[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jan 30 18:55:48 PST 2011


MIT
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Science Writing & Communication
Time: 1:00p–2:30p
Location: 68-181
Dr. Sonal Jhaveri, Senior Research Scientist in the Department of  
Brain and Cognitive Science, Lecturer for the Program in Writing and  
Humanistic Studies, Science Program Director in the Postdoctoral and  
Graduate Student Affairs Office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MIT
Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor for science, technology and  
education, Chemical & Engineering News
Dr. Karen Carniol, Scientific Editor, Cell, Cell Press

Are you a good communicator? Are you interested in a career in science  
publishing? Come hear about a variety of careers in science writing  
and communication.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/biology/www/biology/iap.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Innovation in Healthcare Symposium: Systems Thinking from Discovery to  
Delivery
Speaker: Read about speakers here: http://innovationinhealthcare2011.com/speakers.html
Time: All day
Location: Kresge Auditorium
On February 1, 2011, the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI)  
and MIT Department of Biological Engineering will co-host the  
Innovation in Healthcare Symposium: Systems Thinking from Discovery to  
Delivery at Kresge Auditorium. The day-long event will be a forum to  
stimulate new ways of thinking to address today's greatest healthcare  
challenges.

Speakers will include Michael Porter, Janet Woodcock, Peter Senge, and  
Don Berwick, among others.

The symposium will consist of three multi-disciplinary, expert panels  
structured around three major topics: improving healthcare delivery to  
patients, reversing the declining productivity of biomedical research,  
and applying lessons learned by other industries to guide a  
transformation of the healthcare system. Following the three panels,  
there will be a question-and-answer session comprising young leaders  
currently working in the healthcare field discussing how the issues  
raised by the previous panels impact their work.

The Innovation in Healthcare Symposium was conceived by Merrimack  
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and developed in collaboration with MIT Center  
for Biomedical Innovation and Department of Biological Engineering.  
The goal of the symposium is to inspire students, our future experts,  
to think in new ways to find real solutions to healthcare from  
discovery through delivery. To learn more about the symposium and  
register online, visit http://innovationinhealthcare2011.com/.

Web site: http://innovationinhealthcare2011.com/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division
For more information, contact:
Stefanie Koperniak

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Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dissertation defense of Karen Tapia-Ahumada
Title: Understanding the Impact of Large-Scale Penetration of Micro  
Combined Heat & Power Technologies within Energy Systems
Committee: E. Moniz (chair), M. Ilic (CMU), J. Kirtley, I. Perez- 
Arriaga (Pontificia Comillas)
Time: 10am
Location: E51-325

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Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Weather and Death in India: Mechanisms and Implications of Climate  
Change
Speaker: Dave Donaldson (MIT)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: E51-376
Weather and Death in India: Mechamisms and Implications of Climate  
Change

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Development & Environment Seminar

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

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Wednesday, February 02, 2011

The Rock Physicochemical Basis for Time-Lapse Seismic Monitoring of  
CO2 Injection

Speaker: Dr. Tiziana Vanorio, Dept. of Geophysics, Stanford University

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 54-915

Department Lecture Series talk


Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/news/dls.html

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

For more information, contact:
Jacqui Taylor
253-2127
jtaylor at mit.edu

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Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Clear as Mud: Making Sense of Post-Katrina Planning in New Orleans

Speaker: Robert B. Olshansky Professor & Associate Head of Urban and  
Regional Planning University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Time: 5:00p–7:00p

Location: 9-450

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

Rob Olshansky teaches and researches on land use and environmental  
planning, with an emphasis on planning for natural hazards. He has  
published extensively on post-disaster recovery planning, planning and  
policy for earthquake risks, and environmental impact assessment.  
Since September 2005 he has been closely monitoring the post-Katrina  
planning process in New Orleans. He is the author (with Laurie A.  
Johnson) of Clear As Mud: Planning for the Rebuilding of New Orleans, ? 
an objective and intimate look at the people, events, and actions that  
defined the first 22 months of New Orleans's recovery? (APA Planners  
Press, 2010).
---
The Spring 2011 DUSP Speaker Series explores how each invited scholar- 
practitioner (or practitioner-scholar) has ?made sense? out of a  
complex socio-spatial phenomenon. In addition to conveying the  
substance of their work, the speakers have been asked to reflect on  
how they do what they do, bringing to life the ways that planners and  
designers use qualitative methods in their scholarship and/or  
practice. The subject matter ranges across all of the intellectual  
domains of the Department, and each topic engages the terrain of more  
than one DUSP program group.

