK
http://gid.globalhealth.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k54064&pageid=icb.page395574

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

Imagining War and Keeping Peace? Military Cultures and Peace Operation  
Effectiveness
WHEN
Thu., Jan. 20, 2011, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Littauer 369, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Chiara Ruffa, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch at harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5366/imagining_war_and_keeping_peace_military_cultures_and_peace_operation_effectiveness.html

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

Restoring the Power of Unions: It Takes a Movement
WHEN
Thu., Jan. 20, 2011, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Faculty Club
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Labor & Worklife Program, HLS
SPEAKER(S)
Julius G. Getman, professor of law, University of Texas

----

BU

----

January 21, 2011, Alex Stanković, Tufts University
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Photonics Center, 8 St. Mary’s Street, Room 901

Alex Stanković
Tufts University

Smart Grid and Other Desiderata: A Future for Electric Energy
The area of energy processing, which includes power electronics,  
electric drives and power systems, is at crossroads. Its challenges  
are both external (contribution to climate change, nonfunctional  
markets) and internal (inability to integrate renewable sources and  
efficient loads). The promise of energy processing comes from a  
growing array of potentially transformative technologies that  
currently exist in energy components, power electronics, distributed  
sensing, and embedded control.

The first part of the talk will review available energy technologies,  
and outline salient features of the existing energy systems. The  
second part of the talk will present a more personal view, and  
introduce the dynamic phasor approach to modeling and analysis of  
transients in high-power electronic converters and electromechanical  
systems. Some recent extensions involving filter banks will also be  
presented. The third and final part of the talk will outline desirable  
future developments in electric energy systems with an emphasis on  
interconnection of networks with different energy carriers.

Alex Stanković received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and  
Computer Science from MIT in 1992 after earning his master’s and  
bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of  
Belgrade in Yugoslavia. Alex’s research interests include analytical  
and experimental work involving modeling, control, and estimation in  
electric energy processing for power electronics, power systems, and  
electric drives. His work uses electronics to efficiently condition  
energy sources for practical uses. Alex has been appointed as the  
first Alvin H. Howell Professor in Electrical Engineering at Tufts in  
2010.

He is a Fellow of IEEE and has served from 1997 to 2010 as an  
Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE Power  
Engineering Letters,  IEEE Transactions on Control System Technology,  
and IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine. He has held visiting positions  
at the United Technologies Research Center (sabbaticals in 2000 and  
2007) and at L’Universite de Paris-Sud and Supelec (in 2004). He is a  
coeditor of book series on Power Electronics and Power Systems for  
Springer.

Hosting Professor: Michael Caramanis and Yannis Paschalidis
Student Host: Michael Rahaim


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

Northeastern

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

On January 21, 2011, the Northeastern University Law Journal will host  
its annual symposium: "From Seed to Stomach: Food and Agricultural  
Law."  The symposium will focus on recent legal developments in the  
areas of food and farming law, including intellectual property and  
genetically-modified foods, sustainable economic farming, and food  
labeling and obesity.  Experts on food and agriculture policy from  
around the nation will be in attendance.

Admission is free, but registration is required.  Please visit www.nulj.org/symposium 
  to register and to check out the list of speakers and panels!    
Flyer attached.
-------

Other

--------

The first Nerdnite of 2011 is at a special time and place – January  
17 at the A.R.T Oberon Theater in Harvard Square
We’ll return to the Middlesex on the last monday of February

The next Nerdnite:
Monday January 17, 2010 — 8pm at the Oberon
2 Arrow Street, Cambridge
In Harvard Square
$5 at the door or in advance from the Oberon website

Click http://boston.nerdnite.com/2011/01/07/jan-17-special-nerdnite-event-at-the-oberon/ 
  to buy advance tickets
The lineup:

Talk 1: “R. Buckminster Fuller: Prototype of the American Nerd”
by D.W. Jacobs

Talk 2: “Derivatives Work: The Brief Histories of “Happy  
Birthday” and “Who Let the Dogs Out”
by Ben Sisto

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

GreenPort Forum:
Growing Community-Scale Energy in New England:  What Vermont's  
District Heating Efforts Could Mean for Cambridge
with speaker Ralph Meima, Board Co-Chair, Brattleboro Thermal Utility,  
Inc.

