[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - December 2, 2012

George Mokray gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Dec 2 15:03:02 PST 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

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

The Next Industrial Revolution Is Ecological
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/02/1165557/-The-Next-Industrial-Revolution-Is-Ecological

---------------------------------------------------------
************************************************
-------------------------
Monday, December 3
-------------------------

12 pm:  "Overview of Photovoltaic Technologies"
12:15 pm:  The “Stealth Tax” and the Biofuels Mandate: Exploring the Political Challenges of the Gasoline Tax
12:30 pm:  Climate Change as a Driver of Humanitarian Crises and Response
2:30 pm:  The 2007 and 2008 Liquidity Crises in Europe: A Micro Perspective Through European Central Bank's Refinancing Auctions
4:00 pm:  Do Fixed Patent Terms Distort Innovation? Evidence from Cancer Clinical Trials
4:00 pm:  “Unilateral Initiatives in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict." 
4:15 pm:  Teaching and Studying Environmental History in China
5:00 pm:  Water Lecture Series. "Hormonally Active Pollutants: What Are They, What Can They Do, and How Do We Know They're Out There?"
5:30 pm:  America's Dysfunctional Politics: Where Do We Go (and Where Should We Go) From Here
5:30 pm:  The Egyptian Revolutions and Defining the New Normals
6:00 pm:  Can the Good Guys Win? Moral Dilemmas of Asymmetric War
6:00 pm:  No Accident: Urban Design and Motor Vehicle Violence
6:00 pm:  Images of the Prophet Muhammad In and Out of Modernity: The Curious Case of a 2008 Mural in Tehran
7:00 pm:  "Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter." 

---------------------------
Tuesday, December 4
---------------------------

10:00 am:  Webinar: Marketing for startups
12:00 pm:  D-Lab Open Hours
12:30 pm:  Japan Shrinks: Demography, Economic Growth, and National SecurityCitizen video and networked politics in Southeast Asia
12:30 pm:  Citizen video and networked politics in Southeast Asia
2:30 pm:  The Promise of Future Business
4:00 pm:  On the Spatial Economic Impact of Global Warming
4:00 pm:  Singlet Fission Photovoltaics: Toward Breaking the Single Junction Efficiency Limit
6:00 pm:  350MA/Greater Boston Meeting

-----------------------------
Wednesday, December 5
-----------------------------

9:00 am - 5:00 pm:  Memory and the Brain Across the Life Span: A Symposium
2 pm:  Public Hearing on NSTAR Three Year Energy Conservation Plans
4:00 pm:  Microbe Matter Interactions: From the Ocean to the Human Intestine
4:00 pm:  Towards the 5G Smartphone: Greater System Capacity, More Bands, Faster Data Rates, Advanced Applications, and Longer Battery Life
4:00 pm:  Big Data: The Management Revolution
4:15 pm:  What History Can Tell Us About the Copyright Wars
4:30 pm:  Starr Forum: An American in China - James Fallows
5:00 pm:  Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT
5:30 pm:  Yoga as Medicine
6:00 pm:  Will the Workplace of the Future Have Any Workers? How Computerization is Changing the Nature of Work
6:00 pm:  Northeastern's Husky Startup Challenge Demo Night
7:00 pm:  Caste, Class and Sexual Violence in India

----------------------------
Thursday, December 6
---------------------------

11:30 am:  The Hijacking of Religion by Politics and of Politics by Religion
4:15 pm:  Putting IBM Watson to Work
4:30 pm:  Occupy the Future: Justice, Economics, Activism Games
5:00 pm:  Why Did Iran's Green Movement Fail and the Arab Spring Triumph?
5:00 pm:  New Forms, New Markets for Independent Film
5:00 pm:  Harvard Visual and Environmental Studies Fall Open Studios
6:00 pm:  MIT Humanitarian Working Group informal networking event with students, professors, and professionals in the field of humanitarian relief 
6:00 pm:  Urban Films: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
6:00 pm:  Energy Circle Event: Book Chat with Richard K. Lester, Author of "Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System"
6:30 pm:  Cambridgeport's 3rd annual Holiday Potluck Party
6:30 pm:  Screening of "Design & Thinking" - a documentary film
6:45 pm:  We're Not Broke:  The Monthly Peace & Justice Film Series

------------------------
Friday, December 7
------------------------

10:00 am:  Reclaim Resi[lience]stance
11:00 am:  HarvardFAS Pre-Holiday FreeCycle
11:00 am:  Harvard Holyoke Center FreeCycle
12:00 pm:  Photovoltaics
12:10 pm:  MIT News At Noon
1:00 pm - 5:30 pm:  Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions", 50 Years Later: Reflections on the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science

---------------------------
Saturday, December 8
---------------------------

10:30 am:  Green Entrepreneur Small Business Network
2:00 pm:  Green Motown Holiday Cruise Benefit for Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. and Boston Greenfest
8:00 pm:  Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble

---------------------------
Monday, December 10
---------------------------

12:00 pm:  Visual Computing in Connectomics
12:15 pm:  "Carbon Taxes and Deficit Reductions"
2:30 pm:  "Science & Cooking Fair." 
3:00 pm:  The Arab Uprisings as History
4:00 pm:  The Economic Stimulus Payments of 2008 and the Aggregate Demand for Consumption
5:00 pm:  Geoengineering: Science & Governance

**********************
--------------------------
Monday, December 3
-------------------------

"Overview of Photovoltaic Technologies"
Monday, December 03, 2012
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 3-333, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

This PV 101 talk will present an overview of photovoltaic technologies, including scientific principles and economics. There will be an emphasis on crystalline silicon-based devices, but second and third generation technologies will also be briefly discussed. The speaker will lead a follow-up discussion as part of the Energy Club's Discussion series on December 7.

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.
Open to: the general public
Cost: None
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:  Jonathan Mailoa; Michelle Park
jpmailoa at mit.edu; mpark15 at mit.edu

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

The “Stealth Tax” and the Biofuels Mandate: Exploring the Political Challenges of the Gasoline Tax
Monday, December 3, 2012 
12:15pm - 1:45pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
 
Hanna Breetz, ETIP Associate/MIT Ph.D. Candidate

Lunch will be provided.

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/events.html
Contact Name:  Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at harvard.edu

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

Climate Change as a Driver of Humanitarian Crises and Response
Monday, December 3, 2012
12:30 – 1:45pm
Tufts, Fletcher School, Cabot Intercultural Center, Cabot 702, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford, MA 02155

Lecture by Peter Walker, Director of the Feinstein International Center and Rosenberg Professor of Nutrition and Human Security, Tufts University

Hosted by CIERP's Energy, Climate, and Innovation Research Seminar Series

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

The 2007 and 2008 Liquidity Crises in Europe: A Micro Perspective Through European Central Bank's Refinancing Auctions
Monday, December 03, 2012
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Ali Hortacsu (Chicago)

Web site: http://www.stanford.edu/~jkastl/ecb_june.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop
For more information, contact:  Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu 

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

Do Fixed Patent Terms Distort Innovation? Evidence from Cancer Clinical Trials
Monday, December 03, 2012
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E51-151, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Heidi Williams (MIT)

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Public Finance/Labor Workshop
For more information, contact:  Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu

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

“Unilateral Initiatives in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict." 
Monday, December 3
4-6 p.m.
CGIS Knafel building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Room N-262 (The Bowie Vernon Room)
Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution with Yaakov Katz, military correspondent for The Jerusalem Post and the Israel Correspondent for Jane’s Defense Weekly; and Robert Mnookin, Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, chair of the Executive Committee at the Program on Negotiation and director of the Harvard Negotiation Research Project. Co-sponsored with the Nieman Foundation, the Weatherhead Center and the Program on Negotiation at the Harvard Law School.

