[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - February 3, 2013
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Feb 3 15:34:49 PST 2013
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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Event Index
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Monday, February 4
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12pm "Mitigating Climate Change with Short Lived Climate Pollutants: Sustainable Pathways for Going Beyond Carbon Dioxide"
12pm "Using Social Media to Track and Analyze Natural Disasters: The Hurricane Sandy Test."
12pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar Series (MASS)
4pm "Climate, Erosion and Landscape Evolution: Lessons from Ocean Islands"
5pm The Global Poverty Project
6pm i-lab Challenge Workshop: Accelerate Your Start-Up Research
7pm HALF THE SKY: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide - FILM SCREENING
7pm How High Will the Sea Rise?
7pm Soundtrack for a Revolution: A Documentary
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Tuesday, February 5
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12pm "The Changing Media Landscape: Smart News in the Age of Social Media."
12:30pm Coding as a Liberal Art
12:30pm 3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan
3:30pm Future Prospects for Nuclear Power after Fukushima
4pm Andes Initiative: Longing for the State: Moral Economy, Legal Subjects, and the War on Drugs
4:30pm The Human Cost Towards India's Race for Development
5:30pm Askwith Forum: A Discussion with Jon Schnur
6pm "A Close Look at the Loss of Freedom of the Press and Deterioration of Human Rights in Turkey."
6pm Turkey's Globally Important Biodiversity in Crisis
6pm Future Trends in Digital Media with Erik Qualman
6pm "Seeds of Hope" - Vegetarian Orphanages in Africa
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Wednesday, February 6
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9am - 1pm Social Media and Behavioral Economics Conference
11am Ultra-Low Power Platforms for Human Advancement
1pm MIT CTL Advances in Supply Chain Management Webinar Series: Ocean Transportation Reliability: Myths, Realities, and Impacts
2pm Doctoral Dissertation Defense entitled: "Physical Influences on Phytoplankton Ecology: Models and Observations"
3pm "High-resolution Atmospheric Plume Simulations With Regional-scale Air Quality Models"
3pm Science and Action: International Mercury Treaty Negotiations
4pm The Social Brain’s Perceptual Roots
4pm Drivers of the Nuclear Power Option in Oil Exporting Countries
4:15pm SSRC Seminar Series: “Developing Processes for Understanding Complex Sociotechnical Systems: Are We There Yet?”
5pm Making Science Work
6pm The Future of the Republican Party
6pm Climate Change. Challenges. Solutions: Energy Efficiency
7pm Al Gore
7pm The New Normal - Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather, Are You Ready?
7pm MANAGING INVASIVES AT HOME AND AROUND TOWN
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Thursday, February 7
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10:30am Innovation, Hacking, Free and Open Source: Think Different
12pm What Will our Future Look Like?
12pm Book Signing with Whole Foods Market Co-Founder John Mackey
4pm BioEnergy Lecture Series - From New Biology to New Energies: Progress on Some Energy Applications of Synthetic Biology
4pm Neuroeconomics: The Neurobiology of Decision
4pm SYNTHESIS OF ADAPTIVE STRUCTURES
5:15pm Nelson Dewitt: Entrepreneur, Artist, Kickstarter, Mentor
5:30pm Greentown Labs' EnergyBar February: MIT is in the house!
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Friday, February 8
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8:30am - 6pm Africa ReMix Conference & Performance by Debo Band
12pm Ambient Accountability
12pm "Anthropogenic influences on atmospheric water enhance secondary organic aerosol formation"
2pm Leveraging the Power of Anchor Institutions to Build Community Wealth: A Community Forum
4pm MIT TechTalks Techfair: Innovation in a Data-Driven World
5pm Catalyst Collaborative at MIT Presents Sila
6pm Environmental Law: Statutes, Politics, and the Environment
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Saturday, February 9
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8:30am - 4pm 1st Annual Urban Ag Conference
10am - 3:30pm Scaling Development Ventures conference
6pm "Bringing Awareness After Disaster" Tsunami + Sandy + Deep Water Horizon
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Sunday, February 10
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8am - 8pm Transportation Data Hack-A-Thon
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Monday, February 11
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12pm Webinar - From Politics and Finance to Power Grids and Products: Addressing Complexity in the Interconnected World
12pm "The Political Economy of Oil in Latin America"
4pm Climate Change and Social Action
4pm Uncertainty quantification of ice sheet mass balance projections using ISSM
6pm - 9pm Self-Folding Paper: Experience Hydro-FoldHome › Activities › Events › Self-Folding Paper: Experience Hydro-Fold
7:30pm Mid-East on Target w/Guest Speaker, Yisrael Ne'eman on Geopolitical Updates & Analysis of the Middle East
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Tuesday, February 12
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5pm Smoke and Mirrors: Is Geoengineering a Solution to Global Warming?
6:30pm BostonCHI hosts Matt Belge and Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth
7pm Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?: An Animated Conversation with Noam Chomsky
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Event Details
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Monday, February 4
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar Series (MASS)
Monday, February 04, 2013
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Anita Ganesan
MIT Atmospheric Seminar Series (MASS)
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.
Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/calendars/mass
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Program in Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate (PAOC), Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), MIT Atmospheric Science Seminars
For more information, contact: MASS organizing committee
mass at mit.edu
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"Mitigating Climate Change with Short Lived Climate Pollutants: Sustainable Pathways for Going Beyond Carbon Dioxide"
Monday, February 4, 2013 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Distinguished Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD & UNESCO Professor of Climate and Policy, TERI University, India
Energy Policy Seminar Series
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at hks.harvard.edu
617-495-8693
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"Using Social Media to Track and Analyze Natural Disasters: The Hurricane Sandy Test."
Monday, February 4
12pm
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein 3018, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Arthur Cosby.
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"Climate, Erosion and Landscape Evolution: Lessons from Ocean Islands"
Monday, February 4, 2013
4:00pm
Haller Hall (Geo-Museum 102), 24 Oxford Street 1st floor, Cambridge
Reception to follow at Hoffman Lab 4th floor
Dr. Taylor Perron, MIT.
Contact Name: Sabinna Cappo
scappo at fas.harvard.edu
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The Global Poverty Project
Monday, February 4, 2013
5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EST)
BU College of Arts and Sciences, Room 224, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
The Global Poverty Project's 1.4 Billion Reasons presentation is an engaging multimedia talk that explains the reality facing the 1.4 billion people currently living in extreme poverty around the world, and provides you with the information about how you can make a difference.
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i-lab Challenge Workshop: Accelerate Your Start-Up Research
WHEN Mon., Feb. 4, 2013, 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard innovation lab, Batten Hall, 125 Western Avenue, Allston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Classes/Workshops
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard innovation lab
SPEAKER(S) Hosted by Librarians across Harvard University
COST Free
TICKET WEB LINK http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5219387328
TICKET INFO http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5219387328
CONTACT INFO Vannary Sar at vsar at harvard.edu
NOTE With the help of librarians across the Harvard Library system, this dynamic, interactive workshop will focus on your start-up research challenges, questions and concerns. We’ll show you tips and tricks to more strategically and effectively approach your research. Not sure where to start? Not sure which libraries and sources are available to you? Not sure which databases hold the information that your team needs? We'll help with all of these questions (and more!) to ensure your research success in the competitive start-up environment. We’ll help you to:
Scan the current environment that you’ll be entering
Identify competitors
Research an industry, company or market and
Understand the wealth of information that you have access to via the libraries
LINK ilab.harvard.edu
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HALF THE SKY: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide - FILM SCREENING
Monday, February 04, 2013
7:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: WGS Professor A. Walsh will lead a Q & A after the film
REG DAY Women's and Gender Studies Film Screenings
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide was filmed in 10 countries and follows Kristof, WuDunn, and celebrity activists America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union, and Olivia Wilde on a journey to tell the stories of inspiring, courageous individuals. Across the globe oppression is being confronted, and real meaningful solutions are being fashioned through health care, education, and economic empowerment for women and girls.
The linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality -- which needlessly claim one woman every 90 seconds -- present to us the single most vital opportunity of our time: the opportunity to make a change. All over the world women are seizing this opportunity.
Web site: web.mit.edu/wgs/
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies, Student Activities Office
For more information, contact: The Friendly WGS Staff
3-8844
wgs at mit.edu
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How High Will the Sea Rise?
Monday, Feb 4
7pm
Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton
Daniel Grossman, author
Melting ice from polar glaciers is threatening millions of people living near the coastlines. Journalist Daniel Grossman will discuss the adventures of a crew of rock hunters trying to learn how high the sea might rise. His book about sea level rise was published by TED Books, the series thatproduces the popular TED Talks. He'll offer thoughts about public opinion on climate change, and prognosticateabout chances for new US initiatives to address the issue. Grossman holds a Ph.D. in political science and a B.S.in physics from MIT. He is a Contributing Editor of National Geographic's News Watch and contributes frequently to PRI's The World.
