[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - February 1, 2015
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Feb 1 10:47:49 PST 2015
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 - full Event Details available below the Index
Ongoing:
Design for Resilience Exhibition
12/10/2014 to 02/06/2015
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Monday, February 2
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10am Cities and States: The New Global Players
12pm Belt and Suspenders and More: The Incremental Impact of Energy Efficiency Subsidies in the Presence of Existing Policy Instruments
12:15pm Expertise in Exile: Indigenous GIS and the Precariousness of Professionalization
3pm John Eliot Gardiner Lecture
4pm Bioinspired strategies for materials science
4:15pm The Ukraine-Russia Crisis on the Cusp of Its Second Year
6pm Dessert Cafe at Gallery 344
6pm Designing Boston: Olympics 2024
7pm Hard Times: Leadership in America
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Tuesday, February 3
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8am Boston TechBreakfast: Gov-Savings.com, theThings.biz, Rennzer, and More!
9am Sustainable Business Strategies: Lessons from Local Businesses & Non-Profits
12pm What's ahead for education innovation? Lunch panel with Harvard i-lab EIRs
12pm Molecular Evolution Before the Domain Ancestors: Indications for Dramatic Planetary Changes During Life's Early Evolution
12pm The Voters Speak Out: Expectations for 2016
12:30pm Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets
1pm What do we know about earliest life on Earth? Does biology constrain the early planetary narrative?
3:30pm Housing Access Solutions We Don't Want to Think About That Just Might Work
3:30pm Toward Single Atom Magnets
4pm Introduction to Making: Rapid 3D Fabrication at MIT... and Beyond
4pm Building the Green Economy: Jobs and Climate Change
4:15pm The Thousands: Lecture by Author ZZ Packer
5:30pm Promoting the Practice of Peace in the 21st Century
6pm The Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction: What Really Killed the Dinosaurs?
6pm 501 Tech Club's Networking & Happy Hour
6pm BASG: Tackling Sustainability in Sports
6:30pm TechHub Boston Demo Night - February 2015
7pm Sport for Social Change
7pm Peace & Planet: Are Nuclear Weapons Illegal?
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Wednesday, February 4
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9:30am Social Media Blitz: Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Get Found, Do More & Fret Less
12pm Why GaN is the Power Technology of the Future
12pm And Then What? Imagining the Middle East if Nuclear Negotiations with Iran Fail
3:30pm Polymer Mechanochemistry and Self-Healing Materials
4:10pm Strategic Policy Choice in State Level Regulation: The EPA's Clean Power Plan
5:30pm DNA Dreams: Film and panel discussion
5:30pm An Innovation Series Event: The Future of Sex - or, How to Make Complex Technological
5:30pm Carbon Tax Panel Discussion
6:30pm CryptoParty - Secure Yourself Online
7pm Humans and Wildlife: The New Imbalance
7:30pm Homeless in the Cold: talk by Jim O'Connell M.D.
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Thursday, February 5
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12pm Using a One Health approach to respond to infectious disease outbreaks: USAID/RESPOND project in East and Central Africa
3:30pm France After the Terrorist Attacks in Paris
4pm Computation and Incentives in Social Computing
5pm American Public Opinion on Climate Change: Motivated Cognition?
5pm Nanotechnology for Biology, from Single Molecules Towards Synthetic Cells
6pm Scott McCloud discusses his graphic novel The Sculptor
6pm Truck Farm, a documentary
6pm Film Screening: The Man Who Saved the World
6:30pm Food Chains - Followed by an expert panel discussion
7pm Redesiging Civilization: Permaculture's Vision for a Just and Sustainable World
7pm MIT Global IDEAS Challenge Spring Generator Dinner
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Friday, February 6
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8:30am Competitive Coexistence on Shared Resources Evolves Due to Crowded Growth
8:30am Innovation Breakfast at Oficio (30 Newbury Street)
9:30am 2015 MassDiGI Game Challenge
11am Optical Wireless Communications For Next-Generation Data Centers
2pm The Rise and (Apparent) Fall of the "Russian Mafia"
3pm Renegade Dreams: Living through Injury in Gangland Chicago
3pm Information Spread in Networks: Games, Optimal Control, and Stabilization
4pm Cambrian Innovation: Creating Renewable Micro-Utilities
6pm ID Hack 2015 Meetup
7pm Krav Maga
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Saturday, February 7
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9:30am Urban Permaculture for a Fear-Free Future with Toby Hemenway
12pm Massachusetts Peace Action 2015 Annual Meeting
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Sunday, February 8
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10am Pot Goes to the Ethical Society
5pm Soil Carbon Cowboys: Grazing for Biodiversity
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Monday, February 9
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12pm To Model or Not to Model? Formalizing the Conceptual Modeling Thought Process to Benefit Engineers and Scientists
12pm Public Policy and the U.S. Solar Industry
12pm New Fossil Discoveries from the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa
1pm Women in Biotech
4pm Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
6pm 3D Printing Wearables: Jewelry, Accessories and Clothing
7pm Science by the Pint: The Global Energy Challenge
7pm The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America
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Tuesday, February 10
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12pm In Government, Working with the Media
4pm Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
4pm Controversy! Covering Climate & Energy from the Nation's Capital
4:30pm The Art of Science TV
4:30pm Iran and the United States: Eternal Enemies or Natural Partners?
5pm Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific
5:30pm Occupy and Indignant Movements in Spain and the United States
7pm The Internet Is Not the Answer
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My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com
How Western Civilization Collapses from Climate Change - a Future History
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2015/01/how-western-civilization-collapses-from.html
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Ongoing:
Design for Resilience Exhibition
12/10/2014 to 02/06/2015
McCormick Gallery, Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury Street, Boston
Design for Resilience asks us to think, discuss, and take action as we consider how to better connect ourselves to our ecology and our infrastructure to ready ourselves for the future. What will Boston look like in 2050? What will our coastal cities look like in 2115?
Rebuild by Design has been answering these questions of resilience - the ability to withstand, adapt, and recover from shock - with an innovative process that relies on unprecedented collaboration to create unique solutions for a stronger tomorrow.
In response to Hurricane Sandy's catastrophic landfall in October 2012, President Obama's Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force launched Rebuild by Design as a design competition to generate solutions to not only the storm's devastation, but also to long-standing physical and social vulnerabilities now exposed and exacerbated. Rebuild by Design connects design teams with researchers and policymakers as well as residents, businesses, and community-based organizations whom the storm affected. These collaborations enable the teams to develop socially, environmentally, and economically rigorous interventions that better prepare us for a future impacted by climate change. This exhibition showcases the competition's ten finalists and their detailed design proposals for creating a more resilient region.
We bring this exhibition to Boston to engage and educate ourselves and our fellow citizens about our own urban vulnerabilities; to showcase the power of collaborative problem solving and community engagement; and to highlight the forward-thinking work that local organizations are producing to protect us from increasing risk, intensifying storms, and rising seas. Exploring the Rebuild by Design proposals, along with new work from Terreform ONE, opens a window that suggests how Boston could arrive at a safer tomorrow.
These transformational designs and the process that generated them are a call to action. Join us in taking control over our destiny and creating a resilient future for the City of Boston.
Join the conversation @theBACboston using #RebuildBoston
Funding for this exhibition is generously provided by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Boston Architectural College
Contact: shaun.orourke at the-bac.edu
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Monday, February 2
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Cities and States: The New Global Players
WHEN Mon., Feb. 2, 2015, 10 – 11 a.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 301, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Taubman Center for State and Local Government
SPEAKER(S) Rodrigo Tavares, senior research fellow, Taubman Center for State and Local Government, Harvard Kennedy School
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO jeanne_burke at hks.harvard.edu
DETAILS The international activism of subnational governments (city and states) is rapidly growing across the world, discreetly transforming diplomatic practices and the delivery of public services. Cities and/or states sign international agreements, are members of international organizations, have formal relations with sovereign nations, and run their own diplomatic representations. This seminar provides an overview of paradiplomacy worldwide and explores what lies ahead for foreign affairs, urbanism and public policies.
LINK http://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/taubman/news-events/events
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"Belt and Suspenders and More: The Incremental Impact of Energy Efficiency Subsidies in the Presence of Existing Policy Instruments"
Monday, February 2
12:00PM - 1:30PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Joe Aldy, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Lunch will be served.
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2015-02-02-170000-2015-02-02-183000/etipconsortium-energy-policy-seminar#sthash.EeoSJvdZ.dpuf
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Expertise in Exile: Indigenous GIS and the Precariousness of Professionalization
Monday, February 2
12:15-2:00 pm
Harvard, CGIS, Knafel Building, K262, the Bowie-Vernon Room, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Abstract: Prevailing characterizations of Indigenous mapping expertise, and of “traditional knowledge” more generally, as highly localized, experiential, and unproblematically embedded within static systems of social organization obscure the increasing formalization and movement of expertise between Indigenous groups. During the 1990s, the Gitxsan, an Indigenous people in British Columbia, Canada, gained global attention for using creative and ambitious digital mapping projects to challenge colonial jurisdiction over their lives and landscapes. In the years since, many of these cartographers and GIS specialists have become estranged from key Gitxsan leaders, accused of enjoying increased professional mobility without remaining “loyal” to the broader communities left indebted by these formative projects. Largely ostracized from mainstream Gitxsan politics and traditional governance institutions, many of these experts have built careers elsewhere, forging temporary institutional bonds, and navigating changing demands of technical competence, professional ethics, and Indigenous “authenticity.” Drawing on ethnographic work conducted in, and in between, these ever-changing settings, this talk will explore the unequal costs Indigenous experts and marginal communities must bear to enter networks of technocratic power.
Biography: A doctoral candidate in the History, Anthropology, and STS program at MIT, Tom Ozden-Schilling's research explores the consequences of institutional change for rural expertise and environmental politics in northern North America. Drawing on ethnographic work with communities of forest ecologists and GIS technicians tracking long-term forest succession changes on the Gitxsan First Nation's traditional territories in northwest British Columbia, Tom investigates how the design and implementation of automated remote sensing technologies has altered forestry science, regional governance, and Indigenous sovereignty claims. Focusing on the roles played by the visual media produced through counter-mapping and forest succession and tree disease modeling work, Tom's research asks how technoscientific artifacts and archives are changing the dynamics of professional succession, particularly in increasingly precarious institutional settings like government resource ministries and First Nations environmental management offices.
A complete list of STS Circle at Harvard events can be found on our website: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/sts/events/sts_circle/
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John Eliot Gardiner Lecture
WHEN Mon., Feb. 2, 2015, 3 – 4 p.m.
WHERE John Knowles Paine Concert Hall
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Music
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Department of Music with support from the Christoph Wolff Fund for Music
SPEAKER(S) John Eliot Gardiner
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO musicdpt at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://www.music.fas.harvard.edu/calendar.html
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Bioinspired strategies for materials science
Monday, February 2
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Harvard, 60 Oxford Street, Room 330, Cambridge
Job Boekhoven, Northwestern University
The use of self-assembly has proven to be a powerful approach for the field of materials science, and has led to a vast variety of new structures to address challenges in fields such as healthcare and energy conversion. Despite the number of successful artificial supramolecular materials, the corresponding structures are outcompeted by the highly sophisticated and functional architectures found in natural systems, such as the biological cell.
In this talk, I will identify a number of bioinspired strategies to create more sophisticated supramolecular materials. For instance, one crucial difference between biological structures and man-made materials lies in their energy balance. While most materials are at a thermodynamic minimum, biological architectures are open and can only be maintained by constant consumption of energy. In one part of my talk, I will discuss materials inspired by the non-equilbrium nature of biology that have resulted in active, intrinsically dynamic structures that can be controlled over space and time.
The topic of a second part of this talk remains out-of-equilibrium, however, closer to a thermodynamic minimum. Inspired by protein folding as observed biology, we have set out to explore the energy landscapes of self-assembled materials. We found that, similar to proteins, self-assembled structures can exist in one of several thermodynamically favored minimums, that are separated from one another by an energy barrier. This energy landscape implies that a single self-assembling building block that, under the exact same conditions (pH, temperature, concentration), can from more than one nanostructure. Naturally, each assembled architecture has drastically different material properties.
Topics in Bioengineering
Contact: Arlene Stevens
Email: astevens at seas.harvard.edu
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The Ukraine-Russia Crisis on the Cusp of Its Second Year
WHEN Mon., Feb. 2, 2015, 4:15 – 6:15 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Center for Government and International Studies, CGIS South Building, Room S-050 Concourse Level, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University
SPEAKER(S)Timothy Colton (Harvard University)
Lubomyr Hajda (Harvard University)
Sergei Konoplyov (KSG, Harvard University)
Nadiya Kravets (Harvard University)
Oxana Shevel (Tufts University)
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO Tamara Nary nary at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS This event is free of charge and open to the Harvard community and the general public.
LINK www.huri.harvard.edu
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Dessert Cafe at Gallery 344
Monday, February 2
6pm to 8pm
Gallery 344, City Hall Annex, 2nd Floor, 344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA
Please join us for an evening of free dessert at the Dessert Cafe at the Magazine Beach Exhibit at Gallery 344. Co-hosted by the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association and the Cambridge Historical Society, it's a night you won't want to miss!
The Exhibit: "Magazine Beach: A Place Apart" explores the past, present, and future of Magazine Beach through art. Magazine Beach was once a major swim spot along the Charles and today remains Cambridge's second largest park and an attractive location to return public swimming to the river. The CRC often hosts volunteer events at Magazine Beach to clean up trash, paint park benches, and maintain the park.
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Designing Boston: Olympics 2024
Monday, February 2
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
Register at rsvp at architects.org
Join us on February 2 for our next Designing Boston conversation, this time on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s decision to back Boston as the host for the 2024 Olympics.
As former Boston city councilor Mike Ross said during a recent interview with WBUR’s Radio Boston, “[The Big Dig] changed the shape and face of Boston and... the Olympics will do the same thing.”
Focusing on the role that architecture has (or has not) played in making previous Olympics successful, Ross will moderate this panel discussion and dive into lessons learned by architects and planners with past Olympic experience in such cities as Barcelona, Beijing, Sydney, and London. This event launches a series of conversations and debates related to potential roles, responsibilities, and opportunities available to architects, planners, and developers as this huge and exciting undertaking unfolds.
Moderator
Michael P. Ross, attorney, Prince Lobel Tye
Panelists will include
Kyu Sung Woo FAIA, Kyu Sung Woo Architects
Dennis Pieprz Assoc. AIA, Principal, Sasaki Associates
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Hard Times: Leadership in America
Monday, February 2, 2015
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Barbara Kellerman, author
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Tuesday, February 3
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Boston TechBreakfast: Gov-Savings.com, theThings.biz, Rennzer, and More!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/215003212/
Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.
