[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun May 6 11:30:54 PDT 2012


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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Short Term Climate Forces:  Black Carbon, Methane, and Tropospheric  
Ozone
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/06/1088365/-Short-Term-Climate-Forces-Black-Carbon-Methane-and-Tropospheric-Ozone

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Spring of Sustainability
now through June 22
Free live and online speakers and events
http://springofsustainability.com/

Live and webcast conference with  Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva, Van  
Jones, John Robbins, Hazel Henderson, Frances Moore Lappé, John  
Perkins, Thom Hartmann, Aqeela Sherrills, Julia Butterfly Hill + MANY  
others

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Monday, May 7
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Connect the Dots Boston
350.org & Mass Uniting
Launching Metro Boston Climate Defense
Monday, May 7
6:30 am - 11:00 am

Meeting at Copley Sq. at 6:30 am to collect leaflets & uniforms  
(arrive wearing white shirt & dark pants, we'll provide vest & MBCD  
ball cap)
Leaflet rush hour T stops 7-9:00 in teams of 2-5
Return to Copley Sq. at 10:00 for Connect the Dots photo & press  
conference

http://www.climatedefense.org/action.php

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Atmospheric histories and growth trends of C4F10, C5F12, C6F14, C7F16,  
C8F18
Monday, May 07, 2012
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Diane Ivy (MIT)

MIT Atmospheric Seminar Series
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) is a student-run weekly  
seminar series within PAOC. Seminar topics include all research  
concerning the atmosphere and climate, but also talks about e.g.  
societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars usually take  
place on Monday from 12-1pm followed by a lunch with graduate  
students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors,  
post-docs, and students are arranged. The seminar series is run by  
graduate students and is intended mainly for students to interact with  
individuals outside the department, but faculty and post docs  
certainly participate.

Abstract: New atmospheric observations are presented for the high  
molecular weight perfluorocarbons (PFCs): C4F10, C5F12, C6F14, C7F16  
and C8F18, based on 36 Northern Hemisphere and 46 Southern Hemisphere  
archived air samples, with fill dates from 1973 to 2011. The 2011  
atmospheric mole fractions contribute 0.35mW/m2 to the Earth's  
radiative budget, which is 6% of the total PFC radiative forcing  
(including CF4, C2F6, C3F8 and c-C4F8). Annual growth trends based on  
the observations peak in the 1990s, suggesting that the high molecular  
weight PFCs usage increased as CFCs were phased out under regulation  
of the Montreal Protocol.

Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/mass-seminar-diane-ivy-mit
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Atmospheric Science Seminars
For more information, contact:  Daniela Domeisen
mass at mit.edu

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Starr Forum: Inequality and Instability: A Study of the World Economy  
Just Before the Great Crisis
Monday, May 07, 2012
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E62-262, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speakers: James Galbraith , David Singer, Rachel Wellhausen

Books sold and signed at the event

About The Speakers:
James Galbraith is professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public  
Aairs, the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Lloyd M.  
Bentsen Jr Chair in Government/Business Relations. He is a leading  
economist whose books include The Predator State, Inequality and  
Industrial Change, and Created Unequal.

David Singer is associate professor of political science at MIT. He  
studies international political economy, with a focus on international  
nancial regulation, the inuence of global capital ows on govt  
policymaking, international institutions and governance, and the  
political economy of central banking. He is author of Regulating  
Capital: Setting Standards for the International Financial System.

Rachel Wellhausen is a PhD candidate in international political  
economy and comparative politics at the MIT Department of Political  
Science. Her dissertation seeks to explain why, in an era of economic  
globalization, emerging economy governments can sometimes break their  
commitments to protect foreign investors' property rights.

Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_050712_galbraith.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:  starrforum at mit.edu

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How to Build a Great Company, Step by Step: The Startup Owner's Manual
Monday, May 07, 2012
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building E62-276, MIT Sloan, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Bob Dorf

During this lecture, Bob Dorf will describe the detailed Customer  
Development process for building scalable startups and explain how  
Alexander Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas provides a framework for  
conceiving the innovator's business model and monitoring progress in  
the Customer Development process. The Customer Development process and  
The Startup Owner's Manual bring a nearly scientific method to the  
typically chaotic startup process.

Complimentary books will be given to 25 attendees

Web site: http://legatum.mit.edu/content/1189
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, SEID,  
Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development

For more information, contact:  Agnes Hunsicker
617-324-2768
legatum at mit.edu

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CDD Forum - Shrinking Cities - The Power of Architecture
Monday, May 07, 2012
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 7-431, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Andrew Zago, Principal, Zago Architecture

The 2012 City Design and Development Forum public lecture series will  
bring to MIT emerging and leading thinkers in disciplines influencing  
the urbanism of shrinking cities, including: landscape, architecture,  
planning, and photography.

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:  Sandra Elliott
617-253-5115
sandrame at mit.edu

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Tuesday, May 8
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D-Lab Open Hours
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E34, 2nd floor, Hayward Street, Cambridge
Come chat with D-Lab staff or tour around the lab to learn about our  
work. D-Lab focuses on international development, appropriate  
technologies and sustainable solutions for low-income communities,  
mostly in developing countries. There are currently 16 academic  
offerings that make up the suite of D-Lab classes, falling into the  
broad categories of Development, Design and Dissemination.

Web site: http://d-lab.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): D-Lab
For more information, contact:  d-lab-innovators at mit.edu

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The Information: James Gleick
Tuesday, May 8
12:30 pm
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Classroom 1023, 1585  
Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/05/jgleick#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our  
site shortly after at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast
James Gleick, author of The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood,  
will discuss his new book.

About James
James Gleick is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Harvard and the  
author of a half-dozen books on science, technology, and culture. His  
latest bestseller, translated into 20 languages, is The Information: A  
History, a Theory, a Flood, which the NY Times called "ambitious,  
illuminating, and sexily theoretical." Whatever they meant by that.  
They also said "Don't make the mistake of reading it quickly."

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Energy 101 : Solar Thermal
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
12:30p–1:30p
MIT, Building 66-168, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Matt Orosz
Energy 101 lectures series
The Energy 101 lectures aim at presenting an overview of various  
topics in the energy field. These lectures are open to everyone and  
require no prior knowledge.

Energy 101 talk on solar thermal : technologies, economics and future  
prospects.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:  Aziz Abdellahi (MIT Energy Club)
aziz_a at mit.edu

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Historical Perspectives on Climate Change: Scientific, Technological,  
and Social Dynamics
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
4:15p–5:30p
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Jim Fleming, Professor of Science, Technology, and Society,  
Colby College
MITE Seminar Series sponsored by IHS Cambridge Energy Research  
Associates

How have scientists gained awareness and understanding of phenomena  
that cover the entire globe and that are constantly changing on time  
scales ranging from geological eras and centuries to decades, years,  
and seasons? How was this accomplished by individuals immersed in and  
surrounded by the phenomena? How were privileged positions created and  
defined? The answers are varied and worthy of extended reflection.

