[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
--------------------------------
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
-------------------------------
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
----------------------------
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
*************
----------------
Opportunity
---------------
*************
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
--------------------------------------------------
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.
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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/
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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
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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/
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list