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

Teaching and Studying Environmental History in China
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 3, 2012, 4:15 – 5:45 p.m.
WHERE  CGIS South, Doris and Ted Lee Gathering Room (S030), 1730 Cambridge Street, Harvard University
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies Environment in Asia Seminar
SPEAKER(S)  Peter C. Perdue, Professor of History, Yale University
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO	lkluz at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE   Peter Perdue will discuss pertinent themes of research for Chinese scholars of environmental history. Interest in environmental history is growing in China today, and it is becoming recognized as one of the most exciting new fields of historical research. Chinese scholars approach this field from a particular point of view, influenced by traditional historical geography. They are also eager for contact with foreign scholars.
LINK	http://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/event/peter-perdue

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

Water Lecture Series. "Hormonally Active Pollutants: What Are They, What Can They Do, and How Do We Know They're Out There?"
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 3, 2012, 5 p.m.
WHERE  Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S)  Joan V. Ruderman, Senior Advisor to the Science Program, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO	617.495.8600
NOTE  The Radcliffe Institute's Water Lectures Series will be relatively informal presentations by Harvard faculty, followed by discussion with attendees, on topics that approach water from multidisciplinary perspectives. The collegial events are intended to present, and potentially to link, faculty interests, in order to learn more about research currently under way and to foster connections across Harvard schools.
LINK	http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2012-joan-v-ruderman-water-lecture

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

America's Dysfunctional Politics: Where Do We Go (and Where Should We Go) From Here
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 3, 2012, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE  Austin Hall, Room 111 West, Harvard Law School, 1515 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Ethics, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
SPEAKER(S)  Norman Ornstein, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute, co-author of the NY Times bestseller, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism"
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO	ethics at harvard.edu
LINK	http://www.ethics.harvard.edu/news-and-events/lectures-and-events/detail/250

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

The Egyptian Revolutions and Defining the New Normals
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 3, 2012, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Sever Hall 113, 25 Harvard Yard
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	The Center for Middle Eastern Studies; made possible in part with support from the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the Division of Social Science, and the Donald T. Regan Lecture Fund
SPEAKER(S)  Jon B. Alterman, Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair, Global Security and Geostrategy; director, the Middle East Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Washington, DC
CONTACT INFO	elizabethflanagan at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE  This talk is part of a CMES series on change in the Middle East, "Focus on: Arab Transformation"
LINK	http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3303

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

Can the Good Guys Win? Moral Dilemmas of Asymmetric War
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 3, 2012, 6 p.m.
WHERE  Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall 110, Harvard Yard
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	The Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard
SPEAKER(S)  Michael Walzer
CONTACT INFO	humcentr at fas.harvard.edu, 617-495-0738
LINK	http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/upcoming-events

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

No Accident: Urban Design and Motor Vehicle Violence 
Monday, December 03, 2012
6:00p
MIT, Building 10-485, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Aaron Naparstek: Streetsblog founder and MIT DUSP Visiting Scholar
CDD Forum: The New Urban Interface
If you ever want to kill someone New York or just about any other American city, use a car as your weapon. As long as you are sober, licensed and do not flee the scene of the "accident," it is virtually guaranteed that you will get away with murder. Around the world, 1.3 million people die in road traffic crashes and 20 to 50 million more are injured each year. It is a massive, global health crisis that, for the most part, we ignore. Streetsblog founder and DUSP Visiting Scholar Aaron Naparstek discusses emerging new perspectives on motor vehicle violence and the critical role that urban planners and designers must play in stopping the carnage.

Web site: http://dusp.mit.edu/disciplines/cdd/events
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): City Design and Development, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:  Sandra Elliott
617-253-5115
sandrame at mit.edu 

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

Images of the Prophet Muhammad In and Out of Modernity: The Curious Case of a 2008 Mural in Tehran
Monday, December 03, 2012
6:00p–7:30p
MIT, Building 3-133, 77 Masssachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Christiane Gruber, Associate Professor of Islamic Art, University of Michigan

AKPIA at MIT FALL 2012 "AN EVENING WITH..." LECTURE SERIES
Studying the History of Islamic Art & Architecture
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/lecturescurrent.htm
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
For more information, contact:  Jose Luis Arguello
253-1400
akpiarch at mit.edu 

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

"Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter." 
Monday, December 3
7pm
Harvard Science Center C, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge 

Ferran Adrià, elBulli Foundation.   

---------------------------
Tuesday, December 4
---------------------------

Webinar: Marketing for startups
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
10:00 AM To 11:00 AM
RSVP at http://www.efactor.com/webinarmarketing1212#

 You may have a brilliant product, but do you know how to market it? Without a cutting edge marketing strategy even the most amazing product can fail, while an exciting new marketing campaign can easily bring recognition, new customers, and ensure the success of your business. In this FREE webinar we will teach you everything you need to know about startup marketing.

Join the conversation with #efactorevents

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

D-Lab Open Hours
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building N51-3rd floor, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

A selection of D-Lab staff members, instructors and students will be available to give tours and answer questions. Please note our new location in N51, above the MIT Museum.

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
This event occurs on Tuesdays through December 18, 2012.
Sponsor(s): D-Lab
For more information, contact:  Nancy Adams
6173246197
nadamsx at mit.edu

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

Japan Shrinks: Demography, Economic Growth, and National Security
WHEN  Tue., Dec. 4, 2012, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S)	Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute
LINK	http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/

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

Citizen video and networked politics in Southeast Asia
Tuesday, December 4
12:30 pm
Harvard, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor
RSVP at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/12/lowenthal#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast at 12:30pm ET and archived on our site shortly after

Andrew Lowenthal, EngageMedia
Citizen video in Southeast Asia has exploded in recent times, and has come to play a significant role in national and regional politics. As in other contexts it has documented spectacular events, spearheaded campaigns and uncovered scandals. More broadly citizen media and networked publics are shifting the balance of power both in the media and the political landscape. 

Like China and India, ASEAN nations are experiencing rapid growth and the online and citizen media space is only set to grow in media production, audience and importance. 

Whilst broadband access in the region is still often constrained to urban areas, citizen video is also being taken up as a political tool from those on the economic and political fringes. Initiatives such as Citizen Journalists Malaysia and EngageMedia are working to develop strategic networks of new citizen video producers. 