And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)
Agenda for Boston TechBreakfast:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
Gov-Savings.com - Royce Dennis
theThings.biz - Geordie McClelland
Rennzer: ClearSchool - Omid Jahanbin
*** OPEN ***
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words
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Sustainable Business Strategies: Lessons from Local Businesses & Non-Profits
Tuesday, February 3
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (EST)
Newbury College Student Center Auditorium, 129 Fisher Avenue, Brookline
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-business-strategies-lessons-from-local-businesses-non-profits-tickets-15060100165
Learn business strategies that reduce your carbon footprint while increasing your bottom line. Join Lenox Hotel's Managing Director Daniel Donahue and CEO Jeff Saunders, Boston University’s Sustainability Director Dennis Carlberg, and Abe Faber, owner of Clear Flour Bakery and member of Local First. Sponsored by Newbury College.
Following panel discussion, pick up the tools you need at small conversation tables, including:
local funding available for sustainable capital improvements
sustainable business operations
sourcing sustainable food containers and consumer bags
NSTAR's retrofit program to reduce electricity and gas costs
Brookline's upcoming Business Recycling By-Law
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Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets
WHEN Tue., Feb. 3, 2015, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Law School campus, Wasserstein Hall, Room 2004, 1585 Mass Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Information Technology, Law, Lecture, Research study
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) Usman Ahmed, ebay
Jake Colvin, Global Innovation Forum
Althea Erickson, Etsy
Moderated by Mark Wu, assistant professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a director of the Berkman Center.
COST Free and open to the public
RSVP at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/02/Ahmed-Colvin-Erickson#RSVP
CONTACT INFO Carey Andersen
candersen at cyber.law.harvard.edu
617-495-7547
DETAILS The Internet is democratizing access to the global marketplace for millions of people around the world. Thanks to online platforms, payment systems and logistics services, companies, nonprofits and individuals can embark on global journeys like never before. Join representatives from the Global Innovation Forum, eBay and Etsy to explore the opportunities for economic development that the Internet unlocks, and the specific challenges that global entrepreneurs and micromultinationals in developing countries face.
LINK http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/02/Ahmed-Colvin-Erickson
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What's ahead for education innovation? Lunch panel with Harvard i-lab EIRs
Tuesday, February 3
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (EST)
Harvard GSE, Larsen 106, 14 Appian Way, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-ahead-for-education-innovation-lunch-panel-with-harvard-i-lab-eirs-tickets-15269857555
This lunch panel features three esteemed Harvard Graduate School of Education experts-in-residence, Greg Gunn, Joanne Weiss, and Chris Gabrieli, discussing the future of education innovation.
Greg Gunn is an investor at City Light Capital, a firm partnering with early-stage education companies and original co-founder Wireless Generation (now Amplify).
Joanne Weiss is former chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan and former director of Race to the Top. She is also a former partner and COO of New Schools Venture Fund.
Chris Gabrieli is a long-time partner of a leading venture capital firm focused on healthcare software with a second career founding three education policy/innovation non-profits.
Lunch will be provided.
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Molecular Evolution Before the Domain Ancestors: Indications for Dramatic Planetary Changes During Life's Early Evolution
Tuesday, February 3
12:00p–1:00p
MIT Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Professor Peter Gogarten, University of Connecticut
2015 EAPS IAP Lecture Series: The Origin of Life
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/iap-2015
Open to: the general public
Cost: n/a
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jen Fentress
617-253-2127
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The Voters Speak Out: Expectations for 2016
Tuesday, February 3
12pm
Harvard, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Peter D. Hart is chairman of Hart Research Associates, a polling firm that has provided NBC News and the Wall Street Journal with polls since 1989. He is a frequent guest on Meet the Press, The Today Show and PBS NewsHour. With presidential hopefuls ramping up their campaign infrastructures and announcing their candidacies, Peter will offer his expert analysis of the 2016 race.
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Development in the Digital Age: The role of online platforms & payments in enabling entrepreneurship in emerging markets
Tuesday, February 3
12:30 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/02/Ahmed-Colvin-Erickson#RSVP
Event will be webcast live on http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/02/Ahmed-Colvin-Erickson at 12:30 pm.
featuring Usman Ahmed (ebay), Jake Colvin (Global Innovation Forum), and Althea Erickson (Etsy)
The Internet is democratizing access to the global marketplace for millions of people around the world. Thanks to online platforms, payment systems and logistics services, companies, nonprofits and individuals can embark on global journeys like never before. Join representatives from the Global Innovation Forum, eBay and Etsy to explore the opportunities for economic development that the Internet unlocks, and the specific challenges that global entrepreneurs and micromultinationals in developing countries face.
About Usman Ahmed, eBay Inc.
Usman Ahmed is Policy Counsel for eBay Inc. His work covers a variety of global Internet issues including international trade, intellectual property policy, and financial services. He has spoken at several universities on the topic of Internet-enabled international trade and has published an article in the Journal of World Trade on the subject. Prior to working at eBay, Usman worked at a number of policy think tanks in the Washington DC area. He earned his JD from University of Michigan and holds a BA from University of Maryland.
About Jake Colvin, Global Innovation Forum
Jake Colvin is Executive Director of the Global Innovation Forum @ NFTC. Through GIF, Jakeworks with startup, business, education and nonprofit leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with participating in the global marketplace in the digital age, and to assess the effect of public policies on international trade and innovation. He is also Vice President for Global Trade Issues at the National Foreign Trade Council, where he leads the organization's engagement with the World Trade Organization, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and its policy work on intellectual property rights, environment issues, and the digital economy. Jake has written for Business Week, blogged for Comedy Central, testified before Congress and provided analysis for outlets including CNBC, CNN and Time Magazine. Originally from Long Island, New York, he is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and the University of Richmond.
About Althea Erickson, Etsy
Althea Erickson is director of public policy at Etsy, the marketplace for creative people to buy and sell unique goods. Althea leads Etsy’s government relations and advocacy efforts, focusing on educating and advising policymakers on the issues that micro-entrepreneurs and creative businesses face. She is also responsible for developing and advancing Etsy’s position on issues ranging from taxes and regulation, to open Internet and free trade, to IP and privacy policies. Prior to joining Etsy, Althea was the advocacy and policy director at Freelancers Union, where she helped build the membership into a powerful political constituency, leading its successful campaign to repeal unfair tax laws and promoting legislation to protect freelancers from unpaid wages. Previously, Althea worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where she focused on strategies to build economic security within the U.S. workforce. She has a B.A in government and public policy from Wesleyan University.
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What do we know about earliest life on Earth? Does biology constrain the early planetary narrative?
Tuesday, February 3
1:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
EAPS IAP Lecture Series 2015: Origin of Life
Panel Discussion, moderated by Greg Fournier, MIT
Noam Prywes, Harvard University
Vlada Stamenkovi, MIT
Peter Gogarten, University of Connecticut
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/iap-2015
Open to: the general public
Cost: n/a
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Roberta Allard
617-253-3381
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Housing Access Solutions We Don't Want to Think About That Just Might Work
Tuesday, February 3
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM (EST)
ABCD Melnea Cass Room, 3rd Floor, 178 Tremont Street, Boston
Light Refreshments served at 3:00 PM
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/housing-access-solutions-we-dont-want-to-think-about-that-just-might-work-tickets-15192996662
Help ask the tough questions...
How can landlords help keep rents 'affordable'?
How might linkage, zoning, and other regulatory mechanisms increase the housing supply for families living in poverty?
Is micro-housing an answer for low-income individuals?
Should housing expenses be earmarked in a person's cash benefits?
... and leave with answers that lead to action!
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"Toward Single Atom Magnets"
Tuesday, February 3
3:30 pm
BU, Metcalf Science Center, Room 109, 590-596 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Refreshments will be served at 3:00 PM in 1st floor lounge
Speaker: Ileana Rau, IBM Research, San Jose, CA
Contact: W. Somers
Contact Email: wsomers at bu.edu
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Introduction to Making: Rapid 3D Fabrication at MIT... and Beyond
Tuesday, February 3
4:00p–5:15p
MIT, Building 36-112, 36 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Nancy Ouyang, John Hart, Nadya Peek, Alban Cobi, Jonathan Hunt
Do you want learn more about 3D printing, rapid fabrication and 'maker spaces'. This joint IS&T and ODL xTalks event will give you an overview of what is happening at MIT as well as a look into how alums are taking it out into the world.
We will begin with a crash course on the basics and key concepts by IS&T's Sr. Education & Sustainability IT Project Manager Jonathan Hunt, followed by a series of short examples of its use at MIT from a panel of pioneers active in this area. John Hart, Nancy Ouyang, Martin Culpepper, Nadya Peek, and Alban Cobi from the Edgerton Center will be sharing presentations and demos. After the presentations will be a panel discussion with Q&A.
xTalks: Digital Discourses
This series provides a forum to facilitate awareness, deep understanding and transference of educational innovations at MIT and elsewhere. We hope to foster a community of educators, researchers, and technologists engaged in developing and supporting effective learning experiences through online learning environments and other digital technologies.
Web site: http://odl.mit.edu/events/introduction-to-making
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Information Services and Technology (IS&T), OEIT- Office of Educational Innovation and Technology
For more information, contact: Molly Ruggles
617-324-9185
ruggles at mit.edu
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Building the Green Economy: Jobs and Climate Change
WHEN Tue., Feb. 3, 2015, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Room 2036 B, 1565 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) Robert Pollin, co-director Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), professor at University of Massachusetts – Amherst
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO john_trumpbour at harvard.edu
DETAILS Economist Robert Pollin discusses the future of environmental issues and the economy as well as his forthcoming book called "Greening the Global Economy."
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The Thousands: Lecture by Author ZZ Packer
WHEN Tue., Feb. 3, 2015, 4:15 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Author ZZ Packer, 2014–2015 Lillian Gollay Knafel Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS The author ZZ Packer will be reading from an excerpt of her novel-in-progress, titled “The Thousands.” Among its themes, the novel reflects on the interactions between a black cavalry regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers and the Native Americans they alternately fought against and protected throughout the West in the late 1800s.
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-zz-packer-lecture
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Promoting the Practice of Peace in the 21st Century
WHEN Tue., Feb. 3, 2015, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sperry Room, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Religion, Special Events
SPONSOR Religions and the Practice of Peace initiative
CONTACT Elizabeth Lee-Hood
DETAILS "Promoting the Practice of Peace in the 21st Century: Mobilizing Our Resources as Global Citizens, Religious Communities, and Universities," is a public event in celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week.
5:30 pm -- Address by Dean David N. Hempton (Sperry Room)
6 pm -- Remarks by Melissa Bartholomew, MDiv candidate, and screening of documentary film on Liberian women's interfaith action for peace (Sperry Room)
7:30 pm -- Dinner dialogue and discussion moderated by Melissa Bartholomew and Professor Diana Eck (Braun Room)
If you wish to attend the dinner dialogue and discussion, please RSVP by January 28, or as soon as possible, by emailing your name and affiliation to Elizabeth Lee-Hood.
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The Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction: What Really Killed the Dinosaurs?
Tuseday, February 3
6:00 PM
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Mark Richards, Professor of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California at Berkeley
About 66 million years ago, 70 percent of all the species that existed at the time, including the non-avian dinosaurs, became extinct in an apocalypse widely thought to have been caused by a meteor or comet impact on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. At approximately the same time, a series of volcanic eruptions in Western India produced torrents of lava that discharged large amounts of carbon dioxide and sulfur gas into the atmosphere. Mark Richards will review these remarkable events and explain a radical new theory suggesting they may be causally related. He will also discuss how ongoing research is shedding new light on the true cause(s) of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction.
Lecture. Free and open to the public
Presented in collaboration with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
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501 Tech Club's Networking & Happy Hour
Tuesday, February 3
6:00pm-8:00pm
The Vault, 105 Water Street, Boston
Come meet other nonprofit tech enthusiasts and share a drink with others who are also trying to make a difference. We look forward to seeing you there!
501 Tech Club is a community of nonprofit and technology professionals and others alike, that want to share their work and personal experiences to help the way technology is making a difference in Boston and around the world. Through meetups like these we encourage folks to connect, share, grow, and learn from one another. Come be a part of our community.
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BASG: Tackling Sustainability in Sports
Tuesday, February 3
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Cambridge Innovation Center - Venture Cafe, One Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/basg-tackling-sustainability-in-sports-tickets-15296472160
Cost: $10.00 - $12.00
As Superbowl XLIX approaches and Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympics advances, the Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) gathers to discuss and to debate the sustainability playbook of the sports industry.
We will take a break from the traditional format of speakers in favor of a highly interactive audience session in February. From green certified stadiums, to inaugural national league sustainability reports, to high profile partnerships, participants will examine brief case studies of the sports industry and weigh in on who's winning and second-place strategies.
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TechHub Boston Demo Night - February 2015
Tuesday, February 3
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM (EST)
Brooklyn Boulders Somerville, 12A Tyler Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/techhub-boston-demo-night-february-2015-tickets-15219972347
Demo Night is a chance to see what the top startups are working on, these are the people that are changing the future of business & tech! Join TechHub Tuesday night at Brooklyn Boulders Somerville to experience great demos from the exciting tech entrepreneur community.
Each startup has 5 minutes to demo their product in front of a live audience, it's not a pitch but an opportunity for each startup to explain (and show) what they have been working on. After each demo there is live Q&A with the audience.
Afterwards, stick around to have a snack, network, play ping pong or experience Brooklyn Boulders amazing selection of climbing walls for 1st timers to experts. We will have free gear (shoes, harness, chalk bags) & climbing facilitators ready. So arriving in your gym clothes or use the onsite locker room to change and be set for an amazing evening on and off the walls.
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Sport for Social Change
Tuesday, February 3
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Harvard Innovation Lab, 125 Western Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sport-for-social-change-tickets-15543596315
Join Johan Koss, President and CEO of Right To Play International for this interactive workshop discussing the power of Sport for Change.
Sport and play are powerful tools for social change. They can be used, not only for fun and recreation but to educate and empower children and youth. Right To Play uses sports and games throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and North America to teach children essential life skills that will help them overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease. The programs focus on improving the quality of education, transforming health practices and building peaceful communities to create better futures for the children and drive lasting social change in their communities and beyond.