This talk argues that scientific, technological, and social dynamics  
play essential roles in the study of climate dynamics.

Web site: http://mit.edu/mitei/news/seminars/fleming.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
For more information, contact:  Jameson Twomey
617-324-2408
jtwomey at mit.edu

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"After the Factory" screening and director Q&A
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 7-431, AVT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
The global economy is in crisis. More and more businesses are  
outsourcing their manufacturing. And former industrial towns --  
whether they're in Ohio, Mississippi, or Poland -- are left asking the  
question, "What comes after the factory?" For questions like this, the  
best answers come from the people who have been there.

Detroit, Michigan has been running on fumes since the fall of the auto  
industry and Poland's textile industry in Lodz has been hanging by a  
thread since the fall of communism. In both cities, their populations  
have fled, their unemployment has spiked, and now, they're both knee- 
deep in the pressures of re-building their economies.

After the Factory presents an opportunity to learn from these two  
diametrically different cultures as their entire way of life  
transitions to something new. Stories from the citizens are inspiring.  
Ideas from community leaders are thought-provoking. Free-thinking  
entrepreneurs are putting a new spin on traditional concepts of growth.

Philip Lauri, the director of the documentary will be present for a  
Q&A after the screening.

Web site: http://afterthefactoryfilm.com/synopsis/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:  Lyndsey Rolheiser
lyndseyr at mit.edu

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Meet and Greet with the Echoing Green Social Investment Council
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (ET)
The Bocoup Loft, 355 Congress Street, Boston

Do you want to meet and support some of most promising social  
entrepreneurs?
Have you heard of Teach For America, City Ye ar, Citizens School or  
the One Acre Fund?
Did you know they were all Echoing Green Fellows?

Since its founding in 1987 by the leadership and investment of the  
leading global growth equity firm, General Atlantic, Echoing Green has  
provided more than 500 promising social entrepreneurs working in over  
forty countries with $31 million in start-up funding, customized  
support services, and access to our global network of champions. These  
social innovators have gone on to launch, and now lead,some of  
today’s most important social enterprises throughout the world.  
Others have gone on to become leaders in a variety of sectors, having  
been profoundly shaped by their experiences launching social  
enterprises.

RSVP at http://echoinggreenboston-es1.eventbrite.com/?srnk=125
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Wednesday, May 9
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Innovations in Videogames: Applications in Education
WHEN  Wed., May 9, 2012, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  RCC conference, 26 Trowbridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Conferences, Education, Information Technology
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Real Colegio Complutense + Spanish Ministry of  
Education
SPEAKER(S)
Eric Klopfer, MIT
Carl Robert Blesins, Harvard
Marina Bers, Tufts
Clara Fernández-Vara, MIT
Baltasar Fernández Manjón, UCM (Madrid)
Pilar Lacasa, U. of Alcalá
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO  lina.arias at mecd.es
NOTE  in English

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Iran's Energy and Foreign Policies Over the Next 25 Years
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, Pye Conference Room, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Abbas Maleki

The MIT Center for International Studies Invites You to
Iran's Energy and Foreign Policies Over the Next 25 Years
Iran is a key player in its region which covers Middle East, West  
Asia, Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea. Recent developments of Iran's  
nuclear file, regional activities, and global energy demands urge us  
to look at this country in a wider framework.

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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
12pm-1:30pm
MIT Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
(Pye Conference Room)

Featured Speaker:
Abbas Maleki, Wilhelm Fellow at MIT Center for International Studies,  
is associate professor of Energy Policy at Sharif University of  
Technology, Tehran. He is the former Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran  
from 1986 to 1997.

Free and open to the public
Light Lunch will be served

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies

For more information, contact:  rochoa at mit.edu

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Green Building Tour
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
12:00pm - 2:00pm
Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, 1585 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge

The Harvard Student USGBC Chapter is hosting it's second event on  
Wednesday May 9th, a combined meeting and tour of the LEED Gold  
certified Wasserstein Hall. The tour is being conducted by Kevin  
Bright of Harvard Green Building Services and will be a good  
opportunity for students to learn more about green buildings and LEED.  
The last building tour drew almost 30 students and was quite  
informative.
This meeting will include a PIZZA LUNCH and will start at 12:00 PM  
Wednesday May 9th at Wasserstein. At the meeting we will introduce the  
next year's president of Harvard Student USGBC, Krista Palen and  
discuss plans for next year. The tour will follow and begin at 12:30 PM.

Please RSVP required, please register for the meeting/tour at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZKWHA5UU5PUFVhc2NuLTEweFZ3UkE6MQ 
.
Space is limited, so REGISTER NOW!

View details of the event (and pictures from the last USGBC green  
building tour) on Green Design's blog:
http://gsdgreendesign.blogspot.com/2012/05/havard-usgbc-student-chapter-event.html

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China Urban Development Discussion Series: NGO 2.0 and Social Media
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 9-354, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Dr. Jing Wang, Professor of Chinese Cultural Studies, S.C.  
Fang Professor of Chinese Languages & Culture, Affiliated Faculty,  
Comparative Media Studies, MIT; Discussant: Prof. J. Phillip Thompson  
MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
China Urban Development Discussion Series

Most contemporary U.S. discourse about digital media in China focuses  
on issues of state censorship of the internet. In "NGO 2.0 and Social  
Media", Jing Wang takes a different tack: stemming from her analysis  
of the blind spots of the Creative Commons movement and her commitment  
to exploring ways in which cultural studies scholars can translate  
academic expertise into social practice, she discusses the genesis and  
implementation of a civic media project she has designed to introduce  
social media tools to grassroots NGOs in underdeveloped regions of  
China. The challenges are considerable: most NGOs are not legally  
registered, and the Chinese government has no desire to encourage  
civic media participation. Alternative media is vitally important for  
recruiting new members and for choreographing social action; Web 2.0,  
driven by open-source software and network effects, offers exciting  
possibilities for both of these. Wang will describe the establishment  
of an open mapping platform that allows grassroots NGOs to connect  
with the Corporate Social Responsibility programs of transnational and  
domestic companies in China. She will also present Chinese and  
American examples of networked NGO practices.

Please join us in the lecture for more perspectives and insights on  
this topic.

Please RSVP at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5Y5F8YQ. Complimentary  
lunch will be served at 12:10 pm in 9-554; talk starts at 12:30 pm and  
ends by 2 pm in 9-354.