He is author of Deep Water: As Polar Ice Melts, Scientists Debate How High Our Oceans Will Rise, andcoauthor of: A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media:Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists
Presented by Green Decade Newton
Event Contact Info: Ellie Goldberg
Email: ellie.goldberg at gmail.com
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Soundtrack for a Revolution: A Documentary
WHEN Mon., Feb. 4, 2013, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE The Memorial Church, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Concerts, Film, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, the Harvard Chaplains, Memorial Church, and the Kuumba Singers
DIRECTED BY Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, and executive produced by Danny Glover
COST Free
CONTACT INFO 617.495.1527
NOTE This critically acclaimed documentary brings the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s message of non-violence to life with a modern and soulful twist.
LINK http://www.soundtrackforarevolutionfilm.com/Home.html
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Tuesday, February 5
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"The Changing Media Landscape: Smart News in the Age of Social Media."
Tuesday, February 5
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Speaker Series with Chris Hughes, publisher and editor-in-chief, The New Republic; co-founded and served as spokesman for Facebook.
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Coding as a Liberal Art
February 5
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/2013/02/kimball#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at 12:30pm ET.
Diana Kimball, Berkman Center Fellow
Diana is an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. As a co-creator of ROFLCon, her interest in internet culture runs deep. Most recently, this interest has expressed itself in learning Ruby (a programming language) and applying an open-source ethos to mentoring. She's also exploring the concept of total authorship as it relates to art.
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3.11: Disaster and Change in Japan
WHEN Tue., Feb. 5, 2013, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S) Richard J. Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science, and director, Center for International Studies, MIT
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/schedule/schedule.htm
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Future Prospects for Nuclear Power after Fukushima
February 5, 2013 (Tue)
03:30PM to 04:30PM
Refreshments will be served at 3:00 in the 1st Floor Lounge.
BU, SCI 109, Metcalfe Science Center, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Speaker: Jacopo Buongiorno, MIT
Nuclear is a high-intensity energy source with a practically unlimited fuel availability and a long record of excellent safety. However, the 3/11/11 accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan has changed the perception of nuclear as a safe energy source. In this presentation we will (a) provide a brief description of the accident, (b) review the lessons learned from the accident, and (c) discuss their regulatory/design implications on the current reactor fleet as well as the next generation of Light Water Reactors. We will also discuss the future prospects of nuclear power, in particular a new paradigm in which nuclear energy can be used to displace large amounts of fossil fuels (and their related CO2emissions) from the transportation sector, thus helping to combat climate change and curb the growth of energy product imports.
This event is part of the Physics Department Colloquia Series.
Contact: Winna Somers (wsomers at bu.edu) (617) 3539320
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Andes Initiative: Longing for the State: Moral Economy, Legal Subjects, and the War on Drugs
WHEN Tue., Feb. 5, 2013, 4 p.m.
WHERE 1730 Cambridge Street, CGIS South, Room S250, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR DRCLAS, Latin American working Group, and the Harvard Anthropology Department
SPEAKER(S) Diana Bocarejo, professor of anthropology, School of Human Sciences at Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia
CONTACT INFO pibarra at fas.harvard.edu
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The Human Cost Towards India's Race for Development
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Priyanka Borpujari, IWMF Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow 2012-2013
Migration Seminar Series. The Human Cost Towards India's Race for Development.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/www/migration/seminars.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Inter-University Committee on International Migration
For more information, contact: Sarah Jane Vaughan
617-253-3848
svaughan at mit.edu
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Askwith Forum: A Discussion with Jon Schnur
WHEN Tue., Feb. 5, 2013, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Forum, Lecture, Question & Answer Session
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Amber DiNatale
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums at gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
NOTE Speaker: Jon Schnur, cofounder and executive chairman, America Achieves
Jon will provide a rare personal window into President Obama's education policy agenda - including an up-close look at the origins and content of the President's policies and how they developed. He will speak about lessons learned for school-level change and large-scale education reform from a close analysis of differences in practice between fast-improving schools and those that have been stagnating - and will discuss what highest leverage policy, philanthropic and educator actions can be taken to improve American education at large scale over the next decade - and the implications for educational career options for Harvard graduates in the coming years.
Please note: Seating for all Askwith Forums is on a first-come, first-serve basis unless otherwise noted. It is recommended you arrive early in order to obtain a seat as seats cannot be saved.
Want to win a reserved seat for this forum? Become a fan of the Ed School on Facebook (www.facebook.com/harvardeducation) and watch for a posting about this event.
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Turkey's Globally Important Biodiversity in Crisis
WHEN Tue., Feb. 5, 2013, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Haller Hall (Geological Museum 102), 24 Oxford Street 1st floor, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S) Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, assistant professor, University of Utah Department of Biology
CONTACT INFO matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE A Harvard University Center for the Environment Special Seminar.
Turkey is the only country covered almost entirely by three of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots: the Caucasus, Irano-Anatolian, and Mediterranean. Of over 9000 known native vascular plant species, one third are endemic. However, Turkey’s biodiversity faces severe and growing threats, especially from government and business interests. Turkey ranks 121st out of 132 countries in biodiversity and habitat conservation. The greatest threats to biodiversity have occurred since 1950, particularly in the past decade. Although Turkey’s total forest area increased by 5.9% since 1973, endemic-rich Mediterranean maquis, grasslands, coastal areas, wetlands, and rivers are disappearing, while overgrazing and rampant erosion degrade steppes and rangelands. The current ‘‘developmentalist obsession’’, particularly regarding water use, threatens to eliminate much of what remains, while forcing large-scale migration from rural areas to the cities. According to current plans, Turkey’s rivers and streams will be dammed with almost 4000 dams, diversions, and hydroelectric power plants for power, irrigation, and drinking water by 2023. Unchecked urbanization, draining of wetlands, poaching, and excessive irrigation are other widespread threats to biodiversity. Preserving Turkey’s remaining biodiversity will necessitate immediate action, international attention, greater support for Turkey’s developing conservation capacity, and the expansion of a nascent Turkish conservation ethic. The pioneering community-based conservation work of the NGO KuzeyDoga in northeastern Turkey provides examples of successful conservation case studies for saving Turkey's globally important biodiversity.
LINK http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2013-02-05/huce-special-seminar-turkeys-globally-important-biodiversity-crisis
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"A Close Look at the Loss of Freedom of the Press and Deterioration of Human Rights in Turkey."
Tuesday, February 5
6-7:30 p.m.
Harvard, Land Hall, Belfer Building, 4th floor, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
A discussion with Ferai Tinc, Former foreign news editor of Hürriyet, one of Turkey’s leading daily newspapers. Cosponsored by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy.
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Future Trends in Digital Media with Erik Qualman
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST), 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://erikqualman-futuretrends.eventbrite.com
Erik Qualman, best selling author of Socialnomics and Digital Leader, will be in Cambridge speaking on Future Trends in Digital Media and how they will affect your work. Erik has recently completed keynote speeches for Google, Facebook, Chrysler, Sony, IBM, Nokia, Starbucks, and TEDx. He has been named a ‘digital Dale Carnegie‘ and was listed as a Top 100 Digital Influencer by Fast Company Magazine. He has been named a ‘digital Dale Carnegie‘ and was listed as a Top 100 Digital Influencer by Fast Company Magazine. Digital Leader propelled Qualman to be voted as the second most likeable author in the world after Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling.
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"Seeds of Hope" - Vegetarian Orphanages in Africa
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
6:00pm - 8:30pm
Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge 201, Longwood Medical Area, Boston
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/594548097229422/
Wendy Pinyen Shieh, a computer programmer in Cambridge who is 'retooling' or 'reinventing' herself as a film-maker, has produced a beautiful 2-hour documentary that she would like shown and reviewed locally, so this group seems like a likely LOCAL group for showing. Her goal after POLISHING this footage is a showing on PBS.
Her original video shot on location in three (of the 54) states in Africa is beautifully done, the scenery in Africa is lovely, and some study is done about the renegade Buddhist monk, Hui Le, a former engineer and architect, who is now known as "The African Monk" for spreading Chinese Buddhism into Africa (because "Africa needs the values and teachings of Buddhism now more than ever"). It explores how groups carry cultural baggage with them, the financial opportunism AND the social and religious idealism of the Taiwanese entrepreneurs who relocate to underdeveloped Africa for economic opportunities, and their deference to the Buddhist religious teachers for explaining to them the relevance of Buddhism in their new environments. Then, the fun part: we see hundreds of native African teens speaking Mandarin with very thick African accents, doing Chinese dance, music, and martial arts, and practicing Buddhism against the background of African Christians family members who have given up their double-orphaned nieces and nephews in order to give them the best possible career and economic futures in an economically changing Africa where they are relatively powerless (because, with the education the Amitofo Care Centers (ACCs) provide these double orphans, they will have as much formal education as they can complete - through the master's degree, professional degrees, and/or PhDs, and they speak Mandarin, so they can be guaranteed employment with the Taiwanese immigrants AND economic development from PR China.
Read more about the Amitofo Care Centres here:
http://amitofocc.com/acc-amitof...
The “Children’s Village” idea is not unique and was used in New Hampshire by the Salem Children’s Village, also a vegetarian orphanage.