Over the course of Johann's athletic career, he won a total of four gold medals, broke 10 world records, won three World All-round Championships, and numerous World Cups and National Championships. As the result of his athletic accomplishments and simultaneous humanitarian efforts, Johann was named the 1994 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, and was given the Jesse Owens Award, the International Athletic Foundation Award, and the Jackie Robinson Humanitarian Award. Johann was presented the Child Survival Award by the Carter Center in Atlanta, and during the celebration of UNICEF's 50th anniversary, was given UNICEF's Honorary Award.
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Peace & Planet: Are Nuclear Weapons Illegal?
Tuesday, February 3
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont Street, Faculty Dining Room, 4th floor, Boston
Organizing meeting for the Peace & Planet mobilization in New York City, April 26, 2015.
Valerie Epps, Professor of Law at Suffolk University, will present a talk on "Assessing the Legality of Nuclear Weapons".
Prof. Epps is the author of the 4 star textbook, International Law, now in its fourth edition. She teaches International Law and the Laws of War. Her talk will touch on the history of weapons control, laws that govern weapons in general, the various bodies of law that apply to nuclear weaopns, and the case that was filed in the International Court of Justice in 2014 by the Marshall Islands against the nuclear weapon states. A relevant reading is the 1996 International Court of Justice's (ICJ's) Advisory Opinion on the "Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons <http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/95/7495.pdf>". Of several dissenting opinions one that Prof. Epps recommends is that by Judge Weeramantry
<http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/95/7521.pdf>.
After hearing and discussing Prof. Epps' remarks we will make plans to organize Massachusetts residents to participate in the Peace & Planet Mobilization for a Nuclear-Free, Just, and Sustainable World <http://masspeaceaction.org/event/peace-and-planet>. Please look over our draft Massachusetts Peace & Planet Campaign Plan
<http://masspeaceaction.org/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Mass-P+P-Campaign-Plan.docx>
Will you help us make it happen? Sign up today and give us your feedback! <http://goo.gl/forms/3Z1GIhTeGI>
Questions? Comments? <http://goo.gl/forms/3Z1GIhTeGI>
Contact: Massachusetts Peace Action, info at masspeaceaction.org, 617-354-2169
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Wednesday, February 4
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Social Media Blitz: Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Get Found, Do More & Fret Less
Wednesday, February 4
9:30 AM to 11:30 AM (EST)
Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway, 5th Floor - Havana Training Room, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/social-media-blitz-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-get-found-do-more-fret-less-tickets-14884697531
Engagement. Followers. Seems like everyone is Tweeting, Liking, Pinning and ‘Tubing these days. We all know we need to incorporate social media into our marketing strategy but too often it seems like it is driving us. How can you use social media, specifically Twitter, to drive new business without organizational productivity falling down the proverbial well? This session will provide you with a number of simple Twitter tips and tricks, as well as LinkedIn and Facebook strategies you can start using today.
Speaker: Bobbie Carlton is the founder of Carlton PR & Marketing and Innovation Nights, and an award-winning marketing, PR and social media professional. Bobbie speaks regularly on social media, innovation communities and product launches, and helps startups, small businesses and individuals look at social networking and marketing strategically. In addition to working with a number of Boston-area PR and marketing firms, Bobbie previously headed marketing for the Beacon Street Girls, and global public relations at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and Cognos (now IBM). Follow Bobbie on Twitter as @BobbieC or @MassInno or @WomenInno
Doors will open for networking at 9:30am.
This program is part of McCarter & English’s ongoing series on legal and business topics for entrepreneurs and emerging companies. Programs are held once or twice each month and are open to members of the CIC and their guests, as well as to the greater Boston entrepreneurial community. Contact: Benjamin Hron, 617-449-6584, bhron at mccarter.com, @HronEsq
About the McCarter & English Venture Capital and Early Stage and Emerging Companies Group
McCarter’s Venture Capital and Early Stage and Emerging Companies Group is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build and finance their businesses and assisting angel and venture capital investor invest in early stage and emerging companies. The group is composed of tech-savvy lawyers who have helped build, grow, finance, sell and take public companies across the full spectrum of businesses, including Internet, software, medical devices, new media, life sciences, cleantech, healthcare, consumer products, biotechnology, retail, e-commerce, entertainment, financial services, insurance and telecom.
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"Why GaN is the Power Technology of the Future."
Wednesday, February 4
12pm
MIT, Building 34-401, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Alex Lidow, CEO, Efficient Power Conversion Corporation
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And Then What? Imagining the Middle East if Nuclear Negotiations with Iran Fail
WHEN Wed., Feb. 4, 2015, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Center Library (Littauer-369), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Law, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Managing the Atom and the Iran Project
SPEAKER(S) Gary Samore, executive director for research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Shai Feldman, Judith and Sidney Swartz Director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and professor of Politics at Brandeis University
Alexei Arbatov, scholar in residence, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Moscow Center and director, Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, research scholar, Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University.
Payam Mohseni, Director of the Iran Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, will chair the event.
COST Free and open to the public
TICKET INFO This event is open to the Harvard community. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
CONTACT INFO atom at hks.harvard.edu
DETAILS As nuclear negotiations with Iran go into their second year, and the US congress considers a new sanctions bill, the chances of reaching a comprehensive settlement are highly uncertain. The number of regional and global actors with stakes in Iran’s nuclear trajectory means that a failure of negotiations would have far-reaching consequences. Different scenarios leading to the breakdown of talks could produce distinct pathways for the aftermath of diplomatic failure. In particular, whether or not negotiations end with the P5+1 united or divided will affect the prospects of further multilateral sanctions, as well as the behavior of Iran and its regional rivals. The panel will examine these scenarios, and consider the consequences of a collapse of the negotiations for Iran’s nuclear policy, for regional politics and security, and for relations among the P5+1.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6556/and_then_what_imagining_the_middle_east_if_nuclear_negotiations_with_iran_fail.html
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Polymer Mechanochemistry and Self-Healing Materials
Wednesday, February 4
3:30p–4:45p
MIT, Building 56-114, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Refreshments at 3pm
Speaker: Prof. Jeffrey S. Moore, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Illinois
MIT Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM)
PPSM sponsors a series of seminars covering a broad range of topics of general interest to the polymer community, featuring speakers from both on and off campus. We invite the polymer community at MIT and elsewhere to participate. For further information, contact Professor Jeremiah Johnson at jaj2109 at mit.edu. All talks take place on Wednesdays.
Web site: http://polymerscience.mit.edu/?page_id=2425
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM)
For more information, contact: Gregory Sands
(617) 253-0949
ppsm-www at mit.edu
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Strategic Policy Choice in State Level Regulation: The EPA's Clean Power Plan
WHEN Wed., Feb. 4, 2015, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Seminar in Environmental Economics and Policy, Harvard Environmental Economics Program
SPEAKER(S) Christopher Knittel, MIT
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k105744
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DNA Dreams: Film and panel discussion
WHEN Wed., Feb. 4, 2015, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, 105 Emerson Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Ethics, Health Sciences, Science, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Race & Gender in Science & Medicine at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research
SPEAKER(S) Dr. Evelynn Hammonds, director of the Project on Race & Gender in Science & Medicine, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research and Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science
Bregjte van der Haak, filmmaker
Arthur Kleinman, director of the Harvard University Asia Center and professor of Anthropology and Medical Anthropology at Harvard University
Peter Galison, professor, Pellegrino University and director of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, Harvard University
George Church, Robert Winthrop Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
DIRECTED BY Bregtje van der Haak
COST Free and Open to the Public
CONTACT INFO The Hutchins Center
Phone: 617.495.8508
HutchinsCenter at fas.harvard.edu
LINK hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu
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An Innovation Series Event: The Future of Sex - or, How to Make Complex Technological Concepts Completely Irresistible
Wednesday, February 4
5:30p–8:00p
MIT, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge
Speaker: Whitehead Director and McArthur Fellow Dr. David Page
Dr. David Page on the marketing of science to nonscientists
Whitehead Director and McArthur Fellow Dr. David Page (and Colbert Report guest) will join us to discuss the challenges associated with communicating esoteric science / engineering / technology concepts to potential investors, customers, partners and other target audiences who may find these ideas baffling, boring, disturbing, or even terrifying.
Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/davidpage/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free For Students
Tickets: online
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact: Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
agoggins at mit.edu
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Carbon Tax Panel Discussion
Wednesday, February 4
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
5:30 - 6pm registration and networking
6-7:30pm panel and Q&A followed by networking
Prince Lobel Tye LLP, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston
Come join us as we learn about how carbon pricing could work in Massachusetts, and why "tax" may not be the right word for it. This timely discussion will address carbon pricing, including State Senator Michael Barrett's proposed carbon pricing legislation, and the interplay with the new Baker administration, EPA's Clean Power Plan, RGGI, and the results of DOER's recent study on a carbon fee or tax. It is sure to be a rousing and informative discussion. Drinks and light appetizers will be served. The event is complimentary and open to all, but space is limited, so please RSVP (please also RSVP so your name can be added to security and bring a photo ID, which will be required). We hope to see you there!
Moderator: Zaurie Zimmerman, Zaurie Zimmerman Associates and Climate XChange
Panelists: State Senator Michael Barrett, Wayne Davis, Harvest Power, Gilbert Metcalf, Tufts University, Professor of Economics
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CryptoParty - Secure Yourself Online
Wednesday, February 4
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Akamai Technologies Inc, 8 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/desktop-linux-users-group/events/219275773/
Steve Revilak, Quartermaster for the Massachusetts Pirate Party, will show us how to protect ourselves online. Topics will include:
How Packet Sniffing Works and Why You're Vunerable
Securing Email (PGP)
Securing Web Browsing
Q & A for other topics of interest (e.g. chat, VOIP, etc.)
Plus, Jérémie Astori will present a quick & dirty script you can create partitions when installing Ubuntu on a fully encrypted disk.
Thank You Akamai
Akamai has generously agreed to provide space and 'free as in food' for this meeting. Thank you to our sponsor! http://www.akamai.com/
More Upcoming Meetings
Free Culture & Free Software (Matt Lee)
Wednesday, Jan 7
http://meetu.ps/2DhB2q
LibrePlanet 2015
Sat & Sun, Mar 21 - 22
https://libreplanet.org/2015/
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Humans and Wildlife: The New Imbalance
Wednesday, February 4
7:00 — 8:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Jim Sterba, Author of Nature Wars
By the late 19th century, North American forests and wildlife were in dire straits. For nearly 400 years, arriving Europeans had removed trees and killed off wild birds and animals to the point that a few enlightened leaders sounded the alarm, and the conservation movement was born. Three slow but remarkable transformations followed. Forests reclaimed huge swaths of abandoned cropland. Many threatened wildlife populations, restocked in refuges and protected, slowly grew back to health. Then, people moved out of cities after World War II, creating a mosaic of suburban, exurban and rural sprawl where family farms once thrived. Now, this new habitat is filled with people who want to “leave nature alone,” and many wildlife populations are proliferating out of balance. We have mounting community conflicts over what to do, or not to do, about deer, beavers, Canada Geese, and other species. As the dominant player in our ecosystems, it is time for us to overcome our reluctance and embrace our stewardship role.
Jim Sterba is an internationally recognized author and correspondent who has reported for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal for more than four decades. His book, Nature Wars, published in 2012, has earned critical acclaim and catalyzed an important national conversation about wildlife management.
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Homeless in the Cold: talk by Jim O'Connell M.D.
Wednesday, February 4
7:30-9:00 p.m.
Beacon Hill Friends House, 6 Chestnut Street, Boston
Dr. Jim O'Connell, president of Boston Health Care for the Homeless, will address the particular health challenges of living outside in extreme cold. He'll also offer tips for passersby who encounter someone in apparent distress.
Free admission and light refreshments. It's an informal gathering, so feel free to show up late if that fits your schedule.
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Thursday, February 5
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Using a One Health approach to respond to infectious disease outbreaks: USAID/RESPOND project in East and Central Africa
Thursday, February 5
12:00-1:00pm
Tufts, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Hellen Amuguni, Center for Conservation Medicine, Tufts University
The USAID RESPOND project was part of multi-year multi-project effort to pre-empt or combat at their source, the first stages of zoonotic diseases that pose a significant threat to human health. It focused on eight countries in Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon, areas considered “hot spots" for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Amuguni will present an overview of the RESPOND project in the last 5 years and how it has strengthened training, educational programs, and support to universities, governments, and civil society using One Health approaches to improve their capacity to prepare and respond to outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin.
Dr. Amuguni trained as a veterinarian at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She went on to earn a Masters degree in International Development with a focus on participatory development and gender from Clark University, and a PhD in Infectious Diseases from Tufts University. Dr. Amuguni has worked previously as a veterinarian, community development specialist and gender consultant in the horn of Africa mostly with pastoralist communities. Most of her work involved developing gender sensitive livestock training materials and programs for men and women at grass root level, providing training and capacity building for animal health specialists at both policy and implementation levels and using participatory rural approaches to assist communities form effective alliances, build partnerships and identify solutions to their problems. She has worked and consulted for various organizations including Food for the Hungry International, Heifer Project International, Veterinarians without Borders (VSF-B) under the umbrella of the UN-Operation Lifeline Sudan, SNV Netherlands Development Organization and AU/IBAR.
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France After the Terrorist Attacks in Paris
WHEN Thu., Feb. 5, 2015, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Center for European Studies, 27 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Center for European Studies
SPEAKER(S) Gérard Araud, ambassador of France to the United States
CONTACT INFO Roumiana Theunissen, program and outreach coordinator, rtheunissen at fas.harvard.edu
LINK ces.fas.harvard.edu/#/events/3113
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Computation and Incentives in Social Computing
Thursday, February 5
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin G115, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Yiling Chen, Harvard SEAS
Social computing is a broad and evolving research area that concerns harnessing human intelligence to solve computational problems. The success of a social computing system relies on complex and dynamic interactions among people and computing technologies. My research group has focused on designing rules of interactions to achieve system-wide goals in social computing. We approach the design problem from three interleaving directions: algorithms and computational theory, theory of incentive alignment, and understanding of human social behavior. In this talk, I will present a few projects along these directions, with a common theme of understanding how to obtain high-quality contributions from participants in social computing.
Speaker Bio: Yiling Chen is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Natural Sciences and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University. She received her Ph.D. in Information Sciences and Technology from the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to working at Harvard, she spent two years at Yahoo! Research in New York City. Her current research focuses on topics in the intersection of computer science and economics. She received an ACM EC Outstanding Paper Award, an AAMAS Best Paper Award, and an NSF Career award, and was selected by IEEE Intelligent Systems as one of "AI's 10 to Watch" in 2011.