Ralph Meima is Program Director, MBA in Managing for Sustainability,  
Marlboro College Graduate School, Brattleboro, VT. Until he joined  
Marlboro College in 2006, Ralph Meima was Assistant Professor of  
Organizational Management at the School for International Training.   
He has written books and articles on environmental management and  
policy. Other research interests include simulation design,  
experiential education, CSR, and sustainable development. Meima serves  
on the board of the Vermont Environmental Consortium, and is Co- 
Chairman of the Board of Brattleboro Thermal Utility, which is  
developing a biomass district energy system.  Meima began his career  
as an IT industry engineer.

Brattleboro Thermal Utility's mission is to create a community energy  
system for the Town of Brattleboro, Vermont generating both  
electricity and thermal energy, using biomass as a fuel, for the  
benefit of multiple stakeholders and the town as a whole. Their long- 
term aim is to eliminate Brattleboro's dependency on fossil fuels  
(primarily oil and natural gas) for heating, and obtain most of its  
electricity from renewable local sources.

District energy could have direct applications in Cambridge, as the  
most efficient means of delivering heat and energy to our homes.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

7:00pm

Cambridgeport Baptist Church

459 Putnam Av, Cambrige

(corner of Magazine St. and Putnam Av)

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

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

January 2011 Tech Meetup

Jan18Tue 7:00 PM
Location
Microsoft New England Research & Development Center (NERD)
One Memorial Drive
Suite 100
Cambridge, MA 02142
857-453.6000
How to find us:  "We will be in the Horace Mann conference room on the  
1st floor."

First Boston Tech Meetup under new management! Join us at Microsoft  
NERD to see what's new and cool on the local tech startup scene. Doors  
open at 7, presentations run from 7:30-8:30.
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/newtech-73/calendar/15917041/

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

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Invites You To Celebrate Ben's
Birthday and to meet our new President. George Chryssis

Wednesday, January 19, 2011, 6-8 p.m.

"Building a Good Life in the Digital Age - Reflections from Ben  
Franklin &
Other Great Thinkers:" A Conversation with William Powers, author of
Hamlet's Blackberry, and the British Consul General, Dr. Phil Budden,
moderated by Xconomy's William A. Ghormley.

Please CLICK HERE <http://hosted-p0.vresp.com/771497/cbf23ca936/ARCHIVE>
for full details on our website.

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, 41 Berkeley Street, Boston,  
MA
02116  www.bfit.edu

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

*Skillshare: Art of the Schmooze - Thursday, January 20 from 6PM-8:30PM*
The NonProfit Center, downtown Boston
This highly interactive, fast-paced skillshare hosted by Robbie  
Samuels will help you make the most out of Connecting for Justice the  
following week.  Forming and cultivating relationships is at the heart  
of any successful fundraising campaign, volunteer drive, committee  
effort or community building activity. This workshop will give you the  
confidence to pursue your personal goals. Learn how to get in and out  
of conversations smoothly, how to create a welcoming space by  
considering yourself a host and the
difference between croissants vs. bagels.
*RSVP:* http://www.sojust.org/calendar/15792339/ and *spread the word:*
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176827112338467

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

http://www.mos.org/events_activities/events&ser=Let%27s%20Talk%20About%20Food
Lets Talk about Food events at Museum of Science

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: FOOD ACCESS
Forum [Return to listing page]
Museum of Science
This presentation is part of the ongoing series Let's Talk About Food.
Friday, January 21, 2011 | 7:00 pm
Register:  http://survey.mos.org/public_survey/Checkbox/Survey.aspx?s=dba49bd3c5bc4dc2bb1117cf2fabc9b2

Free, but seating is limited; advance registration is required.Take a  
new look at how something as fundamental as food can become very  
complicated. Is food a human right? Why are there so few locations to  
buy fresh food in cities? How do we address the economic inequities of  
those who do or do not get healthy food? And how can we make healthy,  
fresh, and safe food products more affordable?

This forum is part of the Food for Thought series, encouraging  
conversation about what we can do to improve how we grow our food and  
feed our bodies.

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

It is now possible to order tickets for "R. Buckminster Fuller: THE  
HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE" in Cambridge, MA.  Performances  
start on Jan 14th and run through Feb 5th. During previews (1/14 -  
1/18) all tickets are $35 (for A and B sections). After previews  
tickets are from $25 - $65 (the $25 tickets are for the last two rows  
in the theater).