Web site: http://dusp.mit.edu/cud/cud_series.html

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Graduate Student  
Life Grants, China Urban Development

For more information, contact:
Shan Jiang
shanjang at mit.edu

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Energy Efficiency Innovations Symposium
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
12:30p–3:00p
MIT, Building 9-450, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Panel discussion on Community Energy Efficiency Enablement Strategies,  
led by DUSP masters students completing thesis/research projects.

How we can extend the recent community efficiency momentum as we move  
from ARRA/stimulus to growing energy provider funding, through  
strategic innovations in engagement models, information tools, utility/ 
community partnerships, and public policy?

Discussion Topics: New Models for Local Engagement (cities/towns,  
NGOs, and commercial), Community Energy Mapping, Microgrids, and  
Benchmarking.

Discussants to include recent alumni who are working on community  
efficiency solutions at national, state, and local levels.
Lunch/refreshments served.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT Energy  
Efficiency Strategy Project (EESP)

For more information, contact:  Harvey Michaels
(617) 253-2084
hgm at mit.edu

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The True Cost of Energy:  Film and Panel Discussion
With a film screening of "The Last Mountain" and film short "The Cost  
of Power"
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
5pm to 8:30pm
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway Cambridge

Join the discussion and become better educated, as consumers, of the  
true costs of energy derived from coal.  The evening will include a  
showing of Avi Chomsky's short film "The Cost of Power" and "The Last  
Mountain," produced by Eric Grunebaum. There will be a panel  
discussion regarding the impact of coal energy from a health, human  
rights and environmental perspective. There will be exhibits and ways  
to get involved!

he Last Mountain: The fight for the last great mountain in America's  
Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it  
to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve  
the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead.

Please RSVP to to ensure entry! - This is a free event.
RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/events/381063135271112/
or by email: phil at sierraclubmass.org (include name, # of people)

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MASS INNOVATION NIGHTS
5/9/2012
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge

Description: Innovation Nights provides innovators, entrepreneurs and  
product marketers with a way to connect with the social networking  
world, the mainstream media, the marketplace and each other, and gain  
more visibility for their new products.

Information about new products is submitted through the website and  
every month joint new product launch party events are held locally.  
The events are promoted collectively and are free and open to the  
public. The social media community turns out and is urged to help  
spread the word about new local products. Meanwhile, the Innovation  
Nights website helps showcase new products to a global audience of  
eager early adopters.

Innovation Nights events are also great for connecting job seekers and  
recruiters, and local business experts with other members of the local  
innovation economy.
Innovation Nights is a platform for marketing, public relations and  
social media organizations that are interested in hosting their own  
new product launches and networking events in an effective and cost- 
efficient manner.

RSVP at http://www.mass.innovationnights.com/

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2.007 Design Competition:  Robot Games
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
6:30p–10:00p
MIT, Johnson Ice Rink
This annual contest features student designed and student built robots  
competing head to head. This year the theme is "Tech County Fair". The  
robots will engage in midway games the the "high-striker", inflate  
balloons, gather tickets for rides, and spin a Ferris wheel. Videos  
feature students explaining their designs and the technology they  
used. Come and see the engineering accomplishments of our students.  
Open to the public. Children especially welcome. Free popcorn and  
balloon animals.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering Dept.

For more information, contact:  Mieke Moran
mieke_m at MIT.EDU

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

Join us for the third gathering of Cinematic Disobedience and see  
Richard Rogers's fascinating documentary "Neighbors - Conservation in  
a Changing Community" at 549 Columbus in the South End, the very same  
neighborhood where the film was made 35 years ago.

"Neighbors" will be followed by Rogers's 1979 study of people's  
attitudes toward money, "The Cost of Living."
After the screening we can reflect together on the dramatic changes  
that have taken place since the '70s and where Boston's neighborhoods  
stand now.

Details:

Date - May 9th (Wednesday)
Location - 549 Columbus Avenue, South End
Cost- free
Facebook RSVP - http://www.facebook.com/events/137324133066717/
Website - http://cinematicdisobedience.com

Program of events:
7pm - potluck - bring something to share!
8pm - Neighbors (1977, 29 minutes)
Cost of Living (1979, 55 minutes)

Big thanks to Documentary Educational Resources and 549 Columbus for  
help with this screening!
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Thursday, May 10
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D-Lab International Craft Fair
Thursday, May 10, 2012
10:00a–6:00p
MIT, Building 10, Lobby, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Handicrafts from countries around the world are available for sale.  
Come by and support our community partners by getting a unique gift  
for someone special!

Web site: http://d-lab.mit.edu/decennial
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): D-Lab

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Stories of Science Communication Workshop
Thursday, May 10, 2012
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM (ET)
Stephen Kaufman classroom at MIT, Building 9-151, 77 Massachusetts  
Avenue, Cambridge

In this 3-hour workshop, Dr. Phoebe Cohen (lead facilitator of the  
Telling Your Story workshops) and Dr. Brian Wecht (co-founder of The  
Story Collider) will work with participants to develop skills for  
verbally communicating science to a variety of audiences. Participants  
will be asked to prepare a 5-minute spoken piece, and the majority of  
the workshop will focus on giving feedback on these pieces.

The workshop will be held simultaneously in Cambridge, MA (with Dr.  
Cohen) and Cairo, Egypt (with Dr. Wecht), and the two groups will be  
Live Linked for part of the workshop. Although most of the feedback  
will be given locally, at the end of the three hours, some stories  
will be broadcast to both groups.

The workshop is open to graduate students, post docs, research  
scientists, and faculty in science, math, and engineering.  
Participants should prepare a 5-minute spoken piece (which can be read  
and does not need to be memorized) in the style of either
1) a true narrative story about an experience they had with science  
(see http://storycollider.org/podcast/2012-02-12 for an example)
or
2) an "elevator pitch" describing their research to an audience of non- 
scientists.

Draft Agenda:
What makes good science communication? We will go over examples and  
critique the positive and negative aspects of various communicators.
Participant introductions
Presentations and feedback from participants and moderators -  
participants will present their prepared five minute piece and receive  
constructive comments from the group and Drs. Cohen or Wecht.
Cairo-Cambridge science communication exchange - one individual from  
Cambridge and Cairo will present their piece via the linked video  
system.
Wrap-up and conclusions

RSVP at http://csfworkshop-es1.eventbrite.com/?srnk=198

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

Solar in the developing World
Thursday, May 10, 2012
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 4-159, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Richard Komp
Dr. Richard Komp, an expert on backyard solar do-it-yourself projects,  
author of several books including Practical Photovoltaics, Revised 3rd  
Edition, which has been called "the easiest and most complete  
education on photovoltaics" will talk about his work bringing solar  
energy to remote places in the developing world. He will present his  
recent work in Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Niger, Peru and Haiti.  
He will also explain how he works in these places and some of the  
successes and pitfalls of bringing power to the poorest people in the  
world.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:  MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu

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


The Spread of Violent Civil Conflict: Rare, State-Driven, and  
Preventable
WHEN  Thu., May 10, 2012, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, Harvard Kennedy School, 79  
JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)  Nathan W. Black, research fellow, International Security  
Program
CONTACT INFO  susan_lynch at harvard.edu
LINK  http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5793/spread_of_violent_civil_conflict.html

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Environmental Health Colloquium
Thursday, May 10, 2012
12:30pm - 1:20pm
Harvard School of Public Health, Building 1, Room 1302, 677 Huntington  
Avenue, Boston

George Luber, PhD
Associate Director for Global Climate Change, National Center for  
Environmental Health

Contact Name:  Alissa Wilcox
awilcox at hsph.harvard.edu

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

Media Lab Conversations Series: Howard Rheingold
Thursday, May 10, 2012
2:00pm - 4:00pm
MIT Media Lab, E14 6th Floor, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
ALL TALKS AT THE MEDIA LAB, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE OPEN TO THE  
PUBLIC.
THIS TALK WILL BE WEBCAST.
JOIN US ON TWITTER: #MLTALKS
The future of digital culture depends on how well we learn to use the  
media that have infiltrated, amplified, distracted, enriched, and  
complicated our lives. How we employ a search engine, stream video  
from our phonecam, or update our Facebook status matters to us and  
everyone, because the ways people use new media in the first years of  
an emerging communication regime can influence the way those media end  
up being used and misused for decades to come. Instead of confining  
his exploration to whether or not Google is making us stupid, Facebook  
is commoditizing our privacy, or Twitter is chopping our attention  
into microslices (all good questions), Rheingold has been asking  
himself and others how to use social media intelligently, humanely,  
and above all mindfully.

Rheingold's talk will be followed by a conversation with Joi Ito and  
Mimi Ito, as well as Q&A.

Biography:  Howard Rheingold, author of best-sellers Virtual Reality,  
The Virtual Community, Smart Mobs, and Net Smart,editor of best-seller  
The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog, takes audiences on a journey  
through the human side of the technology-shaped future. He's been in  
on the Web since the beginning, and long before. He's studied Internet  
enterprises and started them. Rheingold was the founding executive  
editor of HotWired; founder of Electric Minds (named by Time magazine  
one of the ten best websites of 1996). He's a participant-observer in  
the design of new technologies; a pioneer, critic, and forecaster of  
technology's impacts; and a speaker who involves his audience in an  
adventure in group futurism. His books are published in Chinese,  
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Portuguese, Spanish,  
and Swedish language editions, in addition to distribution in the  
United Kingdom, and the United States. Rheingold has taught as  
appointed lecturer at UC Berkeley and Stanford University. He was a  
non-resident fellow at the Annenberg Center for Communication,  
visiting professor at De Montfort University, UK, which awarded him an  
honorary doctorate of technology degree. He delivered the invited  
Regents Lecture for University of California, Berkeley.

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

Addiction by design
May 10
4:00–6:00 pm
MIT, Building  E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Natasha Schull, Cultural Anthropologist with MIT's Program in Science,  
Technology and Society.

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

BE Seminar Series/CEHS/DCM Schauer Lecture - Global health in the 21st  
century: A view from Fogarty
Thursday, May 10, 2012
4:05p–5:15p
MIT, Building 32-141, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Roger Glass - Director, Fogarty International Center;  
Associate Director, Global Health Research, NIH

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/be/news/seminars.shtml
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Department of Biological Engineering
For more information, contact:  617-253-1712
be-acad at mit.edu

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

Cai Guo-Qiang, Director of Special Effects for Beijing Olympics
Thursday, May 10, 2012
5:30p–7:30p
MIT, Building E51-115, Wong Auditorium, Tang Center, 2 Amherst Street,  
Cambridge

Speaker: Cai Guo-Qiang
The MIT List Visual Arts Center and the MIT China Forum
invite you to the dedication of "Ring Stone," a public work by  
acclaimed international artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

The evening begins with an MIT China Forum talk by Cai in the Tang  
Center's Wong Auditorium (E51-115) from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., followed by  
a dedication of the sculpture and reception at 6:30 p.m. at the MIT  
Sloan School (E62) at 100 Main Street.

Trained in stage design at the Shanghai Theater Academy, Cai's work  
has since crossed multiple mediums within art, including drawing,  
installation, video and performance art.

Gunpowder, fireworks and attention-grabbing installations mark his  
notable works, as does a spectacular pyrotechnics display that was  
created for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Web site: Reserve free seats at: caiguoqiangmit.eventbrite.com
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Greater China Strategy Group
For more information, contact:  Mark Linga
617-253-4680
mlinga at mit.edu

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

2.007 Design Competition:  Robot Games
Thursday, May 10, 2012
6:30p–10:00p
MIT, Johnson Ice Rink
This annual contest features student designed and student built robots  
competing head to head. This year the theme is "Tech County Fair". The  
robots will engage in midway games the the "high-striker", inflate  
balloons, gather tickets for rides, and spin a Ferris wheel. Videos  
feature students explaining their designs and the technology they  
used. Come and see the engineering accomplishments of our students.  
Open to the public. Children especially welcome. Free popcorn and  
balloon animals.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering Dept.

For more information, contact:  Mieke Moran
mieke_m at MIT.EDU

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

BASEA Forum: Movie Night! - "Burning In The Sun"
Thursday, May 10th
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist;  3 Church Street,  
Harvard Square

Presented in person by Dr. Richard Komp

Boston Area Solar Energy Association proudly presents......
Cinema for Peace 2012 International Green Film Award-winning, feature- 
length documentary film: 'Burning in the Sun'
Daniel Dembele envisions the rural villages of Mali in a new light -  
solar powered light.  Dr. Richard Komp becomes Daniel's mentor as they  
embark on a transforming journey, hand-fabricating photovoltaic  
panels, assembling solar cookers, and bringing together opposing  
groups - rebels and government - to put their differences aside and  
unite in a shared project with a common vision.  Their journey ignites  
innovation, resourcefulness and cooperation, as friendships form and  
hope is illuminated.

Come see the film and discuss it with pioneering renewable energy  
scientist, activist, author of 'Practical Photovoltaics', and our  
honored guest, Dr. Richard Komp.