Computer Science Colloquium Series
Contact: Gioia Sweetland
Phone: 617-495-2919
Email: gioia at seas.harvard.edu
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American Public Opinion on Climate Change: Motivated Cognition?
Thursday, February 5
5 pm
Harvard, Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall, 5 Harvard Yard, Cambridge
Special Seminar with Jon Krosnick
Jon Krosnick, Professor of Communication, Political Science, and Psychology, Stanford University, on “American Public Opinion on Climate Change: Motivated Cognition?” Dustin Tingley, the Sack Associate Professor of Political Economy in the Dept. of Government, will moderate the discussion.
Jon Krosnick is a social psychologist who does research on attitude formation, change, and effects, on the psychology of political behavior, and on survey research methods. He is the Frederic O. Glover Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor of Communication, Political Science, and (by courtesy) Psychology. At Stanford, in addition to his professorships, he directs the Political Psychology Research Group and the Summer Institute in Political Psychology.
Research Interests
Author of four books and more than 140 articles and chapters, Dr. Krosnick conducts research in three primary areas: (1) attitude formation, change, and effects, (2) the psychology of political behavior, and (3) the optimal design of questionnaires used for laboratory experiments and surveys, and survey research methodology more generally.
His attitude research has focused primarily on the notion of attitude strength, seeking to differentiate attitudes that are firmly crystallized and powerfully influential of thinking and action from attitudes that are flexible and inconsequential. Many of his studies in this area have focused on the amount of personal importance that an individual chooses to attach to an attitude. Dr. Krosnick’s studies have illuminated the origins of attitude importance (e.g., material self-interest and values) and the cognitive and behavioral consequences of importance in regulating attitude impact and attitude change processes.
Among the topics explored by Dr. Krosnick’s political psychology research are: how policy debates affect voters’ candidate preferences, how the news media shape which national problems citizens think are most important for the nation and shape how citizens evaluate the President’s job performance, how becoming very knowledgeable about and emotionally invested in a government policy issue (such as abortion or gun control) affects people’s political thinking and participation, how people’s political views change as they move through the life-cycle from early adulthood to old age, and how the order of candidates’ names on the ballot affect voting behavior.
For fifteen years, Professor Krosnick has been conducting survey research on the American public’s views of global warming. Many of his papers and public presentations on the topic can be seen on his website at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford, which has provided support for much of his recent work on this topic.
His questionnaire design work has illuminated the cognitive and social processes that unfold between researcher and respondent when the latter are asked to answer questions, and his on-going review of 100 years worth of scholarly research on the topic has yielded a set of guidelines for the optimal design of questionnaires to maximize reliability and validity. His recent work in survey methodology has explored the impact of mode of data collection (e.g., face-to-face, telephone, Internet) on response accuracy and the impact of survey response rates on substantive results.
More at http://green.harvard.edu/events/american-public-opinion-climate-change-motivated-cognition#sthash.Nnnf6ZUg.dpuf
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Nanotechnology for Biology, from Single Molecules Towards Synthetic Cells
Thursday, February 5
5:00pm to 6:00pm
Harvard, Pfizer Lecture Hall, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Professor Cees Dekker, Delft University of Technology; Kavli Institute of Nanoscience.
Nanotechnology offers a range of opportunities to contribute to biology. Here I will present examples where nanofabrication – the ability to make confined structures with dimensions at will – is used to examine the biophysics of single molecules and cells. I will present some examples from our lab:
1. DNA translocation through solid-state nanopores [1]
Solid-state nanopores have proven to be a surprisingly versatile probe for single-molecule analysis of DNA. I will describe some of our recent findings – specifically DNA knots – as well as our efforts to expand the capabilities of solid-state nanopores even further, in the direction of single-protein detection, graphene nanopores, plasmonic nanopores, and DNA origami nanopores.
2. Exploring biophysics of bacteria with nanofabricated shapes [2]
We shape bacteria into forms that deviate from their natural phenotype. Specifically, I will show our ability to shape live E. coli bacteria into novel shapes such as rectangles, squares, triangles and circles. We study pattern formation in these geometries. I will show spatiotemporal oscillations of Min proteins – associated with cell division – in such artificial geometries of live E. coli cells.
Finally, I will briefly sketch some of our ideas to explore the building of synthetic cells, specifically our first steps to establish synthetic cell division.
R.B. Woodward Lectures in the Chemical Sciences, Harvard/MIT Physical Chemistry Seminar.
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Scott McCloud discusses his graphic novel The Sculptor
Thursday, February 5
6:00 PM
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.harvard.com/event/scott_mccloud/
Cost: $5 tickets on sale January 13 at 9am
More information at (617) 661-1515, info at harvard.com
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Truck Farm, a documentary
Thursday, February 5
6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 10-150, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Film Director Ian Cheney, with an introduction by Heather Lee (MIT)
Screening of the film Truck Farm followed by Q&A with director and Knight Fellow, Ian Cheney as part of the larger event: Consuming Food, Producing Culture: Past and Present Worlds of Food and Gender
February 5-7, 2015, MIT
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): WGS, Global Studies and Languages, History
For more information, contact: Emily Neill
617-253-2642
wgs at mit.edu
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Film Screening: The Man Who Saved the World
WHEN Thu., Feb. 5, 2015, 6 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Starr Auditorium (Belfer-B200), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Film, Information Technology, Law, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Managing the Atom
SPEAKER(S) Lt. Col. Brandon Parker (USAF), MTA/ISP Research Fellow
CONTACT INFO atom at hks.harvard.edu/6174954219
DETAILS The week of February 2-6, 2015, colleges and universities across the country will take part in a National Screening of this unreleased, award-winning movie about Stanislav Petrov, a former Soviet Lt. Colonel. On September 26, 1983, Petrov was the commanding officer on duty at a Soviet nuclear early warning center, when the system falsely reported the launching of five nuclear missiles from the United States. In the harrowing moments that followed, Petrov overruled the system's warning, personally declaring that it was a false alarm. This monumental decision very likely prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the United States and its Western allies. Petrov’s decision changed the fate of the world but turned his life upside down – which is poignantly told in the film.
The Project on Managing the Atom will hold a screening for the Harvard community on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. in Starr Auditorium (Belfer B-200), followed by a discussion led by Lt. Col. Brandon Parker (USAF), a research fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program, and Matthew Bunn, professor of practice at HKS.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6540/film_screening.html
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Food Chains - Followed by an expert panel discussion
Thursday, February 5
6:30 – 8:30pm
Tufts Fletcher School ASEAN Auditorium, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
Tickets and additional information available at: http://foodchains-fjl.brownpapertickets.com
Free admission. $5 donation suggested, benefiting the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Food Chain Workers’ Alliance
Panelists include:
Smriti Keshari, Food Chains Producer
Diana Robinson of the Food Chain Workers’ Alliance
Alex Galimberti, The Restaurant Opportunities Center of Boston
Jerel Dye, artist for the Food Chain Workers’ Comic book – signed copies will be available!
A representative from the Student Farmworker Alliance
Hosted by the Friedman Justice League, in collaboration with: The Food Chain Workers’ Alliance, The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Fletcher Food Policy Club, and Tufts University: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, The Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning department, and The Friedman School of Nutrition.
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Redesiging Civilization: Permaculture's Vision for a Just and Sustainable World
Thursday, February 5
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
First Church, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
Join the Jamaica Plain Forum in welcoming world reknown permaculture and ecology expert. This is a lecture open to the public.
It’s no secret that our society has become unsustainable. Modern agriculture, industry and finance all extract more than they give back, and the Earth is starting to show the strain. How did we get in this mess? And, more importantly, what can we do to help our culture get back on track?
The ecological design approach known as permaculture offers powerful tools for the design of regenerative, fair ways to provide food, energy, livelihood, and other needs while letting humans share the planet with the rest of nature. This presentation will give you insight into why our culture has become fundamentally unsustainable, and offers ecologically based solutions that can help create a just and sustainable society.
BIO: Toby Hemenway is the author of Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, which was awarded the Nautilus Gold Medal in 2011, was named by the Washington Post as one of the ten best gardening books of 2010, and for the last eight years has been the best-selling permaculture book in the world. Toby has been an adjunct professor at Portland State University, Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University, and has taught over sixty 72-hour permaculture design courses. He has presented lectures and workshops at major sustainability conferences such as Bioneers, SolFest, and EcoFarm, and at Duke University, Tufts University, University of Minnesota, University of Delaware and many other educational venues. His writing has appeared in magazines such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and American Gardener. Toby and his wife, Kiel, spent ten years creating a rural permaculture site in southern Oregon. They then moved to Portland, Oregon in 2004, where Toby spent six years developing urban sustainability resources. Toby and his wife now live in Sebastopol, California. His new book on urban permaculture, The Permaculture City, will be coming out in mid-2015.
More information at http://jamaicaplainforum.org/event/redesigning-civilization/
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MIT Global IDEAS Challenge Spring Generator Dinner
Thursday, February 5
7:00-9:00pm
MIT, Building W20, Lobdell, Second Floor, Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-generator-dinner-registration-10386525377
Working on a project to help underserved communities? Need funding?
Want to recruit new members for your IDEAS Global Challenge team?
Want to get involved, but don't yet have an idea?
Join us for dinner. Hear from winning MIT IDEAS Global Challenge teams. Pitch an idea. Find a team.
This is one of the best venues to find a team to join or pitch your idea to woo and recruit teammates or pitch your skills to get hired onto a team. With the final chance to submit a Scope Statement less than 2 weeks away (2/18), get started!
TO PITCH YOUR IDEA
The evening will feature two recruitment open mic sessions to help teams form. Have an idea and looking for teammates? Sign up to pitch an idea (link will be posted closer to event date).
If you don’t want to pitch, come join to mix and mingle to meet potential teammates!
Email: globalchallenge at mit.edu
Website: http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/events/view/382
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Friday, February 6
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Competitive Coexistence on Shared Resources Evolves Due to Crowded Growth
Friday, February 6
8:30am – 9:30am
Harvard, HUCE Seminar Room 310, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com/#!programs/c18hu
Speaker: Evgeni Frenkel (FAS-OEB)
More information at http://www.msi.harvard.edu/events/eventscal.html
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Innovation Breakfast at Oficio (30 Newbury Street)
Friday, February 6
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EST)
Oficio, 30 Newbury Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-breakfast-at-oficio-30-newbury-street-tickets-15536267394
The Roving Innovation Breakfast continues! Hosted by Bobbie Carlton, founder of Mass Innovation Nights, we're partnering with Pivotal Labs Boston for a new edition of our weekly drop-in networking event. We'll be visiting Oficio on 30 Newbury Street. Check out this cool co-working space. Join us for coffee+, networking and one-on-one discussions with the software development experts from Pivotal Labs.
Meet the Experts:
Jared Cosulich is the Director of the Boston office for Pivotal Labs. He is a serial entrepreneur who has been the technical founder or co-founder of three companies. He recently moved back to Boston after 12 years in San Francisco's startup scene and is eager to help Boston area entrepreneurs. He has extensive experience with software development, agile and XP processes, product roadmaps, and startups in general. Follow Jared on Twitter @jaredcosulich
Simon Holroyd is a product manager at Pivotal Labs. Prior to labs, Simon lead a product & development team at a successful fashion-tech startup, ran an iOS development consulting business, and worked as an developer & marketer in the digital advertising industry. After a 4 year stint living in NYC, he's recently returned to his home town in Boston and is eager to pass along as many hard-learned lessons in product development as he can!
Bobbie Carlton, founder of Carlton PR & Marketing and Mass Innovation Nights (MIN), is an award-winning marketing, PR and social media professional. Bobbie and the MIN community have helped to launch more than 700 new products. Every month the group provides 10 entrepreneurs with a free 30-day marketing program, featuring the products in social media campaigns, in a weekly newsletter, on the organization's showcase website and at a live event. Follow Bobbie on Twitter as @BobbieC or @MassInno or now, @WomenInno. Innovation Women is a new online speakers bureau for entrepreneurial and technical women, coming soon.
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2015 MassDiGI Game Challenge
Friday, February 6 at 9:30 AM - Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 5:30 PM (EST)
Microsoft NERD Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-massdigi-game-challenge-general-admission-registration-14504157325
The MassDiGI Game Challenge is a one-of-a-kind competition event that helps aspiring game developers launch new games. The Game Challenge will be held on February 6-7, 2015 at the Microsoft NERD Center in Cambridge, MA. Featuring panel discussions, keynote talks and more - you won’t want to miss this! A general admission ticket gives you the chance to check out everything, hear the talks, listen to the panels, network and have a blast! The Game Challenge will feature:
Competitive Game Challenge w/ Desirable Prizes: Check out the entered games in one of three levels (Indie, College and High School) and in one of two categories (Best Entertainment Game or Best Serious Game).
Educational Programming: Day 1 of the Game Challenge will feature sessions to help teams fine-tune their pitch for the judging committee. Mini-sessions will focus on the topics of art, design, business and technology.
Indie Game Showcase: What would a Game Challenge be without a few games to play! The Massachusetts Indie community is full of extremely talented individuals with great ideas on the cutting edge of game development. Teams and general attendees will have a chance to network with and, more importantly, play some of the great Indie games created in our own backyards.
Whether you are a small developer looking to breakout or a student exploring job opportunities, after attending the 2015 MassDiGI Game Challenge you’ll be guaranteed to walk away with valuable new connections and a better understanding of this exciting industry.
REGISTER EARLY!
NOTE: The deadline for general admission registration is Friday, January 23 at 5pm ET!
Registration for both competing teams and general attendees is limited, so we encourage all interested parties to sign up as early as possible.
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Optical Wireless Communications For Next-Generation Data Centers
Friday, February 6
11:00 am to 12:00 pm
BU, Photonics Center, 8 Saint Marys Street, Boston
Refreshments will be served outside of PHO 339 at 10:45.
Shlomi ArnonBen-Gurion University of the Negev, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Abstract: Data centers collect and process information with a capacity that has been increasing from year to year at an almost exponential pace. Traditional fiber/cable data center network interconnections suffer from bandwidth overload, as well as flexibility and scalability issues. Therefore, a technology-shift from the fiber and cable to wireless has already been initiated in order to meet the required data-rate, flexibility and scalability demands for next-generation data center network interconnects. In addition, the shift to wireless reduces the volume allocated to the cabling/fiber and increases the cooling efficiency. Optical wireless communication (OWC), or free space optics (FSO), is one of the most effective wireless technologies that could be used in future data centers and could provide ultra-high capacity, very high cyber security and minimum latency, due to the low index of refraction of air in comparison to fiber technologies. In this talk we review the main concepts and configurations for next generation OWC for data centers. Two families of technologies are reviewed: the first technology regards interconnects between rack units in the same rack and the second technology regards the data center network that connects the server top of rack (TOR) to the switch. Measurement results in operational data center are presented.