Asians (and friends of Asian) who don't speak in Mandarin (well, or at all) will be able to understand what is happening but will not enjoy the evening as much.
Those who are learning Mandarin will enjoy the opportunity to hear the Mandarin with English subtitles.
Chinese-Americans may feel doubly-conflicted about the advance of Taiwanese Buddhism and the double economic advance of ROC and PRC. But more than that, for our purposes, it's not about Buddhism or foreign missionary work, or Christianity vs. Buddhism, or even Asian migrations oversees. It's about learning Chinese language, and for that reason, it's a fun and interesting movie for this group - if we can only get the overhead projector in Kresge 201 to work on December 18. Feel free to invite and bring your friends, but we have a limited seating capacity of 35, and I need to request building passes for anyone outside Harvard who has no current Harvard ID.
Like having Ken Burns after a PBS fundraiser, we hope to have film-maker Wendy Shieh to answer questions in Mandarin OR English after the video.
The TUESDAY evening event is ALWAYS in the Longwood Medical Area, Boston, MA 02115 (near Mission Hill).
Check http://Chinese.Mandarin.com/35/for details.
You are WELCOME and ENCOURAGED to forward this to interested friends. However, there are ONLY 35 LEGAL seats in our reserved room (though we have SAID 40 for the sake of "no-shows").
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Wednesday, February 6
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Social Media and Behavioral Economics Conference
Wednesday, February 6
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wasserstein Hall 2019 (Milstein West AB), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Law School, Cambridge
Scholars from across Harvard University will join social media experts from Facebook, Twitter, Socialflow and Microsoft Research, for a conference on social media, theory and practice, and its potential effects on voting behavior, electricity consumption, pro-social behavior and privacy.
The event, “Social Media and Behavioral Economics Conference,” sponsored by Harvard Law School’s new Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy, will be held at Harvard Law School on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013.
The event is free and open to the public and will also be webcast live.
Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/437994132941251 and follow along on Twitter with #HarvardSMBEC.
Introductions (9 a.m.)
Cass Sunstein, Professor, Harvard Law School
Panel 1: Theory and Practice (9:15-10:20 a.m.)
Moderator: Yochai Benkler, Professor, Harvard Law School, and Faculty Co-Director, Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Eytan Bakshy, Data Scientist, Facebook
Sendhil Mullainathan, Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Sharad Goel, Senior Researcher, Microsoft Research
Gilad Lotan, VP of Research and Development, Socialflow
Panel 2: Behavioral Economics, Social Media, and Apps (10:30-11:40 a.m.)
Moderator: David Laibson, Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Sarah Feinberg, Director of Corporate Communications, Facebook
Andy Cameron, Associate Professor of Surgery and Surgical Director of Liver Transplantation, Johns Hopkins University
Michael Sachse, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel, Opower
Panel 3: The Role of Institutions (11:50-1 p.m.)
Moderator: Cass Sunstein, Professor, Harvard Law School
Jonathan Zittrain, Professor, Harvard Law School, and Faculty Co-Director, Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Mike Luca, Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School
Elliot Schrage, Vice President, Communications and Public Policy, Facebook
Alex Macgillivray, General Counsel, Twitter
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Ultra-Low Power Platforms for Human Advancement
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
11 am
BU, Photonics Center, 8 Saint Mary’s Street, Room 339, Boston
Refreshments will be served outside Room 339 at 10:45 a.m.
Jan M. Rabaey, Donald O. Pederson Distinguished Professor, University of California at Berkeley
Abstract: Enabled by pervasive wireless networking and ultra-low power technologies, so-called nanomorphic systems are now moving into the domain of the feasible. Sub-mm integrated wireless sensor nodes make it possible to directly observe and interact with biological cells in-vivo, opening the door for a broad range of applications in the domains of healthcare and well being. One application of particular interest is the domain of brain-machine interfaces, where sensor nodes directly observe neural activity in the brain and use this information to restore function for people with severe neural disabilities such as stroke, spinal cord injury, ALS, epilepsy, etc.
In this presentation, we will explore some of the ultimate bounds in miniaturization and energy reduction. We will focus on the realization of so called “neural swarms” – networks that exist in and around the human body to provide user-machine interfaces that are far more advanced than what we have today. The progress will be documented with results from our research group in the Berkeley Wireless Research Center, focusing on the realization of complete brain-machine interfaces.
About the Speaker: Jan Rabaey received his Ph.D degree in applied sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. In 1987, he joined the faculty of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department of the University of California, Berkeley, where he now holds the Donald O. Pederson Distinguished Professorship. He is currently the scientific co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC), as well as the director of the Berkeley Ubiquitous SwarmLab.
He is the recipient of a wide range of major awards. He is an IEEE Fellow and a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts of Belgium.
His research interests include the conception and implementation of next-generation integrated wireless systems.
URL:http://www.bu.edu/ece/files/2012/12/Rabaey-02-06-13.pdf
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MIT CTL Advances in Supply Chain Management Webinar Series: Ocean Transportation Reliability: Myths, Realities, and Impacts
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
1-2pm
Webinar
Register at
https://mitweb.webex.com/mw0307l/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=mitweb&service=6&rnd=0.5056370191184641&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmitweb.webex.com%2Fec0606l%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26confViewID%3D1069249745%26%26%26%26siteurl%3Dmitweb
Dr. Chris Caplice and Dr. Basak Kalcanci will describe and debunk common myths surrounding ocean transportation, using actual transactional data. Additionally, they will describe the impact that transit time variability has on logistics costs and outline the business case for addressing this variability.
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Doctoral Dissertation Defense entitled: "Physical Influences on Phytoplankton Ecology: Models and Observations" by Sophie Clayton
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Sophie Clayton
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jacqui Taylor
617-253-2127
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"High-resolution Atmospheric Plume Simulations With Regional-scale Air Quality Models"
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
3:00pm - 4:00pm
100F Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Fernando Garcia Menendez, Georgia Tech
Environmental Science and Engineering Seminar
Host: Daniel Jacob
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Science and Action: International Mercury Treaty Negotiations
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
3:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 24-411, video link to WHOI Clark 271
Ten MIT students had an experience of a lifetime as they joined officials from around the world for the fifth and final meeting to finalize the new Minamata Convention on mercury in Geneva, Switzerland.
They were joined by their instructor, Noelle Selin, an assistant professor of engineering systems and atmospheric chemistry. The students blogged about their experiences at http://mit.edu/mercurypolicy.
The panelists will share their experiences of seeing international environmental policy-making in action and their thoughts on the final agreement, which is the first major global environmental treaty in over a decade.
This trip was an ESD class (ESD.S50) during IAP supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation through the Sociotechnical Systems Research Center and included students from ESD, EAPS, WHOI, TPP, Aero/Astro and DUSP.
*Free Swiss chocolate for attendees
Web site: http://globalchange.mit.edu/news-events/featured-events/event_id/529
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Engineering Systems Division
For more information, contact: Alli Gold
617-253-6017
alligold at mit.edu
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The Social Brain’s Perceptual Roots
Feb 6, 2013
4:00p - 5:00p
Harvard, William James Hall Auditorium 1 - Basement level, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Thalia P. Wheatley, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dartmouth University
Human sociality differs from that of other animals. Humans actively create and experience mental connection, create music to engineer social bonding, and forge fluid social networks that extend beyond consanguineal ties. Though uniquely complex, I will present evidence that this sociality is grounded in evolutionarily older perceptual systems that shape and constrain social thought and behavior.
Web site: wheatlab.virb.com/
Contact name: Josh Greene
Contact e-mail: jgreene at wjh.harvard.edu
Contact phone: 617-495-3800
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Drivers of the Nuclear Power Option in Oil Exporting Countries
WHEN Wed., Feb. 6, 2013, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Middle East Initiative
SPEAKER(S) A conversation with Adnan Shihab-Eldin, director general of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences and former acting secretary general and director of research at OPEC
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5962/drivers_of_the_nuclear_power_option_in_oil_exporting_countries.html
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SSRC Seminar Series: “Developing Processes for Understanding Complex Sociotechnical Systems: Are We There Yet?”
Wednesday, February, 6, 2013
Time: 4:15–5:30pm
Location: E25-111, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge
(Reception to follow in lobby)
Speaker: Professor Joseph Sussman
This is the inaugural talk for this series.
----------------------------
Making Science Work
WHEN Wed., Feb. 6, 2013, 5 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Pfizer Lecture Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Lab B23, 12 Oxford Street, Harvard University, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on Science, Technology, and Society, at the Harvard Kennedy School; co-sponsored by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Graduate School of Design, and the Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S) Sir Paul M. Nurse, president, Royal Society of London; director, UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation; Nobel Laureate
With Panelists:
Eric Lander, Broad Institute and Biology, MIT
Charles Rosenberg, History of Science, Harvard University
Moderated by:
Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard Kennedy School
CONTACT INFO matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE Making science work for human benefit requires making good decisions about what scientific research should be supported and giving good scientific advice for public policy. The term public good is meant in the widest possible sense, covering the contributions science makes to our culture and also the applications of science that benefit society: improving our health and quality of life, securing sustainability and protection of the environment, and driving innovation to support our economy.