In this discussion, Andrew Lowenthal, co-founder and Executive Director of EngageMedia, will outline their approach to video4change and their work in the region, in particular looking at West Papua, (a remote region of Indonesia that has been waging an independence campaign for more than 40 years), the development of regional, cross-border and multilingual video networks, and the effect and possibility of the internet and online media to generate new post-national political configurations and collaborations. 

About Andrew
Andrew Lowenthal is Co-Founder and Executive Director of EngageMedia, an Asia-Pacific human rights and environmental video project begun in 2005. EngageMedia builds the capacity of video activists and campaigners to strategically use video and online technologies by building open source technologies, creating networks and conducting trainings.

EngageMedia also undertakes a number of research initiatives that look at the uses and  of video as a social change tool. Current research partners with the MIT Center for Civic Media to explore the impact of 'video4change', another, with the University of Western Sydney, explores the citizen translator in the networked public sphere.

Andrew has been working in the field of media and technology activism since 1998. His work traverses the fields of new media and video production, NGO management, network building, research, media and technology activism, software development, and project and event management.

Andrew was active in the Indymedia network from 2000-2006. From 2006-08 he worked with the UK based Tactical Technology Collective as their participatory media project lead, editing the NGO-in-a-box series of free software packages and the more recent Message-in-a-box.

A past life as a video maker saw his works screen at the Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Art, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and the National Gallery of Indonesia.

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

The Promise of Future Business
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Dan Barron (MIT)

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Seminar in Organizational Economics
For more information, contact:  Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu 

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

Joint w/International - On the Spatial Economic Impact of Global Warming
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E52-244, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge

Speaker: Esteban Rossi-Hansberg

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Macroeconomics Seminar
For more information, contact:  Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu 

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

Singlet Fission Photovoltaics: Toward Breaking the Single Junction Efficiency Limit
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
4:00p–5:00p
Refreshments at 3:30 p.m.
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Dr. Jiye Lee, MTL Doctoral Dissertation Speaker

MTL Seminar Series 
Speakers for the series are selected on the basis of their knowledge and competence in the areas of microelectronics research, manufacturing, or policy. The series is open to the public and is free to attend.
Web site: http://mtlweb.mit.edu/seminars/fall2012.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact:  Valerie Dinardo
253-9328
valeried at mit.edu 

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

350MA/Greater Boston Meeting
Tuesday December 4th 
6 to 9pm (6 to 7pm potluck; 7 to 9pm meeting)
First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge (Harvard Square) [NOT the First Parish Cambridge Church at the corner of Church Street and Mass Ave, but the Church on Garden Street across from the Cambridge Common.]
  
We will start with a quick update on our campaigns, then we will discuss how to make our group be the best it can be: what should our structure look like? How often should we meet? How will we be organized to get things done? Please think about how you envision our group in top form and bring some fresh ideas with you to the meeting! We will have small break out out groups to flesh out ideas, then come together as a whole group to synthesize. Come help determine the future structure of our group so we can move forward and be a strong presence in the global movement to fight climate change!

-----------------------------
Wednesday, December 5
-----------------------------

Memory and the Brain Across the Life Span: A Symposium Honoring BCS Professor Suzanne Corkin
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
9:00a–5:00p
MIT, 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is pleased to announce a symposium honoring the life and scientific career of BCS Professor Suzanne Corkin. Agenda below. 
MEMORY AND THE BRAIN ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN: A SYMPOSIUM HONORING BCS PROFESSOR SUZANNE CORKIN 
December 5, 2012 
9:00AM Welcome: Jim DiCarlo 
9:05-9:10AM Chair for Morning Talks: Earl Miller 
9:10-9:30AM Brenda Milner 
9:35 - 9:55AM Matthew Frosch 
10:00-10:20AM Howard Eichenbaum 
10:25-10:45AM Neal Cohen 
10:45-11:00AM BREAK 
11:05-11:25AM Terry Allard 
11:30-11:50AM Margaret Keane 
11:55-12:15PM Elizabeth Kensinger 
12:15-1:30PM LUNCH BREAK 
1:30-1:35PM Chair for Afternoon Talks: Li-Huei Tsai 
1:35-1:55PM Brad Postle 
2:00-2:20PM David Ziegler 
2:25-2:45PM David Salat 
2:50-3:10PM Alice Cronin-Golomb 
3:10-3:30PM BREAK 
3:30-3:50PM Elizabeth Grove 
3:55-4:15PM Janine Mendola 
4:20-4:20PM John Gabrieli 
4:40-5:00PM Suzanne Corkin

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Brain and Cognitive Sciences
For more information, contact:  Rachel Traughber
617-452-2968
rptraug at mit.edu 

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

Public Hearing on NSTAR Three Year Energy Conservation Plans
December 5
2 pm
MA Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, Fifth Floor, Boston

NSTAR's proposed plan can be read at http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/doer/energy-efficiency/statewide-electric-and-gas-three-year-plan.pdf

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

Microbe Matter Interactions: From the Ocean to the Human Intestine
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 48-316, Parsons, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Jan-Hendrik Hehemann (Postdoc, Polz Lab, MIT)

Microbial Systems Seminar
Web site: https://sites.google.com/site/microbialsystems/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering

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

Towards the 5G Smartphone: Greater System Capacity, More Bands, Faster Data Rates, Advanced Applications, and Longer Battery Life
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 36-428, Haus Room, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Rob Gilmore, Qualcomm

During the last few years there has been an explosive increase in demand for Smartphones with ever increasing capabilities, features and performance. Entertainment features, and mobile connectivity anywhere, anytime has become an accepted norm. There is a very competitive landscape driven by insatiable consumer demands, Operating System wars and chip level performance enhancements. There are numerous hardware challenges associated with this demand.
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact:  Tomas Palacios 
452-2545
tpalacios at mit.edu

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

Big Data: The Management Revolution
Wednesday, December 5 2012
4:00PM to 5:00PM
Refreshments: 3:45PM
MIT, Building 32-G449 (Patil/Kiva), 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
 
Speaker: Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT Center for Digital Business and the MIT Sloan School
The big data measurement revolution is creating a management revolution. I will discuss research from the MIT Center for Digital Business on how data-driven decision-makers are outperforming their competitors and how this management revolution can accelerate innovation. In particular, using detailed survey data on the business practices and information technology investments of a set of large publicly traded firms, we find that firms that adopt data-driven decision-making have output and productivity that is 5-6% higher than what would be expected given their other investments and information technology usage. Furthermore, the relationship between data-driven decision-making and performance also appears in other performance measures such as asset utilization, return on equity and market value. 

