[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - January 12, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Jan 12 21:45:45 PST 2014
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
What I Do and Why I Do It: The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html
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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index
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Monday, January 13
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9am-5pm 2014 Computefest Workshops
12pm Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections (series)
12pm Architecting a Future Tele-Health Care System to Treat PTSD in the US Military
1pm Science Writing Panel
1pm Finding the Lowest Airfares -- Understanding Airline Pricing and Distribution
7pm Science by the Pint: “The Huddlers’ Dilemma: The evolutionary biology of snuggling”
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Tuesday, January 14
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8:15am-12:30pm Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
10am Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: What is Sustainability
11am Prospects, Promises and Problems: An Introduction to the Physics and Policies Behind Fusion Energy
12:30pm Government as impresario: Emergent public goods and public private partnerships 2.0
2pm Developing a Road Map to Magnetic Fusion Energy
6pm BIG Transitions & How They Affect Your Startup Culture
6pm Surveillance in Cultural Context: seven films: "M"
7pm NU Entrepreneurs Club presents Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit and Author of Without Their Permission
7:30pm A Heads-up View of Urban Stream Ecology
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Wednesday, January 15
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10:30am Stand and Deliver: The Effect of Boston's Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice
12pm Potential Impacts of Anthropogenic Aerosols on the Monsoons
2pm MIT Research in High-Energy Density Plasmas at OMEGA and the NIF
2pm Media and Ethics
7pm Boston Music-Tech Group 2014 Kickoff!
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Thursday, January 16
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10am Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: Can governments govern international business
10:30am Food Sol Community Table
12pm The Feynman Films - Symmetry to Physical Law
12pm FAS Freecycle
1pm Ahead of Their Time: From the Antikythera Mechanism to the Anti-Beatles
1pm Big Data Hack and Visualization Contest
5:30pm All the Buzz About Data Science
5:30pm Green Patriot Posters: The Revolution Will Be Designed
6pm Somervision: What makes a city hip?
6pm Best Practices for Data Security & Privacy with Goodwin Procter
6pm Growth Hacking Showcase Event featuring Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, CTO of CogoLabs
6:30pm The Big Fix - A free showing of a Movie about the BP Oil Disaster and Corruption
7pm Google on charts: Best examples & how to create
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Friday, January 17
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Bertarelli Symposium on Neuroengineering: Molecules, Minds and Machines (Friday and Saturday)
11am What's Over the Horizon? The Future of Magnetic Fusion Research at MIT
11:30am TIM, MIT's Mascot's 100th Birthday Party
12pm Monsoon Cyclones: The dynamics of high-impact storms at the edge of the Tropics
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Monday, January 20
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12pm 2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
7:30pm Carbon Rush
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Tuesday, January 21
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8am Boston TechBreakfast: EasyWebContent, Energy Intelligence, AppNeta, SBR Health, Pingwyn
12:30pm Internet Skills as a Culprit in Wikipedia Contributions' Gender Inequality
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I apologize for the late publication this week as I was working all day Sunday helping a friend and mentor move.
My rough notes on some of the events I go to are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com
Economic Gardening
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2014/01/economic-gardening.html
Sustainable Development and Climate Change: 2 Free Online Courses
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/06/1267697/-Sustainable-Development-and-Climate-Change-2-Free-Online-Courses
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Event Details
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Monday, January 13
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2014 Computefest Workshops
Institute for Applied Computational Science, Harvard SEAS
Monday, January 13, 2014 - Friday, January 17, 2014
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (EST)
Harvard University, Northwest Building, Level B, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-computefest-workshops-registration-9222571961
2014 Computefest Workshops
Overview
2014 Winter activities and events for building computational science knowledge and skill. Open to the entire Harvard community: students, faculty, postdocs, and staff. External visitors are welcome on a space-available basis. ALL EVENTS ARE FREE.
Schedule
Monday, January 13
9:30am–4:30 pm: HPC and Big Data Analytics on Amazon Web Services Amazon
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: Introduction to Programming in Python Continuum Analytics
Tuesday, January 14
9:30 am–12:00 pm: Data Analysis and Visualization with MATLAB MathWorks*
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: Introduction to Linux and FAS HPC Resources FAS Research Computing
1:30 pm–4:30 pm: Python Awesome: for the experienced programmer new to Python Continuum Analytics
1:30 pm–5:00 pm: Julia Julia
Wednesday, January 15
9:30 am–12:00 pm: Programming with MATLAB MathWorks*
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: A Tour of Scientific Programming in Python Continuum Analytics
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: Best Practices in Using FAS HPC System (Odyssey) FAS Research Computing
1:30 pm–4:30 pm: Introduction to R IQSS
Thursday, January 16
9:30 am–12:00 pm: Parallel Computing with MATLAB on Multicore Desktops and GPUs MathWorks
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: Introduction to Parallel Computing and OpenMP FAS Research Computing
1:30 pm–4:00 pm: Data Visualization in Python Continuum Analytics
1:30 pm–4:30 pm: R Graphics IQSS
Friday, January 17
9:30 am–4:30 pm: GPU Computing Workshop NVIDIA
1:30 pm–5:00 pm: Parallel Programming with MPI FAS Research Computing
* Please note that the MATLAB workshop registration is handled directly by Mathworks on their website:http://www.mathworks.com/company/events/seminars/harvard2014/index.html
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2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
Jan 13, 17, 22, 24, 27, 31
12-1pm
MIT, Building 54-910 (the tallest building on campus)
Impacts of anthropogenic aerosols
Jan/13 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Chien Wang - Senior Research Scientist, EAPS, MIT
Monsoon depressions
Jan/17 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
William Boos - Asst. Prof. of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University
Plio-Pleist African monsoon evolution
Jan/22 Wed 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter deMenocal - Professor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, LDEO/Columbia U.
Impacts of W African monsoon variability
Jan/24 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Alessandra Giannini - Research Scientist, IRI and LDEO/Columbia U.
TBA: present day monsoons
Jan/27 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter Webster - Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech.