Sir Paul Nurse is a British geneticist and cell biologist. He became the 60th President of The Royal Society in December 2010. As a geneticist, he studied the mechanisms which control the division and shape of cells. In 2001, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the key protein regulators of the cell cycle. He has been Professor of Microbiology at the University of Oxford, CEO of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research UK, and President of The Rockefeller University, New York. Since 2011, he has been Director and CEO of the Francis Crick Institute in London. Nurse has received the Royal Society's Copley Medal (2005), the French Legion d’Honneur (2002), and is a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006). He was knighted in 1999 for services in cancer research and cell biology.
Science and Democracy, a lecture series aimed at exploring both the promised benefits or our era's most salient scientific and technological breakthroughs and the potentially harmful consequences of developments that are inadequately understood, debated, or managed by politicians, lay publics, and policy institutions.
LINK http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2013-02-06/science-and-democracy-lecture
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The Future of the Republican Party
WHEN Wed., Feb. 6, 2013, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics
SPEAKER(S) Ron Christie, Kerry Healey, Ambassador Karen Hughes, John Murray, Ana Navarro, moderated by Trey Grayson
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO 617.495.1380
LINK http://forum.iop.harvard.edu/content/future-republican-party-0
Simulcast at above URL
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Climate Change. Challenges. Solutions: Energy Efficiency
Wednesday, February 6
6:00 to 8:00pm
Northeastern, West Village F, Room 20, 40A Leon Street, Boston
Dick Henry, Jr., Executive Director, Jordan Institute
Douglas Foy, President of Serrafix Corporation and formerly President of the Conservation Law Foundation
"Each semester we select one graduate-level seminar and open it up to the entire campus and public-at-large to attend for free. Each week we feature prominent guest lecturers with real-world expertise and experience."
Full schedule at http://www.northeastern.edu/policyschool/lectures-and-seminars/open-classroom/course-schedule
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Al Gore
February 6, 2013
7pm
The Memorial Church, Harvard University, One Harvard Yard, Cambridge
Free and open to the public.
Register at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6o4rqsu38f5225d&llr=7d7gs4dab
for reminders and updates
Registration is optional and does not guarantee seating.
Seats are first come-first serve. Doors open at 6:15 PM, early arrival is encouraged.
Sponsored by the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard School of Public Health
-------------------------------
The New Normal - Natural Disasters and Extreme Weather, Are You Ready?
February 6, 2013
6:00 – 7:00 pm Networking Reception and hors d’oeuvres
7:00 – 8:30 pm Panel Presentation
8:30 – 9:00 pm Networking
The Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join us to hear from a panel of faculty experts as they discuss hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that could potentially affect the northeast. Learn about the impact this extreme weather poses to our cities and to you and your family.
Moderator: Lance Collins, Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering
Panelists Include:
Larry Brown PhD '76, Sidney Kaufman Professor in Geophysics and Chair of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Linda Nozick, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Mark Wysocki MS '89, Sr. Lecturer in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Hors d'oeuvres will be served
Hosted Bar
Editorial Comment: This is a Cornell University Alumni gathering and costs $35 sent to me by Madeline McDowell (madidelin at gmail.com) who will register interested people as guests. Looks like an interesting and pertinent discussion. At the most recent Restructuring Roundtable, there seemed to be agreement that what is a 100 year storm now will be an annual event by the end of this century.
-----------------------------------------
MANAGING INVASIVES AT HOME AND AROUND TOWN
Wednesday, February 6
7 to 8:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Eric Olson and Josh Ellsworth are lecturers at Brandeis University and local citizen stewards who have extensive experience working to control invasive species in Waltham and Newton. Please join them as they describe the management challenges of carrying out invasive eradication projects, the risks and pleasures of depending entirely upon volunteer labor, and specific techniques for controlling the species we most commonly encounter. This program is offered by Grow Native Massachusetts (*see below), with support from Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation. You do not need to register to attend this lecture.
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Thursday, February 7
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Innovation, Hacking, Free and Open Source: Think Different
Thursday, February 7
10:30 – 11:30 am
Museum of Science, Cahners Theater, 1 Science Park, Boston
Free; Advance registration required, 617-723-2500
With Joseph Paul Cohen, University of Massachusetts Boston
New platforms are making innovation that once required wealthy investors possible for free! Join Joseph Paul Cohen of the University of Massachusetts Boston to learn about platforms that are revolutionizing the world of technology — Facebook, Twitter, Google, Instagram, etc. He'll begin with the current foundations of innovation, such as Linux, PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, and HTML5, and share how they're used to enable innovation without requiring wealthy investors. Will your students be the next start-up entrepreneurs?
Funding is provided for Massachusetts schools by the Lowell Institute.
---------------------------------
What Will our Future Look Like?
Thursday, February 7
12:00n-1:00p
MIT, Building E62-262, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Jorgen Randers, Professor of Climate Strategy at the Norwegian School of Management and co-author of Limits to Growth
More information: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/sustainability/speakers.php
Abstract: What Will Our Future Look Like? How many people will the planet need to support? Will there be enough energy and food? Which nations will prosper and which will suffer? Will the belief in endless growth crumble? Drawing on global forecasting tools, his own experience in the sustainability arena, and predictions of thirty–five leading thinkers, Randers guides us through the future he feels is most likely to emerge. Not to scare us, but to prepare us, and, when necessary, sound a call for changing course. Jorgen Randers is professor of climate strategy at the Norwegian School of Management, where he works on climate issues and scenario analysis. He lectures internationally on sustainable development, and especially climate, within and outside corporations. He has just completed a book 2052 — A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years.
Editorial Comment: Jorgen Randers was one of the co-authors of _Limits to Growth_ and _Beyond Limits_. If you go, take notes and please send them to me as I will be unable to attend.
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Book Signing with Whole Foods Market Co-Founder John Mackey
Thursday, February 7, 2013
12:00 PM
Whole Foods Market River Street, 340 River Street, Cambridge
We are delighted to host our Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Author of Conscious Capatalism John Mackey. This will be his ONLY Whole Foods Market Book Signing appearance in the Boston area.
Worried about lines? Don't be. We'll have food, drink etc. to keep you occupied.
See you then!
Editorial Comment: John Mackey has made some controversial comments. This is an opportunity to ask him about them.
---------------------------------
BioEnergy Lecture Series - From New Biology to New Energies: Progress on Some Energy Applications of Synthetic Biology
Thursday, February 07, 2013
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 3-133, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Curt Fischer
Curt Fischer, a Biological Engineer at the local startup Ginkgo Bioworks and MIT Ph.D. in Course 10, joins us to kickoff the nascent BioEnergy Community at MIT. His talk will focus on how synthetic biology approaches can lead to transformative energy solutions. This will be the first of several lectures in Spring 2013 focused on the variety of ways in which biology can be harnessed to produce energy.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
--------------------------------
Neuroeconomics: The Neurobiology of Decision
Thursday, February 7, 2013
4 pm
MIT, Building 46 Room 3002, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Dr. Paul Glimcher, New York University
------------------------------
SYNTHESIS OF ADAPTIVE STRUCTURES
Thursday, February 07, 2013
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 1-131, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Matthew J. Santer, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London
Structures that undergo large precise deformations in response to actuation can enable the creation of adaptive, or morphing, systems which can reconfigure to perform optimally over a wide range of different environments. The design of such systems is fundamentally challenging: large deformation implies an absence of geometric linearity, the possibility of structural instability, and the potential for unintuitive structural responses. In addition, practical adaptive systems must be designed with respect to their final operating environment, and as such are naturally posed as multidisciplinary design optimization problems. Here we will consider how to address these challenges with reference to two complementary strands. The first introduces a new class of bistable structure and demonstrates how they may be designed for ease of actuation and incorporated into multistable systems with large numbers of discrete geometrically-distinct stable configurations. Building on this theme of assembling complex systems through the systematic assembly of simpler sub-components, the second strand explores the use of structural topology optimization techniques to synthesize adaptive structures designed to operate in an aerodynamic environment.
CEE Mechanics Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact: Pedro Reis
617-254-3325
preis at MIT.EDU
--------------------------------
Nelson Dewitt: Entrepreneur, Artist, Kickstarter, Mentor
Thursday, February 7, 2013
5:15 PM to 7:00 PM
Wentworth Institute of Technology, The Innovation Space: Willson Hall Second Floor, 550 Huntington Avenue, Boston
What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? What does Kickstarter have to do with it?
Being an entrepreneur is mostly focusing on the question "Should I build it? Why would anyone care?" rather than "Can I build it?" Kickstarter is a crowdfunding tool that can help you source funding for your idea, but more importantly it can help you to test the market - if there is one.
Nelson de Witt, BSM'05, is a Wentworth Alumni, entrepreneur, and has used Kickstarter multiple times. He learned from his and other's experiences and became the author of "A Kickstarter's Guide to Kickstarter" - a book project backed through Kickstarter. We are excited to have him come to Wentworth and share his experiences.