(Light refreshments served at 5:00, talk to begin at 5:30)

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

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Thursday, February 03, 2011

Thomas Friedman-Because There Is No Planet B

Speaker: Thomas Friedman

Time: 3:30p–4:30p

Location: W16, Kresge Auditorium

Please join the MIT community for a conversation with
Thomas Friedman

Moderated by MIT President Susan Hockfield

Thomas Friedman is a New York Times columnist and the author of Hot,  
Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution-and How It Can Renew  
America

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): President's Office

For more information, contact:
617-253-5734
infocenter-www at mit.edu

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Thursday, February 03, 2011
Green IT: Myth, mirage, or reality?

Speaker: Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar, Google

Time: 4:00p–5:30p

Location: 32-123

Dertouzos Lecturer Series 2010/2011
The Dertouzos Lecturer Series has been a tradition since 1976,  
featuring some of the most influential thinkers in computer science,  
including Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, Donald Knuth, John McCarthy, and  
Mitchell Kapor. Formerly the Distinguished Lecturer Series, the series  
has been renamed in memory of Michael Dertouzos, Director for the Lab  
for Computer Science from 1974 to 2001.

Abstract:
It seem like just about everyone is talking about "Green IT" these  
days. But what is it? Can IT be "green"? This talk will discuss what  
Google is doing to make its servers and data centers more sustainable,  
as well as the prospects for future improvements. It will also touch  
on ways in which IT can be used to help make the rest of the world  
more sustainable.


Web site:http://www.csail.mit.edu/events/eventcalendar/calendar.php?show=event
&id=2763

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): CSAIL

For more information, contact:
Colleen Russell
617-253-0145
crussell at csail.mit.edu

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Thursday, February 03, 2011

Movie Screening and discussion with director : Bhopali (A documentary  
on the Bhopal disaster)

Speaker: Van Maximilian Carlson

Time: 6:30p–8:30p

Location: 6-120

BHOPALI (www.bhopalithemovie.com)is a feature length documentary about  
the world's worst industrial disaster, the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak  
in Bhopal, India. Thousands were killed and up to 500,000 were  
affected by the contaminants. 26 years have passed since the disaster,  
yet the suffering continues and, for the victims, justice has yet to  
be seen. Award winning director Van Maximilian Carlson presents a  
modern portrait of shattered lives in the community surrounding the  
abandoned Union Carbide factory. We focus on survivors of the disaster  
and their families as they continue life amongst the indelible  
remainders of contamination and death. Set against a backdrop of high  
stakes activism, global politics, and human rights advocacy, this film  
explores the ongoing struggle for justice against Union Carbide, the  
American corporation responsible for the disaster. Featuring Noam  
Chomsky, Satinath Sarangi, and attorney Rajan Sharma.

The director Van Maximilan Carlson (http://www.maxcarlsonfilms.com/)  
will be present for the screening.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): MIT Students for Bhopal, AID-MIT, GSC Funding Board

For more information, contact:
Karthik Shekhar
217-979-9852
kshekhar at mit.edu

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Systems, Process, Art, and the Social

Friday, February 4
1:00 – 5:00 pm
Edgerton Hall – Room 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge (map)
*No tickets or registration required

This forum examines the long shadow of cybernetics and systems theory  
in art and design from the 1950s until today, with particular focus on  
a decisive shift that took place in the later phase of the  
development. “Systems esthetics” became a catch phrase in the 1960s,  
popularized by artists such as Hans Haacke and Jack Burnham, both of  
whom found MIT to be an important venue for their attempts to craft  
systemic art and theory, and both of whom, post-MIT, turned  
dramatically towards a social approach to their artistic work.