Monsoon variability & decline of Maya
Jan/31 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Martin Medina - Amherst College
Seasonally reversing atmospheric circulations known as monsoons determine the intensity and seasonality of precipitation throughout the tropics. Monsoon rains supply water for approximately two-thirds of the world's population, govern the distribution of tropical ecosystems and agriculture, and drive continental weathering in low latitudes; as a result, monsoon variability has wide-ranging impacts on human society and natural systems.
This January, EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Individual lectures in the series will be given in 54-915, noon to 1pm. Please check individual session listing for descriptions of each topic and the day it will be offered.
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, 253-3380, vsm at mit.edu
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Architecting a Future Tele-Health Care System to Treat PTSD in the US Military
January 13, 2014
Noon – 1 p.m. EDT
Webinar
Register at https://mit.webex.com/mit/j.php?ED=256490992&RG=1&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
Andrea Ippolito, SDM '11, Ph.D. student, MIT Engineering Systems Division
About the Presentation
This webinar will offer insight into how the US military can provide high-quality, cost-effective, timely access to health care for soldiers and their families — specifically those with post-traumatic stress disorders who may not have easy access to bricks and mortar facilities.
Andrea Ippolito will report on findings and recommendations by an MIT team that researched how technology can help reach those at risk. In this discussion, she will:
Define the term "tele-health" and explain how technology can be used to treat behavioral disorders at a distance;
Explain the overall systems-based approach the team used to evaluate the current state of tele-behavioral health within the military;
Detail the specific enterprise lenses of strategy, policy, organization, services, processes, infrastructure, and knowledge used to examine psychological heath-care services; and
Share the architecture recommendations proposed to deliver improved tele-behavioral health services to soldiers and their families in the future.
A question and answer session will follow the presentation.
About the Speaker
While at SDM, Andrea Ippolito served as a research assistant to the MIT Lean Advancement Initiative. There she and her fellow team members worked directly with the US Army's chief of tele-health to architect the future delivery system for the US Department of Defense. Ippolito is currently a product innovation manager at athenahealth, as well as a student in the MIT Engineering Systems Division's doctoral program. Prior to coming to MIT, she worked as a research scientist at Boston Scientific Corporation. Ippolito holds a B.S in biological engineering and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering from Cornell University.
MIT SDM Systems Thinking Webinar Series
About the Series
The MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar 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.
To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:
https://mit.webex.com/mit/j.php?ED=256490992&RG=1&UID=0&ORT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
For assistance
Go to https://mit.webex.com/mit/mc
On the left navigation bar, click "Support."
Or contact me at:
lslavin at mit.edu
1.617.253.0812
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Science Writing Panel
Monday, January 13, 2014
1:00p
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge (Koch - yes, that Koch - Biology Building)
Ann Cheung, PhD, Scientific Editor, Cancer Cell
Elizabeth McKenna, PhD, Science Writer, Cancer Discovery
Joanne Kotz, PhD, Director of Scientific Outreach, Broad Institute Center for the Science of Therapeutics
"How can we apply our scientific training to effective communication, both among scientists and to the public? Come learn about the different ways our panelists have ventured into science writing as editors, writers, and communicators with broad audiences."
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology
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Finding the Lowest Airfares -- Understanding Airline Pricing and Distribution
Monday, January 13
1:00PM-02:30PM
MIT, Building 33-206, 125 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Dr. Peter Belobaba, Principal Research Scientist, Program Manager, MIT Global Airline Industry Program
Why is airline pricing so complicated and why do airline fares change so often? This talk explains the theory and practice of airline pricing and revenue management -- how airlines determine prices and how many seats to sell at each price. The links between these models and internet distribution channels provide insights into the search for the best fares and itineraries.
Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-202, x3-2279, mas at mit.edu
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Science by the Pint: “The Huddlers’ Dilemma: The evolutionary biology of snuggling”
WHEN Mon., Jan. 13, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S) David Haig
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
NOTE Meet a scientist over great brews and food! All are welcome! No prior knowledge necessary!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Tuesday, January 14
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Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
8:15 AM to 12:30 PM (EST)
MIT, Building 4-349 (Pappalardo Room), 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-data-you-preparing-current-future-information-specialists-tickets-9600478289
Cost: $15.00 - $45.00
The New England Chapter of the Association for Information Science & Technology, together with the Simmons College Student Chapter, invite you to join us at our 2014 Winter Event: Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
Big Data is rapidly changing the way researchers, scientists and businesses learn, compete and adapt in digital data-driven environments. The conversation is not just about what data to store, but also how to extract meaningful intelligence from all data, and this is just the beginning.
We now ask what librarians, data scientists and researchers need to know in order to prepare for the challenges of Big Data over the next 10 years. Our panelists are leading practitioners and experts in information and computer science. They will discuss their experiences with Big Data and share their insights into leading a successful career in the always-changing information field.
Program
8:15-9:00am Registration & Breakfast
9:00-9:15am Welcome & Introduction
9:15-10:00am
Sands Fish, Senior Software Engineer--MIT Libraries
"Knowing in the Age of Networked Knowledge"
The words "research" and "knowing" have distinctly different meanings than they used to before the Information Age. Asking a librarian a question would likely have yielded a different kind of result than it does today. Now, asking questions of data yields vast and complex answers. Researchers, scientists, and librarians need to have a common ground to work together in this environment. What does it mean to "know" about something as our knowledge becomes increasingly interlinked? Where do we draw these boundaries and how does technology meet these challenges?
10:00-10:45am
Bradley Strauss, Senior Data Engineer--Chitika
"Is Big Data Bigger than a Bread Box?"
What do we mean by "big data," and what, if anything, is new or different about it? This talk will attempt to answer these questions from the standpoint of a practitioner working with large data sets on a daily basis.
10:45-11:00am Break
11:00-11:45am
Christopher Erdmann, Head Librarian--Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
"New Approaches to Library Data Services from an Astrophysics Perspective"
The rise of big data is having a transformational affect on the research community in increasing ways. From new policies to changes in research workflows, a dramatic shift is occurring. This talk will explore approaches the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics John G. Wolbach Library has taken to offer new data-related services with particular emphasis on training opportunities for librarians.