You can take advantage of a special offer to see the Saturday, January  
22nd 2:00pm or the Sunday, January 23rd 7:30pm performance by using  
the Promotional Code THIRTYVERTI for $35 tickets (Normally $50-$65)  
for those two specific performances. This discount can not be combined  
with any other offers such as Student, $25 advance or Senior Discount  
and are subject to availability.

Tickets are on a first come, first served basis, so please order your  
tickets for the play now.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.AmericanRepertoryTheater.org,  
by phone at 617.547.8300, or in person at the A.R.T. Box Office, 64  
Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Please register for the event on-line at
http://synergeticscollaborative.org/registration.01.2011.html

Jan 22 Special Exhibit
====== ======= =======
After the Saturday, January 22nd 2:00pm performance, the Synergetics  
Collaborative, Foundation for New Directions (FND), Museum of  
Mathematics (MoMath), and American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) will  
present an exhibit featuring a special geometry activity led by George  
Hart of MoMath.  Synergetics Collaborative, MoMath and FND will have  
people on hand to discuss, explain, demonstrate and engage  
participants with the displays. Some displays will be hands-on.

Jan 23 Discussion/Seminar
====== ==================
On Sunday, 23 January from 10am to 4pm, the Foundation for New  
Directions (FND) will host a discussion seminar on "Building on Marvin  
Solit's Work".  We plan to break in time so that interested  
participants can go to the theater to see the Dymaxion Car #4  
presentation (see next item).
Please either bring a potluck or pre-register and bring $15 so we can  
provide enough food for lunch and snacks.

Jan 23 Special Presentation
====== ======= ============
After the Sunday, January 23rd 2pm and 7:30pm performances, the  
Synergetics Collaborative and American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) will  
present a special presentation by Thomas T. K. Zung on Lord Norman  
Foster's Dymaxion Car #4.  Thomas T. K. Zung was Buckminster Fuller's  
long-time architectural partner, editor of the book Buckminster  
Fuller: Anthology for a New Millenium, and a Distiguished Fellow to  
the Stanford University Libraries.

Anyone with a ticket stub for a performance of the A.R.T. production  
of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE  
will be able to attend the special events at the A.R.T. by presenting  
their ticket stub to gain access.  The special events are scheduled  
for 4:30pm after a matinee performance and 10pm after the evening  
performance.

Please register for the event on-line at
http://synergeticscollaborative.org/registration.01.2011.html

More details are on the event web page at
http://synergeticscollaborative.org/snec.announce.meeting.2011.01.html

Editorial Comment:  I have met the writer and director of this play  
and friends who saw it last summer in Washington DC enjoyed it.  I  
will most definitely be at George Hart's presentation, having attended  
a couple of his presentations, learned a lot, and had much fun  
building geometric sculptures of his design.

If you want to see my own geometric modeling, you can watch this video  
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEinwxzzUEs

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

Steampunk Meetup, January 23,  2010

Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, 154 Moody St, Waltham
Join the Museum on, Sunday, January 23rd, from 1 to 3pm, for the New  
England Steampunk Meetup. Gather with other steampunkers, exchange  
stories, show off your latest projects and find what what other  
steampunkers are up to.

http://www.crmi.org/events/museum-events/

-----------

Upcoming

-----------

MIT Independent Activities Period
January 3 - 28
http://web.mit.edu/iap/

IAP is a month-long celebration of learning where anyone at MIT, from  
a professor emeritus to the cleaning staff, can present a course or  
lecture.  It is primarily for the MIT community but if you don't make  
a scene you can partake of the educational banquet too.

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

Income Inequality in America
Frank Levy
Mon Jan 24, Tue Jan 25, Wed Jan 26, 10-11:00am, 9-450A

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

In 2008, the top 1 percent of households received about 21% of all  
income, twice its income share in 1990 and roughly equal its share in  
1929 at the end of the Gilded Age. Average household income in the top  
1 percent doubled over these years (adjusted for inflation) while  
income of the average household grew by 5 percent.