Speaker Bio: Shlomi Arnon is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Ben-Gurion University (BGU), Israel. Professor Arnon's honors and awards include SPIE Fellow and Fulbright Fellow. During 1998-1999 Professor Arnon was a Postdoctoral Associate (Fulbright Fellow) at LIDS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA. His research has produced more than eighty journal papers in the area of optical, satellite and wireless communication. During part of the summer of 2007, he worked at TU/e and PHILIPS LAB, Eindhoven, Nederland on a novel concept of a dual communication and illumination system. He was visiting professor during the summer of 2008 at TU Delft, Nederland. During the year 2011-2012 he took sabbatical leave at the Silicon nano photonic Lab, Cornell University, USA. He is/was an associate editor for the Optical Society of America - Journal of Optical Networks in 2006, and the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications for a special issue on optical wireless communication in 2009 and 2015. He is co-author of the book Applied Aspects of Optical Communication and LIDAR, Taylor & Francis/ CRC, 2010 a co-editor of the book Advanced Optical Wireless Communication Systems, Cambridge University Press, 2012 and editor of the book Visible Light Communication Cambridge University Press, 2015. In addition to research, Prof Arnon and his students work on many challenging engineering projects with especial emphasis on the humanitarian dimension. For instance, a long-standing project has dealt with developing a system to detect human survival after earthquakes, or Infant respiration monitoring system to prevent cardiac arrest and Apnea.
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The Rise and (Apparent) Fall of the "Russian Mafia"
Friday, February 6
2:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Mark Galeotti
In the 1990s, the tattooed thug was a staple of Russian life and Boris Yeltsin was warning that Russia was becoming a "superpower of crime". But while that Russian gangster is still alive and well in films and airport thrillers, Moscow's streets are safer than New York's. Have the old-style thugs just died out or moved away? Are we seeing the demise of Russian organized crime, or is it simply transforming itself into something else - and if so, what, and is this an irreversible process? And how have recent events such as the annexation of Crimea affecting matters?
Mark Galeotti is Professor of Global Affairs at New York University's Center for Global Affairs and an expert on Russian security affairs. Educated at Cambridge and the LSE, he has been a special adviser to the British government and continues to work with a range of government agencies. His next book, 'Spetsnaz: Russia's special forces', is due out in 2015, and he is completing a history of Russian organized crime.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MISTI MIT-Russia Program, Security Studies Program, Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Ema Kaminskaya
617- 2542793
ekaminsk at mit.edu
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Renegade Dreams: Living through Injury in Gangland Chicago
Friday, February 6
3:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Laurence Ralph, author
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Information Spread in Networks: Games, Optimal Control, and Stabilization
Friday, February 6
3:00pm to 4:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin G125, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Ali Khanafer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Various global patterns in computer, social, and biological networks stem from local interactions among agents. Examples include birds flying in formation, propagation of rumors, and epidemics. Controlling the spread of information in networks is challenging primarily due to the dependence of the agents' dynamics on the underlying graph structure. In this talk, we focus on designing efficient mechanisms for controlling information spread in networks using tools from control and game theories. We consider two models for information spread. For the first model, which is linear, we show that potential-theoretic strategies are optimal. The second model is a nonlinear one that describes virus spread in networks. Using notions from positive systems theory, we provide conditions for the global asymptotic stability of the virus spread dynamics over arbitrary directed networks. Moreover, we identify classes of networks that can be cured by controlling the curing rates of a limited number of agents only.
Speaker Bio: Ali Khanafer obtained his Ph.D. in December 2014 from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the supervision of Prof. Tamer Basar. His Ph.D. was partially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship. He obtained a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa in 2008, where he graduated at the top of his class. In the summer of 2012, he was a research intern at Bell Laboratories, NJ, where he worked with the Network Protocols & System Research Group. His research interests lie at the intersection of game theory, optimal control theory, multi-agent systems, and nonlinear control. He is recipient of an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014), the Best Student Paper Award at the IFAC NecSys (2012), and an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship (2008).
Electrical Engineering Seminar Series
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Cambrian Innovation: Creating Renewable Micro-Utilities
Friday, 6 February
4:00 pm
MIT, Building 56-154 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Dr. Justin Buck, Co-Founder and CTO, Cambrian Innovation
Water-related risk is causing problems for water-intensive industries like food and beverage producers. Cambrian Innovation is solving these industrial challenges by leveraging advanced biotechnology. Our simple, distributed wastewater treatment trains are powered by our core technology, the EcoVolt. The EcoVolt’s modular design and turn-key installation help us create renewable micro-utilities on the customer’s site. These micro-utilities extract resources like clean water, clean electricity and clean heat from wastewater, allowing us to sell it back to our customer at a discount to municipal utility rates. By reusing water and producing renewable energy, our service-based solutions help partners cut their costs while increasing their production capacity.
Speaker Bio:
Co-founder and CTO of Cambrian Innovation, Dr. Buck is a chemical and biological engineer with significant industry and academic experience. He is inventor of Cambrian’s sensor platform has been co-investigator on a range of projects at Cambrian ranging from genetic engineering of electrogenic bacteria to design of pilot-scale bioelectrochemical systems. Dr. Buck earned his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT in the area of metabolic engineering and microbial phototrophy. Dr. Buck is an outdoors enthusiast and formerly a high-level soccer player.
Refreshments will be served!
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ID Hack 2015 Meetup
Friday, February 6
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
Microsoft New England, 1 Memorial Drive #1, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/id-hack-2015-meetup-tickets-15368625974
MIT Global Poverty Initiative, Harvard Developers for Development, Tufts Entrepreneurs Society, and Tufts Empower are working together to host the third annual ID Hack on February 13 – 14 at Tufts University. ID Hack is an international development hackathon which facilitates collaboration between technologists and field workers to better enhance service delivery. This informal gathering allows talented, enthusiastic students from the greater Boston area to meet each other prior to the hackathon and form teams for the hackathon. Dinner will be served.
Learn more about the hackathon at http://idhack.developersfordevelopment.org/.
Register for the hackathon at http://idhack15.eventbrite.com
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Krav Maga
7:00 pm
Friday, February 6
Porter Square Books, Porter Square Shopping Center, 25 White Street, Cambridge
Gershon Ben Keren,
A no-nonsense approach to neutralizing attackers in close quarters. Author Gershon Ben Keren explains the philosophy behind the Krav Maga method, which is the basis of the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) devastating close-combat system. This book lays out a systematic approach to self-defense and provides illustrated confrontation scenarios paired with tailored practical responses.
Accompanied by clear, easy-to-follow photographs, practical combat skills are described in step-by-step detail, along with the movement patterns needed to make them effective in real-life settings. All of the photos in the book were shot in real-time, demonstrating what realistic movements -- both from the attacker's and defender's perspective -- look like. The situational components of such violent incidents are explained, so the reader can learn to identify, predict, and avoid violence before it occurs.
Gershon Ben Keren, the lead instructor at Krav Maga Yashir in Charlestown, is a third-degree black belt.
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Saturday, February 7
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Urban Permaculture for a Fear-Free Future with Toby Hemenway
Saturday, February 7
9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan
RSVP at http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/program-catalog#program:sanctuary=21:program_code=38567
Cost: $80.00
Instructor: Toby Hemenway - Toby Hemenway is the author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, which was awarded the Nautilus Gold Medal in 2011, was named by the Washington Post as one of the ten best gardening books of 2010, and for the last eight years has been the best-selling permaculture book in the world. His new book on urban permaculture will be coming out in mid-2015.
How can we create resilient, regenerative cities and suburbs? Permaculture, an ecological approach to design, shows us how. Though land may be limited, cities are rich in other resources, especially social capital. This workshop will show how to find, harvest, and integrate the many resources in our cities in sustainable ways, including getting access to land for gardening, creating business guilds and networks, working with local government and policy makers, learning the pattern language of the city, creating public space in neighborhoods, and building urban ecovillages. This workshop will offer specific techniques and strategies for food production, energy and water security, and community resilience in metropolitan areas. We'll learn how permaculture's principles and design methods apply to the challenging yet rich environments of our cities as well as the sprawling, car-requiring spaces in suburbia, and will provide ways to leverage the special opportunities that cities and suburbs provide.
Toby Hemenway has been an adjunct professor at Portland State University, Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University, and has taught over sixty 72-hour permaculture design courses. He has presented lectures and workshops at major sustainability conferences such as Bioneers, SolFest, and EcoFarm, and at Duke University, Tufts University, University of Minnesota, University of Delaware and many other educational venues. His writing has appeared in magazines such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and American Gardener. He has contributed book chapters for WorldWatch Institute and to several publications on ecological design. Toby and his wife, Kiel, spent ten years creating a rural permaculture site in southern Oregon. They then moved to Portland, Oregon in 2004, where Toby spent six years developing urban sustainability resources. Toby and his wife now live in Sebastopol, California.
Registration is required.
Register online or call 617-983-8500 to register by phone.
For more information, contact: bnc at massaudubon.org
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Massachusetts Peace Action 2015 Annual Meeting
Saturday, February 7
12:00pm - 5:00pm
First Church in Boston Unitarian Universalist, 66 Marlborough Street, Boston
RSVP at http://mapa-2015.bpt.me
Cost: $10-20
Dennis Kucinich, former Member of Congress and presidential candidate; author, The Courage to Survive.
Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Pastor for Formation and Justice, First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain; author, Gods, Gays, and Guns: Essays on Religion and the future of Democracy
We will also:
discuss and perhaps approve a version of the Foreign Policy for All document
review and approve the organization's 2015 program plan
elect board members
discuss key issues in workshops
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Sunday, February 8
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Pot Goes to the Ethical Society
Sunday, February 8
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
The Humanist Hub, 30 JFK JFK Street, 4th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/cansociety/events/219449110/
We are co-hosting a panel event in front of the Ethical Society of Boston to discuss the issue of cannabis legalization in 2016 and try and garner the support from the humanist community. Join us as we mix and mingle with the humanist community in Boston.
Information on Ethical Society of Boston: Ethical Society's aim is to build a supportive community of people who share a vision of society based on our core values: honesty, justice, compassion, responsibility, and courage. This community promotes these values by engaging in important social issues, seeking to both understand them and take action on them. http://bostonethical.org/
Panelists
Bill Downing, Treasurer of Bay State Repeal
Bill is currently Treasurer of Bay State Repeal which is working to craft a legalization initiative in 2016 and was president of the MASS CANN/NORML for 13 years and is now the editor of the members’ newsletter MASS GRASS and the treasurer. He was one of two operations managers for the Massachusetts Coalition for Medicinal Cannabis (MC2).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billdowning
Matt Simon, Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
Matt Simon is the New England Political Director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). He has been working since 2007 to reform marijuana laws in New England, lobbying and organizing in support of medical marijuana legislation that finally passed into law in 2013 (after having been vetoed by the governor in both 2009 and 2012).
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-simon/22/554/192
Nichole Snow, Deputy Director Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance
Nichole Snow is Deputy Director of Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance and works with medical marijuana patients, their family members, medical professionals, and other public health groups to support safe access to medical marijuana for patients. The alliance is currently working to introduce a bill for the upcoming[masked] legislative session that would fix the caregiver system and provide discrimination protections for patients.
www.linkedin.com/pub/nichole-snow/32/883/399
Laws Twentyfour, Sensational Kind Buds (SKB)
Director of Cultivation and Product Development at SKB. He is also Director of Product Development at Cannabis Society of Massachusetts, helping us reach out and develop our membership packages, events, and what we recommend to our members.
https://www.facebook.com/laws.twentyfour
Uma V.A. Dhanabalan MD, Uplifting Health & Wellness
Uma V.A. Dhanabalan, MD, MPH, FAAFP, MRO is a highly respected physician trained in Family Medicine and Occupational & Environmental Medicine. She is Board certified in Occupational Medicine, Medical Review Officer and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She received her Medical Degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of Newark, New Jersey and her Master’s Degree in Public Health specializing in Occupational & Environmental Medicine from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008556311630
Elin Trinidad, Methodology Extracts
Founder and President of Methodology Extracts, Elin is a Master at extracting and develops some of the best extracts in Massachusetts.
https://www.facebook.com/ETrinidad0712
Jeremiah MacKinnon, Cannabis Society of Massachusetts
Jeremiah MacKinnon is Co-Founder & Secretary of the Cannabis Society of Massachusetts and an activist with an independent attitude challenging drug paradigms, discussing cannabis culture, and legalizing cannabis in Massachusetts and across the country.
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeremiah-mackinnon/a9/b92/a3
*There will be no distribution of cannabis of any kind at this event*
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Soil Carbon Cowboys: Grazing for Biodiversity
Sunday, February 8
5:00 PM
1 Fayette Park, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/219899265/
Our next meetup will be on February 8th. Potluck dinner begins at 5pm, presentation at 6pm.
Karl Thidemann, director of outreach for Biodiversity for a Livable Climate, will present Peter Byck's video, Soil Carbon Cowboys (12:22), to be followed by a discussion of how ecological restoration leads to the return of a wide variety of biodiversity.
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Monday, February 9
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To Model or Not to Model? Formalizing the Conceptual Modeling Thought Process to Benefit Engineers and Scientists
Monday, February 9
12:00p–1:00p
Webinar at http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_020915/formalizing-conceptual-modeling-thought-process.html
Speaker: Dov Dori, Lecturer, Engineering Systems Division, MIT, and Harry Lebensfeld Chair in Industrial Engineering, Technion???Israel Institute of Technology
This webinar will introduce the principles of Object-Process Methodology (OPM) and demonstrate the value of OPM-based conceptual modeling in a variety of engineering and science domains. During this session, Professor Dov Dori will:
define and exemplify conceptual modeling and its benefits in various disciplines;
introduce OPM as a formal modeling language that is agile, lightweight, compact, and easy to learn;
show how OPM has benefited engineers and scientists in various disciplines; and
present a vision for the future role of conceptual modeling in improving endeavors across science and engineering.
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us.
MIT System Design & Management Systems Thinking Webinar Series
This series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.
Web site: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_020915/formalizing-conceptual-modeling-thought-process.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and open to all
Tickets: See url above.