11:45am-12:30pm Panel Discussion with Michael Leach, Head of Collection Development--Harvard University Cabot Science Library
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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: What is Sustainability
Tuesday, January 14
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge
Overview of the development of sustainability as business strategy (also referred to as corporate social responsibility/CSR) and focuses on the impact of globalization. Examines strengths and limitations of sustainability as a business strategy. Is there a business case for sustainability? Which companies gain from having a sustainability strategy? Does society gain from sustainability and if so under what conditions?
Jette Steen Knudsen, Visiting Professor
In April 2013 the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people. The collapse led to heavy criticism of working conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh and to demands that western companies such as H&M and the GAP take increased responsibility for improving social and environmental conditions in supplier factories. Many other sectors such as consumer electronics (Apple) and toys (Mattel) have faced similar challenges.
These examples illustrate a growing trend. Today stakeholders as diverse as investors, employees, the media, NGOs and customers have strong views on how corporations should be run. Firms operating in or sourcing from developing countries are increasingly held responsible for a range of issues that were previously considered the responsibility of public authorities, such as environmental management, labor standards and human rights. Furthermore, several governments have adopted new regulations that require companies to adopt CSR activities (i.e., non-financial reporting requirements; green public procurement; legislation pertaining to anti-corruption). Companies therefore have to consider a wide range of new social issues as a key element of their broader risk management. How can firms best manage and prioritize their social risk management efforts? Which types of regulation (private or public) are most helpful for managing social risks?
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk at MIT.EDU
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Prospects, Promises and Problems: An Introduction to the Physics and Policies Behind Fusion Energy
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
11:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Anne White, MIT
Nuclear fusion offers the promise of an unlimited, clean energy source; and has been the subject of intense international research for the past 60 years. This talk will provide an introduction to the basic nuclear physics and plasma physics forming the scientific foundation for fusion energy research; and will also present summaries of national strategies, from around the world, to develop fusion energy.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
For more information, contact:
Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info at psfc.mit.edu
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Government as impresario: Emergent public goods and public private partnerships 2.0
January 14, 2014
12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/01/gruen#RSVP
This event will be webcast live (on this page) at 12:30pm ET.
with Nicholas Gruen, policy economist, entrepreneur and commentator
Though we're used to thinking that public goods must be produced by governments, there's a fundamental and growing class of public goods that emerge from private interaction. A market itself is such an emergent public good, celebrated as 'order without design' by Adam Smith. So too is language. Today emergent public goods, like Twitter, Facebook and Wikipedia, burgeon on the internet ushering in a new age. But there must exist a panoply of public goods which could be brought into existence by the right kind of partnership between private and public endeavor. This talk will explore that terrain providing compelling examples whilst expounding the principles on which such partnerships should be based.
About Nicholas
Nicholas Gruen is a widely published policy economist, entrepreneur and commentator who has been a regular columnist in theCourier Mail, the Australian Financial Review, the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
He has advised Cabinet Ministers, sat on Australia’s Productivity Commission and founded Lateral Economics and Peach Financial. He chairs the Australian Federal Government’s Innovation Australia Board, the Australian Centre for Social Innovation and the Partnership for Digital Services for Ecologically Sustainable Development and is Patron of the Australian Digital Alliance, which brings together Australia’s libraries, universities, and major providers of digital infrastructure such as Google and Yahoo. He is a member of the Council of the National Library of Australia.
He was second shareholder and Chairman of successful San Francisco based startup data analytics crowdsourcing platform Kaggle.com. He is an Angel investor in a number of other Australian startups including biNu.com a cloud based application delivering ‘smart phone’ capabilities to the feature phones of the developing world, OneTouch which is developing semantic document management systems, and of Roomz.com which aims to be the AirBnB for share houses as well as some silicon valley based startups.
He was a member of a major review into Australia’s Innovation System in 2008, a review of Pharmaceutical patent extensions in 2013. In 2009 he chaired Australia’s internationally acclaimed Government 2.0 Taskforce.
He has a BA (Hons) First Class in History (1981) and a PhD in Public Policy from the ANU (1998), and an LLB (Hons) from the University of Melbourne (1982).
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Developing a Road Map to Magnetic Fusion Energy
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Dale Meade, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
A status report will be given on the early stages of a grass roots effort to develop a framework for a US Road Map to Magnetic Fusion Energy.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
For more information, contact:
Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info at psfc.mit.edu
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BIG Transitions & How They Affect Your Startup Culture
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
6:00 PM
swissnex Boston - Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Startup-Culture-Meetup/events/154019682/
It seems like everyone has big plans for 2014 and our January event is the ideal place to hear from other Culture Enthusiasts about how to take the opportunity that comes with change and drive inspiring startup culture initiatives! Join Gary Fortier, COO at Raizlabs, Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder and CEO at Practically Green, and Ben Thomas, VP, Security at Backupify for a discussion about their experience with transitions and their role in keeping the culture alive!
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Surveillance in Cultural Context: seven films: "M"
Tuesday, January 14
6:00PM-08:30PM
MIT, Building 56-114, Access Via 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
"M"
Pursuit of a compulsive child killer (Peter Lorre) in pre-WWII Berlin in a growing web of police, neighborhood, and underworld surveillance practices concludes with an injunction to "keep closer watch over the children." (1931), directed by Fritz Lang (111 min)
Jim Paradis, Professor of Comparative Media Studies and Writing
Explore the culture of surveillance in modern society in a series of brilliant films about surveillance and modernity. Brief introductions and after-viewing discussions explore the rise of surveillance in the framework of shifting media regimes. Light snacks will be served.
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Jim Paradis, jparadis at mit.edu
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NU Entrepreneurs Club presents Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit and Author of Without Their Permission
When: Tuesday, January 14, 2014
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Northeastern University: Blackman Auditorium, Ell Hall, 324 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02115
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/223854934452518/
Cost: FREE
Alexis Ohannian has had multiple successful startup launches, exits, and a myriad of advisory roles in the tech community. He has been named one of the top 10 influential activists of 2012 and even has earned the “Mayor of the Internet” by Forbes.