Bio: Erik Brynjolfsson is the Director of the MIT Center for Digital Business, the Schussel Family Professor at the MIT Sloan School, and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research examines the effects of information technologies on business strategy, productivity and employment. His recent work studies data-driven decision-making, the pricing implications of Internet commerce and the role intangible assets. Prof. Brynjolfsson has received numerous awards for his research and lectures worldwide on technology and strategy. BusinessWeek has profiled him as an “ebusiness visionary” and he is a director or advisor for several technology-intensive firms. His recent books include Wired for Innovation: How IT is Reshaping the Economy and Race Against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy. He received his A.B. and S.M. degrees from Harvard and his Ph.D. from MIT. You can read his blog at http://www.economicsofinformation.com, download his papers fromhttp://digital.mit.edu/erik and follow him on Twitter at @erikbryn.

Contact: Sheila Marian, x3-1996, sheila at csail.mit.edu
Relevant URL: http://hbr.org/2012/10/big-data-the-management-revolution/ar/1 

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

What History Can Tell Us About the Copyright Wars
WHEN  Wed., Dec. 5, 2012, 4:15 p.m.
WHERE  CGIS-S020, Belfer Case Study Room, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Center for History and Economics
SPEAKER(S)	Peter Baldwin, UCLA
CONTACT INFO	gauth at fas.harvard.edu
LINK	http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~histecon/seminars_hec.htm

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

Starr Forum: An American in China
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

A conversation with James Fallows on what the rise of China means for the rest of the world. 

About the Speaker:   James Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and has written for the magazine since the late 1970s. His work has also appeared in Slate, The New York Times Magazine, the New York Review of Books, The New Yorker and The American Prospect, among others. He has reported extensively from outside the United States, and once worked as President Carter's chief speechwriter. His latest book, China Airborne, was published in early May. Books will be sold at the event.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_120512_fallows.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum at mit.edu 

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

Tech Model Railroad Club of MIT meeting
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
5:00p–11:00p
MIT, Building N52-118, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

An informal meeting where we design and build the layout and run trains. Visitors welcome. Students welcome to join the club. (Club members go to dinner between 6:30 and 7:30, room may be empty at that time.)

Web site: http://tmrc.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
This event occurs on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Sponsor(s): Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC)
For more information, contact:  Thomas N. Paulsen
617-253-3269
tmrc-www at mit.edu

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

East Meets West lecture #6: Yoga as Medicine
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building 56-154, access via 21 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai

Lecture #6 in the series will discuss Yoga as medicine. Not all postures are for everyone! Refreshments will be served.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Traditional Medicine Society
For more information, contact:  Jane Han
317-258-2186
tms-exec at mit.edu 

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

Will the Workplace of the Future Have Any Workers? How Computerization is Changing the Nature of Work
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
6:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 32-141, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Professor David Autor
The MIT Undergraduate Economics Association cordially invites you to our fall seminar, given by Professor David Autor, who will be talking about how technological progress is changing the nature of work in industrial economies.

Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): Undergraduate Economics Association
For more information, contact:  Hanzhi Zhu
hannazhu at mit.edu 

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

Husky Startup Challenge Demo Night
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
Northeastern, Curry Student Center Ballroom, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://hsc2012.eventbrite.com

The Husky Startup Challenge (HSC) is Northeastern University's semester-long startup competition which helps students with ideas formulate the structure to turn their ideas into successful companies. This year's ventures include ideas in the high tech, clean energy, consumer product and cloud computing industries. Please join us Wednesday, December 5th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm in the Curry Student Center Ballroom at Northeastern University to celebrate the newest student run startups emerging from the HSC. Food and drinks will be provided at this science-fair style exposition.
 
Live your Passion!
 
The Northeastern University Entrepreneurs Club, an exciting student-led effort, was recently ranked the #6 best Entrepreneurs Club in the World and we enable aspiring entrepreneurs across campus to pursue their goals by providing valuable resources and support. Our mission is to help entrepreneurs of all stages discover their passion; to understand what they love doing and help them get there. We support emerging entrepreneurs through networking, hands on educational programs, speaker series, and activities in order to promote the entrepreneurial culture at Northeastern. We hold weekly Get Togethers and have programs including the Husky Startup Challenge, Entrepreneurs Immersion Program, Social-E, Entrepreneurs for the Greater Good, iMadeIT and BUILD.
 
HSC Award Guidelines:
Judges will evaluate the competing ventures for four awards totaling $5,500, including audience favorite!  The winners best exemplify the values of the HSC:
Pitch is ear-catching and effective, clearly explaining the problem, solution and value
Prototype or model that depicts the value of the product or service
Business model is logical and well thought out
Audience Favorite!  Awarded to the audience's favorite company.
Bring your investor hats and get ready to experience the excitement of the HSC Demo Night!

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

Boston South Asia Center presents Caste, Class and Sexual Violence in India
Panel discussion on the Rapes of Dalit women in Haryana
Wed December 5 2012
7 pm
MIT Room 4-237, 77 Mass Avenue, Cambridge MA

Rama Srinivasan, Brown University
Padma Balasubramanian, Brigham and Women's Hospital (ID purposes only)
Kritika Chandrasekhar, South Asia Center

Rape has been used as a way of punishment/revenge on Dalit women for a long time but the recent incidents of the heinous crime in the state of Haryana (India), with close to 19 rapes reported in the month of September alone, makes it imperative to seek answers and actions. This panel intends to look for answers behind this increased victimization of women, especially Dalit women, in Haryana and will endeavor to formulate some practical responses.

---------------------------
Thursday, December 6
---------------------------

The Hijacking of Religion by Politics and of Politics by Religion
WHEN  Thu., Dec. 6, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Kennedy School of Government, Taubman Building, 5th Floor, Allison Dining Room, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Lecture, Religion, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	WomenExplore Lecture and Discussion Forum, formerly the Theological Opportunities Program of Harvard Divinity School
SPEAKER(S)  Timothy P McCarthy, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School
COST  Free and open to the public
LINK	http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/events-calendar/a-lecture-by-timothy-patrick-mccarthy-%22the-hijacking-of-religion-by-politics-and-of-politics-by-religion%22/%28selected%29/1/%28date%29/1354770000

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

Putting IBM Watson to Work
Thursday, December 06, 2012
4:15p–5:15p
MIT, Building E51-376, 2 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Jeff Eisen

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/orc/www/seminars/seminars.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: none
Sponsor(s): Operations Research Center

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

Occupy the Future: Justice, Economics, Activism Games
Thursday, December 06, 2012
4:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building 26-100, access via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Debra Satz, Chris Hedges, J. Phillip Thompson, Nadeem Mazen
OCCUPY THE FUTURE: Justice, Economics, Activism Games 
Boston Review has closely followed the Occupy movement and we welcome both the attention it has drawn to societal problems as well as its potential to re-democratize American politics. Debra Satz, director of the Stanford Ethics Center, leads a panel discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, MIT Professor of Professor of Urban Studies and Planning J. Phillip Thompson, and Occupy Boston organizer Nadeem Mazen, on the state and future of the Occupy movement as it enters its second year. Panel will be followed by an audience Q&A. Event is free and open to the public.
Ideas Matter 
Ideas Matter, a joint project of Boston Review and MIT's Political Science Department, is a lecture series that brings our writers together with other experts and practitioners for substantive debate on the challenges of our times.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/polisci/news/ideas-matter.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Political Science
For more information, contact:  Daniel E. Pritchard
617-324-1325
daniel at bostonreview.net 