This activity will consist of three sessions reviewing what we know  
about the causes of income inequality including immigration,  
technological change, the growth of the financial sector and  
international trade. We will also devote some time to discussing what  
is known about the consequences of inequality for national life.
Contact: Frank Levy, 9-523, x3-2089, flevy at mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning

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

MIT Physics Lecture Series:
Exoplanets and the Search for Habitable Worlds
Professor Sara Seager
Mon Jan 24, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

For thousands of years people have wondered, “Are we Alone?” With  
about 500 planets discovered to orbit nearby stars, the existence of  
exoplanets is firmly established. Astronomers are now able to  
routinely measure planetary sizes, masses, and atmospheres for a  
subset of hot, big exoplanets. The race to find habitable exoplanets  
is on with the realization that big Earths orbiting small stars can be  
both discovered and characterized with existing technology. Professor  
Seager will answer the four questions she gets asked most often:  
“What could aliens see, looking at Earth from afar?”; “When will  
we find another Earth?”; “Can we go there?”; “If we cannot go  
there, why look?”
Contact: Nancy Boyce, 4-315, 253-4461, nboyce at mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics

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

POWER SYSTEMS ECONOMICS IN THEORY/-IES AND IN REAL LIFE
January 24-27 (MTWR), 2:30-4:00pm in MIT Bldg E52, Room 175
Dr. Jean-Pierre Hansen

Details:

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Introductory economics helpful. Interest in electricity.
Contact: Tim Heidel, E19-439A, (617) 715-4551, heidel at mit.edu
Sponsors: MIT Electricity Student Research Group, MIT Energy Club
More Information: http://esrg.mit.edu/events/iap-2011/
Light refreshments will be served.

Description:

The translation between economic theories and real-world practice is  
not always straightforward in the energy industry. This lecture series  
will explore how a few select economic theories can (or cannot) be  
applied to real-world situations. Jean-Pierre Hansen (full speaker bio  
below) will draw examples from his long career in both industry and  
academia to help students navigate the sometimes confusing and  
counterintuitive world of energy economics. This lecture series is  
designed to complement other energy economics classes at MIT.

A background in introductory economic theory will be helpful for  
students but is not required. (Each lecture will start with a review  
of the basics.)

Speaker Bio: Jean-Pierre Hansen managed Electrabel, one of the leading  
European electricity companies, for 20 years. He has also been  
Chairman to a number of energy companies that operate at an  
international level (30 countries). He is currently a Member of the  
Executive Committee of GDF SUEZ, the world’s second-largest gas and  
electricity Group. He is a Professor of Economics at the Catholic  
University of Leuven and the Ecole Polytechnique (Paris). Jean-Pierre  
holds a degree in Economics and graduate degrees in Electrical  
Engineering.


Session Details:

Session 1: Mon Jan 24
Did you say “Market”?… (How) Does it (really) work for electricity

The move to a market system is not all that simple! Amongst other  
things, if we wish to replace a regulated electricity system with an  
electricity market system, we must consider the three elements that  
determine an exchange, i.e. a market: the product, the time and the  
place. How does it work for electricity, given the so-called forgotten  
hypotheses of microeconomics…?

Session 2: Tue Jan 25
Ricardo’s nuclear power plants: why should a manager know the Theory  
of Rent?

The general theory of rents explains several major problems in  
electricity economics. For instance, differential rents (or infra- 
marginal rents), which manifest in the operation of optimal generating  
facilities, are often called windfall profits. However, it is shown  
that such rents are necessary in order to (re)build optimal generating  
facilities and therefore cannot be taxed. The issue of “Missing  
Money.”

Session 3: Wed Jan 26
Market Power: how can it be measured – proved?

95% of economic and legal literature regarding the reform of the  
electricity sector concerns “Market Power”. This is both surprising  
and logical all at once: its definition, its calculation and its  
analysis foil all of the traditional indicators: Lerner, HHI, and  
“Pivotals”. So? How can the CEO of a company define his policy?

Session 4: Thu Jan 27
 From C. Adams to Averch-Johnson… and many others: the myth of  
perfect regulation.

Origins, theories, paradoxes and practices of regulation: the true  
story and “everything you have ever wanted to know about regulation,  
but never dared to ask”.