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division, MIT System Design & Management (SDM)
For more information, contact: Lois Slavin
lslavin at mit.edu
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Public Policy and the U.S. Solar Industry
Monday, February 9
12-1:30
Harvard, Bell Hall (5th Floor Belfer Building), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Frank O'Sullivan, Director of Research and Analysis, MIT Energy Initiative
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
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"New Fossil Discoveries from the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa"
Monday, February 9
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
BU, 232 Bay State Road, Room 505
Jeremy De Silva (BU)
The Walter Rodney Seminars are held every Monday in the William O. Brown Seminar Room of the African Studies Center, 232 Bay State Road, presenting the latest research by local and international scholars and followed by robust discussions with the audience. Join us as "the Rodney" enters its 38th year!
Contact: Joanne Hart
617-353-3673 or johart at bu.edu
BU African Studies Center
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Women in Biotech
WHEN Mon., Feb. 9, 2015, 1 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, 10 Garden Street, Knafel Center, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Alison Wood Brooks, assistant professor of business administration, Harvard Business School
Daniel Carpenter, faculty director of the social sciences program, Academic Ventures at the Radcliffe Institute, Allie S. Freed Professor of Government in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and director of the Center for American Political Studies
Ann DeWitt, senior director of investments, Sanofi-Genzyme Bioventures
Deborah Dunsire, president and chief executive officer, Forum Pharmaceuticals
Robin Ely, Diane Doerge Wilson Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Culture and Community, Harvard Business School
Monica C. Higgins, Kathleen McCartney Professor in Education Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Anula Jayasuriya, cofounder and managing director, Evolvence India Life Science Fund
Janet Rich-Edwards, codirector of the science program, Academic Ventures at the Radcliffe Institute, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and associate professor in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Laurel Smith-Doerr, professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Massachusetts Amherst
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at radcliffe.harvard.edu
DETAILS Why are women underrepresented as leaders in the biotech industry? Scientists, industry and venture capital leaders, and academics will also consider new research, experimentation, and promising models that may help industry, universities, government, and private capital improve the current system.
Register online: http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-women-in-biotech-symposium
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-women-in-biotech-symposium
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Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
WHEN Mon., Feb. 9, 2015, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
SPEAKER(S) Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS A Lecture in Three Parts
2/9 - The Law and Freedom of Slavery
2/10 - Rethinking the Underground Railroad
2/11 - The Record of Fugitives
LINK hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu
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3D Printing Wearables: Jewelry, Accessories and Clothing
Monday, February 9
6:00 PM
Liquid Art House, 100 Arlington Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Wearable-technologies-in-Boston/events/219398701/
Wearable technology is becoming easier to develop and prototype with the aid of 3D printing. Lets get together and take a look at some awesome projects happening all around Boston/Cambridge/Somerville. We'll have a couple of speakers present their work.
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Science by the Pint: The Global Energy Challenge
Monday, February 9
7 PM
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/NerdFunBoston/events/220122263/
Dr. Daniel Nocera: The Global Energy Challenge
The Nocera lab studies the basic mechanisms of energy conversion in biology and chemistry. We synthesize a variety of compounds and materials, ranging from organic supramolecular assemblies to inorganic coordination, organometallic, and extended layered compounds to biomolecules that permit us to investigate physical and chemical issues of pertinence to energy conversion. Expertise in a host of steady-state (absorption, emission, Raman) and time-resolved (nanosecond, picosecond, femtosecond) laser spectroscopies and other physical methods permits us to define critical phenomena, which in turn guide us in the further design of new systems with targeted reactivity. Students in all areas of expertise (inorganic, organic, solid state, physical and biological) apply their craft to solving important societal problems, the greatest of which is the delivery of a carbon-neutral and sustainable energy supply for the 21st century.
Science by the Pint is sponsored by an organization of Harvard graduate students called Science in the News. In between their sleepless hours of hard work at Harvard Med School, they bring cutting edge scientific research to the public in a fun and informal format.
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The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America
Monday, February 9
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Lani Guinier, author
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Tuesday, February 10
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In Government, Working with the Media
Tuesday, February 10
12 P.M.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Juliette Kayyem is a lecturer on Public Policy at the Kennedy School. She is a former candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, and was previously Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs in the United States Department of Homeland Security, on-air analyst for CNN, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Boston Globe. She will share her expertise on national security affairs and her experience working with and for the media.
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Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
WHEN Tue., Feb. 10, 2015, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
SPEAKER(S) Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS A Lecture in Three Parts
2/9 - The Law and Freedom of Slavery
2/10 - Rethinking the Underground Railroad
2/11 - The Record of Fugitives
LINK hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu
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Controversy! Covering Climate & Energy from the Nation's Capital
WHEN Tue., Feb. 10, 2015, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Malkin Penthouse, Littauer 4th Floor, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HKS Belfer Center Environment & Natural Resources Program & Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics & Public Policy
SPEAKER(S) New York Times climate & energy reporter Coral Davenport, Washington Bureau
COST Free and Open to the Public
CONTACT INFO Cristine_Russell at hks.harvard.edu
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The Art of Science TV
Tuesday, February 10
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
MIT, Building E19-623, Knight Conference Room, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Paula Apsell
Senior Executive Producer, NOVA Director of the WGBH Science Unit, and former Knight Science Journalism Fellow
Science Storytelling on TV
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Iran and the United States: Eternal Enemies or Natural Partners?
Tuesday, February 10
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-376, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him "among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling."
Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. His foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire.
Kinzer has taught political science, journalism and international relations at Northwestern and Boston University. He is now a Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, where he teaches international relations.
Kinzer's newest book, The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War, has been widely praised. Reviewers have called it sparkling, riveting, gripping, bracing, and disturbing.
Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar
The Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar is organized under the auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies, which conducts research on contemporary international issues and provides an opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange views. Each year the Bustani Seminar invites scholars, journalists, consultants and other experts from the Middle East, Europe and the United States to MIT to present recent research findings on contemporary politics, society and culture, and economic and technological development in the Middle East.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MIT Technology and Culture Forum
For more information, contact: Heidi Erickson
617- 253-1888
hae at mit.edu
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Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific
Tuesday, February 10
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Christine Yano, Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, and Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Christine Yano, Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, and Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawai???i at M??noa will discuss her 2013 book, "Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek Across the Pacific" and provide hints into Japanese culture of cuteness.
Web site: http://misti.mit.edu/pink-globalization-hello-kittys-trek-across-pacific
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Japan Program, Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Christine Pilcavage
617-258-8208
csp18 at mit.edu
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Occupy and Indignant Movements in Spain and the United States
WHEN Tue., Feb. 10, 2015, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Observatorio Cervantes, 2 Arrow Street, 4th floor, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Instituto Cervantes at Harvard. Program Sponsored by Santander Universities, a division of Santander Bank.
SPEAKER(S) Professor Francisco Moreno-Fernández, University of Alcalá, Spain, and executive director of the Observatorio at Harvard University
Introduction: Diana Sorensen, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and director of the Observatorio)
CONTACT INFO RSVP: info-observatory at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS In recent years, a number of Indignant Citizens Movements have arisen around the world. They are known in Spain as the Spanish Revolution, the Indignants Movement, the 15M Movement, or the Movement of Outrage, and in the US as Occupy Movement (Occupy Wall Street). This social protest expresses public outrage at an unequal economic system, an unrepresentative political party system, and a social structure perceived to undermine individual freedoms. Francisco Moreno-Fernando analyzes the importance of language and communication at the origin, development, consolidation and expansion of these movements. The analysis shows that the Indignant Movement was built on a linguistic and communicative foundation which evolved horizontally rather than vertically.
LINK http://cervantesobservatorio.fas.harvard.edu/en/activities/lecture/conversaciones-en-el-observatorio-occupy-and-indignant-movements-spain-and-usa
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The Internet Is Not the Answer
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Andrew Keen, author
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, February 11
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Eating local? Nature and origins of the first agricultural groups in the South Caucasus
Wednesday, February 11
12:00 p.m.
Harvard, Tozzer Anthropology Building 203, 21 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
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David Sanger (The New York Times)
Wednesday, February 11
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Buildinng E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: David Sanger
Wednesday Seminar Series, Security Studies Program
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Elina Hamilton
617-253-7529
elinah at mit.edu
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Food Policy and Regional Food Systems: Opportunities for Networking across Jurisdictions
Wednesday, February 11
12:30 PM - 2:15 PM EST
Webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3927084263151283457
RSVP at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3927084263151283457
Join Us for This Webinar:
Where does your local food policy council fit within the regional food system? Would you like to play a stronger role in both your locality and at a regional level but not sure how? Functioning with limited resources and volunteer members, it can often be easiest for a food policy council to concentrate locally. By understanding the role of local food policy councils within the context of a regional food system, groups can network across geographies to maximize impact and effectiveness of policy changes.
During this webinar, expert panelists will address a number of big picture questions local food policy councils have about regional food systems, including:
The role of local food policy councils within a regional network
When is it beneficial to connect across a region
How to determine your "region" and what to do when definitions vary
Best practices and challenges to organizing and building regional networks, including resources and infrastructure needed
These issues will be addressed to show participants how networking across jurisdictions can positively influence food system change. The webinar will also include time for participant Q&A.
SUGGESTED PARTICIPANTS:
Food policy council coordinators and members, policy-makers, members of the local and regional food system and food system advocates
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Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
WHEN Wed., Feb. 11, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
SPEAKER(S) Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS A Lecture in Three Parts
2/9 - The Law and Freedom of Slavery
2/10 - Rethinking the Underground Railroad
2/11 - The Record of Fugitives
LINK hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu
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Cambridge Getting to Net Zero Task Force
Wednesday, February 11
6:00PM-8:00PM
TBA
Contact: Ellen Kokinda
ekokinda at cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4618
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Mass Innovation Nights #MINFoodie8
Wednesday, February 11
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston
RSVP at http://mass.innovationnights.com/events/mass-innovation-nights-min-foodie-8
Every February and August, ten companies bring new food and food-related products to Mass Innovation Nights Foodie Events, and the social media community turns out to blog, tweet, post pictures & video, add product mentions to LinkedIn & Facebook, and otherwise help spread the word. These live events allow companies to show off Massachusetts-based innovation. In the last six years, Mass Innovation Nights have helped to:
Launch more than 700 products
Connect dozens of job seekers and hiring managers
Profile dozens of local experts
Launch a wave of Innovation Nights events around the world (coming soon)
Registration and networking begin at 6:00 pm and presentations begin at 7:00 pm. Innovation Nights are held once a month on-site at various venues that donate their space to further the cause of local innovation.
Website: http://mass.innovationnights.com/events/mass-innovation-nights-min-foodie-8
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Green Exchange - Sustainability Speed Networking
Wednesday, February 11
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Grossman Common Room, 51 Brattle Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-exchange-sustainability-speed-networking-tickets-15584480601
Save the date for our first Green Exchange of the Spring 2015 Semester! In the context of the upcoming Valentine's day, we are happy to present a "Sustainability Speed Networking", a concept inspired by speed-dating for sustainability professionals. You may not find a soulmate, but you will find someone who shares your passions! Refreshments will be served. See you there!
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The Starfish Throwers
Wednesday, February 11
7 pm
Kendall Square Cinema, 355 Binney Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://gathr.us/screening/9173
"This documentary tells tale of [3] remarkable individuals and the unexpected challenges they face. Despite being constantly reminded that hunger is far too big for one person to solve, they persevere and see their impact ripple further than their individual actions."
Interested? If enough people reserve tickets, Kendall Square theater will screen this film on Wednesday, February 11th. We will likely coordinate a panel discussion on hunger and food access to follow. So reserve your tickets now: http://gathr.us/screening/9173
"Worlds apart, a five-star chef, a twelve year-old girl, and a retired school teacher discover how their individual efforts to feed the poor ignite a movement in the fight against hunger. Award-winning chef Narayanan Krishnan, fighting against the caste system in India, quits his job to begin a life of cooking and hand-delivering fresh meals to hundreds of people in his hometown. Katie Stagliano’s planting of a single cabbage seedling when she was nine years old blossoms into Katie’s Krops, a non-profit with 73 gardens dedicated to ending hunger. Retired middle school teacher Mr. Law battles personal health issues as he hand delivers more than a thousand sandwiches nightly to the hungry in Minneapolis. This documentary tells tale of these remarkable individuals and the unexpected challenges they face. Despite being constantly reminded that hunger is far too big for one person to solve, they persevere and see their impact ripple further than their individual actions."
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Crops, Water, and Climate Change: What Can We Learn From The Maya?
Wednesday, February 11
7:00 p.m.
Cahners Theater, Museum of Science, Boston
Cost: $15 tickets on sale beginning Thursday, January 8 (Tuesday, January 6 for Museum members). Purchase tickets in advance at mos.org/events.
The Maya’s ingenious manipulation of natural resources is awe-inspiring; jungle-covered ruins reveal sophisticated agricultural techniques, water pipe systems, and reservoirs. Nonetheless, when faced with a changing climate, vital resources became scant and Mayan civilization was stressed beyond survival. Join scholars who are transforming our understanding of the Maya’s collapse and what we can learn from their wondrous achievements and mysterious demise.
William L. Fash, Jr., PhD, Charles P. Bowditch Professor of Central American and Mexican Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University; Douglas Kennett, PhD, professor of environmental anthropology, Pennsylvania State University; Timothy Beach, PhD, professor and C.B. Smith Centennial Chair, Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin; Vernon H. Scarborough, PhD, Professor of Complex Society and Sustainability, Water, Department of Anthropology University of Cincinnati
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The Health of Democracy: Social Immobility and Civic Participation
Wednesday, February 11
7 pm
First Parish (UU), 3 Church Street, Harvard Square
Do we still believe that any child in America could grow up to be President of the United States? American’s have long resisted the notion that class plays a role in our society, but current research undercuts that idea. Economist Randy Albelda examines the rise in U.S. social immobility and the role that contemporary labor conditions have played in limiting Americans’ expectations to do better than their parents’ generation. Union organizer Joey Mokos responds by discussing the ways that the modern union movement is responding to changes in our worklife. What role does social mobility play in a healthy democracy? What role does organizing play in creating social mobility?
More information at http://www.cambridgeforum.org
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Reporting from the New China: A Conversation about Writing with Evan Osnos
WHEN Wed., Feb. 11, 2015, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Thompson Room, the Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Writers at Work Lecture Series
SPEAKER(S) Evan Osnos
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS Evan Osnos is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a Harvard College alumnus. His book "Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China" won the 2014 National Book Award for non-fiction.