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A Heads-up View of Urban Stream Ecology
Tuesday January 14
7:30 PM
Harvard University, MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Bob Smith
Human activities in the watershed and direct alterations to the stream channel can alter the habitat and water quality experienced by fauna living in a stream. Thus, studies examining stream communities along an urbanization gradient typically focus on the links between watershed land-use and in-stream conditions. However, stream organisms are not confined to a single stretch of stream throughout their life. Fish have the ability to disperse long distance through the stream network, and flying insects can disperse long distances across the landscape, unconstrained by the stream network.
Using a combination of field studies and GIS, Dr Smith, from University of Massachusetts Amherst, investigated how dispersal (a regional process) affects patterns of stream biodiversity along a gradient of human influence. His research suggests that human land use across the landscape may impede dispersal and both local (watershed based) and regional (dispersal based) processes are important for controlling community structure in urbanized streams. The mechanisms for how human activities alter regional processes differ between taxa and are related to species life history traits. These findings have important implications for conservation and restoration strategies as well as developing land-use development plans that promote the sustainability of stream ecosystems.
The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement, as described here, or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 6:00 PM) at the Cambridge Common, at 1667 Massachusetts Avenue.
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Wednesday, January 15
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Stand and Deliver: The Effect of Boston's Charter High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice
Wednesday, January 15
10:30AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E17-136, 40 Ames Street, Cambridge
Josh Angrist, Professor
Boston's charter high schools have shown themselves to be adept at boosting MCAS scores, the state-mandated assessments used to decide which schools are successful. Have these MCAS gains translated into gains in the outcomes, such as college attendance, that students themselves care about? We use charter school admissions lotteries to answer this question, with some surprising results. Come learn how MIT's School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative approaches such questions, and how our econometric work has affected social policy in Boston and elsewhere.
Sponsor(s): Economics
Contact: Linda Woodbury, E18-201D, 617 253-8885, LWOODBUR at MIT.EDU
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Potential Impacts of Anthropogenic Aerosols on the Monsoons
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Dr. Chien Wang, MIT
2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
This January, EAPS'IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/academics/courses/iap#noncredit%20id=
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jacqui Taylor
617-253-3381
jtaylor at mit.edu
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MIT Research in High-Energy Density Plasmas at OMEGA and the NIF
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Hans Rinderknecht, MIT
The High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) division at MIT performs cutting-edge research programs using laser-generated plasmas and unique nuclear spectral, imaging, and time-resolved diagnostics. Recent work with relevance to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), Plasma Nuclear Science, and basic plasma physics will be presented
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
For more information, contact: Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info at psfc.mit.edu
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Media and Ethics
Wednesday, January 15
2:00PM-04:00PM
MIT, Building 4-144, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Mine Gencel Bek, Visiting Fulbright Professor
Journalism ethics: Theoretical approaches (classical, dialogical and social responsibility)
Seminar focusing on media and ethics will cover the most prominent issues such as the philosophical foundations, theoretical approaches and journalistic guidelines. Each session will consist of 50 minutes of presentation, followed by discussion. In the final session, participants will have the opportunity to present their own case studies.
Taught by Visiting Fulbright Professor Mine Gencel Bek, professor at the Department of Journalism, Faculty of Communication, Ankara University. Her publications cover a wide range of issues: the political economy of Turkish media; the media policies in the European Union and Turkey; media professionals and textual analysis of news in press and TV on issues such as tabloidization and representation of women and children. Common to all of her work is criticism of unethical practices of irresponsible media and the call for the democratization of societies for freedom and equality, and the democratization of the media, with a special focus on journalism.
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Rebecca Shepardson, BSHEP at MIT.EDU
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Boston Music-Tech Group 2014 Kickoff!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venture Cafe at CIC, 1 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Music-Technology-Group/events/155986512/
Free pizza and drinks will be provided (pssst! if anyone knows a food co. that might want to sponsor let me know)
"UnConference Style" Thematic Conversations (7 small groups)
Featured Presentation
3-4 product demos by meetup group members and new music startups
Free mingle and network
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Thursday, January 16
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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: Can governments govern international business
Thursday, January 16
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge
This session examines the changing boundaries between public and private regulation of sustainability. Can governments govern international business? How are boundaries changing between public and private regulation of sustainability?
Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk at MIT.EDU
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Food Sol Community Table
Thursday, January 16th
10-11:30 a.m.
Babson Boston Campus, 253 Summer Street 3rd Floor
Who: Students of food from across Boston, food entrepreneurs of all kinds, and curious eaters!
Why: Bump, connect, share your work and discuss the opportunities baked into the new zoning
What is Community Table?
Community Table is a hub for students of food and food entrepreneurs of all kinds to gather and support those seated around the table to move their ideas and thinking forward. Design is light but deliberate in its aim to encourage attendees to think and create across sectors and silos. Format is always one table, one conversation, in-person participation only. Community Table is always come-when-you-can, leave-when-you-need-to and there are no formal presentations. Just a great conversation aimed at spreading good food ideas and resources, teaching each of us something new, and helping those who seek the Table’s guidance to make progress.
Conversation starter-topic will be: new opportunities in Boston urban agriculture as a result of the recent citywide re-zoning.
Rachel Greenberger, Director, Food Sol at Babson College
foodsol.org
774-270-0139 | rgreenberger1 at babson.edu
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The Feynman Films - Symmetry to Physical Law
Thursday, January 16, 2014
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
IAP Physics Feynman Film Series
A series of films by Richard Feynman and open to the MIT community.
Web site: http://student.mit.edu/searchiap/iap-BD6D0CF8E314B284E0400312852F4A61.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Physics IAP
For more information, contact: Denise Wahkor
617-253-4855
denisew at mit.edu
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FAS Freecycle
Thursday, January 16
12-2pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Received gifts you really can't wait to get rid of? Or got everything you wanted, and need to make more space? Clean out your closets, and bring it to the FAS Freecycle!