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

BREAD AND PUPPET THEATER

The Return of Ulysses
and
Decapitalization Circus

Reducing the proceedings of the historic dramma per musica to 75  
minutes, brazenly updating the Baroque accents and adding two timely  
prologues, (Peter Schumann) labelled his marvellous mishmash a  
"respectful truncation?."
["The Return of Ulysses," <http://www.ft.com/> , Dec. 6, 2010]

Boston Center for the Arts
CYCLORAMA
January 24 through January 30

presented in partnership with the Boston Center for the Arts as part  
of the Cyclorama Residency Series

(Boston, MA 02116) Bread and Puppet Theater presents ?The Return of  
Ulysses? and ?Decapitalization Circus? : two separate performances  
presented in partnership with the Boston Center for the Arts as part  
of the Cyclorama Residency Series.  Performances, Art Exhibit, and  
Cheap Art Sale run from January 24 through January 30.  All held in  
the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts (BCA), 539 Tremont  
St., South End, Boston.  Wheelchair accessible.  Tickets for the  
performances available for purchase [cash or
check only] in the Cyclorama one hour before each performance.  For  
advance tickets, log onto www.breadandpuppet.org <http://www.breadandpuppet.org/ 
 >
or call 866-811-4111 (toll free).  For detailed information regarding  
the week?s events, call the BCA's Bread and Puppet Theater information  
line at
617-800-9539 or log onto  <http://www.bcaonline.org/> www.bcaonline.org.

Detailed listings information:

Evening Performances [recommended for ages 12 & older]:
Bread and Puppet Theater: The Return of Ulysses
Jan. 27-Jan. 30, Thurs.-Sun., 7 pm
$12 general admission [$10 students, seniors, & groups of 10 or more]
Description:  This "respectfully truncated," rough-hewn, and bold DIY  
adaptation of Claudio Monteverdi's opera was first developed this past  
June by Bread and Puppet in collaboration with the Theatre Department  
of Concordia University in Montreal and the Montreal Baroque  
Festival.  The production was initially performed as a dress rehearsal  
in the DB Clarke Theatre at Concordia and then presented as a festival  
performance in the plaza of the Centre Mondial.  During July & August  
in Glover, VT (Bread and
Puppet?s base of operations), the opera was pared down to  
approximately 75 minutes, including 10 minutes of prologue.  The  
performances have been conceived to include 20 volunteer puppeteers  
and 15-20 volunteer singers and instrumentalists in the chorus and  
orchestra with Peter Schumann playing the role of Penelope.  Schumann  
describes the plot as follows: "In order to commit genocide on their  
competitors, the Trojans, the tricky Greeks employ their multitalented  
sky, full of custom tailored divinities, to justify the
crime, just as we employ our Judeo-Christian sky, occupied by a divine  
air force and permitted by the in-god-we-trust court system, to  
justify our atrocities in Afghanistan, Palestine and elsewhere.  By  
order of Jove, the boss, and with special help from his daughter  
Minerva, Ulysses finally returns home, where he has to murder 100 evil  
suitors in order to be happily reunited with wife and property."  The  
piece includes two prologues, "Modern Sky" and "Antique Sky."  For  
Boston, The Return of Ulysses will be performed
by Peter Schumann and the Bread & Puppet Company, along with a large  
number of local volunteer puppeteers and musicians.  Informal talk  
back with the artists follows each performance.  Sourdough rye bread  
will be served and cheap art will be for sale after each performance.

Family-Friendly Matinees:
Bread and Puppet Theater: Decapitalization Circus
Jan. 29-Jan. 30, Sat.-Sun., 4 pm
$10 general admission [$5 students, seniors, and pre-school children  
(2 & under free)]
Description:  The family-friendly "Decapitalization Circus"  
demonstrates in numerous death-defying stunts the fantastic effects of  
the capitalization of life in the U.S. and citizens? courageous  
efforts of decapitalization.  The performers represent the whole scale  
of the social spectrum from benign billionairism to despicable  
homeless anti-social-elementarianism.  All the acts are FDA and FBI  
certified displays of patriotic correctness and defy all imaginable  
forms of terrorism.  The Possibilitarians, a multi-instrumental  
variety ensemble, provide the appropriate-inappropriate sounds for the  
Circus.  Performed by Peter Schumann and the Bread & Puppet Company,  
along with a large number of local volunteer puppeteers and  
musicians.  Take note that some of the circus acts are politically  
puzzling to adults, but accompanying kids can usually explain them.   
The audience is welcome to examine all the masks and puppets after the  
performance.  Cheap art will be for sale after each performance.