How do we get from wartime simulators to contemporary architectural  
algorithms and interactivity? What does the weather have to do with  
philosophies of reception in contemporary art? When does an  
architecture pavilion become a recursive semiotic universe? Scholars,  
artists, and designers look at the aesthetic and programmatic impact  
of ideas that at first appeared to have nothing to do with art, and  
that may have had their most intense articulation (if not their  
origin) at MIT during and after the war: systems and cybernetics  
(Norbert Weiner, Jay Forrester), but also computer language design  
(Muriel Cooper), process-driven urbanism (Gyorgy Kepes and Kevin  
Lynch), and computer-driven visualization of data and embodied  
interfaces (the Media Lab).

This forum is moderated by Caroline A. Jones, professor of  
Architecture at MIT and director of the program in History, Theory +  
Criticism.

Participants include:
Benjamin Aranda, New York architect, co-creator of “Terraswarm”
Michelle Kuo, editor-in-chief, Artforum
João Ribas, curator of exhibitions at List Visual Arts Center, MIT
Matthew Ritchie, artist, creator of The Morning Line arts pavilion  
commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
Matthew Wisnioski, professor of science and technology in society,  
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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Harvard

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January 31, 2011 | Monday | ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar Series
Rethinking the History of Energy Transitions
12 – 1:30 pm | Bell Hall (5th floor HKS Belfer Building)

Chris Jones is a Ziff Environmental Fellow with the Harvard University  
Center for the Environment.  His dissertation studies the development  
of America's first fossil-fuel intensive region, the mid-Atlantic. In  
particular, he focuses on the critical roles played by transportation  
infrastructure in creating new energy consumption patterns. His  
research explores the ways coal canals, oil pipelines, and electricity  
transmission made the widespread and intensified use of fossil fuels  
possible, stimulated the rise of urbanization and industrialization,  
and contributed to the emergence of a society dependent on ever- 
increasing supplies of energy.

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13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
WHEN  Mon., Jan. 31, 2011, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Pound Hall (HLS), Ropes Gray Room
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Labor & Worklife Program, HLS
SPEAKER(S)  Simon Johnson, professor, MIT, and former chief economist,  
International Monetary Fund

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Tuesday, February 1
12 p.m.
"Digital Citizens: The Internet and Politics."
Caroline Tolbert, professor of political science, University of Iowa;  
co-author of Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and  
Participation.
Kalb Seminar Room, Taubman 275, Shorenstein Center, Kennedy School of  
Government

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Lewis Hyde on "Common as Air"

WHEN  Tue., Feb. 1, 2011, 7 – 8:15 p.m.
WHERE  Barker Center, Thompson Room
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Art/Design, Education, Information Technology,  
Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Berkman Center for Internet & Society / Harvard  
Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S)  Lewis Hyde, Berkman Fellow and author of "The Gift" and  
"Common as Air"
COST  Free
TICKET INFO  RSVP to ashar at cyber.law.harvard.edu
CONTACT INFO  ashar at cyber.law.harvard.edu
NOTE
Lewis Hyde, Berkman Center Fellow & professor at Kenyon College, will  
discuss his new book, "Common as Air."
Hyde is a poet, essayist, translator, and cultural critic with a  
particular interest in the public life of the imagination. His 1983  
book, "The Gift," illuminates and defends the noncommercial portion of  
artistic practice. "Trickster Makes This World" (1998) uses a group of  
ancient myths to argue for the kind of disruptive intelligence all  
cultures need if they are to remain lively, flexible, and open to  
change. Hyde is currently at work on a book about our “cultural  
commons,” that vast store of ideas, inventions, and works of art that  
we have inherited from the past and continue to produce.
LINK  http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2011/02/hyde

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Wind Energy: Which Way Way Does the Media Wind Blow?

WHEN  Wed., Feb. 2, 2011, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Bell Hall, 5th floor, Belfer Bldg, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  HKS Belfer Center for Science and International  
Affairs & Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy
SPEAKER(S)
Beth Daley, Boston Globe environment reporter
Elizabeth Rosenthal, New York Times environment reporter
COST  Open to the public
TICKET INFO  Free
CONTACT INFO  Cristine_Russell at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
1st in Clean Energy & the Media Seminar Series
LINK  http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5388/wind_energy.html

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Green Conversations: "What Americans and Massachusetts Residents Think  
About Climate Change - Attitude Formation and Change in Response to a  
Raging Scientific Controversy"
WHEN  Wed., Feb. 2, 2011, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
WHERE  Center for Government and International Studies (CGIS), S020  
Belfer Case Study Room, Harvard University
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)  Jon Krosnick, the Frederic O. Glover Professor in  
Humanities and Social Sciences, and professor of communication,  
political science and pyschology at Stanford