Bring your good, reusable items to the Science Center, or take away items for that post Holiday White Elephant.
FAS Staff can reach out for item pickups before Jan 14th by reaching out tobrandon_geller at harvard.edu. Donations will also be welcome on Jan 16th from 9-11am.
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Ahead of Their Time: From the Antikythera Mechanism to the Anti-Beatles
Thursday, January 16
1:00PM-02:30PM
MIT, Building E15-443, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
V. Michael Bove, Jr.
From the well-known to the obscure, from nonlinear fiction to fuel-cell vehicles and touchscreen maps, we celebrate a collection of technological, artistic, and other achievements that appeared tens, hundreds, or even a thousand years before the rest of the world caught up with them. Attendees are encouraged each to bring a favorite example of their own.
Sponsor(s): Media Arts and Sciences
Contact: V. Bove, E15-448, 617 253-0334, VMB at MEDIA.MIT.EDU
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Big Data Hack and Visualization Contest
Thursday, January 16
1:00PM-03:00PM
MIT, Building 9-450, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Mike Foster, GIS/Data Visualization Specialist
What can we learn from 2.3 million Taxi Rides? What can we do with mileage records from millions of vehicles? This is a hackathon themed session that introduces two major big data challenges occurring in the Boston area this winter, the MIT Big Data Challenge, and the MAPC Big Data Challenge. Come to be introduced to the challenges by the organizers, work on your visualization submission, and share knowledge, code, and visualization techniques with experts in the field and around MIT. The first session is to introduce the challenges, download the data, and get started on your project. The second is provided to receive expert feedback and continue collaboration. Bring your own laptop.
Sponsor(s): Urban Studies and Planning
Contact: Mike Foster, mjfoster at mit.edu
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All the Buzz About Data Science
Thursday, January 16, 2014
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/The-Data-Scientist/events/156418172/
Claudia Perlich
All the Buzz about Data Science is an evening spent around thought leaders discussing application of data science in the industry with a glass of alcohol in hand. We are organizing a data science discussion in a bar to talk about the impact of data science on business. It will not be a presentation. But rather a speaker talking about their experiences leading into a discussion with the speaker. The entire bar will be rented out for this event.
Speaker: For the first Data Salon event we have invited Claudia Perlich as a main speaker who will describe her experiences in the industry and generate conversation around challenges faced by the industry.
http://people.stern.nyu.edu/cperlich/
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Green Patriot Posters: The Revolution Will Be Designed
January 16, 2013
5:30pm
315 A Street Boston, MA 02210
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-patriot-posters-member-opening-reception-tickets-9985963285
Design Museum Boston members: join us for the unveiling of a new sustainable community in the Fort Point neighborhood — where the revolution will be designed. Be the first to see the new Green Patriot Posters exhibition and experience the opening of 315 on A, a LEED Gold Certified residential apartment building. Together we will dine on locally sourced food from Chef Ming Tsai’s Blue Dragon and enjoy signature beverages, while touring the inspirational exhibition and sustainable design features of 315 on A.
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Somervision: What makes a city hip?
Thursday, January 16
6:00 pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
By combining good governance, good business, and good citizenship, the City of Somerville has been able to change its image tremendously over the past decade. Join honorable mayor Joseph A. Curatone to recognize Somerville's great spaces and the potential brought by the Green Line expansion, and learn more about how the city is implementing the community's 2010 "Somervision." This event is organized by the BSA Urban Design Committee.
To attend, RSVP torsvp at architects.org with "1/16 Somervision" in the subject line.
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Best Practices for Data Security & Privacy with Goodwin Procter
Thursday, January 16, 2014 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
hack/reduce, 275 3rd Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/best-practices-for-data-security-privacy-with-goodwin-procter-tickets-9358967925
Attorneys Jackie Klosek and Mike Hammer will discuss intellectual property best practices for big data companies, including:
Data security and privacy issues
The impact to startups if there are new patent law changes
Factors big data startups should be concerned with while viewing and working with customer data
Following the talk, entrepreneurs that are interested in speaking to a lawyer one-on-one will have the opportunity to do so. Food and drinks will be provided.
Jackie Klosek, Goodwin Procter LLP
Jacqueline Klosek is a counsel in the firm's Business Law Department and a member of its Intellectual Property Group. Her practice focuses on transactions involving technology and intellectual property. She drafts and negotiates various technology agreements and advises clients on various issues related to privacy and data security.
Michael Hammer, Goodwin Procter LLP
Michael Hammer is an associate in the firm’s Intellectual Property Transactions and Strategies Practice, where he focuses on prosecuting patents. He has worked with clients to protect their intellectual property in the medical device, energy, green technology and software industries. His experience includes both patent and trademark prosecution.
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Growth Hacking Showcase Event featuring Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, CTO of CogoLabs
Thursday, January 16, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Growth-Hackers/events/154904062/
We're happy to announce our special, keynote presenter for the first Showcase Event in 2014 will be Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, the CTO of CogoLabs, who will speak about using competitive business intelligence when growing a business. We also have Steve OffseyCMO of MarketBuildr, and one other local entrepreneur scheduled to discuss their growth hacking experiences.
The event is scheduled for the evening of Jan. 16 from 6:00-9:00pm at the Microsoft NERD Center in Cambridge.
Soda, snacks and pizza will be provided courtesy of our sponsor, CogoLabs, and parking is available at the NERD Center for $10, or it's a short walk from the Kendall T-Station.
Please RSVP, and feel free to bring colleagues and friends.
Agenda:
6:00 - Arrive and Settle In
6:15 - Introductions
6:30 - Growth Hack Keynote – Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, CTO @ CogoLabs, "Using competitive intelligence data for growth"
7:15 - GrowthHack 2 – Steve Offsey, CMO @ MarketBuildr, title TBA
7:45 - Growth Hack 3 – TBD
8:15 - Socialize & Networking
8:45 - Wrap up
[Note: The order and timing of presentations may change.]