As a social entrepreneur, Nelson founded Coto Solutions on the idea that computer technology can empower a business to grow and thrive. His company helps others find the right technology for their business or creates a customized solution. Nelson believes that by addressing the needs of businesses and individuals, he can have a strong impact on improving business operations as well as open doors for companies in both developing and developed nations. Recently, Nelson has focused his career on film making and photography. Nelson is also an active member of the WAA. He was profiled in one of our magazines: http://wit.edu/news/publications/fall2009/14_20_ConduitsforSuccess.pdf
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Greentown Labs' EnergyBar February: MIT is in the house!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Greentown Labs, 337 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at http://energybar.eventbrite.com
Join us for the first Greentown Labs EnergyBar of 2013 as we host the kickoff of the 2013 MIT Clean Energy Prize Competition and welcome members of the MIT Enterprise Forum Energy Community Circle, our sponsor for the event! Interested students, professors, and entrepreneurs are invited to join us for a short presentation on the Clean Energy Prize submission requirements while enjoying the networking at Greentown Labs' EnergyBar.
Light appetizers and drinks will be served starting at 5:30 pm.
EnergyBar is a bi-monthly event devoted to helping people in clean technology meet and discuss innovations in energy technology. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and ‘friends of cleantech,’ are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and expand our growing regional clean technology community.
The MIT Clean Energy Prize is a unique and demanding competition that takes teams through a rigorous 2-month process of building a business model and honing a pitch. Teams are paired with a legal, entrepreneurial, and industry mentor to help them along the way. They pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs, investors and experts to compete for over $300K in prizes and the chance to proceed to the EERE National Clean Energy Business Competition in D.C.http://cep.mit.edu
The Energy Community Circle provides an environment for education, networking and collaboration for the clean tech and energy community of the MIT Enterprise Forum. MIT Enterprise Forum Membership provides essential support to the Circle. Participation in this group is open only to MIT Enterprise Forum members. Not a Member of the Forum? Join Today!
Greentown Labs provides entrepreneurs the research and development space they need to launch their clean technology ventures. Currently housing 24 early stage companies in 19,000 square feet of lab and office space, and located in downtown Boston's Innovation District, Greentown Labs is a not-for-profit organization that sprung from a grassroots cluster of award-winning clean technology companies looking for low-cost working space near MIT.www.facebook.com/GreentownLabs
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Friday, February 8
----------------------
Africa ReMix Conference & Performance by Debo Band
WHEN Fri., Feb. 8, 2013
WHERE Conference 8:30am-6pm at Mahindra Humanities Center, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
Performance by Debo at 8pm, Lowell Hall, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Concerts, Conferences, Humanities, Music, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Music Department, Mahindra Humanities Center
COST Free; tickets required
TICKET WEB LINK http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/boxoffice/
CONTACT INFO musicdpt at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://www.music.fas.harvard.edu/calendar.html
--------------------------------
Ambient Accountability
Friday, February 08, 2013
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building 10-401, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Dieter Zinnbauer, Transparency International
Ambient accountability - bringing urbanism, urban computing and spatial thinking into the fight against corruption
Anti-corruption research and advocacy has so far been largely focussed on national level policy changes, but is increasingly moving into the micro-dynamics of corrupt practices and smart design of incentives, information environments in concrete spatial settings. This open a vast idea and action space to link anti-corruption experts with spatial practitioners and technologists of all stripes. I would like to share some of our thinking on where we could most promisingly endeavour to go with this and brainstorm with you on what could be most exciting from your perspective.
Dieter Zinnbauer works for Transparency International (TI), an NGO that is present in more than 100 countries to fight corruption and promote good governance. Dieter has for several years served as Chief Editor of the Global Corruption Report, and now co-ordinates TI's work on emerging policy issues and innovation.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:
Dietmar Offenhuber
6177559873
dietmar at mit.edu
-----------------------------
"Anthropogenic influences on atmospheric water enhance secondary organic aerosol formation"
Friday, February 8, 2013
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Pierce 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Annmarie Carlton, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers
Environmental Science and Engineering Seminar
---------------------------------
Leveraging the Power of Anchor Institutions to Build Community Wealth: A Community Forum
Friday, February 08, 2013
2:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
LIVE WEBCAST: http://bit.ly/Wt6nuB
LIVE TWITTER DISCUSSION: #anchorpower
WELCOME: Dayna L. Cunningham, Executive Director, MIT Community Innovators Lab
INTRODUCTION: Adele Naude Santos, Dean, MIT School of Architecture and Planning
SIGNIFICANCE OF CLEVELAND INITIATIVE:
J. Phillip Thompson, Associate Professor, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning; co-author of case study
Ted Howard, Executive Director, The Democracy Collaborative, University of Maryland; co-author of case study
REMARKS FROM PRINCIPALS:
Honorable Frank G. Jackson, Mayor, Cleveland, Ohio
Thomas F. Zenty III, CEO, University Hospitals
Steven D. Standley, Chief Administrative Officer, University Hospitals
Don Graves, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Small Business, Community Development and Housing Policy, U.S. Department of Treasury
Q & A for panel of principals
RESPONSES FROM EXPERTS:
Philip Clay, Professor, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning; Chancellor, MIT (2001-2012)
Xavier de Souza Briggs, Associate Professor, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning; Associate Director of Office of Management and Budget (2008-2012)
Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University; Harvard Business School, General Management and Strategy Units; Co-Director, the Business and Environment Initiative
Thomas Kochan, George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management, MIT; Professor of Engineering Systems
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Jasmine Bellitti
253-3216
jbellitti at mit.edu
----------------------------
MIT TechTalks Techfair: Innovation in a Data-Driven World
Friday, February 8, 2013
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
MIT Stata Center, 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://mittechtalks-es2003.eventbrite.com
Join us for the 2nd Annual Speaker series hosted by MIT Techfair. Featuring
Paul English
Co-Founder and CTO of Kayak, recently acquired by Priceline for $1.8 billion. Former Entrepreneur-in-residence, Greylock
Ari Gesher
VP Technology at Nest Labs, MacArthur fellow
Yoky Matsuoka, VP-Technology, Nest Labs
Senior Engineer at Palantir, heavily involved in their pro-bono work
John Bicket, Co-Founder & CTO, Meraki
Co-Founder and CTO of Meraki, recently acquired by Cisco Systems for $1.2 billion
including free dinner and a networking reception with the speakers! AND A RAFFLE FOR 3 iPAD MINIS!
View More Information at: techfair.mit.edu/talks
-------------------------------
Catalyst Collaborative at MIT Presents Sila
Friday, February 08, 2013
5:00p–8:00p
N51, MIT Museum, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Featured Program
On remote Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, a climate scientist, an Inuit activist and her daughter, two officers for the Canadian Coast Guard, an Inuit hunter and a polar bear find their values shifting in response to the rapid changes in the world around them. Join the actors, director, and writer at the MIT Museum for a special preview of this dynamic production. Equal parts Inuit myth and contemporary Arctic policy, this new play in development will - in full production - use puppetry, projections, spoken word poetry and three different languages (English, French & Inuktitut) to examine the competing interests shaping the future of the Canadian Arctic and local Inuit population. (Performance begins at 6:00 p.m.)
Second Fridays
Jump-start your weekend with the MIT Museum during our monthly free night. Explore our exhibitions and enjoy special presentations in the galleries.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/calendar.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact: Josie Patterson
617-253-5927
museuminfo at mit.edu
--------------------------
Environmental Law: Statutes, Politics, and the Environment
WHEN Fri., Feb. 8, 2013, 6 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Science Center, Hall A, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Environmental Sciences, Law, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Extension Government and Legal Studies Club and Harvard Extension Environmental Club
SPEAKER(S) Rick Reibstein, environmental analyst and manager of outreach and policy, Mass. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Jennifer Clifford, lecturer in economics
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO cristianbarrera at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE This event is open to all Harvard University students and the general public. Feel free to bring a friend.
LINK www.harvardesgovernmentandlegalstudiesclub.org
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Saturday, February 9
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1st Annual Urban Ag Conference
February 9, 2013
8:30am-4:00pm
Roxbury Community College Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Roxbury Crossing, Boston
Presented by: Urban Farming Institute of Boston and City Growers
In Partnership With: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Registration Deadline: February 8, 2013
The purpose of this conference is to advance the opportunities and address the barriers involved in cultivating a thriving urban agricultural sector. The UAC 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 Ag in Massachusetts. Boston and other local urban communities in Massachusetts have the potential to offer a fresh, local healthy food supply while promoting economic and environmental sustainability, as well as employment at livable wages, food security, youth engagement and more.
The UAC is designed to:
Introduce the Urban Farming Institute mission and goals
Report on current Urban Ag issues and projects
Promote educational resources and training opportunities
Address infrastructure gaps in the Urban Ag industry
Provide a platform to discuss new collaborations and partnerships for sustainable solutions
Serve as a resource on cutting edge models for healthy, sustainable practices and more
Promote an equitable and ecologically sustainable local economy
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
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Scaling Development Ventures conference
Saturday, February 09, 2013
10:00a–3:30p
MIT, Building E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
There are many daunting challenges to scaling up a venture to achieve positive impact in low-income countries. The Scaling Development Ventures conference seeks to explore the complexities of scale. For teams, it is an opportunity to access resources that will help them as they grow to reach new clients and geographic regions. The conference will share successful models of scale, explore some of the most pressing challenges and help attendees broaden their network.