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Thursday, February 12
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Massachusetts' Global Divestment Day
Thursday, February 12
10am - 5pm
MA State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NAhj2lUzaZEM9ScZa296TUErcotYUOXbCTZTzXWBdXw/viewform
In the spirit of the People's Climate March, we invite everyone to come together on Massachusetts' Global Divestment Day, February 12.
Wear orange!
Schedule of events at Gardner Auditorium
10 AM – 11:30 AM -- Why Divest Our Pensions: Panel on Carbon Risk for Legislators (and the Public)
Sponsored by Sen. Ben Downing, Rep. Marjorie Decker, and Rep. Frank Smizik
Chuck Collins, Co-Founder Divest/Invest;
Leslie Samuelrich, President, Green Century Capital Management;
Tom Francis, Director, Oil and Gas Research, Fossil Free Indexes LLC
Noon – 2 PM-- Rally of Voices for Divestment
Speaker: Tim DeChristopher, climate justice activist
Plus voices from: Frontline Communities, Public Health, Labor, Business, Education, Faith, Environment, Science, Peace, Elected Officials, and more
2 PM-3 PM—Lobby for Divestment of the MA Pension Fund
3 PM-5 PM—Youth Rally for Divestment Panel, Student Speakers, Networking
With our voice we will directly challenge the social license of the fossil fuel industry in order to break the climate deadlock before it's too late. The divestment campaign highlights a conflict that most politicians are reluctant to address. If the world is to avoid catastrophic global warming, most known fossil fuel resources must stay in the ground. Yet fossil fuel companies not only plan to extract and sell their existing reserves, but are exploring ever more sensitive territory to find new ones.
Hundreds of events are planned around the world Feb. 12-14 to take action and demand that governments,
institutions and individuals do what is necessary for climate action by divesting from fossil fuels. Check out this calendar for other events.
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Bioethics in the 30th century: ecology, eschatology and empire in Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa manga
Thursday, February 12
12:00-1:00pm
Tufts, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Susan Napier, Professor of Japanese language and literature, Tufts University
The Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is widely considered to be the world's greatest animator. His many films include the classic ecological science fiction movie, Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, set in the 30th century in a post apocalyptic world where a toxic environment threatens what is left of humanity. Less well known but even more interesting is the seven volume manga version that Miyazaki finished long after the movie's release. A dense and morally complex vision the Nausicaa manga explores dynamics of interspecies rivalry in a world where humans are not necessarily paramount.
This talk examines the issues of bioethics and biopower that arise from the manga, seeking to understand whether Miyazaki's ultimate message is utopian or apocalyptic.
Susan Napier went to Harvard for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She has more than twenty years of teaching experience at universities such as the University of Texas, Harvard University, Penn State, Princeton, the University of London and lastly, Tufts University. Her research interests include Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), modern Japanese literature, popular culture, science fiction and fantasy among others. She has published several books and many articles on anime and popular culture. And she's currently writing a book on the films and manga of Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's greatest living animator and arguably the greatest animator in the world today.
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Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Change
Thursday, February 12
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
MIT, Building E19-623, Knight Conference Room, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Susan Solomon, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry & Climate Science/ MIT EAPS
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The Art and Science of Cheese
WHEN Thu., Feb. 12, 2015, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard University, Geological Museum Room 100 (24 Oxford St, Cambridge)
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Microbial Sciences Initiative
SPEAKER(S) Rachel Dutton, Harvard; Ihsan Gurdal, Formaggio Kitchen
COST Free and open to the public; tickets required
DETAILS This outreach event will teach the general public about the microbiology of cheese. The interactive lecture by a Harvard cheese scientist and the owner/head cheesemonger of one of the country’s most well regarded cheese shops will explore the role of microbes in the production and flavoring of cheese. Guests will taste different cheeses and learn the basic concepts of microbiology in play, including lactic fermentation, coagulation, and how microbes give cheeses their unique smells and flavors.
Admission: Tickets (free) are required and will be distributed through the Harvard Box Office. Check the MSI website in early February to find out when tickets will become available. Must be 21 or older and bring valid ID to be admitted to the event.
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Assistive Technology Hackathong: Meet-the-clients dinner
Thursday, February 12
6-8pm
MIt, Building 10-105, Bush Room, 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
More information at http://assistivetech.mit.edu/athack/#about
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Cambridge Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Public Meeting
Thursday, February 12
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
MIT Building E51, Auditorium, Tang Center, corner of Wadsworth St. and Amherst St, Cambridge
The interim results of the Cambridge Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment will be presented and discussed at this public meeting. The meeting will focus on the physical and social vulnerabilities identified by the assessment based on scenarios for inland flooding and increasing temperatures. Preliminary coastal storm surge modeling results for 2030 will also be presented. Coastal storm surge modeling with sea level rise for 2070 is in progress. The vulnerability assessment for storm surge risks will be completed in the spring.
The City would like to hear responses to the interim results and draft findings to inform the vulnerability assessment report, which will provide a basis for the forthcoming Climate Change Preparedness & Resilience Plan, and discuss the community's thoughts about the direction of the plan. The meeting is open to all. Please see the draft agenda here: http://bit.ly/18Ask4B.
For more information on the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, please look to the project page or contact John Bolduc, jbolduc at cambridgema.gov, or 617/349-4628.
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Movie Showing: 'A Fierce Green Fire'
Thursday, February 12
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
Spanning 50 years of grassroots and global activism, the documentary film, 'A Fierce Green Fire' (Sundance, 2011), brings to light the vital stories of the environmental movement, where people fought - and succeeded - against enormous odds. From halting dams in the Grand Canyon to fighting toxic waste at Love Canal; from Greenpeace to Chico Mendes; from climate change to the promise of transforming our civilization, A Fierce Green Fire is "nothing less than the history of environmentalism itself" (Los Angeles Times).
Narrated by Robert Redford, Ashley Judd, Van Jones, Isabelle Allende and Meryl Streep, this inspiring and empowering film not only informs and educates about what has been achieved through the environmental movement over the years, but also lays a foundation of solidarity and interconnectedness upon which to continue to build the movement into the future.
We welcome you this movie showing at the Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum.
Refreshments and chatter at 7pm, movie at 7:30, discussion following, concluding by 9pm.
Please Join Us! Donations and membership support BASEA.
The Boston Area Solar Energy Association - www.BASEA.org
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Cutting Edge Cooperatives
Thursday, February 12
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
First Church, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
Join Matt Meyer, Juan Leyton, Stacy Codiero and CERO as we discuss the cooperative movement on the local, regional, and global levels.
More information at http://jamaicaplainforum.org/event/cutting-edge-cooperatives/
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Friday, February 13
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Innovation Breakfast at VentureCafe (1 Broadway)
Friday, February 13
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EST)
Cambridge Innovation Center, 5th Floor, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-breakfast-at-venturecafe-1-broadway-tickets-15475072358
The Roving Innovation Breakfast continues! Hosted by Bobbie Carlton, founder of Mass Innovation Nights, we're partnering with Pivotal Labs Boston for a new edition of our weekly drop-in networking event. We'll be visiting VentureCafe on the 5th floor of the Cambridge Innovation Center located at 1 Broadway in Cambridge. Check out this cool co-working space. Join us for coffee+, networking and one-on-one discussions with the software development experts from Pivotal Labs.
Meet the Experts:
Jared Cosulich is the Director of the Boston office for Pivotal Labs. He is a serial entrepreneur who has been the technical founder or co-founder of three companies. He recently moved back to Boston after 12 years in San Francisco's startup scene and is eager to help Boston area entrepreneurs. He has extensive experience with software development, agile and XP processes, product roadmaps, and startups in general. Follow Jared on Twitter @jaredcosulich
Simon Holroyd is a product manager at Pivotal Labs. Prior to labs, Simon lead a product & development team at a successful fashion-tech startup, ran an iOS development consulting business, and worked as an developer & marketer in the digital advertising industry. After a 4 year stint living in NYC, he's recently returned to his home town in Boston and is eager to pass along as many hard-learned lessons in product development as he can!
Bobbie Carlton, founder of Carlton PR & Marketing and Mass Innovation Nights (MIN), is an award-winning marketing, PR and social media professional. Bobbie and the MIN community have helped to launch more than 700 new products. Every month the group provides 10 entrepreneurs with a free 30-day marketing program, featuring the products in social media campaigns, in a weekly newsletter, on the organization's showcase website and at a live event. Follow Bobbie on Twitter as @BobbieC or @MassInno or now, @WomenInno. Innovation Women is a new online speakers bureau for entrepreneurial and technical women, coming soon.
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Housing in Extreme Environments: Alpine Shelter
WHEN Fri., Feb. 13, 2015, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Stubbin's Room, 48 Quincy Street, Gund Hall, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Exhibitions, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Spela Videcnik
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
DETAILS The extreme climatic conditions of the North introduce a design paradox for architects. The fragile environmental conditions require incisive designs that respond to irregular loading from strong winds, heavy snowfalls, avalanche risk zones, and extreme cold. The studio investigated a prototypical design, and the talk serves as an opening for the exhibition curated by Spela Videcnik, with Rok Oman, displayed on the Experiments Wall (in Gund Hall).
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/spela-videcnik-housing-in-extreme-environments-alpine-shelter.html
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The Eureka Myth: Creators, Innovators, and Everyday Intellectual Property
Friday, February 13
3:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Jessica Silbey, author
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"Monarch Butterfly Migration: From Behavior to Neurons to Genes."
Friday, February 13
4pm – 5pm
MIT, Building 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Steven Reppert, University of Massachusetts Medical School
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ID Hack 2015
Harvard Developers for Development, MIT Global Poverty Initiative, Tufts Entrepreneurs Society, and Tufts Empower
Friday, February 13
4:00 PM - Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 4:00 PM (EST)
Tufts University, Fletcher School, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/id-hack-2015-registration-15322472929
Organized by Harvard Developers for Development, MIT Global Poverty Initiative, Tufts Entrepreneurs Society, and Tufts Empower, the 3rd annual International Development Hackathon (ID Hack) will bring together hackers, technology enthusiasts, and organizations working in international development to create impact with technology.
International Development Hackathon 2015 Co-organized by Harvard, MIT, and Tufts with Platinum Partner TripAdvisor
4pm February 13th - 4pm February 14th
Tufts Fletcher School and Olin Center
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/632817420174496/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IDHack2015
The International Development Hackathon (ID Hack) is a 24-hour hackathon that brings together hackers, international development enthusiasts, and NGOs from the greater Boston area to work on projects that will make an impact on international development.
Projects are selected from NGOs, private sector comanies and governmental organizations and vetted by the organizers. Visit our website or the project proposals directly for specific information to start planning. We have projects from the World Bank, Qualcomm, . . . .
Schedule
4:00PM --- Doors open for check in
4:00PM-5:30PM --- Networking session with sponsors
5:30PM --- Opening remarks + Keynote by Asad Badruddin (Co-founder of Pakathon)
6:00PM --- Project pitches
7:00PM --- Dinner + project and group selection
7:30-8:30PM --- Beginner workshop; begin hacking!
10:00PM --- Snacks
3:00AM --- Another late-night snack
8:00AM --- Breakfast w/ Coffee
12:00PM --- Lunch & Deadline for project submission (code/link/etc)
12:00PM-2:00PM --- Project Presentations and Judge Deliberations
2:00PM --- Closing ceremony + winners present
All skill levels welcome!
For questions: directors.idhack at gmail.com or post on our Facebook event!
Making a difference in the world, networking, great prizes...
I’D Hack for international development ... wouldn't you?
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Believer: My Forty Years in Politics
Friday, February 13, 2015
7:00 PM
First Parish Church, 1446 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.harvard.com/event/david_axelrod/
David Axelrod, author, in conversation with David Gergen
$5 tickets on sale January 20 at 9am
Ticket pre-sales begin online only
on January 6 ($34.75, book included)
More information at (617) 661-1515 or info at harvard.com
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Sunday, February 15
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Rain Barrel Construction Workshop
Green Cambridge
Sunday, February 15
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (EST)
Cambridge Community Center Inc, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rain-barrel-construction-workshop-tickets-15457266099
Green Cambridge is running a hands-on workshop to teach you how to construct a rain barrel for stormwater runoff collection!
The barrels you construct, made from repurposed food shipping barrels, will be distributed to families who cannot afford their own. This is part of a Green Cambridge community program alongside the Cambridge Department of Public Works and the Cambridge Community Center. We'll be going through the steps of the process, and providing you with the resources you need to hone your new-found skills into a great do-it-yourself project at home!
By collecting rainwater, you can drastically reduce the amount of water used outdoors at your home during peak spring and summer months. Plus, collecting water reduces stormwater runoff, a major source of pollution. Check out this website created by the University of Rhode Island for more information on why rain barrels matter, and how you use them: http://www.uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/rainbsources.html
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Monday, February 16
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Power to the Pedals: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change
WHEN Mon., Feb. 16, 2015, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Room 2012, 1585 Mass Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Environmental Sciences, Film, Law
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic & Transactional Law Clinics, of Harvard Law School
DIRECTED BY Bob Nesson
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS Power to the Pedals: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change, a film by Bob Nesson, portrays the transformative vision and extraordinary efforts of a woman whose mechanical skills and innovative actions are reshaping her community. Wenzday Jane heads a movement to replace trucks with human powered vehicles for local cargo transportation. She goes to the heart of the sustainability issue by offering practical solutions.
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Tuesday, February 17
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Reporting on Ferguson and Subsequent Developments
Tuesday, February 17
12 P.M.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Wesley Lowery is a reporter for the Washington Post, where he joined from the Boston Globe. Wesley received widespread national attention due to his reporting on the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, both through traditional reports and his innovative use of real-time social media updates. He will discuss his experience of the events in Ferguson, the subsequent developments and national conversation, and his career as a reporter.
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Made in Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka: The Labor Behind the Global Garments and Textiles Industries
WHEN Tue., Feb. 17, 2015, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South, S250, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S) Sanchita Saxena, director of the Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies, Berkeley and executive director, Institute for South Asia Studies, UC Berkeley
Fauzia Ahmed, assistant professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies, Miami University; SAI Research Affiliate
John A. Quelch, Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and professor in Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO sainit at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/made-in-bangladesh-cambodia-and-sri-lanka-the-labor-behind-the-global-garments-and-textiles-industries/
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Whale Conservation and the Future of the Oceans
Tuesday, February 17
6:00 PM
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Joe Roman, Sarah and Daniel Hrdy Fellow in Conservation Biology, Harvard University; Fellow at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont
Whales have long been valued as a source of oil and whalebone. Treated as a commodity throughout history, they are increasingly recognized for their complex forms of communication, even culture, and the ecological role they play in the ocean. Joe Roman will discuss the history and future of whales in the world’s oceans, drawing from historical archives, DNA analyses, ecological studies of whale carcasses in the deep sea, and the effects of whale fecal plumes on ocean productivity. He will explain why conserving great whales is essential for the welfare of marine ecosystems.