Speaker Bios:
Dr. Jonathan Shapiro, CTO, CogoLabs
Jonathan Shapiro has over 15 years of experience researching and building large-scale Internet services.
As a Professor of Computer Science at Michigan State University, his research focused on the role of economic behavior in computer networks and distributed applications.
Prior to his academic work he was a senior engineer at News Internet Services, a News Corporation company, where his team brought Fox News, Fox Sports and numerous other Newscorp brands to the Web for the first time.
Jonathan received his BA in Physics from Columbia University and his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Steve Offsey, CMO, MarketBuildr
www.linkedin.com/in/steveoffsey
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The Big Fix - A free showing of a Movie about the BP Oil Disaster and Corruption
Thursday, January 16, 2014
6:30 PM
243 Broadway, Cambridge
http://rule19.org/download-film/film-140116-The%20Big%20Fix.pdf
On April 22, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico creating the worst oil spill in history. Until the oil well was killed on September 19th, 205 million gallons of crude oil and over 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersant spread into the sea. By exposing the root causes of the spill, filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell uncover a vast network of corruption.
More information at http://rule19.org/videos/index.htm
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Google on charts: Best examples & how to create
Thursday, January 16, 2014
7:00 PM
Boston Globe, 135 Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/hackshackersboston/events/159283892/
Google Charts provides a perfect way to visualize data on the web. From simple line charts to complex hierarchical tree maps, a large number of ready-to-use chart types are provided.
Tom Rybka will present great examples of Google Charts from around the web, talk about new capabilities recently added to the API, and give a brief introduction to how to get started using the tools.
Tom Rybka has been a Google engineer for 7 years, and leads the Google Charts team in Cambridge, MA.
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Friday, January 17
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Bertarelli Symposium on Neuroengineering: Molecules, Minds and Machines
WHEN Fri., Jan. 17 – Sat., Jan. 18, 2014
WHERE Armenise Amphitheater, Harvard Medical School, 210 Longwood Avenue, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Bertarelli Program in Translational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering
SPEAKER(S) Bernardo L. Sabatini, Harvard Medical School
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO gail_townsend at hms.harvard.edu, 617.432.1745
LINK http://www.hms.harvard.edu/bertarelli/events.html
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What's Over the Horizon? The Future of Magnetic Fusion Research at MIT
Friday, January 17, 2014
11:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Greg Wallace, MIT
Alcator C-Mod has been an innovative, world-leading facility for fusion energy research at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center for over 20 years. As they look towards the future, MIT scientists and engineers will continue to use their experience from C-Mod to push the frontiers of fusion science and technology at home and around the globe.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
For more information, contact: Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info at psfc.mit.edu
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TIM, MIT's Mascot's 100th Birthday Party
Friday, January 17, 2014
11:30a–1:30p
MIT, W20-Lobby, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Come help TIM, MIT's mascot, celebrate his 100th birthday! Get your photo taken with TIM, enjoy some music provided by the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, have a piece of cake, and more....
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Campus Activities Complex
For more information, contact: Lauren Smock-Randall
253-3913
campus-activities at mit.edu
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Monsoon Cyclones: The dynamics of high-impact storms at the edge of the Tropics
Friday, January 17, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Professor Bill Boos, Yale University
2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
This January, EAPS'IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/academics/courses/iap#noncredit%20id=
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jacqui Taylor
617-253-3381
jtaylor at mit.edu
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Monday, January 20
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2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
Jan 13, 17, 22, 24, 27, 31
12-1pm
MIT, Building 54-910 (the tallest building on campus)
Chien Wang - Senior Research Scientist, EAPS, MIT
Monsoon depressions
Jan/17 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
William Boos - Asst. Prof. of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University
Plio-Pleist African monsoon evolution
Jan/22 Wed 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter deMenocal - Professor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, LDEO/Columbia U.
Impacts of W African monsoon variability
Jan/24 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Alessandra Giannini - Research Scientist, IRI and LDEO/Columbia U.
TBA: present day monsoons
Jan/27 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter Webster - Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech.
Monsoon variability & decline of Maya
Jan/31 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Martin Medina - Amherst College
Seasonally reversing atmospheric circulations known as monsoons determine the intensity and seasonality of precipitation throughout the tropics. Monsoon rains supply water for approximately two-thirds of the world's population, govern the distribution of tropical ecosystems and agriculture, and drive continental weathering in low latitudes; as a result, monsoon variability has wide-ranging impacts on human society and natural systems.
This January, EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Individual lectures in the series will be given in 54-915, noon to 1pm. Please check individual session listing for descriptions of each topic and the day it will be offered.
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, 253-3380, vsm at mit.edu
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Carbon Rush
Monday, January 20
7:30pm
Regent Theater, 7 Medford Street, Arlington
RSVP at gathr.us for Arlington screening
Green Cambridge is trying to arrange a showing of a new documentary film, "Carbon Rush" which reveals the true cost of carbon trading and who stands to gain or lose. To help make this happen at a local theatre, see the description and reserve your tickets at gathr.us.
We can bring this film to the Regent Theatre in Arlington on January 20 at 7:30 pm if enough of us reserve tickets in advance: For an explanation of the policy of this crowd-sourcing tool (GATHR), select the purple box HOW DOES THIS WORK? (under RESERVE) at the upper right corner of the web page referenced above. There are also links at the bottom of the page to their FAQ (frequently asked questions), privacy policy and terms of use.
We hope you will join us by reserving your ticket and spread the word by forwarding this email and posting to social media as well.
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Tuesday, January 21
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Boston TechBreakfast: EasyWebContent, Energy Intelligence, AppNeta, SBR Health, Pingwyn
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155722322/
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 January 2014:
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!