Visual Art Exhibit:
Bread and Puppet Theater: NOLANGUAGE, visual art installation created by
Peter Schumann
Jan. 24-Jan. 30, Mon.-Sun.
Free and open to all.
Description:  Bread and Puppet Theater Artistic Director Peter  
Schumann?s most recent visual art exploration, ranging from very large  
paintings to very small string booklets, which depict matters that  
concern us all.
Exhibit details:
--Mon., Jan. 24, 6-9 pm: opening reception, with refreshments, an art  
talk given by Schumann, short skits performed by the touring company,  
and live music performed by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra (www.bostontypewriterorchestra.com 
  <http://www.bostontypewriterorchestra.com/> ) and the Dirty Water  
Brass Band (www.dirtywaterbrassband.com <http://www.dirtywaterbrassband.com/ 
 > ).
--Tues.-Fri., Jan. 25-28: regular Cyclorama hours: 9am-5pm [Thursday &  
Friday hours extended up to and after the evening performance].
--Sat.-Sun., Jan. 29-30: one hour before and after each matinee and  
evening performance.

For this residency at the Cyclorama, the Bread and Puppet touring  
company includes Schumann, along with Maura Gahan, Greg Corbino,  
Maryann Colella, Susie Perkins, among others.  Both the evening and  
matinee performances will be performed by the company and a large  
number of local volunteers and musicians, including the popular  
Somerville-based Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band  
( <http://www.slsaps.org/> www.slsaps.org), who is the host band for  
the yearly HONK! Festival (www.honkfest.org
<http://www.honkfest.org/> ) held in Davis Square.

In addition to Peter Schumann?s NOLANGUAGE art installation, the  
Cyclorama will also be decorated with the unique Bread and Puppet  
collection of powerful black-line posters, banners, masks, curtains,  
programs and set-props.  All pieces are created by Schumann, including  
sculpting and painting all the major masks and puppets, with input  
from the company.  After each evening performance there will be an  
opportunity to savor Schumann's famous sourdough rye bread, smeared  
with garlic aioli; and there will also be many opportunities during  
the week to purchase the theater's legendary "cheap art."

For more information on the Bread and Puppet Theater, log onto
<http://www.breadandpuppet.org/> www.breadandpuppet.org.

ABOUT THE BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS:

The Boston Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit performing and  
visual arts complex that supports working artists to create, perform  
and exhibit new works, builds new audiences, and connects art to  
community.  Visit <http://www.bcaonline.org/> www.bcaonline.org for  
more information.

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

2011 FARM SHARE FAIR
Thursday February 3rd @ 5:30-8PM
The Democracy Center<http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=45+mt+auburn+st,+cambridge,+ma&sll=42.391202,-71.115493&sspn=0.008891,0.022724&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=45+Mt+Auburn+St,+Cambridge,+Middlesex,+Massachusetts+02138&z=16 
 >
@
45 Mt Auburn St in Harvard Square
* *presented by theMOVE <http://www.getoutma.org>*  |  *Free Admission*
*more info @ www.getoutma.org/farmsharefair<http://getoutma.org/farmsharefair 
 >
*
A CSA share is a weekly box of fresh/delicious/natural veggies (and  
sometimes meat/fish) delivered by local farms to convenient pickup  
spots within our community.  We're bringing all the CSAs together in  
one place -- to get you the info you need to get signed up!   Meet the  
folks who grow your food, and bring your checkbook to reserve a share!

*Delicious pizza will be on sale (by donation) courtesy of Zing Pizza<http://www.zingpizza.com 
 >to benefit theMOVE
*
* Co-sponsored by NOFA/Mass <http://www.nofamass.org/> + Somerville  
Climate Action <http://www.somervilleclimateaction.org/>
* Arlington will also have its own CSA Fair<http://csafairarlington.wordpress.com/ 
 >! on Thursday February 24th @ 4:30-7:30p
<http://www.somervilleclimateaction.org>

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

Request for Help

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

The Somerville Winter Farmers Market is beginning its first year! It  
will be Saturdays 10-2 at the Armory on 191 Highland Ave in  
Somerville, MA. January 8th through March 26th. Please spread the word  
to your friends, family and coworkers.

ALSO----We are looking for musicians, as well as people interested in  
leading skillshares and workshops on a variety of topics having to do  
with food or
sustainability in general. It would be great to collaborate!

Please email me at adrianne.schaefer at gmail.com with suggestions,  
leads, or contacts.

Thanks!

Adrianne Schaefer
Market Manager
Somerville Winter Farmers Market

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

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://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/

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

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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