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

Why Did Iran's Green Movement Fail and the Arab Spring Triumph?
WHEN  Thu., Dec. 6, 2012, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE  Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 38 Kirkland St, Room 102, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Center for Middle Eastern Studies
SPEAKER(S)  Ali Banuazizi, professor of political science, Boston College, and director of the Program in Islamic Civilization and Societies
CONTACT INFO	elizabethflanagan at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE  CMES Professor Roy Mottahedeh will chair this discussion with Professor Banuazizi.
This event is open to the public; no registration required.
LINK	http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3309

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

New Forms, New Markets for Independent Film
Thursday, December 06, 2012
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 4-231, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Independent film-maker Andrew Silver will discuss emerging forms of hybrid media, some promising new pathways for distributing films and his career as a director and producer in this colloquium, which will include clips from his most recent film, Second Wind. Debra Wise of MIT's Central Square Theater will join the discussion. Andrew and Debra played husband and wife in Radio Cape Cod, a Silver production shot in Woods Hole. Andrew Silver is a graduate of MIT and the Harvard Business School, co-author of a chapter in the HBS anthology Breakthrough Thinking, and a long-time member of the Council for the Arts at MIT. His films are distributed by Tesco, the second largest global retail chain: 
Second Wind, 13 min 
Overboard, 16 min 
Downward Facing, 6 min

CMS Colloquium Series
Web site: http://cms.mit.edu/events/talks.php#120612
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies
For more information, contact:  Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cms at mit.edu 

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

VES Fall Open Studios
WHEN  Thu., Dec. 6, 2012, 5 – 7 p.m.
WHERE  Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Art/Design, Exhibitions, Humanities, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	The Department of Visual and Environmental Studies
CONTACT INFO	Emily Amendola
amendola at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE  The Department of Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) is holding their Fall Open Studios event on Thursday, December 6, 2012 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The vast array of student work on display will include; works on paper, canvas, mixed media installations and conceptually based figure painting. As well as mixed media, 2D and 3D works, installations, prints, paintings, books, and drawings.
LINK	ves.fas.harvard.edu

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

MIT Humanitarian Working Group informal networking event with students, professors, and professionals in the field of humanitarian relief 
Thursday, December 6th 
6pm to 8pm
The Field in Central Square, 20 Prospect Street, Cambridge
Please RSVP at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dENFM3Nsb2o5d0w0OER0Vktfd3NXVUE6MQ

The evening will be a great opportunity to meet like-minded people, discover new opportunities, and more.
 
--------------------------------------- 

Urban Films: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
Thursday, December 06, 2012
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 3-133,  77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Tells the story of the transformation of the American city in the decades after World War II, through the lens of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing development and the St. Louis residents who called it home. Directed by Chad Freidrichs. 

Urban Planning Film Series 
A mostly-weekly series showing documentary and feature films on topics related to cities, urbanism, design, community development, ecology, and other planning issues. Free.
Co-sponsored by the Boston Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC--Boston), the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), and the Mel King Institute for Community Building (MKI).
Web site: http://www.urbanfilm.org
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:  Ezra Glenn
617-253-2024
eglenn at mit.edu

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

Energy Circle Event: Book Chat with Richard K. Lester, Author of "Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System"
Thursday, December 06, 2012
6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Richard K. Lester, Jerry O'Connor
Lester's new book on energy innovation, co-authored with David M. Hart of George Mason University, shows why energy innovation offers us our best chance to solve the three urgent and interrelated problems of climate change, worldwide insecurity over energy supplies, and rapidly growing energy demand.  But if we are to achieve a timely transition to reliable, low-cost, low-carbon energy, the U.S. energy innovation system must be radically overhauled.
Read the book and be prepared for a lively discussion!  


Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/join-the-energy-circle-for-a-book-chat-with-richard-k-lester/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free for full-time students with ID, $10-$30 for Forum Members and No-members
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:  Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
entforumcambridge at mit.edu 

Editorial Comment:  MIT Enterprise Forum has such paid events on a weekly schedule, $10-$30.

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

Cambridgeport's 3rd annual Holiday Potluck Party
Thursday,  December 6th
6:30pm
Cambridgeport Baptist Church, 459 Putnam Avenue (at the corner of Magazine and Putnam), Cambridge
 
Bring a dish to share and enjoy an evening with neighbors to the tunes of Best Ever Chicken! GreenPort and the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association are hosting this extravaganza with Vision Central Square.

All are welcome! Come and share!

Volunteers needed!   If you can volunteer to help with set up (5:00PM) or cleanup, please send an email to Cathie Zusy at cathzusy at gmail.com

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

Screening of "Design & Thinking" - a documentary film
Thursday, December 6, 2012
6:30 PM To 9:00 PM
Fidelity Investments Theater, 245 Summer Street, 1st Floor, Boston, MA
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Design-Thinking-Meetup/events/90433502/
	
Let's get the Boston Design Thinking Meetup started right, with a screening of "Design & Thinking," a documentary film that was funded on Kickstarter.

Design & Thinking trailer:  http://youtu.be/uilcaXYnluU

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

We're Not Broke:  The Monthly Peace & Justice Film Series
Thursday, December 6
6:45 to 9pm
Central Square Library, 45 Pearl Street, Cambridge

Chris Priest, one of the activists in the film will be joining us for the discussion
DOCUMENTS HOW U.S. CORPORATIONS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIDE OVER A TRILLION DOLLARS FROM UNCLE SAM, AND HOW A GROWING NUMBER OF AMERICANS ARE DEMANDING THAT CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE.

SOLUTIONS TO SOLVING OUR BUGET CRISIS SHOULDN'T BE LIMITED TO AUSTERITY CUTS.

On November 7, the people of 91 Massachusetts cities and towns passed the <https://nero.starcafecrm.org/sites/nero.starcafecrm.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=5605&qid=333385> Budget for All by a 3 to 1 margin. This referendum calls for no the cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, housing, food and veterans' benefits.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom & Cambridge Peace Commission
Refreshments will be served
For more information: 617 244-8054

------------------------
Friday, December 7
------------------------

Reclaim Resi[lience]stance
Friday, December 07, 2012
10:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building 3-133,  77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Francois Roche - architect/artist/theorist, Architect (R&Sie(n) FR) (rsie)

SMArchS Colloquium | 
Web site: http://architecture.mit.edu/lecture/reclaim-resiliencestance
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:  Annette Horne-Williams
617-253-7791
ahwill at mit.edu 

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

FAS Pre-Holiday FreeCycle
WHEN  Fri., Dec. 7, 2012, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Science Center Lobby, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Sustainability, Wellness/Work Life
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	FAS Green Program, Harvard Office For Sustainability
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO	Brandon_geller at harvard.edu
NOTE  Make space for the Holiday Season-clean out your home or office and donate unwanted items to the FAS FreeCycle! And come by the event in search of cheap stocking stuffers (you know that Timmy has been dreaming of getting a used stapler). Email Brandon_geller at havard.edu before Dec. 6th to arrange pick up, or bring donations directly to the Science Center beginning at 8:30am on Dec. 7th.
LINK	http://green.harvard.edu/node/5528

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

Harvard Holyoke Center Freecycle
Friday, December 7, 2012
11am-2pm
Holyoke Center, Cambridge

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

"Photovoltaics"
Friday, December 07, 2012
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 4-253, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: David Borrelli
In this round table discussion, David will first give a quick overview of photovoltaic technologies, including scientific principles and economics. Then David will lead the discussion between the audiences about topics of interest in photovoltaics.