EasyWebContent - Payman Taei
Energy Intelligence - Daniel Shani
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": JOBS
AppNeta - James Meickle
SBR Health - Christopher Herot
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": EVENTS
Pingwyn - Vlad Zachary
9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words
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Internet Skills as a Culprit in Wikipedia Contributions' Gender Inequality
January 21, 2014 at 12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/01/hargittai-shaw#RSVP
This event will be webcast live (on this page) at 12:30pm ET.
with Eszter Hargittai and Aaron Shaw, Northwestern University
About Eszter
Eszter Hargittai is Delaney Family Professor in the Communication Studies Department and Faculty Associate of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University where she heads the Web Use Project. Her research focuses on the social and policy implications of digital media with a particular interest in how differences in people's Web-use skills influence what they do online. Her work has received awards from the American Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society, theInternational Communication Association, the National Communication Association and the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference. In 2010, the International Communication Association selected her to receive its Outstanding Young Scholar Award.
Hargittai is editor of Research Confidential: Solutions to Problems Most Social Scientists Pretend They Never Have (University of Michigan Press 2009), which presents a rare behind-the-scenes look at doing empirical social science research.
About Aaron
Aaron is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. His research focuses on political and economic dimensions of collective action online. Aaron's current projects address the effects of power inequalities in information sharing communities; the relationship between online participation and political engagement; the effects of online participation among venture-funded Internet startups; and the motivations of contributors to commercial crowdsourcing markets and non-commercial peer production projects. He received his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley in Sociology in 2012.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, January 22
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Glacial-Holocene Shifts in the Atlantic ITCZ, North African Climate, and Culture
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Professor Peter B. deMenocal, LDEO, Columbia University
2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/academics/courses/iap#noncredit%20id=
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:
Jacqui Taylor
617-253-3381
jtaylor at mit.edu
-------------------------------------
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught? Author Bill Aulet Unveils the 24 Steps to a Successful Startup
January 22, 2014
6:00PM–8:00PM
Foley Hoag LLP, Seaport West, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston
RSVP at http://sites.foleyhoag.vuturevx.com/97/137/landing-pages/rsvp---blank.asp
Managing Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship & Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Bill Aulet joins us at the next TEC at FoleyHoag meet-up on January 22, 2014 for a book signing and discussion on launching successful startups. Bill's new book,Disciplined Entrepreneurship, demonstrates how innovation-driven entrepreneurship can be broken down into discreet behaviors and processes that can be learned through these 24 steps. Whether you are a serial entrepreneur or first-timer, this conversation will provide useful insight on how to efficiently bring products to market.
Presented by TEC at FoleyHoag
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Thursday, January 23
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Third Annual Computational Science Ventures
WHEN Thu., Jan. 23, 2014, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE Harvard SEAS, Maxwell Dworkin Building, Room G125, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Information Technology, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute for Applied Computational Science, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SPEAKER(S) Marija Ilic, professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Ted Morgan, founder and CEO of Skyhook; Sokwoo Rhee, founder/CTO of Millennial Net and Presidential Innovation Fellow
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO iacs-info at seas.harvard.edu
NOTE This event explores some of the extraordinary entrepreneurial opportunities on the frontier of computational science. Participants will hear from and speak with innovators seizing these opportunities. Computational Science Ventures is organized by Alexander Wissner-Gross, a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur who is Institute Fellow at IACS.
LINK http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/computational-science-ventures
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The Propaganda Cartel—Extra-Governmental Organizations and the Cold-War Consensus
January 23, 2014
12:15-2:00 p.m.
Harvard, Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Chad Levinson, Research Fellow, International Security Program
Description: What are the sources of interest group influence in the politics of U.S. security policy? What causes some groups to thrive and others falter? This seminar offers a theory that influence derives from the distribution of relevant information, the preferences of White House occupants, and public beliefs about the credibility of political actors. The presentation will explore the consequences of this proposition, specifically the emergence of a concentrated group of extra-governmental propaganda organizations that helped forge the Cold-War consensus and build a civilian national security policy apparatus within the Executive.
Series: International Security Brown Bag Seminar
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.
Open to the Public
Contact: ISP Program Coordinator
International Security Program, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Mailbox 53, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
HARVARD Kennedy School
Email: susan_lynch at hks.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-496-1981
Fax: 617-495-8963
Url: http://www.belfercenter.org/ISP/
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Global Change Science
Thursday, January 23
01:00PM-03:00PM
MIT, Building 66-144, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Daniel Rothenberg, Daniel Gilford
This session will introduce the fundamentals of climate science and provide an overview of what climate scientists know about our current and future climate. The talk will walk through the greenhouse effect, introduce the human-induced and natural climate forcing components such as greenhouse gas emissions, ozone, volcanic eruptions, aerosols, and Short Lived Climate Pollutants. Emphasis will be on the complexity and uncertainty regarding current understanding and future projections of earth's climate. The link between climate and extreme weather will also be discussed.
Sponsor(s): Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Contact: Robert Morris, E19-411, 617 324-7375, RHGMORR at MIT.EDU
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Actor/vocalist Brian Stokes Mitchell
WHEN Thu., Jan. 23, 2014, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Agassiz Theatre, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Theater
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Learning From Performers, Office for the Arts
COST Free; tickets/RSVPs not required. Admission first-come, first-served, based on venue capacity
NOTE Dubbed “The Last Leading Man” by The New York Times, Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career on Broadway, television and film, along with appearances in the America’s greatest concert halls. He will lead a master class for undergraduate singers, and observers are welcome; admission is free (tickets/RSVPs not required). This event is co-sponsored by Celebrity Series of Boston, which is presenting Brian Stokes Mitchell in concert on Thursday, January 23 at 8 pm at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre. For more information about the concert, visit the Celebrity Series: www.celebrityseries.org.
LINK http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/lfp/details.php?ID=44406
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Viral Culture Talk
Thursday, January 23
3:00PM TO 4:30PM
Northeastern, Renaissance Park 310,1135 Tremont Street, Boston
The 2013-14 Northeastern Humanities Center Resident Fellows will present their current research projects with the theme "Viral Culture."