Lecture and Book Signing. Free and open to the public.
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Mario Schjetnan, "Landscape: An Evolution of Practice and Theory"
WHEN Tue., Feb. 17, 2015, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Mario Schjetnan
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
DETAILS In 37 years of practice with Grupo de Diseño Urbano (Mexico City), Mario Schjetnan has overseen award-winning projects in architecture, urban design, and landscape. Among his most recognized works are the Parque Tezozomoc in Mexico City, the El Cedazo Park in Aguascalientes, and Parque Ecológico Xochimilco, for which the firm was awarded Harvard GSD’s Veronica Rudge Green Prize in 1996.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/mario-schjetnan-landscape-an-evolution-of-practice-and-theory.html
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Wednesday, February 18
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February Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, February 18
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (EST)
Pret A Manger, 185 Franklin Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-15436825962
Join us for the February Boston Sustainability breakfast, an informal breakfast meetup of sustainability professionals together for networking, discussion and moral support. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones out there in the business world trying to do good!
So come, get a cup of coffee or a bagel, support a sustainable business and get fired up before work so we can continue trying to change the world.
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The struggle for human rights as struggle against racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia
WHEN Wed., Feb. 18, 2015, 12:30 – 1:20 p.m.
WHERE 651 Huntington Avenue, 7th Floor, Room 710, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR FXB Center for Health and Human Rights
SPEAKER(S) Irmtrud Wojak, 2014-15 Frieda L. Miller Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
COST Free and open to the public
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Askwith Forum on girls in STEM education
WHEN Wed., Feb. 18, 2015, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Diversity & Equity, Forum, Lecture, Question & Answer Session
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT Alumni, AskWith Forum
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Roger Falcon
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.
RSVP REQUIRED No
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
DETAILS Speakers include:
Maria Klawe, President, Harvey Mudd College
Stephanie Wilson, Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Moderator: Karen Brennan, Assistant Professor of Education, HGSE
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What Art Can Tell Us About The Brain
Wednesday, February 18
6:30 – 8PM
Mass College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Tower Auditorium, Boston
Dr. Margaret Livingstone is a Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School with a keen interest in the ways in which vision science can understand and inform the world of visual art.
She is the author of the groundbreaking book, "Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing," which demonstrates how the cellular structure of our eyes and brain determines how we see and process artworks.
Contact Name Chloe Zaug
Contact Email chloe.zaug at massart.edu
Contact Phone 617.879.7337
Link http://www.massart.edu/Galleries/Visiting_Artists/Margaret_Livingstone.html
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Thursday, February 19
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Tufts Innovation Symposium 2015
The Fletcher School's International Business Club
Thursday, February 19
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (EST)
Tufts University, 51 Winthrop Street, Medford
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tufts-innovation-symposium-2015-tickets-14053505413
The Tufts InnovationSymposium, sponsored by the Fletcher School’s International Business Club is excited to present this year's conference, Customer in Context, on February 19, 2015. The conference will approach innovation through the customer perspective and propose methods, raise questions, and offer insights about designing products and programs with your customer in mind.
Come and be inspired by some fantastic speakers from the Archimedes project, Frog design group, Dalberg Design Impact Group, Boston Bikes and New Balance Hubway Bikeshare, and let Patrick and Doug Coughran, Co-Founders of Foxtrot Systems fuel the entrepreneur in you.
Make sure you don’t miss this exciting opportunity to take a deep dive into the innovation ecosystem!
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Emotional and Financial Impatience: A Behavioral-Economics and Affective Science Approach
WHEN Thu., Feb. 19, 2015, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Bell Hall, 5th Floor Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government (M-RCBG) at the Harvard Kennedy School.
SPEAKER(S) Jennifer Lerner, professor of Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School and co-founder of the Harvard Decision Science Laboratory.
CONTACT INFO Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
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"Regulatory Barriers to Decarbonizing China's Power Sector"
Thursday, February 19
4:00PM
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
with Michael DAVIDSON, Ph.D. Candidate, Engineering Systems Division, MIT
China Project Seminar
http://chinaproject.harvard.edu/event/Davidson150219
Contact Name: Chris Nielsen
nielsen2 at fas.harvard.edu
More information at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2015-02-19-210000/china-project-seminar#sthash.7QsCPgzJ.dpuf
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A Day in the Life of the Ocean's Microbiome: The Transcriptomic Motion Picture
Thursday, February 19
4:00 PM EST
MIT, Building 32-141, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker Name: Ed DeLong
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Starr Forum: Demystifying ISIS
Thursday, February 19
4:30p–6:00p
MIt, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Juan Cole, Richard Nielsen
A discussion with with Juan Cole and Richard Nielsen
About the Speakers:
Juan Cole is a public intellectual, prominent blogger and essayist, and the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan.
Richard Nielsen is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at MIT. His current work uses statistical text analysis and fieldwork in Cairo mosques to understand the radicalization of jihadi clerics in the Arab world.
Juan Cole's book "The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East" will sold at the event.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: starrforum at mit.edu
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Modeling Malaria's Spread
Thursday, February 19
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
MIT, Building E19-623, Knight Conference Room, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Caroline Buckee, Associate Director, CCDD, Harvard School of Public Health
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Gordon R. Willey Lecture: The Origins of Maya Civilization: New Insights from Ceibal
Thursday, February 19
6:00 pm
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Takeshi Inomata, PhD, professor and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona
Daniela Triadan, PhD, associate professor, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona
In the 1960s, Gordon Willey and a team of Harvard archaeologists led the investigation of Ceibal, a Maya site in Guatemala. Their research revealed that Ceibal was a very early settlement, one that predated the cities constructed in the heyday of Maya civilization. Recent excavations in Ceibal, directed by Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, have produced exciting new findings, including the discovery of what is considered the earliest ceremonial complex in the Maya lowlands, dating to 950 BCE. Inomata and Triadan discuss the new discoveries and what they reveal about the origins of Maya culture and society.
Co-presented by the Museum of Science, Boston and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
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American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity
Thursday, February 19, 2015
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Christian G. Appy, author
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Sniffing the Air of Alien Earths
Thursday, February 19, 2015
7:30 pm
Harvard, Phillips Auditorium, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge
Sarah Rugheimer
Are we alone in the universe? We've found hundreds of planets orbiting distant stars, including several dozen in their star's habitable zone. But do any of them host life? To find out, we'll need to look for telltale molecules like oxygen or methane. The next generation of telescopes may answer this question when they take their first "sniffs" of alien air. Sarah Rugheimer is a 2014 Harvard Horizon Scholar and member of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Free and open to the public
Contact pubaffairs at cfa.harvard.edu, 617.495.7461
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Friday, February 20
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Africa on the Global Stage
Friday, February 20
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (EST)
Tufts, The Fletcher School, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/africa-on-the-global-stage-tickets-15411434014
The Fletcher Africana Club is pleased to present the second annual Africana Conference, Africa on the Global Stage on Friday February 20th, 2015 at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medford, MA.The conference will include panels on Technology and Innovation, Governance, Conflict and Peacebuilding, and Trade and Investment in the region with keynote speeches from Amina Alum Ali, the permanent representative of the African Union to the United States and Antoinette Sayeh, the Director of the African Department at the IMF.
The Fletcher Africana Conference is an annual gathering of students, professionals, policymakers and academia at The Fletcher School, Tufts University in Boston (USA). It is organized by the Fletcher Africana Club, a group of graduate students from Africa and/or with a keen interest and work experience in the African continent. We aim to provide a forum that creates contextual understanding of African issues through debate and discussion. This is possible only if we examine questions of socioeconomic and political significance through the multiple lenses of development, business, politics, security, and science and technology. Therefore, the Africana Club strives to engage thought leaders from different sections of society and bring them together in ways that create an understanding of the various forces at play.
In March 2014, we organized the inaugural conference called Africa Beyond the Headlines, which focused on intertwining issues in security and development on the continent. In October 2012, The Fletcher School held a conference called Africa’s Turn that strove to make sense of the gap between the promise and on-ground realities of Africa’s economic potential. This academic year, we have hosted a series of events on health, human security, economic development and inclusive growth in Africa: Ebola: Mutations, Markets and the Military; Inclusive Growth: Ensuring Prosperity Reaches Africa’s Bottom of the Pyramid; and Entrepreneurship and Business in Emerging Markets: The Obusai, Ghana Gold Mine.
Additionally, The Fletcher School has a strong interest in African affairs, as exemplified through events this year such as Transforming Smallholder Farming in Africa; View From the Ground: International Criminal Law, Transitional Justice and Survivor Advocacy in Rwanda; The Golden Hour: Africa’s Rise and the Challenge of American Diplomacy; and a panel discussion on private sector internships in sub-Saharan Africa. We invite you to join us. The 2nd Fletcher Africana Conference will focus on reconciling the dichotomies that exist in 21st century Africa: technological innovation alongside forces of friction like infrastructural and regulatory gaps; economic growth alongside unemployment and lack of inclusive growth; improvements in health and well-being indicators alongside health crises and increased human insecurity; increased foreign direct investment alongside unclear risk management strategies.
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Let’s Talk About Foams
Friday, February 20
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Reynolds Advanced Materials, 45 Electric Avenue, Brighton
RSVP at boston at reynoldsam.com
Our “Let’s Talk About” series is an informal get together of people who want to know more about materials and processes. It won’t take long, there is no commitment and our goal is to educate. You will meet people just like you and we often get contributions from industry pros that add value to the conversation. We welcome any and all comments.
Event Details
Let's Discuss:
The Variety Of Rigid & Flexible Foams Available
Choosing The Right Foam For Your Project
Expansion Rates & Densities
Proper Mixing & Pouring
Common Problems & How To Avoid Them
Material Demos Will Be Ongoing FREE To The Public - Light Refreshment Will Be Served
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Opportunity
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The Boston Network for International Development (BNID) maintains a website (BNID.org) that serves as a clearing-house for information on organizations, events, and jobs related to international development in the Boston area. BNID has played an important auxiliary role in fostering international development activities in the Boston area, as witnessed by the expanding content of the site and a significant growth in the number of users.
The website contains:
A calendar of Boston area events and volunteer opportunities related to International Development
- http://www.bnid.org/events
A jobs board that includes both internships and full time positions related to International Development that is updated daily - http://www.bnid.org/jobs
A directory and descriptions of more than 250 Boston-area organizations - http://www.bnid.org/organizations
Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter (we promise only one email per week) to get the most up-to-date information on new job and internship opportunities -www.bnid.org/sign-up
The website is completely free for students and our goal is to help connect students who are interested in international development with many of the worthwhile organizations in the area.
Please feel free to email our organization at info at bnid.org if you have any questions!
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Intern with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate!
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (BLC) is a nonprofit based in the Cambridge, MA area. Our mission is to mobilize the biosphere to restore ecosystems and reverse global warming.
Education, public information campaigns, organizing, scientific investigation, collaboration with like-minded organizations, research and policy development are all elements of our strategy.
Background: Soils are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on the planet. Restoring the complex ecology of soils is the only way to safely and quickly remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ground, where it’s desperately needed to regenerate the health of billions of acres of degraded lands. Restoring carbon to soils and regenerating ecosystems are how we can restore a healthy hydrologic cycle and cool local and planetary climates safely, naturally, and in time to ensure a livable climate now and in the future.
Our Work: immediate plans include
Organizing the First International Biodiversity, Soil Carbon and Climate Week, October 31-November 9, 2014, and a kick-off conference in the Boston area, “Mobilizing the Biosphere to Reverse Global Warming: A Biodiversity, Water, Soil Carbon and Climate Conference – and Call to Action” to expand the mainstream climate conversation to include the power of biology, and to help initiate intensive worldwide efforts to return atmospheric carbon to the soils.
Coordination of a global fund to directly assist local farmers and herders in learning and applying carbon farming approaches that not only benefit the climate, but improve the health and productivity of the land and the people who depend on it.
Collaboration with individuals and organizations on addressing eco-restoration and the regeneration of water and carbon cycles; such projects may include application of practices such as Holistic Management for restoration of billions of acres of degraded grasslands, reforestation of exploited forest areas, and restoring ocean food chains.
Please contact Helen D. Silver, helen.silver at bio4climate.org for further information.
781-316-1710
Bio4climate.org
SharedHarvestCSA.com
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Climate Stories Project
http://www.climatestoriesproject.org
What's your Climate Story?
Climate Stories Project is a forum that gives a voice to the emotional and personal impacts that climate change is having on our lives. Often, we only discuss climate change from the impersonal perspective of science or the contentious realm of politics. Today, more and more of us are feeling the effects of climate change on an personal level. Climate Stories Project allows people from around the world to share their stories and to engage with climate change in a personal, direct way.
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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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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images
Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera? With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more comfortable and less expensive to heat. However, at $200 or so, the cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.
HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer Cambridge residents free thermal scans.
Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras. They will scan every building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or buildings or on a private way). Building owners can view thermal images of their property and an analysis online. The information is password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.
Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.
The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.
Go to Sagewell.com. Type in your address at the bottom where it says "Find your home or building" and press return. Then click on "Here" to request the report.
That's it. When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to do about it.
With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money, not to mention comfort).
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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to Cambridge residents.
During the assessment, the energy specialist will:
Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on your energy bills. You might as well use the service.
Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729. A Next Step Living Representative will call to schedule your assessment.
HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the services and rebates possible.
(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home Energy Assessment. We won’t keep the data or sell it.)
(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)
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Resource
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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org
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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 http://thesprouts.org/
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
MIT Events: http://events.mit.edu
MIT Energy Club: http://mitenergyclub.org/calendar
Harvard Events: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/
Harvard Environment: http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/
Sustainability at Harvard: http://green.harvard.edu/events
Mass Climate Action: http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php
Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/
Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/
Microsoft NERD Center: http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/
Startup and Entrepreneurial Events: http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/
Cambridge Civic Journal: http://www.rwinters.com
Cambridge Happenings: http://cambridgehappenings.org
Boston Area Computer User Groups: http://www.bugc.org/
Arts and Cultural Events List: http://aacel.blogspot.com/
Boston Events Insider: http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/
Nerdnite: http://boston.nerdnite.com/
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list