Attendees will hear from speakers who have forged a path in this space and who will share success stories to inspire and lessons learned to help teams avoid making the same mistakes. A core group of teams will be invited for focused mentoring time where they can work with mentors to develop solutions to their most pressing questions.
RSVPs required
Web site: http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/about/scalingdevventures
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/about/scalingdevventures/rsvp
Sponsor(s): IDEAS Global Challenge
For more information, contact: Daniel Mokrauer-Madden
617-324-5176
scalingdevventures at mit.edu
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"Bringing Awareness After Disaster" Tsunami + Sandy + Deep Water Horizon
Saturday, February 9
6 pm
Hancock 309 Gallery, 309 Hancock Street, Boston
RSVP at http://tsunami-hancock309-eventful.eventbrite.com/
Art opening for the work of Camila Chaves Cortes which will be on exhibition at the gallery until March 23
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Sunday, February 10
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Transportation Data Hack-A-Thon
Sunday, February 10, 2013
8:00a–8:00p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Join us for the second edition of the data hack-a-thon event, where talents with different skill sets gather and develop projects using trasportation-related data. The hack-a-thon theme is transportation in Boston/Cambridge areas. Many interesting data sets will be available exclusively for this event.
Sign up in our website!
Web site: http://transportclub.mit.edu/hackathon.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Transportation Club
For more information, contact: Alex Jaquillat, Sunny Vanderboll
info-transportclub at mit.edu
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Monday, February 11
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Webinar - From Politics and Finance to Power Grids and Products: Addressing Complexity in the Interconnected World
Monday, February 11, 2013
12:00p–1:00p
Location: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_021113/braha-interconnected-world.html
Speaker: Visiting Professor, MIT Engineering Systems Division
MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
This series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. It is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.
How can we manage the financial crisis? How do civil unrest, religion, and rumors spread, and how is that related to epidemics and earthquakes? Can human behavior and societal systems be studied in the same way as biological systems and complex man-made systems?
In this webinar, Dr. Dan Braha will demonstrate how the field of complexity research provides clues to these intriguing questions. He will focus on why and how complex socio-economic systems evolve and why these large scale engineering systems fail and offer guidelines that can be applied across industries and organizations around the world.
Web site: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_021113/braha-interconnected-world.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and open to all
Tickets: See URL above.
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division, MIT System Design and Management (SDM) program
For more information, contact: Lois Slavin
617.253.0812
lslavin at mit.edu
--------------------------
"The Political Economy of Oil in Latin America"
Monday, February 11, 2013
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Francisco Monaldi, Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor, Harvard Kennedy School; Director, Center on Energy and the Environment, IESA, Venezuela
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at hks.harvard.edu
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Climate Change and Social Action
WHEN Mon., Feb. 11, 2013, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Humanities, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences, Special Events, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S) Stephen Ansolabehere, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School; Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School; Andrew Hoffman, University of Michigan; Theda Skocpol, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Moderated By:
Daniel Schrag, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
TICKET INFO Admission is free. No tickets or RSVP required. Event entry based on space availability.
CONTACT INFO 617.495.8883, lisa_matthews at harvard.edu
NOTE What is the role of social action in confronting climate change? What role can a grassroots environmental movement play in sustaining long-term action? What can those concerned with climate change learn from other social movements? Learn more about the event at: environment.harvard.edu…
LINK http://environment.harvard.edu/social-action
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Uncertainty quantification of ice sheet mass balance projections using ISSM
Monday, February 11, 2013
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 32-124, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Eric Larour, Thermal & Cryogenics Engineering, Jet Propulsion Lab, CA
ABSTRACT: Understanding and modeling the evolution of continental ice sheets such as Antarctica and Greenland can be a difficult task because a lot of the inputs used in transient ice flow models, either inferred from satellite or in-situ observations, carry large measurement errors that will propagate forward and impact projection assessments. Here, we aim at comprehensively quantifying error margins on model diagnostics such as mass outflux at the grounding line, maximum surface velocity and overall ice-sheet volume, applied to major outlet glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. Our analysis relies on uncertainty quantification methods implemented in the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM), developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with the University of California at Irvine. We focus in particular on sensitivity analysis to try and understand the local influence of specific inputs on model results, and sampling analysis to quantify error margins on model diagnostics. Our results demonstrate the expected influence of measurement errors in surface altimetry, bedrock position and basal friction. They also demonstrate the influence of model inputs such as surface mass balance, which can contribute significant errors to projections of ice sheet mass balance within a time horizon of 20-30 years.
Web site: http://computationalengineering.mit.edu/events/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for Computational Engineering
For more information, contact: Barbara Lechner
blechner at mit.edu
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Self-Folding Paper: Experience Hydro-FoldHome › Activities › Events › Self-Folding Paper: Experience Hydro-Fold
Feb 11, 2013
06:00 PM to 09:00 PM
Consulate of Switzerland/ swissnex boston, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1374826-AbrvqzVjTV
Christophe Guberan, from the Industrial Design Bachelor Program atECAL (The Arts School in Lausanne), conceived and developed the Hydro-Fold project, combining modern technology (ink-jet printer) and a very well-known and accessible material - paper. Hydro Fold is a project that aims to explore the properties of paper and to print patterns that contort pieces of paper from 2D into specific 3D form in just a few minutes.
Christophe’s project was awarded by Creative Applications Networkamong the 10 Best and Most Memorable Projects of 2012 in the intersection of art, media and technology, and was presented atthe Salone Internazionale del Mobile 2012 in Milan in April 2012.
Christophe will present the Hydro-Fold project at swissnex Boston, which will then be follow by a networking session with light appetizers.
Contact Name Andreas Rufer
Contact Phone 6178763017
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Mid-East on Target w/Guest Speaker, Yisrael Ne'eman on Geopolitical Updates & Analysis of the Middle East
Monday, February 11, 2013
7:30p–9:30p
MIT, Building 3-333, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
7:30pm Free Dinner, with talk to follow starting at 8:00pm.
Speaker: Yisrael Ne'eman
We are delighted to host Yisrael Ne'eman from the International School University of Haifa, who will be speaking on February 11th at MIT.
Yisrael Ne'eman is a historian and political analyst focusing on the development of the Israeli State, its ideologies and policies both in the past and in real time.
Yisrael Ne'eman co-founded Hamartzim Educational Services in 1989, providing seminar, lecture and guiding services throughout Israel. He has many years of experience teaching and analyzing the Mideast "situation" and presenting it in a comprehensible fashion to the novice and veteran alike.
This speaking appearance is open to the entire MIT community. Q&A to follow.
To read some of Yisrael Ne'eman's articles, check out MidEast On Target: http://www.me-ontarget.org/pws/
This talk will include a brief overview of Israel's security and foreign policy situation including the Islamic Awakening, Iran, relations with the Palestinians and Western Interests (USA and Europe).
Hour long talk/official presentation.
Time following lecture for Q & A for those who want to stay.
Web site: http://www.me-ontarget.org/pws/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Hillel (MIT), MIT Students for Israel, Israeli Students Club, MISTI MIT-Israel Program, Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Shoshana Gibbor
sgibbor at mit.edu
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Tuesday, February 12
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Smoke and Mirrors: Is Geoengineering a Solution to Global Warming?
WHEN Tue., Feb. 12, 2013, 5 p.m.
WHERE Haller Hall, Geo Museum 102, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Center for the Environment and MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
SPEAKER(S) Alan Robock, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
CONTACT INFO matthew at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE 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/2013-02-12/geoengineering-lecture
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BostonCHI hosts Matt Belge and Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Microsoft NERD, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://bostonchifeb2013-es2003.eventbrite.com
Matt Belge & Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth
Go Botany – Using eCommerce Techniques to “Sell” Science”
We didn’t set out to “sell” science, we were trying to create a great way for people, including kids, to connect with the science of botany. We did the usual steps – interviewing users, creating personas, making sketches.
And then a funny thing happened – we started incorporating ideas common in the world of eCommerce into our designs.
As we did this, a number of events began to unfold: Implementation became easier, because there were so many eCommerce widgets and techniques we could obtain from the Open Source community.
The user experience became more compelling. After all, eCommerce’s main purpose is persuasion.
And learning became more fun, because the site was immersive and highly interactive. Not to mention, dare we say, gorgeous.
In this talk, we will present “Go Botany”, the web site we designed to help people learn about the native plants of New England. We believe that the lessons learned here go well beyond botany – we think they are applicable to a very broad range of science education courses. A world where exploration, interactivity, and self directed learning replaces dull lectures and dry texts. And we’ll take you step by step to help explain why. Plus, in the dead of February, we’ll show you some lush and lovely plants with live audience interaction!
This project was funded by the National Science Foundation (ISE 08-40186).