DISCUSSANTS:  Stephen Ansolabehere, professor, Harvard Department of  
Government
Daniel P. Schrag, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology; professor,  
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; director, Harvard  
University Center for the Environment

NOTE
During the past two decades, many scientific experts have been  
frustrated by the American public's apparent indifference to climate  
change and the threats it may pose. And even during the two years,  
headlines on newspapers across the country have proclaimed:  
"Scientists and the American Public Disagree Sharply Over Global  
Warming" and "Public Concern About Climate Waning." Is it really true?  
Do Americans really not accept the opinions of scientific experts on  
climate change? In this presentation, Professor Jon Krosnick will  
describe findings from a series of national surveys that he has  
designed and conducted since 1996, as well as a recent survey of  
Massachusetts residents, tracking what people do and do not believe on  
this issue and what they do and do not want to have done about it.  
Surprising results challenge many widely held presumptions about  
public opinion, illuminate the increasing politicization of the issue,  
and provide a context for watching and understanding future efforts to  
pass (and block) legislation on climate change.
LINK  http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2011-02-02/green-conversations-jon-krosnick

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Using Social Media to Engage Youth & Promote Democracy
WHEN  Wed., Feb. 2, 2011, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE  124 Mt. Auburn Street, Suite 200-North
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Classes/Workshops, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Ash Center for Democratic Governance and  
Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)
Jonathan Margolis, a career member of the Senior Executive Service,  
serves as deputy coordinator for Global Programs for the Bureau of  
International Information Programs at the Department of State. IIP is  
the principal international strategic communications entity for the  
U.S. foreign affairs community. The bureau informs and influences  
foreign audiences by presenting a positive vision rooted in U.S.  
values, supporting U.S. foreign policy with timely and trusted  
information, and countering extremist violent ideologies. Margolis is  
responsible for overseeing all of the bureau’s Internet and print  
products and publications, including its multimedia content and  
interactivity strategies.
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  Bruce Jackan: 617.495.7548, bruce_jackan at hks.harvard.edu
LINK  http://ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Events/Using-Social-Media-to-Engage-Youth-and-Promote-Democracy

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February 2, 2011 | Wednesday | Seminar in Environmental Economics and  
Policy
Climate Treaties and Approaching Catastrophes
4:10 – 5:30 pm | Littauer 382

Scott Barrett is a Professor of Natural Resource Economics at Columbia  
University. Barrett's research focuses on transnational and global  
challenges, ranging from climate change to infectious diseases. He is  
the author of Environment and Statecraft: The Strategy of  
Environmental Treaty-Making, published in paperback by Oxford  
University Press in 2005. His most recent book, Why Cooperate? The  
Incentive to Supply Global Public Goods, also published by Oxford  
University Press, will appear in paperback, with a new afterword, in  
May 2010. His research has been awarded the Resources for the Future  
Dissertation Prize and the Erik Kempe Award. He has advised a number  
of international organizations, including the United Nations, the  
World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, and the International  
Task Force on Global Public Goods. He was previously a lead author of  
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and a member of the  
Academic Panel to the Department of Environment in the UK.

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Technology, Policy and Politics: Energy in 2011 and Beyond
WHEN  Thu., Feb. 3, 2011, 12 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Law School
Pound Hall 101
1563 Mass Ave, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Environmental Sciences, Information  
Technology, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard University Center for the Environment;  
Harvard Law School; Harvard Kennedy School; Harvard Business School
SPEAKER(S)
Cathy Zoi, acting under secretary of energy; assistant secretary for  
energy efficiency and renewable energy, U.S. Department of Energy
CONTACT INFO  Lisa Matthews: matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Zoi oversees a broad energy portfolio, including the Offices of  
Electricity Delivery and Reliability, EERE, Legacy Management,  
Environmental Management, Fossil Energy, and Nuclear Energy. Included  
in her purview are a multitude of programs for improving the nation’s  
energy infrastructure, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing  
energy security, and creating jobs.
LINK  http://environment.harvard.edu/cathyzoi