MIT Energy Discussion Series is an energy discussion series led by graduate student experts in various energy areas. Suggested preparation readings for upcoming discussions are available on our website.
Open to: the general public
Cost: none
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:  Jonathan Mailoa; Michelle Park
jpmailoa at mit.edu; mpark15 at mit.edu 

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

MIT News At Noon
Friday, December 07, 2012
12:10p–12:50p
MIT, Building N51, MIT Museum, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Take a break for breaking news! Meet MIT visionaries and learn about their front-page research, and connect with local colleagues before and after the program. Free admission, Fridays at noon, from October 26 - December 7. Presenters will be announced each week following their appearance in MIT News. Presented in collaboration with the MIT News Office.
Stay tuned -- presenters will be announced each week following their appearance in MIT News!
Web site:http://mit.edu/museum/programs/programdescriptions.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum, News Office
For more information, contact:  Josie Patterson
617-253-5927
museuminfo at mit.edu 

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

Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions", 50 Years Later: Reflections on the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science
Friday, December 07, 2012
1:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E15-070, Bartos Theatre, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

STS Special Event
SCHEDULE OF PROCEEDINGS 
1 PM 
Welcome and Introduction 
1:05 PM | Session I 
Legacies of 'Structure' in Sociology of Science 
"What Do Scientists and Engineers Do All Day? On the Structure of Normal Science" 
Cyrus Mody | Rice 
"Kuhn's Structure: A Moment in Modern Naturalism" 
Steven Shapin | Harvard 
2:25 PM | Session II 
Legacies of 'Structure' in Philosophy of Science 
"Rules and Rationality" 
Sherrilyn Roush | Berkeley 
"Incommensurability: Measurement, not Meaning" 
Helen Longino | Stanford 
3:45 | Session III 
Legacies of 'Structure' in History of Science 
"Games, Rules, and Theoretical Frameworks: Kuhn and the Postwar Human Sciences" 
Paul Erickson | Wesleyan 
"Kuhn, the Quotidian, and the Question of God's Death" 
David Hollinger | Berkeley 
5 PM 
Moderated Panel Discussion 
5:30 PM 
Reception

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/sts/images/kuhnsump.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): SHASS Dean's Office, HASTS
For more information, contact:  Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn at mit.edu 

---------------------------
Saturday, December 8
---------------------------

Green Entrepreneur Small Business Network
December 8, 2012
10:30 AM – 12:30
Roslindale Library, 4246 Washington Street, Roslindale

Network for entrepreneurs and small business people. Monthly workshops/panels of small business experts provide information to help you improve your business/launch your business idea and networking time with other small business people. FREE!

December topic = Networking; Greening your business and Social Media Marketing with 
Myrna Greenfield – Good Egg Marketing; 
Sequoia Varona – RisingStarz Enterprises; 
Pamela St. Aimee – Green Service Partner; 
Jojo Gutfarb – Goodwin PR & more!

RSVP and get on our list at otoney at comcast.net or Owen Toney at 617-427-6293. 
Sponsored by the Green Neighbors Education Committee, Inc. and the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc.

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

Green Motown Holiday Cruise Benefit for Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. and Boston Greenfest
Saturday, December 8, 2012 
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
30 Rowes Wharf, Boston

GREEN MOTOWN HOLIDAY CRUISE
JOIN US FOR AN AFTERNOON WITH THE ORIGINAL SINGERS OFTHE PLATTERS AND THE DRIFTERS!
Linwood Peel   of  The Drifters and Tony Funches  of The Platters
on the cruise ship Odyssey

Tickets include:
The Cruise
The Concert
Three-course Gourmet Meal

Thanks to our hospitality sponsor -  Westin Copley Hotel
Join us for an After Pary at FiRE & ICE Cambridge, MA!

Questions?  Call 617-477-4840 or email info at bostongreenfest.org
Ticket for Motown Holiday Cruise [Offer ends 12/06/12 at 5:00 pm]   $75.00	
Couples' Rate (10% discount on 2 tickets! = $135 TOTAL) [Offer ends 12/06/12 at 5:00 pm] 	$67.50		
BEST DEAL! Table of 8 (20% off for groups of 8 = $480 TOTAL) [Offer ends 12/06/12 at 5:00 pm]	$60.00

Editorial Comment:  Boston Greenfest is the premier Boston Green event every year.  They deserve your support.

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

Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble
Saturday, December 08, 2012
8:00p–10:00p
Lobdell, Stratton Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Rambax Senegalese Drum Ensemble. Lamine Touré and Patricia Tang, Co-Directors

Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
For more information, contact:  Clarise Snyder
mta-request at mit.edu 

---------------------------
Monday, December 10
---------------------------

Visual Computing in Connectomics
December 10, 2012 
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Harvard, Northwest Building 243, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Hanspeter Pfister (SEAS)
Our modern ability to acquire and generate huge amounts of data can potentially enable rapid progress in science and engineering, but we may not live up that promise if our ability to create data outstrips our ability to make sense of that data. Visual computing tools are essential to gain insights into data by combining computational and statistical analysis with the power of the human perceptual and cognitive system and enabling data exploration through interactive visualizations. In this talk I will present our work on visual computing in Connectomics, a new field in neuroscience that aims to apply biology and computer science to the grand challenge of determining the detailed neural circuitry of the brain. I will give an overview of the computational challenges and describe visual computing approaches that we developed to discover and analyze the brain's neural network. The key to our methods is to keep the user in the loop, either for providing input to our fully-automatic reconstruction methods, or for validation and corrections of the reconstructed neural structures. The main challenges we face are how to analyze petabytes of image data in an efficient and scalable way, how to automatically reconstruct very large and dense neural circuits from nanoscale-resolution electron micrographs, and how to analyze the brain's neural network once we have discovered it.

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

"Carbon Taxes and Deficit Reductions"
Monday, December 10, 2012 
12:15pm - 1:45pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge

Jared Carbone, Associate Professor, University of Calgary

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/events.html
Contact Name:  Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at harvard.edu

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

"Science & Cooking Fair." 
Monday, December 10, 2012
2:30 - 4:30pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

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

"The Arab Uprisings as History"
Monday, December 10, 2012
3:00p–4:30p
MIT, Building E25-111, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge

Speaker: James L. Gelvin, UCLA
What can we make of the Arab uprisings of 2010-11? Why did they occur, and why have their paths diverged? In his talk, James L. Gelvin will examine both the transnational factors that made regimes throughout the Arab world vulnerable to popular anger, as well as the distinct histories, capabilities, and structures of the various Arab states that have delimited the realm of the possible for each uprising.