"Before Banko's school had electricity, every year 20 percent of  
students passed their national exams. After Daniel installed lights,  
97 percent passed."
"If you're educated, you could help develop your village."   - Jenebou  
[student]

http://www.basea.org

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

BIodiversity and You: a Bazaar of Ideas
Thursday, May 10, 2012
7:30p–10:00p
MIT, Lobby-13, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
In an innovative "Bazaar of Ideas" format, freshmen from MIT's  
Terrascope learning community will present prototypes, models and  
demonstrations of the technologies and ideas they have been working on  
to explore and solve issues having to do with biodiversity

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Terrascope

For more information, contact:  Aczel, Debra Gross
617- 253-4074
daczel at mit.edu

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

Creative Leadership
May 10, 2012

7:30 PM

RCC Conference Room, 26 Trowbridge Street, Cambridge

Speaker: César Diaz Carrera

Abstract:  The quality of our lives, depends to a large extent, on the  
quality of our Leadership. And any reduction in the quality of our  
Leadership implies an increase in the number and gravity of the  
problems that we shall have to face as a society. On the other hand,  
“Leadership is the most studied and the least understood concept in  
Social Sciences”, posited George Mc Gregor Burns, former President of  
the American Political Science Association.

This film contests the pessimist idea of the famous Political  
Scientist. Leadership can be grasped, and ought to be practically  
understood by the layman citizen, if we are to build organizations and  
societies better equipped to face the challenges of Globalization.  
Three prominent Women – including a Vice President of the Government,  
and the President of the Spanish Businesswomen Association-.  and four  
men –including the former Director General of UNESCO, the  
Entrepreneurial Founder of a University, and the CEO of the most  
important Communications holding in Spanish- share their experiences  
in helping the viewer to safely navigate the white waters of this time  
and age.

The film will be presented by César Díaz-Carrera, Professor of Public  
Leadership, Complutense University, Madrid and RCC-Harvard University  
Research Fellow.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A Session with the Author.

Free and open to the public

http://www.realcolegiocomplutense.harvard.edu


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

Friday, May 11

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

THESIS DEFENSE: Shape Formation by Self-Disassembly in Programmable  
Matter Systems
Friday, May 11 2012
10:00AM to 11:00AM
MIT, Building 32-G449 - Stata Center - Kiva Conference Room, 32 Vassar  
Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Kyle W Gilpin, MIT

Programmable matter systems are composed of small, intelligent modules  
able to form a variety of macroscale objects with specific material  
properties in response to external commands or stimuli. While many  
programmable matter systems have been proposed in fiction, (Barbapapa,  
Changelings from StarTrek, the Terminator, and Transformers), and  
academia, a lack of suitable hardware and accompanying algorithms  
prevents their full realization. With this thesis research, we aim to  
create a system of sand-grain-sized modules that can form arbitrary  
structures on demand. We develop autonomous centimeter-scale modules  
capable of bonding to and communicating with their immediate  
neighbors. In order to accomplish our long-standing goal of shape  
formation, we develop a suite of provably-correct distributed  
algorithms that allow shape formation through sculpting,  
magnification, replication, and duplication. Given that a programmable  
matter system is a large network of autonomous processors, these  
algorithms have applicability in a variety of routing, sensor network,  
and distributed computing applications. While our hardware system  
provides a 50-module testbed for the algorithms, we show, by using a  
unique simulator, that they continue to function as the number of  
modules in the system rises into the hundreds or thousands. Finally,  
we perform hundreds of experiments using both the simulator and  
hardware to show how the algorithms and hardware operate in practice.

Contact: Kyle Gilpin, 617 253 6532, kwgilpin at csail.mit.edu

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

Launching SpaceX: How to Build a Rocket Company
Friday, May 11, 2012
12:45p–2:00p
MIT, Building 3-270, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Adam Harris, Vice President for Government Sales, SpaceX
SpaceX has built one of the world's most remarkable, entrepreneurial  
high-tech companies. Come and hear about the breathtaking  
entrepreneurial journey that took SpaceX from visionary CEO Elon  
Musk's dream in 2002, to a now imminent first launch to the  
International Space Station as a cargo transport replacement for the  
US Space Shuttle, and their plans for space technology in the coming  
years. Complimentary lunch will be provided for attendees at 12.45pm,  
followed by the talk at 1.00pm. Adam Harris and a SpaceX recruitment  
representative will be available to answer questions after the  
presentation.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): The MIT 100K

For more information, contact:  info at mit100k.org

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

Wind Energy Research at the National Wind Technology Center
Friday, May 11, 2012
3:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Fort Felker, Director of the National Wind Technology Center  
at NREL
Dr. Felker is the Director of the National Wind Technology Center, the  
principal research center for wind energy in the United States. He  
directs a team of 100 scientists, engineers and technicians working to  
develop the next generation of wind energy systems. Prior to becoming  
director of the NWTC in 2009, Dr. Felker was the co-founder and Vice  
President of Winglet Technology, a company that commercialized his  
patented design of "elliptical winglets" for business aircraft. Before  
his 6-year stint as an entrepreneur, Felker was an engineering analyst  
at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he developed the  
underlying theory and computational modeling for the hypersonic flow  
about re-entry vehicles undergoing extreme maneuvers. From 1994-1996,  
Felker worked in senior engineering positions at Kenetech Windpower.  
As manager of engineering modeling, he was responsible for developing  
wind turbine engineering analysis tools. Later as director of  
engineering analysis and test, he played a key role in the development  
of the KVS-45 wind turbine, and led a team of engineers and  
technicians in the testing of large wind turbine systems. His early  
experience includes nine years with NASA Ames Research Center and six  
years with the U.S. Army Research and Technology Labs, working on  
rotorcraft analysis and testing.


Web site: http://mit.edu/mitei/news/seminars/felker.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
For more information, contact:  Jameson Twomey
617-324-2408
jtwomey at mit.edu

---------------------
Saturday, May 12
---------------------

6th Annual Youth Summit on Global Climate Change
Saturday, May 12, 2012
9:30a–3:30p
MIT, Building 32, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
6th Annual Youth Summit on Global Warming hosted by The Technology and  
Culture Forum, the Boston Latin School's Youth Climate Action Network,  
the Boston Public Health Commission's Boston Collaborative for Food  
and Fitness, and the Boston Youth Environment Network. The day will be  
filled with informative and fun workshops, free food and prizes. Last  
year's summit was a big success and this year's promises to be even  
better

Web site: web.mit.edu/tac
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT
For more information, contact:  Patricia-Maria Weinmann
617-253-0108
weinmann at mit.edu

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

The Spring 2011 Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP
Saturday May 12
NOON to 2 pm
at Fayette Park (near the corner of Broadway and Fayette St., across  
from former Longfellow School)

Rain date—in case of DOWNPOUR—is Saturday, May 19, 12-2

Bring anything that's growing in too much abundance in your garden.  
Elegant packaging not required, but please do write down the names of  
plants.   We expect to have perennials, biennial seedlings, seeds,  
indoor plants, catalogs, pots, and lots of "whatever."  Feel free to  
just come, chat with neighbors, talk gardening.