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February 3, 2011 | Thursday | Brown Bag Lunch moderated by the  
Business and Government Professional Interest Council
Davos Debrief
12 – 1 pm | Malkin Penthouse, 5th Floor Littauer Building | 
Refreshments provided

The Davos Debrief brings together several Harvard experts just back  
from the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.  
In an information setting, Harvard experts will share their unique  
perspectives on the global proceedings. Participants include:

·         David Ellwood. Dean, Harvard Kennedy School
·         Daniel Shapiro. Associate Director of the Harvard  
Negotiation Project
·         Ricardo Hausmann. Director of Harvard’s Center for  
International Development
·         Justin Fox. Editorial Director, Harvard Business Review Group

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Algeria: Understanding What We Are Seeing
WHEN  Thu., Feb. 3, 2011, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  The Cason Room, Taubman Building Room 102, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  The Middle East Initiative
SPEAKER(S)  Hugh Roberts
LINK  http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5368/algeria.html

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Future of Energy: "Solar's Fit in Energy's Future"
WHEN  Thu., Feb. 3, 2011, 5 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Jefferson Lab 250, 17 Oxford Street
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)  Bruce Sohn, president, First Solar
CONTACT INFO  Lisa Matthews: matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Bruce Sohn has served as president of First Solar since March 2007.  
Sohn served as a director of First Solar from July 2003 until June  
2009. Prior to joining First Solar as president, Sohn worked at Intel  
Corporation for 24 years. He is a senior member of IEEE and a  
certified Jonah. He has been a guest lecturer at several universities,  
including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford  
University. Sohn holds a degree in materials science and engineering  
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
LINK   http://environment.harvard.edu/bruce-sohn

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Bots that Mimic Bugs
WHEN  Thu., Feb. 3, 2011, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Allston Education Portal, 175 North Harvard Street,  
Allston, MA. Free event parking is available at the 219 Western Avenue  
parking lot, at the corner of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue  
adjacent to the Ed Portal.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard Allston Education Portal with the  
Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory
SPEAKER(S)  Ben Finio, Ph.D. student at the Harvard School of  
Engineering and Applied Sciences and researcher from the Harvard  
Microrobotics Laboratory
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  617.496.5022, allston_edportal at harvard.edu
NOTE
How do you build a robot that can fly like a bee, crawl like a  
cockroach, or wiggle like a worm? How do you make the robots small  
enough to fit in the palm of your hand?
Ben Finio will explain how scientists and engineers in biology,  
mathematics, and engineering work together to build insect-sized  
robots modeled after real animals.
Learn how the microrobots are built, watch video demos of the robots  
in action, and see the display of the different robots.
LINK  http://edportal.harvard.edu/news

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Place is the Space: The 'hood as a Locus of Jazz History

WHEN  Fri., Feb. 4, 2011, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE  Lower Library, Robinson Hall
35 Quincy St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Humanities, Lecture, Music
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Project on Justice, Welfare, and Economics
SPEAKER(S)  Robin D. G. Kelley, University of Southern California
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  jbarnard at wcfia.harvard.edu
NOTE
Part of the JWE Spatial History Seminar
LINK  http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/jwe/home

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Tufts

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Important Future Research Areas for Information Visualization (and  
Visual Analytics)
February 3, 2011
2:50 pm - 4:00 pm
Halligan 111
Speaker: Georges Grinstein, UMass Lowell
Host: Carla Brodley
Abstract

In looking at current papers in Information Visualization, one does  
not see many striking new topics (there are some). Many papers  
describe an application of visualization. Most others describe either  
an incremental change in a technique to a classic problem or an  
improved algorithm reducing computational complexity. There are papers  
on user interfaces, on interaction, on usability, on representation,  
on aesthetics, on graph drawing algorithms. There are papers on a wide  
variety of interdisciplinary topics. There are papers on a new  
discipline's role in visualization. Finally there are papers  
describing something of relevance to the author but not to the field.

What are the exciting problems to be solved? This is an important  
question for a field to identify. Self-introspection is a necessity  
for a field to continue to grow.