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, History Office, Committee on Race and Diversity, Center for Bilingual/Bicultural Studies
For more information, contact:  Margo Collett
253-4965
history-info at mit.edu

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

The Economic Stimulus Payments of 2008 and the Aggregate Demand for Consumption
Monday, December 10, 2012
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E51-151, PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN DATE AND TIME, 2 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Jonathan Parker (NW)

Joint Macroeconomics and Public Finance Workshop
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Macroeconomics Seminar
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa at mit.edu 

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

Geoengineering: Science & Governance
WHEN  Mon., Dec. 10, 2012, 5 p.m.
WHERE  Northwest Labs – B101, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)  Edward A. Parson, professor of law, UCLA
CONTACT INFO	Lisa Matthews, matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE  “International Governance of Climate Engineering” with Edward A. Parson
Professor of Law, UCLA
Parson writes in the area of environmental governance and policy, with particular focus on international environmental issues, such as ozone depletion and climate change. He is a leading expert on climate change law and policy, and his book Protecting the Ozone Layer: Science and Strategy won the 2004 Harold and Margaret Sprout Award from the International Studies Association. His research has been highly influential in the drafting of the Montreal Protocol, the first international treaty to address the need to protect and reverse the damage to the ozone layer.
This seminar series, held jointly by the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) and MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, will explore the science, technology, governance and ethics of solar geoengineering. In bringing together international experts, participants will learn some of the greatest challenges and hear opinions on how this technology could and should be managed.
LINK	http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2012-12-10/geoengineering-science-governance-lecture

----------------------------
Tuesday, December 11
----------------------------

Power in Our Hands
December 11
12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/12/odewale#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast at 12:30pm ET and archived at the site soon after

Oluwaseun Odewale, Berkman Center Fellow
Armed with little more than a modest smartphone (mostly even ordinary phones) and an Internet subscription that will permit only a fair access to the mobile GPRS/EDGE, Nigerian young people went into the 2011 elections with a new wave of enthusiasm and interest.

This was the fourth consecutive elections since the reemergence of democratic governance in 1999. And until then [2011], none of the previous elections received positive review in the aspect of credibility – or freeness, or fairness. Now, with the appointment of a new leadership and growing influence of technology in fostering more accountable processes, Nigerians optimistically anticipated a marked improvement in the April 2011 elections over past discredited experiences.  

It is even more significant that more attention were paid to the 2011 elections as it portended to be the most expensive electoral experience for Nigerians. A leadership change had recently been effected in a tensed political climate and the elections management body (EMB) had set a plan for the costliest elections ever. 

In light of the renewed hope and confidence, and the desire to get things right, several civil society organizations established election monitoring platforms via SMS, twitter, websites, blogs, facebook, telephone lines etc. One particular organization recruited volunteers and got itself embedded within the INEC systems to promote a “two-way communication between INEC and its stakeholders”.

What evolved was a media-tracking centre established to assess the robust blend of traditional and new media during the election period. It was an interesting trend to see how social media, for the first time, was adopted and, quite interestingly, adapted, to ensure credibility of the electoral process.

During this presentation, I intend to showcase the Nigeria experience, highlight what worked and what didn’t; specific instances of how social media interventions prevented rigging; how the elections has helped the growth of use of social media, the patterns of usage during and after the elections; and, how traditional media has adjusted to social media practice.

I hope the audience will share their experiences and proffer recommendations to revamp the innovation for a more institutionalized adaptation in promoting good governance in Nigeria, as I continue to explore this in my present research work.

About Oluwaseun
Odewale is male, Nigerian with degrees in Chemistry (Medicinal Chemistry) and Chemical Engineering Technology. Born, some 32 years ago in Lagos Island, Lagos, South West Nigeria, he also holds professional training diplomas in Community Local Participation (UNICEF); International Elections Observation Missions (KAIPTC/ECOWAS); Mentoring Young Leaders under the Kwame Nkrumah emerging leaders training series, and; the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance (ACOTA) (ECOWAS) among others.

This young chemist has garnered a combination of nine years local and international work experiences in social and development work, spanning especially the West African sub-region. He has worked variously with regional institutions like the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), the West African Bar Association (WABA) and recently, the Economic Community of West African States as Programme Officer (Youth), Programme Officer (Governance and Human Rights) and Research Assistant (Disaster Risks Reduction) respectively. His research experiences spanning the academic and development sectors cover both the natural and social sciences. In the development sector his focus areas include human rights, governance and political processes, regional integration and human security (security sector governance and architecture). He has five years of field experiences in Elections Observations and Monitoring in twelve member states of ECOWAS and other parts of Africa, UNOWA youth employment mapping in West Africa and inclusion of young people in processes for attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) under the United Nations Millennium Campaign African office situated in Nairobi.

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

Hormonally Active Pollutants:  What Are They, What Can They Do, and How Do We Know They're Out There?
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2012
5:00 pm
Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge

Joan Ruderman, Senior advisor to the Science Program, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and president and director, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole 

Over the past few decades, an increasing number of chemicals that were designed for one purpose have now been found to have the surprising, additional ability to mimic hormones like estrogen. Examples of such chemicals, often called environmental estrogens, include certain pesticides, plasticizers, detergents, and compounds added to personal care products. There is growing concern that everyday exposures to these chemicals, and to others yet to be discovered, are contributing to increases in reproductive abnormalities, infertility, and estrogen-dependent cancers in both males and females. Previously identified environmental estrogens show little structural similarity to estrogen, making it impossible to predict simply on the basis of structure alone which other chemicals may also be estrogenic. Transgenic zebrafish embryos can play a unique role in screening chemicals that mimic estrogen.  

The Institute is hosting a new cross-disciplinary speaker series by Harvard faculty on topics related to water. These will be relatively informal presentations, followed by discussion with attendees, on topics that approach water from multi-disciplinary perspectives. The collegial events are intended to present, and potentially to link, faculty interests, in order to learn more about research currently underway and to foster connections across Harvard schools.

The talks will focus on both national and international topics. They may include issues of water policy, treatment and management, technology, water and migration, water and religion, urban planning, hydrology, water and business, art and water, environmental law, public health and disease, water and conflict, land-use, economic growth, history, etc. The speaker series is designed to be multidisciplinary rather than solely scientific and to complement other offerings throughout the University.

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

StreetTalk: 10 in 1
LivableStreets Alliance
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
70 Pacific Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4795873587/es2/

Join us for our second annual StreetTalk 10 in 1! The event will include 10 seven minutes of presentations with a social break in the middle to chat, ask questions, network, and discuss presentations. Hear the latest in transportation innovation from both home and abroad. See list of last year's talks here>>
Want to present your research, photos, maps and/or business? Find out all the RFP details here>>
Save the date and more details coming soon! 