Contact HMSnively at aol.com

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

“Embrace the Spirit of the Forest”
Saturday, May 12
1 pm
Alewife Reservation, Silver Maple Forest, Cambridge

May is Massachusetts Rivers and Wetlands Month. Friends of Alewife  
Reservation is sponsoring a walk and encirclement of the silver maple  
forest with the Earth Drum Council and professional performers for a  
celebration of its trees, especially the mother tree which has lost  
many of its large branches. The title of the celebration is, "Embrace  
the Spirit of the Forest".

It is being held to call attention to the preservation of the  
watershed functions of the floodplain and woodlands, and to bless the  
abundant wildlife habitat, which Friends have assessed as coyote, fox,  
mink, otter, deer and 90 species of birds, many of whom nest in the  
Reservation.

The Ingathering with public participation at 1pm will invoke native,  
pagan and New England cultures that revere natural resources. Drums  
will resound around the forest, and each participant will speak his or  
her sentiments about the protection of the area and personal  
experiences there.

Each is asked to bring a musical instrument if available.
Publicity for the event states, "The woodlands are entitled "Belmont  
Uplands" because they are on the border of Cambridge, and there is a  
slight rise in land elevation from the road, but main area is in  
Belmont and it is the lowest part of the town.  Proponents say, "It is  
a center for wildlife and for floodplain absorption, which, for  
centuries, since the glacial era, created livable and protective  
watershed benefits of tributary sources:  ponds, river, streams,  
floodways, active aquifers, ground waters, and wetlands, marshes, bog,  
fen and vernal areas."

Parking at the public Alewife Reservation Lot on Acorn Park Drive.   
1:00 Ingathering in the meadows of Alewife Reservation. Specific  
participatory Instructions will be given out.  Phone: 617 415-1884,  
FAR offices for more information.

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

Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves
WHEN  Sat., May 12, 2012, 2 – 3 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge,  
MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Education, Environmental Sciences,  
Exhibitions, Film, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard Museum of Natural History
SPEAKER(S)  Emily Driscoll and George Buckley
COST  $6-9 (includes admission to the museum galleries)
NOTE  Film screening and discussion
In conjunction with the new exhibition, Mollusks, the museum will  
screen Shellshocked, a new documentary by Emily Driscoll. The film  
follows efforts to prevent the extinction of wild oyster reefs, which  
keep oceans healthy by filtering water and engineering ecosystems. Due  
to overfishing and pollution, much of the world’s wild oyster reefs  
have been declared “functionally extinct.” Followed by a Q&A with  
the filmmaker and George Buckley of the Sustainability and  
Environmental Management Program at Harvard Extension School.

Regular admission rates apply.
LINK  http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php


--------------------
Monday, May 14
-------------------

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY SPRING LECTURE SERIES: Computational Tools for  
Modeling and Control of Airflow in Buildings
Monday, May 14, 2012
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 7-431, Long Lounge (AVT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue,  
Cambridge

Speaker: Dr.Sunil Ahuja, Senior Research Scientist at United  
Technologies Research Center, CT,
COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR MODELING AND CONTROL OF AIRFLOW IN BUILDINGS

In most building energy modeling tools, indoor air is described by  
lumped models, assuming it to be well-mixed with a uniform  
temperature. This assumption tends to fail in buildings equipped with  
low-energy HVAC terminal units, such as displacement ventilation,  
radiant ceilings, etc. The air in zones equipped with such systems is  
often characterized by thermal stratification or buoyancy. We present  
computational tools for developing models of such flows, using model  
reduction techniques that have matured over the last few decades in  
the context of aerodynamic and turbulent flows. We illustrate the  
application of these models in control design and in assessing energy  
savings in buildings.

If time permits, the talk will also discuss computational tools for  
automated calibration of building energy models, otherwise an arduous  
task, using tools for uncertainty quantification and sensitivity  
analysis.

Bio: Dr.Sunil Ahuja is a research scientist at United Technologies  
Research Center (UTRC), where he is involved in research in the areas  
of model reduction and control of fluid flows, uncertainty  
quantification, and nonlinear dynamical systems. He received his Ph.D.  
from Princeton University, MS from Boston University, and BE from  
University of Mumbai, all in mechanical engineering. Some of his  
publications can be found at: http://sites.google.com/site/sdahuja.

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, Building Technology Program

For more information, contact:  Alexandra Golledge
617-253-0463
agoll18 at mit.edu

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

Open Pediatrics: A game changer in critical pediatric care
Monday, May 14, 2012 f
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (ET)
IBM Center for Social Business, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge

Event Details
The IBM Center for Social Business welcomes Dr. Jeffrey P. Burns, a  
game changer in pediatric care with an amazing story to tell. He will  
share a journey that began as a dream to help pediatric medical staff  
who did not have access to critical knowledge they needed to save kids  
lives. While watching the Masters in 2009, he saw an interactive "see  
and do" web site he thought could do exactly what he wanted. As it  
turned out, this site was designed by IBM Interactive, with a group  
based in Cambridge. After a three-year collaboration between Dr. Burns  
and a Cambridge-based IBM Interactive team led by Adam Cutler, Open  
Pediatrics is a reality.

Open Pediatrics
“OpenPediatrics Project,” the soon-to-be-released web-based  
educational application, will be a resource for pediatric critical  
care givers around the world. By harnessing the reach of the Internet,  
access to the latest knowledge about effective health care will no  
longer be bottlenecked within the walls of institutions. It can now be  
shared instantly so that clinicians across the globe can gain access  
to life-saving information at any time.
The early 2012 beta launch of this comprehensive, continually updated,  
and peer-reviewed knowledge exchange platform will be dedicated to  
providing multimedia and interactive educational resources to  
physicians and nurses on optimal care of the critically ill child.   
More specifically, the overall objectives include providing  
information on demand, curricular learning maps for training  
clinicians, and a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration  
between care providers around the world.

This beta release will include 1000 users in hospitals across six  
continents. A total of 9 modules will cover a range of topics  
pertinent to the care of critically ill children. Each topic will  
include expert content, including video lectures and demonstrations,  
pre- and post- topic knowledge assessments, and best practice  
protocols and guidelines. When applicable, a module will include a  
simulator or avatar-based simulations for more comprehensive and  
interactive learning.

This project is specifically designed to be a knowledge exchange  
platform, thus contributions in the content provided on the website  
will come from the best teachers from across the world.

About Jeffrey P. Burns, MD, MPH

Dr. Jeffrey Burns is Chief of Critical Care Medicine and the Shapiro  
Chair  of Critical Care Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston and  
Associate Professor of Anesthesia (Pediatrics) at Harvard Medical  
School. He is also the Program Director for the Fellowship Pediatric  
Critical Care Medicine at both institutions.

RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1653027249/?ref=enivtefor&utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=invitefor&utm_term=readmore&invite=MTk2ODE0OS9nbW9rZUB3b3JsZC5zdGQuY29tLzA=

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

The Impact of Pollution on Worker Productivity
Monday, May 14, 2012
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Joshua Graff Zivin (UC San Diego)
Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Seminar in Microeconomic Applications

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

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

Coal-CO2 Slurry Feed for Pressurized Gasifiers: Heterogeneous Kinetics  
in a high CO2/CO Environment and Impact on Carbon Conversion
Monday, May 14, 2012
4:15p–5:15p
MIT, Building 3-333, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Cristina Botero, Mechanical Engineering Department, MIT
Center for Energy and Propulsion Research Seminar Series

Gasification of carbonaceous feedstocks such as coal produces  
synthesis gas (CO+H2) which can be used for the production of clean  
power, synthetic fuels, and chemicals. For high-P, high-T gasifiers of  
the entrained-flow type in plants with carbon capture, coal-CO2 slurry  
feed is an attractive alternative to the state-of-the-art coal-water  
slurry feeding system. System-level studies have shown that CO2 slurry  
feed leads to 15% lower oxygen-to-coal consumption, relative to a  
plant with water slurry feed. The gasification of char in CO2 has,  
nevertheless, been observed to be slower than that in steam. In  
addition, CO -which is present in larger quantities when the feeding  
system is CO2 slurry- is known to retard the gasification reactions.  
This talk will thus address the impact of CO2 slurry feed on the  
heterogeneous gasification kinetics -and ultimately on carbon  
conversion and oxygen consumption- in a pressurized, single-stage,  
entrained flow gasifier. The results from component-level simulations  
with a reduced order model (ROM) of the reactor will be presented,  
whereas Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics were used to quantify the  
gasification rate at high-P, high-T, in a mixed gas environment.

SPEAKER BIO
Cristina Botero is a PhD Candidate at MIT's Reacting Gas Dynamics Lab.  
She earned an MSc. in Chemical and Bioengineering in 2007 from the  
University of Erlangen in Germany. Prior to coming to MIT, Cristina  
worked for General Electric's Global Research Center in Munich.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): RGD Lab

For more information, contact:  Jeff Hanna

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

"Defending Behind the Device: Mobile Application Risks"
Monday, May 14, 2012
6:30 PM
Fidelity Center for Applied Technology - Adjacent to South Station,  
245 Summer Street, Boston

The Boston Google Technology Users Group is presenting "Defending  
Behind the Device: Mobile Application Risks".
On May 14th, Chris Wysopal, CTO of Veracode will talk about mobile app  
security entitled "Defending Behind the Device: Mobile Application  
Risks."
The event is hosted by GTUG, Fidelity and Kayak. Hack/Hackers Boston  
is a community sponsor.
We will also have a couple of developers demonstrate live device   
exploits.

This link will provide further information http://bit.ly/JfmOoQ

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

Tuesday, May 15

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

Microbial Facebook: Probing Bacterial Social Networks

WHEN  Tue., May 15, 2012, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Medical School, Warren Alpert Building, Room 563, 200  
Longwood Avenue, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Hosted by the Graduate Students
SPEAKER(S)  Marvin Whiteley, University of Texas, Austin

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

MIT $100K Finale
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
6:00p
MIT, Kresge Auditorium, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Come see the hottest MIT startups compete for the $100K grand prize at  
the MIT $100K Finale.

Startup showcase starts at 6pm
Finale show at 7pm


Event is free, no tickets required and open to the public!

Web site: www.mit100k.org

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, The MIT 100K

For more information, contact:  info at mit100k.org

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

Greenport Forum:  Does Change Have to Mean Sacrifice?  Finding  
fulfillment in an already full world
Tuesday, May 15
7 pm
Cambrdigeport Baptist Church, 459 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge (corner of  
Magazine St and Putnam Ave)

Cambridge City Councillor Craig Kelley

Concerned about environmental issues, in 1989 Craig Kelley went from  
being a Marine Corps Infantry Officer to canvassing for Greenpeace,  
from being a meat eater to being a vegetarian, from driving a four- 
wheel drive pickup truck to riding a bike.  For the past 20 years,  
he's tried to figure out how much of a difference those actions have  
made for him, for his family and how the world as he consistently  
falls short of his own expectations for living a climate changed  
life.  Join Craig and other environmentally concerned individuals for  
a discussion about lifestyle changes in a changing world.

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


***********
-------------

Upcoming

-------------
***********

Science in the News Spring Lecture Series:  Neglected Diseases of the  
Bottom Billion
WHEN  Wed., May 16, 2012, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard University, Pfizer Auditorium, Mallinckrodt Building,  
12 Oxford St, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Classes/Workshops, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Science in the News, sponsored by Harvard  
Medical School and the Graduate Student Council
SPEAKER(S)  Presentations given by groups of graduate students in the  
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  SITNboston at gmail.com
NOTE  Hosted by Science in the News, a student run group at the  
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, our evening seminar  
series is free to the public! Discuss today’s hottest scientific  
topics, with seminars presented by current graduate students and aimed  
at a general audience. It's an interactive environment, so feel to ask  
questions at any point in the lecture! Hosted at Harvard University,  
Pfizer Auditorium, biweekly Wednesdays. See our website for the full  
schedule.
LINK  sitn.hms.harvard.edu…

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

Playing for the Planet:  World Flutes Against Climate Change
Saturday, May 19

7:00 p.m.
Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street, Boston

Regular Admission: $20
Student/Senior Admission: $15

Steve Gorn (Hindustani bansuri),

Elizabeth Reian Bennett (Japanese shakuhachi),

Renaissonics (Renaissance music, featuring recorder virtuosi John  
Tyson and Miyuki Tsurutani)


Advance Ticket Orders Are Accepted Until 3 pm on May 19. Orders  
received after Wednesday, May 16 will be held at the door.

On Saturday, May 19, the sixth “Playing For The Planet” benefit  
concert will showcase master musicians from three widely different  
musical traditions in a rare evening of pan-cultural flute styles,  
with all proceeds going to benefit the environmental advocacy group www.350.org 
. The performers include Steve Gorn(Hindustani bansuri), Elizabeth  
Reian Bennett (Japanese shakuhachi), and the acclaimed Renaissance  
ensemble, Renaissonics, featuring the recorder virtuosity of John  
Tyson and Miyuki Tsurutani. The music begins at 7:00 pm, at Emmanuel  
Church, 15 Newbury Street, Boston. Admission is $20; $15 students &  
seniors. For information, please call 781-396-0734. “Playing For The  
Planet” can be found on Facebook.