There have been grand challenge panels, papers, and pamphlets (in the  
70s). I, as a youngster (I am still young), participated in several of  
these as far back as 1992 (IEEE Conference panel on “Grand Challenge  
Problems in Visualization Software”). These are valuable. However in  
my view many of these are driven by the timely political nature of  
funding (see for example the excellent "Illuminating the Path:  
Research and Development Agenda for Visual Analytics").

In this talk I will present five areas which are extremely important  
for our field and identify key problems in these five areas. Five  
areas which can provide for rapid new growth and which need  
researchers. And I will identify one in particular which is my favorite.

These areas are:

1. Measuring Information Visualization (information, accuracy,  
uncertainty, insight)
2. High-dimensional Visualization (hundreds and thousands of variables)
3. Real Time Massive Data Set Visualization (sensors, networks)
4. Interactive Collaborative Information Visualization (Web 5.0)
5. Modeling Data Exploration (where is the user going?)

I will suggest a number of key problems, hints to some solutions,  
possible impact and future scenarios.

Bio:

Georges Grinstein is Professor of Computer Science at the University  
of Massachusetts Lowell, head of its Bioinformatics and  
Cheminformatics Program, Co-director of its Institute for  
Visualization and Perception Research, and of its Center for  
Biomolecular and Medical Informatics. He received his Ph.D. in  
Mathematics from the University of Rochester in 1978.

His work is broad and interdisciplinary, ranging from the perceptual  
foundations of visualization to techniques for very high-dimensional  
data visualization to a theory of visualization, with the emphasis on  
the modeling, visualization, and analysis of complex information  
systems.

He has over 30 years in academia with extensive private consulting,  
over 100 research grants, products in use nationally and  
internationally, several patents, numerous publications in journals  
and conferences, a new book on interactive data visualization, founded  
several companies, and has been the organizer or chair of national and  
international conferences and workshops in Computer Graphics, in  
Visualization, and in Data Mining. He has mentored over 25 doctoral  
students and hundreds of graduate students. He has been on the  
editorial boards of several journals in Computer Graphics and Data  
Mining, a member of ANSI and ISO, a NATO Expert, and a technology  
consultant for various public agencies.

For the last seven years he has co-chaired the InfoVis and VAST  
contests in visual analytics leading to new research areas; has taught  
Radical Design, a course teaching students how to innovate with  
"radical" new products instead of evolutionary ones; is a member of  
the new Homeland Security Center CCICADA; and is co-director of the  
new Open Indicators Consortium that has developing a web-based  
interactive collaborative visualization system.

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Wentworth

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The 2030 Challenge
19 years and ticking
Tuesday, February 1
6:00 – 8:00pm
Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Watson Hall (550 Huntington Ave,  
Boston)
The AIA called for a commitment from architectural firms to design  
carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. Eleven years into this bold  
challenge, what are firms doing today to progress toward the goal, and  
what does the future of building energy look like?

Boston Society of Architects (BSA) Committee on the Environment (COTE)  
hosts a roundtable discussion with leading architects working on a  
broad range of sustainable projects. We'll look at real-world  
strategies; case studies; challenges; and opportunities related to  
team selection, design and implementation.

The discussion is free and open to BSA members and the public. Space  
is limited. Parking is also limited. Why not use public transportation?

Co-moderators
Philippe Genereux AIA, LEED AP (SMMA/Symmes Maini & McKee Associates)
Jim Stanislaski AIA (Gensler)
Panelists
Bruce Coldham FAIA (Coldham & Hartman Architects)
Martine Dion AIA (SMMA/Symmes Maini & McKee Associates)
Kenneth Fisher AIA (Gensler)
Robert Hoye AIA (TRO Jung|Brannen)
Deborah Rivers AIA (Perkins + Will)

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Other

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Clean Economy Network Boston Happy Hour and Networking
Monday, January 31, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)
British Consulate General
One Broadway, Suite 700
Cambridge, MA 02142

Please join CEN Boston for our January Happy hour on January 31st at  
the British Consulate General in Cambridge, MA.   The evening will  
feature plenty of networking and some light appetizers and beer.
The evening will be hosted and sponsored  by the UK Trade and  
Investment group, who is hosting a number of companies on a trade  
mission to Boston from Jan 31 - Feb 2 (they'll spend the second half  
of the week in NYC)

The companies are involved in UK Offshore Wind, Anaerobic Digestion,  
and Green Build technology.   We'll be scheduling a series of meetings  
and briefings for them at the Consulate, and they are very interested  
to connect with local cleantech companies and leaders.   The companies  
are from the East of England, with ties to Cambridge, UK - so we even  
note the Cambridge to Cambridge connection.

RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1241801261

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

February 1
7 pm
Reality Is Broken:  Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change  
the World
Jane McGonigal
Harvard Book Store
1256 Mass Ave
Cambridge
contact 617-661-1515 or http://www.harvard.com

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

CEA Energy Social - John Harvard's Brew Pub

Harvard Square

February 01, 2011  7:00p–10:00p

Are you a student and passionate about energy? Come to the Regional  
Energy Social this Tuesday (2/1/11) for an evening of energy debate  
and discussion! All are welcome, and energy clubs from schools across  
the Northeast are invited to this intercollegiate mixer. This will be  
a unique opportunity to meet graduate and undergraduate students who  
are passionate about energy. Hope to see you there! Over and under 21  
welcome.

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


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>

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

What do Madison, Wisconsin, Lawrence Township, NJ, and over 70 cities  
and towns in Sweden have in common?  They are all Eco-communities

Learn how eco-municipalities are taking a comprehensive approach to  
sustainable change—as opposed to carrying out a collection of  
disparate sustainable development projects.

Speaker: Sarah James, Institute for Eco-municipality Education &  
Assistance

Also, a brief report from Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis abut her  
participation in the European Capital Cities Conference in Stockholm,  
Sweden

Thursday, February 3, 7pm
Main Library Auditorium, 449 Broadway

Sponsored by CREATE (Cambridge Renewable Energy Action Team) and CEA

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

Sherry Turkle discusses
Alone Together:  Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each  
Other

Friday, February 4, 2011
3:00 PM

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome MIT professor of technology  
and society SHERRY TURKLE as she discusses the effect our technology  
has on our social relationships and her new book, Alone Together: Why  
We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other.

Consider Facebook—it’s a form of human contact, only easier to engage  
with and easier to avoid. Developing technology promises closeness.  
Sometimes it delivers, but much of our modern life leaves us less  
connected with people and more connected to simulations of them. In  
Alone Together, Sherry Turkle explores the power of our new tools and  
toys to dramatically alter our social lives. It’s an exploration of  
what we are looking for—and sacrificing—in a world of electronic  
companions and social networking tools, and an argument that, despite  
the hand-waving of today’s self-described prophets of the future, it  
will be the next generation who will chart the path between isolation  
and connectivity.

“As the digital age sparks increasing debate about what new  
technologies and increased connectivity are doing to our brains, comes  
this chilling examination of what our iPods and iPads are doing to our  
relationships.... Turkle's prescient book makes a strong case that  
what was meant to be a way to facilitate communications has pushed  
people closer to their machines and further away from each other.” — 
Publishers Weekly
General Info
(617) 661-1515
info at harvard.com

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

Upcoming

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

Green Your Condo, Save Your Money, & Help Your Planet, too.*
Learn how “green” investments in your condo can make it more  
sustainable and add value to your home.
Tuesday, February 8th
6:30pm-8:30pm
171 Huron Avenue, Coldwell Banker Office
At this seminar you will learn about energy efficiency and smart  
living starting with small steps to take within your condo like  
installing weather stripping, then moving onto larger steps for your  
entire condo building like getting a free building-wide energy  
assessment or even installing solar. We will also cover how to cash in  
on the incentives/rebates, as well as the attractive 0% financing  
available through local banks and NSTAR. Come learn how to make your  
condo greener, more energy efficient, and save yourself and neighbors  
money each month.
Presenters
Sustainable Life Solutions
Next Step Living
S&H Construction
Cambridge Portuguese Credit Union
Attendees will have the opportunity to win raffle prizes of green gear  
and purchase Smart Strips powerstrips with the utility discount  
already included.
*Please view the attached flier.
Co-sponsored by CEA and Coldwell Banker agents Amy Tighe and Robin  
Miller.
RSVP to outreach at cambridgeenergyalliance.org

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

Wednesday, February 9
7:00 pm.
WORLD ON THE EDGE: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse*
Internationally renowned environmentalist Lester Brown has been  
assessing the health of the earth?s ecosystems for more than two  
decades.  Over that time he has seen increasing signs of break-down  
until we are now facing issues of near-overwhelming complexity and  
unprecedented urgency. Can we change direction before we go over the  
edge? In his new book World on the Edge, Brown attempts to answer that  
question by systemically laying out both challenges and potential  
policy solutions.