Interested in getting involved in the event? Email kara at livablestreets.info for more information.


**********
------------
Upcoming
------------
**********

Mass Innovation Nights #MIN45
December 12, 2012 
6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Boston Globe offices, Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester
RSVP at http://mass.innovationnights.com/events/december-12-2012-mass-innovation-nights-min45

Welcome to Mass Innovation Nights #45 scheduled for Wednesday December 12, 2012 -- it's our year-end super holiday party! A big thank you and shout-out to the team at The Boston Globe's Hive for hosting and sponsoring our December event, and to Carbonite for sponsoring.  We'll also be enjoying a very special 21+ after-party, on-site, in the Media Lab, with the team from RadioBDC immediately afterward.

If you are new to Mass Innovation Nights, it's easy to participate:

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

Breadlines, Sweet Charity and Beyond
Dec 13, 2012  
12:00 pm	
webinar 	 
Register at https://cfccanada.webex.com/mw0307l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=cfccanada

a conversation with Jan Poppendieck and Nick Saul

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

Our Daily Bread
Thursday, December 20
doors open 6:40; film starts promptly 7pm
243 Broadway, Cambridge - corner of Broadway and Windsor, entrance on Windsor 

*Best Film*, Ecocinema International - Athens Grand Prix, Festival International du Film d'Environnemen - Paris

Welcome to the world of industrial food production and high-tech farming! To the rhythm of conveyor belts and immense machines, the film looks without commenting into the places where food is produced in Europe: monumental spaces, surreal landscapes and bizarre sounds - a cool, industrial environment which leaves little space for individualism.

People, animals, crops and machines play a supporting role in the logistics of this system which provides our society's standard of living. Our Daily Bread is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part.

A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.

"...an unblinking, often disturbing look at industrial food production ...[its] formal elegance, moral underpinning and intellectually stimulating point of view also make it essential. Part of the film's 
brilliance is how it lays out the images and their wells of meaning with such cool deliberation, showing rather than telling" - Manohla Dargis, for the NYT

"It was not unlike visiting an eye doctor, peering into the holes into which different lenses are slid. ?Is this clearer? How about now?? After a disorienting moment, one adjusts. Oh. This is how things look. How it is to see." - Sarah Malone

http://rule19.org/videos

Please join us for a stimulating night out; bring your friends!  free film, free refreshments, & free door prizes.
[donations are accepted]

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

The New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable Presents: U.S. Climate, Air, and Energy Policy in the Second Obama Administration; and Bracing for Storms in New England
Friday, December 21, 2012
9 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston
 
Please note that we have changed the date of the next New England Electric Restructuring Roundtable from December 14 to December 21 to accommodate the schedules of our keynote speaker and some of our panelists.
 
We are very pleased to announce that U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy will provide the keynote address at the 132nd Roundtable on what we can expect from U.S. Climate, Air, and Energy Policy in the Second Obama Administration and what this might mean for New England. As the former Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and having held several high-level environmental positions with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Gina is well-versed in New England climate, air, and energy issues.
 
Next, we have a timely panel, Bracing for Storms in New England.  In the wake of the destruction caused by hurricanes Sandy and Irene, utilities, New England state regulators, and cities and towns are implementing a variety of measures to shore up critical energy infrastructure to reduce the number, intensity, and duration of storm-related outages. Some of these measures can be implemented in the short-run, while others will require careful planning and significant grid modernization investment.
 
The panel leads off with Massachusetts Energy Undersecretary Barbara Kates-Garnick, who will discuss lessons the state is learning from recent hurricanes. President of National Grid in Massachusetts, Marcy Reed, andConnecticut Power & Light Senior Vice President for Emergency Preparedness, Bill Quinlan, will discuss their respective utilities' short, medium, and long-term plans to reduce transmission and distribution system vulnerability to storm-related outages, while striving to improve restoration capabilities and customer communication. Rob Thornton, President & CEO of the International District Energy Association, will then discuss the concept of using micro-grids to improve localized reliability, and will share information about how existing micro-grids fared during recent storms.  Finally, Brian Swett, the City of Boston's new Chief of Environment & Energy, will discuss the adaptation strategies in Boston's recent Climate Action Plan and how Boston is preparing for storms like Sandy.  

Free and open to the public with no advanced registration

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

Urban Farming Conference - “Cultivating Lands, Nourishing Communities, Building Businesses”
Saturday, February 9, 2013
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Roxbury Community College Reggie Lewis Center, Boston, MA

Presented by:  City Growers And Urban Farming Institute (UFI)
In partnership with:  MA Department of Agricultural Resources

The annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference (UFC) is designed to advance the opportunities and address the barriers involved in cultivating a thriving urban farming sector. The UFC is a forum to share information regarding what is currently happening in Boston and other local urban communities and to map out a vision for urban farming in Massachusetts.

The UFC brings together participants representing all aspects of urban farming including, but not limited to, farmers (including roof top, chicken, bees, etc.), commercial buyers, policy makers, and investors. The UFC conference is being convened to foster best urban farming practices, sustainable networks and business relationships. This will be achieved with following interactive panels and roundtable discussions:

Open Field Farming and Season Extension Techniques
Organic Farming and Its Importance
Lessons from Successful CSA Strategies
Composting: Policy, Practice and Viable Business Enterprise
Roof Top Techniques
Food System Investors Meeting
Urban Farming Thought Leaders: A Panel Discussion
Land: Strategy, Community Control, Zoning and Policy
Viable Enterprises Other Than Fruits and Vegetables
Investing in Workforce Training
Marketing Options

Registration $25. Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4701198411 
Limited Seating. Register Early.
Limited Scholarships are available. 
For Inquiries and Sponsorship Details, Please Contact: Crystal Johnson at Crystal at isesplanning.com, 617-416-4915


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

Opportunity

---------------
*************
Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!

Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch.  No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.

For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home

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

Boiler Rebate
If your boiler is from 1983 or earlier, Mass Save will give a $1,750 to $4,000 rebate to switch it out for a new efficient boiler that uses the same fuel (i.e. if you have oil, you have to continue to use oil) so long as it is installed by July 31, 2012.

Call Mass Save (866 527-7283) to sign up for a home energy assessment or sign-up online at  www.nextsteplivinginc.com/HEET  and HEET will receive a $10 contribution from Next Step Living for every completed assessment.

This is a great way to reduce climate change emissions for the next 20 or so years the boiler lasts, while saving money.

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

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, see
http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/additional-resources/solar-hot-water-grant-program

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

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).

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

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

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

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.)


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

Resource

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

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

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

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

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

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/

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

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/

Cambridge Civic Journal  http://www.rwinters.com

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

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

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

http://green.harvard.edu/events

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

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/

http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar

http://harddatafactory.com/Johnny_Monsarrat/index.html

http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/



More information about the Act-MA mailing list