Bios
Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth
Elizabeth Farnsworth, Ph.D., is Senior Research Ecologist with the New England Wild Flower Society, and a biologist, educator, and scientific illustrator. She has studied plants in many regions of the world, with an emphasis on plant physiology, ecology, and conservation. She is co-author of theConnecticut River Boating Guide: Source to Sea (which she wrote while navigating the river in her hand-built wooden kayak) and the Peterson Field Guide to Ferns of Northeastern North America. She has illustrated the Flora Novae Angliae (Yale University Press), The Nature of New Hampshire, A Field Guide to the Ants of New England (Yale University Press), and five other books on ferns, coastal ecology, climate change, statistics, and spiders.
She is also Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed botanical journal, Rhodora. She serves on the graduate science faculties of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the University of Rhode Island, and the Conway School of Landscape Design. She holds a B. A. from Brown University, M. Sc. from the University of Vermont, and a Ph.D. in biology from Harvard University. In her spare time she plays and sings in a duo called Easy Wind.
Matt Belge
Matt Belge has been a User Experience Designer since before the term existed. With an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and graduate work in Fine Arts, Matt believes that art and engineering can work synergistically to form great user experiences. And while it’s finally becoming “mainstream” to voice these concepts, Matt’s been doing it since the late 1980’s. He founded Vision & Logic in 1993, a user experience design consultancy.
Matt has been a Group Director of User Experience at Digitas LLC and Artist in Residence at First Person, Inc. (inventors of the Java language). Matt is a former president of BostonCHI, and has lectured at leading universities and conferences including the ACM SIGCHI conference. Matt’s been a frequent presenter at BostonCHI and returns after a long hiatus, hoping that at least some of the people in the audience might still be older than he is.
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Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?: An Animated Conversation with Noam Chomsky
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
7:00p
MIT, Building 26-100, 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge
This FREE screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Director Michel Gondry and MIT Professor Noam Chomsky.
"Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?" is an animated documentary on the life of MIT professor and linguist Noam Chomsky. Directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), the film features a series of conversations between Gondry and Chomsky as they explore the life and work of Noam Chomsky.
Funded (in part) by a Director's Grant from the Council for the Arts at MIT.
Web site: http://lsc.mit.edu/schedule/2013.2q/desc-isthemanwhoistallhappy.shtml
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Tickets: Lobby 16
Sponsor(s): LSC
For more information, contact: MIT Lecture Series Committee
617-253-3791
lsc at mit.edu
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Upcoming
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MASS INNOVATION NIGHTS: Foodie Edition
Date: 2/13/2013
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
RSVP at http://mass.innovationnights.com
Description: Mass Innovation Nights is a monthly product launch party and networking event powered by social media. Every month we help launch ten new products and we encourage everyone to support the local innovation/entrepreneurial community by blogging, tweeting, Like-ing, posting online video or pictures, or just telling someone about the cool new products they see.
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Climate Change. Challenges. Solutions: Climate & National Security
Wednesday, February 13
6:00 to 8:00pm
Northeastern, West Village F, Room 20, 40A Leon Street, Boston
David Titley, Rear Admiral, US Navy – Retired; Deputy Under Secretary for Operations at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Former Director, Task Force Climate Change, US Navy; Former Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance; Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
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LinkedIn for Professionals
Feb. 13
7 pm
1 Broadway, 5th floor, Havana Conference Room, Cambridge
RSVP at http://meetupbos.hackshackers.com/events/101159862/
Do you have a strategy for getting the most out of LinkedIn? Can you point to real business wins you’ve earned because of that strategy?
Most professionals use LinkedIn passively, only increasing their usage while looking to hire or be hired. Many successes people cite from LinkedIn are ones that came from just being at the right place at the right time. However, as a 200 million person self-updating data set of professional credentials, relationship maps and business actions, LinkedIn is a powerful tool to be used skillfully and proactively in any role where relationships are helpful to success.
This 90 minute interactive discussion will be led by Dave Gowel at the Cambridge Innovation Center. Topics covered include:
Privacy & Security
Profile Optimization
Proper Network Growth
Proactive Business Usage & Strategies
Bio: David Gowel is the CEO of RockTech, a tech start-up he co-founded to help corporations be more productive by increasing user adoption of underutilized technologies. With an initial focus on the underutilized LinkedIn and Salesforce.com platforms, RockTech is headquartered in Cambridge with an office in New York City.
Dave is West Point graduate, having served as a US Army Ranger and Armor combat platoon leader in Iraq. He is the author of “The Power in a Link” (Wiley, 2011) and was ‘knighted’ a LinkedIn Jedi in the Boston Globe and Inc.com.
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THE POLITICS OF AMERICA'S FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING
Thursday, February 14, 2013
4:15-6:15 pm,
Tsai Auditorium, Harvard University, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
What lessons can be learned from recent successes and failures including the "cap and trade" effort to win legislated limits for carbon emissions in 2009 and 2010? What are the next steps in the fight for public policies to limit emissions and encourage climate-friendly U.S. economic growth?
Sponsored by the Columbia School of Journalism and the Scholars Strategy Network, Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism
Panelists: Theda Skocpol
Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University; Director of the Scholars Strategy Network
Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation
Gene Karpinski, President of the League of Conservation Voters
Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign
Lee Wasserman, Director of the Rockefeller Family Fund
http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/content/politics-americas-fight-against-global-warming
Open to the public. RSVP not required. Wheelchair accessible. This event will be videotaped.
Questions: Abby Peck peck at wjh.harvard.edu
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Let’s Make Some Heat: Renewable Thermal Energy in the Northeast, and Prospects for Massachusetts Policy Incentives
Thursday, February 14
Time: 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, Cambridge
Northeasterners use more total energy to heat buildings and industrial process heat than either electric or transportation energy. The region is also more dependent on imported fossil heating fuels than any other part of the country. Despite this, thermal energy has been almost entirely overlooked in the region’s energy strategy and incentives. Charlie Niebling will provide an overview of the issue from his perspective as general manager of New England Wood Pellet, the largest wood pellet manufacturer in the northeast. He’ll talk about progress across the region to recognize solar, geothermal and biomass thermal energy in state climate and energy independence strategies. He’ll focus on current efforts to get thermal renewable energy added to the Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standard, a policy strategy that could dramatically catalyze market growth in these sectors, and help New Englanders end their over-dependence on heating oil and propane.
Charlie Niebling is general manager of New England Wood Pellet (www.pelletheat.com), the region’s largest manufacturer and distributor of renewable wood pellet fuels. Previously he served as vice president of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, a consultant with Innovative Natural Resource Solutions, and Executive Director of New Hampshire’s forest industry/landowner trade association. He received forestry degrees from the University of Vermont and the Pennsylvania State University, and he lives in New Hampshire.
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The New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable Presents: Onward Energy Efficiency in New England
February 15, 2013
9 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston
New England states have been national leaders in energy efficiency for some time now - with four of our states in ACEEE's Top 10 rankings (and Massachusetts overtaking California for the number 1 spot). Never a region to rest on its laurels, we continue to look for ways to improve the depth and effectiveness of our energy-efficiency efforts.
Join us as we explore together several major new energy-efficiency related trends and developments in the region and discuss potential new energy- efficiency-related frontiers New England states are tackling, including:
Massachusetts' new three-year utility energy efficiency programs budgets (approval by MA DPU required by end of January)
Connecticut's new statewide Energy Plan which covers energy efficiency, renewables, natural gas, and other energy-related issues (release expected prior to the 2/15 Roundtable)
PACE Financing for EE Investments - Connecticut recently began one of first programs in the world, announced 1.24.13, and MA DOER just issued a report on PACE financing for Massachusetts customers
ISO New England's 2013 Energy Efficiency Forecast for 2016-2022 (which shows huge dampening effect on energy and demand growth due to EE)
A preview of NEEP's REED - the Regional Energy Efficiency Database - which will be released to the public February 19
Other efficiency related developments; building energy labeling, efficiency funds for oil heated structures, building codes, etc.
To lead us through these latest developments, we have put together a stellar panel of leaders and practitioners:
Commissioner Mark Sylvia, Massachusetts DOER
Jessie Stratton, Policy Director/Acting Deputy for Energy, CT DEEP
Stephen Rourke, VP System Planning, ISO New England
Susan Coakley, Exec. Dir., Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships
We plan to use a new, more in-depth format for this Roundtable. Presentations will be given (and clarifying questions asked) before our customary morning break. The panel will return after the break for a detailed discussion prompted by questions from the moderator and the audience.
Raab Associates Presents: The 133rd NE Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
Free and open to the public with no advanced registration
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Fundraiser Cooking Class & Dinner with Odessa Piper and Didi Emmons
Saturday, February 16
5:30pm-9:30pm - Includes in-depth cooking class\demo, dinner, & wine*
8pm-9:30pm - Includes dinner and glass of wine*
Haley House Bakery Cafe, 12 Dade Street, Boston
Ticket Prices for the Fundraiser:
$40/ dinner ticket $65/ class/demo and dinner ticket
Tickets are available online at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/315851
All funds support the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts (NOFA/Mass) CSA Connect Classes at Madison Park in Roxbury
Presented by NOFA/Mass and Haley House Bakery Café
Sign up for an in-depth cooking class and dining experience (5:30pm-9:30pm) to learn the principles of sustainable cooking from celebrity chefs Odessa Piper and Didi Emmons. The class will prepare a Northeastern regional menu relying on ingredients harvested during winter in combination with other ingredients 'put by' from the winter larder.