More information at http://www.warrensenders.com/journal/?page_id=4545

“Playing For The Planet: World Flutes Against Climate Change” is  
the sixth concert in an ongoing series of cross-cultural events  
produced by Boston-area musician and environmental activist Warren  
Senders. These concerts were conceived as a way for creative musicians  
to contribute to the urgent struggle against global warming. Their  
choice of beneficiary, 350.org, is focused on building global  
consensus on reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels — action which  
climatologists agree is necessary to avoid catastrophic outcomes.  
Because the climate problem recognizes no national boundaries, the  
artists represent musical styles from three different parts of the  
globe. While the performers present different melodic and rhythmic  
concepts, they share key musical values: listening, honesty,  
creativity, and respect. And, of course, they are all committed to  
raising awareness of the potentially devastating effects of global  
warming. It’ll be an evening of powerful and evocative music — from  
some of the finest musicians in New England and the world.

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

The Age of Limits:  Conversations on the Collapse of The Global  
Industrial Model

Friday May 25th thru Monday May 28th, 2012

Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary, 190 Walker Lane Artemas PA

Dedicated to the pioneering work of Donella Meadows, Jorgen Randers &  
Dennis Meadows
and their epochal 1972 report "The Limits to Growth."

Editorial Comment:  This is a way outside my geographic limits and is  
a conference that costs money but one of the subscribers suggested it  
and the subject and speakers are worthy of attention.


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

Data Therapy: Creative Ways to tell your Story with Data
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
6:00 PM
MIT Media Lab, E14-525, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

Got data? Tired of using the same old bar charts to tell your story?
You need some Data Therapy!
Join MIT Media Lab researcher Rahul Bhargava for a workshop on making  
creative and compelling presentations of data.
We will cover: a process for picking appropriate data presentation  
techniques; real-world examples of various creative techniques; online  
tools to help you while designing your presentation; "group therapy"  
time to brainstorm about your specific needs.

RSVP at http://meetupbos.hackshackers.com/events/63236472/?a=ea1_grp&eventId=63236472&action=detail&rv=ea1&rv=ea1

-------------------------------
ANCIENT ANDEAN WISDOM FOR OUR TIMES

A talk by Don Alberto Taxo

Master teacher from Ecauador

CAMBRIDGE COHOUSING, 175 RICHDALE AVE., CAMBRIDGE
WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE 2012, 7.30 P.M.

Refreshments will be served

Don Alberto is a teacher and healer of the Andean Quechua peoples.  He  
speaks of the need for head and heart to unite, and to bring  
technology and wisdom together in healing our earth. He brings simple,  
ancient practices that open the doors of perception to our connection  
with all life, through gratitude and enjoyment.

NOTE: there are other opportunities to meet Don Alberto:
EVENING TALK, FRIDAY JUNE 8, 7.30 P.M., NEW VIEW COHOUSING, ACTON MASS.
PRIVATE HEALING CLEANSINGS, BY APPOINTMENT

For more intormation:
Events in Eastern Mass.--to make reservations etc.: Dori Smith,  dsmith at newview.org 
    978-835-5568
Don Alberto’s work:   www.ushai.com

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NEW ENGLAND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FORUM (NEEJF)  ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE  
SUMMIT
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

All community activists and residents, environmental justice  
advocates, lawyers, policymakers and others interested in public  
health and the environment in low income communities and communities  
of color are invited to attend.

Individuals may register for the event online by visiting the online  
registration page: http://newenglandejsummit.eventbrite.com/.  There  
is no cost to attend the event. Food, childcare, and great company are  
included. The deadline to register is May 18, 2012. Travel  
scholarships are available for individuals and groups that need  
assistance to attend.

For the first time in New England, residents of low income communities  
and communities of color, together with community organizers,  
attorneys, public health and environmental professionals and  
government officials will assemble for a one- day summit on  
environmental justice.  At the Summit attendees will share ideas,  
learn from one another and plan future work to address environmental  
and public health issues that especially affect low income communities  
and communities of color. NEEJF is a collaboration of Alternatives for  
Community and Environment, Connecticut Coalition for   Environmental  
Justice and Rhode Island Legal Services.

For more information, please contact Steve Fischbach: neejforum at gmail.com 
  or 401-274-2652 ext.182

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Opportunity

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CEA Solar Hot Water Grants
Cambridge, through the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiative, is  
offering a limited number of grants to residents and businesses for  
solar hot water systems.  The grants will cover 50% of the remaining  
out of pocket costs of the system after other incentives, up to $2,000.

Applications will be accepted up to November 19, 2012 and are  
available on a first come, first serve basis until funding runs out.   
The Cambridge grant will complement other incentives including the  
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center solar thermal grants.  For more  
information, seehttp://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/additional-resources/solar-hot-water-grant-program

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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images

Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by  
having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera?   
With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more  
comfortable and less expensive to heat.  However, at $200 or so, the  
cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.

HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer  
Cambridge residents free thermal scans.

Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a  
hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras.  They will scan every  
building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or  
buildings or on a private way).  Building owners can view thermal  
images of their property and an analysis online. The information is  
password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.

Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images  
and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building  
owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their  
images and analysis for a small fee.

The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.

Go to Sagewell.com.  Type in your address at the bottom where it says  
"Find your home or building" and press return.  Then click on "Here"  
to request the report.

That's it.  When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will  
be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help  
you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to  
do about it.

With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money,  
not to mention comfort).

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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ

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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor  
Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to  
Cambridge residents.

During the assessment, the energy specialist will:

Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass  
Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on  
your energy bills.  You might as well use the service.

Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or  
call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729.  A Next Step Living  
Representative will call to schedule your assessment.

HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the  
services and rebates possible.

(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home  
Energy Assessment.  We won’t keep the data or sell it.)

(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call  
HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)


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Resource

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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide

SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green  
Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!

To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for  
sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org

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Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of  
Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr  
Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming  
has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it  
as being at least partially caused by human pollution.  Only 42% of  
the state’s residents say global warming will have very serious  
consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age  
group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused  
by humans compared to the 60+ age group.  African-American (56%) and  
Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to  
believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left  
unaddressed.  The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge:   
What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate  
change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent- 
challenge.aspx), contains many other findings.

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

The presentations from the recent Affordable Comfort National Home  
Performance Conference are available online at
http://2011.acinational.org/downloadable_resources

Lots of good information from what some call the best energy  
conference in the USA on Deep Energy Retrofits to Community Energy  
Challenges with details on insulation, heat flow, energy metering,  
ducting, hot water, and many, many other topics.  If you are a  
practical energy wonk, this should make your eyes light up.

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

Free Monthly Energy Analysis

CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track  
your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while  
controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly  
email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.

https://www.carbonsalon.com/

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

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

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Artisan Asylum  http://artisansasylum.com/

Sprout & Co:  Community Driven Investigations

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

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

Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston  http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/

********************************************
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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://www.BostonScienceLectures.com

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

Arts and Cultural Events List  http://aacel.blogspot.com/

http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php

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

http://sustainability.mit.edu/

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

http://green.harvard.edu/events

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

http://pechakuchaboston.org/blog/

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/



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