First Parish in Cambridge, Meetinghouse	
3 Church Street
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138

FREE and Open to the Public

Book:	World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic  
Collapse

Co-sponsored by Tim Weiskel and an anonymous Friend of Cambridge Forum.

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

NO WAR, NO WARMING!

Friday, February 11, 2011, 7-9 PM
Photonics Bldg, Room 206, Boston University
8 St. Mary's Street, Boston
just off Comm. Ave., close to the BU Central T Stop (Green Line B)

Suggested donation, $5.00

Featured Speakers:
Barry Sanders, author of The Green Zone: The Environmental Costs of
Militarism, examines the environmental impact of US military practices  
and
declares military activity, from fuel emissions to radioactive waste to
defoliation campaigns, as the single-greatest contributor to the  
worldwide
environmental crisis.

Dr. Maggie Zhou, biologist, member of Massachusetts Coalition for  
Healthy
Communities and Climate SOS, will discuss the climate justice  
perspective,
international climate conferences in Cancun, Copenhagen/Cochabamba,  
and the
race to militarism vs. peace.

Co-Sponsors:
Boston UNAC (United National Antiwar Committee), United for Justice with
Peace, Alliance for Democracy-Boston/Cambridge & North Bridge Chapters,
Peace & Justice Task Force of Watertown Citizens for Environmental  
Safety,
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, Massachusetts Global
Action, Boston University Antiwar Coalition

For further information, contact Boston UNAC at BostonUNAC at gmail.com

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

February 18, 2011


FERC Policies and New England;

Smart Power and the
Future of Electric Utilities;
and

Massachusetts' and Boston's New Clean
  Energy and Climate Plans for 2020


Raab Associates presents:
The 121st New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
Date: Friday, February 18, 2011
Time: 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Click here for directions
We start off the new year and our 17th Roundtable season with a  
trifecta of exciting topics.  FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur will  
kick-off our 121st Roundtable with a discussion of FERC's new policy  
directions on a variety of issues that will impact New England,  
ranging from capacity markets and transmission to both renewable and  
demand-side resources.  As the former acting CEO at National Grid,  
Commissioner LaFleur knows New England well and is well-positioned to  
provide relevant and insightful comments for its regulators, market  
participants, and other stakeholders.

Next up is Dr. Peter Fox-Penner, author of a new and provocative book  
entitled Smart Power: Climate Change, the Smart Grid, and the Future  
of the Electric Utilities.  Currently a principal at the Brattle  
Group, Peter worked in top-level positions in energy policy at U.S.  
DOE and the White House, and is also quite familiar with New England,  
having spent many years at Charles River Associates in Boston.  In  
keeping with our "restructuring" focus, Peter's new book envisions the  
need for a very different utility industry and regulatory structure if  
we are to succeed in transforming the electricity system to meet  
climate and other public policy objectives.

Our final panel will feature Massachusetts' and Boston's "hot-off-the- 
press" and nationally-ground-breaking Clean Energy and Climate Plans.  
These plans will become the primary vehicles for ensuring a wide range  
of energy and climate goals, including lowering energy costs,  
increasing energy independence, growing clean energy jobs, and  
reducing emissions. The plans consolidate existing policies and  
programs, as well as present important proposed new developments  
spanning electricity supply, efficient buildings, and transportation.

Governor Patrick's Massachusetts Clean Energy & Climate Plan for 2020,  
just released in December, will be presented jointly byUndersecretary  
for Energy, Phil Giudice, and Assistant Secretary for Policy, Dr.  
David Cash, both at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and  
Environmental Affairs.  Jim Hunt, Chief of Environmental and Energy  
Services at the City of Boston, will then present the City's  
forthcoming climate plan. The soon-to-be-released report is based on a  
year-long stakeholder and community engagement process, culminating in  
a comprehensive plan and set of recommendations to Mayor Menino,  
entitled Sparking Boston's Climate Revolution.

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

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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