Or, skip the lesson, and come for just the dinner (8pm-9:30pm)!
The fundraiser supports the cooking classes held for CSA members that are part of the CSA Connect program.
In 2012, CSA Connect:
Completed 20 weekly deliveries of organic local produce to nearly 50 CSA members in underserved communities like Roxbury and East Boston, affecting the diets of 100+ people.
Conducted 3 cooking classes
Generated more than $20,000 in sales for local farms
ABOUT THE CHEFS:
Didi Emmons
A graduate of La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, France, Didi Emmons is also the founding chef of four restaurants in the Boston area. These include The DeLux, Pho Republique, Veggie Planet, and Haley House Bakery Café. At Haley House she pioneered the Take Back the Kitchen Program, which provides cooking classes to inner-city youth. She also serves as a consultant to Project Bread’s Chefs-in-Schools program as well as the Boston Public Health Commission.
Odessa Piper
Belonging to the same generation of pioneer chefs as Alice Waters, Odessa Piper is famous for her regionally reliant Madison, WI restaurant L’Etoile. Her work has been featured in Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Wine Spectator. A James Beard award winning chef, she has also been a frequent contributor to NPR, and loves to share her approach to ingredients and recipes, including the White House. Her menus at L’Etoile, over the decades opened with this inscription “Choosing lovingly grown food from within our region helps to hold all communities of life together… thank you for supporting the farmers and their commitment to these patient arts.”
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Climate Change Demonstration in Washington DC
February 17, 2013
RSVP at http://act.350.org/signup/presidentsday
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THE CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT PRESENTATION
Tuesday, February 19
12-1 pm
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, WCC 2012, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Rick Cutler from the Climate Reality Project joins the Harvard Law School Green Living Program for an interactive presentation on up-to-the-minute climate change science. Lunch will be served. Learn more about the Climate Reality Project at http://climaterealityproject.org
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GreenPort: Supporting Local and Regional Food Production: What Can We Do?
Tuesday, February 19
7:00pm
Cambridgeport Baptist Church, 459 Putnam Ave, Cambridge (corner of Magazine St. and Putnam Ave)
Join us for a lively discussion of practical actions we can take to promote local and regional food production. What new actions can we take to support farmers' markets, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), and sustainable regional land use? What can we do to grow more of our food in Cambridge? Is there an initiative that you personally would like to join or support? This Forum was requested by participants as a follow-up to GreenPort's January discussion of a sustainable food system in New England. Let's work together to pursue this goal!
GreenPort envisions and encourages a just and sustainable Cambridgeport neighborhood
For more information, contact Steve Wineman at steven.wineman at gmail.com
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Green Campaign School
Saturday, February 23
10:00am - 5:00pm
First Unitarian Church of Worcester, 90 Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts
What: This one-day campaign school will give you the tools and training you need to create a new political climate in your community. The emphasis is upon giving voters clean, green candidates to move us beyond politics-as-usual at the town and state level.
Who should attend: Anyone who 1) is thinking about running for office as a Green (Green-Rainbow) candidate, 2) wants to acquire the skills to help their favorite candidate succeed, or 3) wants to sharpen their organizing skills in support of their party or nonprofit organization.
Special speaker: Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party candidate for President, will talk about her experiences campaigning across America in 2012
Workshops: Workshops will address campaign planning, use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook, websites, fundraising, message development, get-out-the-vote activities, running for local offices, and campaign organization.
Leaders: In addition to workshop leaders from the Green-Rainbow Party, we are fortunate to welcome Ben Manski of Madison, Wisconsin, campaign manager, of the groundbreaking Jill Stein for President campaign.
Cost: $10 donation requested, $25 appreciated, waiver for economic hardship. Lunch will be provided for an additional $7 (sign up upon arrival) or bring your own.
How to Register: Please pre-register to guarantee a seat and let us keep you informed as the agenda develops. Just send your name, email address, telephone number, and town of residence to campaignschool at green-rainbow.org. You will receive a confirmation via email.
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“Global Markets and Government Regulation in Telecommunications”
Monday, February 25, 2013
12pm
Northeastern University, 450 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Room 426, Boston
Kirsten Rodine Hardy
Assistant Professor, Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Contact Northeastern Humanities nuhumanities at neu.edu
617-373-4140
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Boston/New England Internet of Things Meetup
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
6:00 PM
garage space in N52 on the MIT campus, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-New-England-Internet-of-Things-Meetup/events/101349062/
network, hear some IoT presentations, & brainstorm creating an IoT community
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Live webcast of TED Long Beach
Wednesday February 27
11:30 AM - 9:45 PM
TEDxBeaconStreet has been approved to host a live webcast of TED Long Beach 2013, (speakers listed below) hosted by two of our Superhero Partners - Whitehead Institute and Camera Culture Lab!
To attend you need to apply https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dHc4TFJRTzl3WVJJakNTd01YeTFsTHc6MQ
Event is free of charge to attendees, we will be in touch ...
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Resilience: From PTSD to Hurricane Sandy
Wednesday, February 27
7pm
3 Church Street (Harvard Square), Cambridge
Psychiatrists Steven Southwick of Yale and Dennis Charney of Mount Sinai tell the stories of POWs, 9/11 survivors, and ordinary people with debilitating diseases or grievous personal losses.
Weaving together the results of modern neurobiological research and the insights of two decades of clinical work with trauma survivors, Southwick and Charney identify ways to help individuals become more resilient.
How can resilience be taught? How can their insights about individual mental health help us create resilient communities?
http://www.cambridgeforum.org
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MIT Energy Conference Friday Night Showcase
Friday March 1st
6 to 9pm
Boston Park Plaza Castle
The Friday Night Energy Showcase is a free event open to the public designed to exhibit the latest research and technologies in the energy space. With more than 100 presenters and 1500 attendees, the Friday Night Energy Showcase is the most widely attended event of the MIT Energy Conference. Energy professionals, students, researchers and the general public will be able to explore the innovations that will shape the industry in the near future.
http://mitenergyconference.com
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Along with posters from academic institutions and start-ups, the Showcase will also feature interactive demos and prototypes, giving attendees a unique opportunity to mingle with prominent energy researchers and innovators within a hands-on atmosphere. The casual setting is designed to foster dialogue amongst energy-conscious community members and experienced professionals.
NESEA Building Energy Conference
March 5-7
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Register at http://www.nesea.org/buildingenergy/
Editorial Comment: Building Energy is the premier green building and energy conference in the Northeast. It's audience is primarily professional architects, buildings, planners, and designers but it showcases the latest technology available for the energy conscious consumer as well.
It costs money but is definitely worth it, even if you are just going to the trade show. However, here's a promo code for $50 off conference passes : 50GMOKEBE13 .
This year should be especially good as Paul Eldrenkamp of Biggmeister, a fine energy craftsman, led the conference committee.
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“Open Source Science and Social Science: Forming a Public Laboratory”
Monday, March 11, 2013
12pm
Northeastern University, 450 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Room 426, Boston
Sara Wylie
Senior Research Scientist, Social Science and Environmental Health Research Institute, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Contact Northeastern Humanities nuhumanities at neu.edu
617-373-4140
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“Building Social-Ecological Cities: Community Development and the Institutional Challenge of Urban Environmentalism”
Monday, March 18, 2013
12pm
Northeastern University, 450 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Room 426, Boston
James Connolly
Assistant Professor, Political Science and Public Policy and Urban Affairs, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Contact Northeastern Humanities nuhumanities at neu.edu
617-373-4140
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“Ecological Forecasting: How Science Can Help Society to Proactively Prepare for a Warmer World”
Monday, March 25, 2013
12pm
Northeastern University, 450 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Room 426, Boston
Brian Helmuth
Professor, Marine and Environmental Science and Public Policy, College of Science and College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Contact Northeastern Humanities nuhumanities at neu.edu
617-373-4140
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SUSTAINABILITY: PRACTICES AND POSSIBILITIES
3rd Massachusetts Sustainable Communities Conference
2nd Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference
April 24, 2013
8am - 4pm
DCU Center, Worcester, MA
Conference details at http://masustainablecommunities.com
Register early and save at http://masccc.eventbrite.com
Cost: $45 to $75
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Opportunity
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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
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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.
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CEA Solar Hot Water Grants
Cambridge, through the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiative, is offering a limited number of grants to residents and businesses for solar hot water systems. The grants will cover 50% of the remaining out of pocket costs of the system after other incentives, up to $2,000.
Applications will be accepted up to November 19, 2012 and are available on a first come, first serve basis until funding runs out. The Cambridge grant will complement other incentives including the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center solar thermal grants. For more information, see
http://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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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org
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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/
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/
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