The 2013-14 Fellows are:
Nicole Aljoe, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'Do you Remember the Days of Slav'ry?': The Neo-Slave Narrative in Contemporary Caribbean Cultural Production"
Ryan Cordell, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Uncovering Reprinting Networks in Nineteenth-Century American Periodicals"
Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "The Waves That Bind: Radio Broadcasting in Lebanon and Beyond, 1958-1968"
Justin Manjourides, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Bouvé College of Health Sciences; "The Application of Infectious Disease Surveillance Methodologies to Humanities Data"
Suzanna Danuta Walters, Director of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'The Viral is Political': Sexual Identity, Sexual Violence, Social Media"
Sara Wylie, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Redesigning WellWatch with Open Source Hardware Tools for Environmental Investigation"
Lana Cook, PhD Candidate, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Altered States: The American Psychedelic Aesthetic”
M.J. Motta, PhD Candidate, Law and Public Policy, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Policy Innovation, Learning, and Diffusion in Offshore Wind Development”
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documentary photographer/filmmaker Lauren Greenfield
WHEN Thu., Jan. 23, 2014, 3 – 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Fong Auditorium, Boylston Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film
NOTE An award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker who directed the acclaimed 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles,” Lauren Greenfield ’87 will discuss and screen clips and stills of her work during a presentation entitled “From Gordon Gekko to the Queen of Versailles: A Journey in Picture, Film and Culture.”
LINK http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/cal/details.php?ID=44407
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-MmKERUScNeionUiJ4U-LMvK_vHB-G4vfuz6u5NRf6s/viewform
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SCALE Research Expo 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
4:30-8:00pm
MIT Media Lab, 6th floor,, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://ctl.mit.edu/researchexpo2014
117 supply chain master’s students from the MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network showcase their thesis projects after partnering with global companies such as BASF, BNSF Railway, C.H. Robinson, Coyote Logistics, Dow AgroSciences, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Niagara Bottling, Ralph Lauren, Schlumberger, and more. MIT CTL researchers will also give briefings on their latest work in supply chain and logistics. This event is free for the MIT community, but pre-registration is required.
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Cities for people: Pedestrian and bike systems
Thursday, January 23, 2014
6:00 pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
Helle Søholt, founding partner and CEO of Gehl Architects, the designer who introduced pedestrian plazas and biking opportunities to New York City’s Times Square and throughout Manhattan, suggests a new transportation balance between biking, transit, and cars.
To attend, email rsvp at architects.org with "Traffic 1/23" in the subject line.
Rights of Way: Mobility and the City on exhibit at the BSA until May 26, 2014
http://bsaspace.org/exhibitions/rights-of-way-mobility-and-the-city/
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Boston Quantified Self Show&Tell #BQS15 (IBM)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge
Price: $5.00/per person
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/BostonQS/events/155525672/
Please come join us on Thursday, January 23rd for another fun evening of self-tracking presentations, sharing ideas, and showing tools. If you are self-tracking in any way -- health stats, biofeedback, life-logging, mood monitoring, biometrics, athletics, etc. -- come and share your methods, results and insights.
We're happy to hosted by our friends at the IBM. Be sure to RSVP early to grab your spot! Come to meet new people, check out new hands-on gadgets and tools, enjoy healthy food, and learn from personal stories.
6:00 - 7:00 pm DEMO HOUR & SOCIAL TIME
Are you a toolmaker? Come demo your self-tracking gadget, app, project or idea that you're working on and share with others in our "science fair for adults." If you are making something useful for self-trackers – software, hardware, web services, or data standards – please demo it in this workshop portion of the Show&Tell. Want to participate in Demo Hour? Please let us know when you RSVP or contact Vincent at vmcphillip at gmail dot com for a spot.
7:00 - 8:00 pm IGNITE SHOW&TELLS
If you'd like to talk about your personal self-tracking story, please let us know in your RSVP or contact Joshua at joshuakot at gmail dot com, so we can discuss your topic. In your talk, you should answer the three prime questions: What did you do? How did you do it? What did you learn?
If you've never been to a meetup before, you can get a sense of what the talks are like from watching videos of previousQStalksathttps://vimeo.com/groups/quantifiedself/videos
Don't know what Ignite means? Tips on how to deliver a fantastic quick-fire presentation at http://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/
8:00 - 9:00 pm MORE SOCIAL TIME & NETWORKING
Talk to the speakers, chat with new and old friends, ask other people what they're tracking, and generally hang out and have a great time.
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*Connecting for Justice (SoJust Open House)*
Thursday, January 23
6-9PM
Llyr, Back Bay, Boston
RSVP: www.sojust.org <http://www.sojust.org> - Newcomers always welcomed!
$5-$20 collected at the door. (One raffle ticket per $10 to win a $25 Trader Joe's gift card.)
Join us to celebrate 7+ years, 2350+ members, 165+ events and countless connections made since 2006! Haven't been to a Socializing for Justice event? It's time to meet 120+ friendly SoJusters!
Meet like-minded progressives and get connected to great social justice organizations in Boston*. SoJust is all about building a cross-issue progressive community and network in Boston. We're doing it by putting the SOCIAL back in SOCIAL JUSTICE. We focus on creating welcoming spaces that foster relationship-building across issue silos. Join us if you are ready to go BEYOND ALLIES and build a CROSS-ISSUE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.
THIS IS NOT A MEETING No Program. No Speaker. Just Us. For Justice.
A great spread of complimentary appetizers will be provided.
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The Myth, Money and Value of Viral Content
Thursday, January 23, 2014
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Northeastern, Renaissance Park, room 310R (3rd floor), 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-myth-money-and-value-of-viral-content-smcviral-tickets-10105093607
Social Media Club Boston invites you to attend "The Myth, Money and Business Value of Viral Content" at Renaissance Park building, Suite 310R, Northeastern University (1135 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02115, near Ruggles T stop), on January 23 at 7-8:30p.m.
We'll be sharing lessons learned, realistic expectations (no magic formula), best practices/those to avoid ethically; and if there is a business/revenues possible with video content. A panel and format that is similar to themes from the recent Catching a Virus: Brands and People Monetizing Viral Media in Real-time http://nyviralmediacatchavirus.eventbrite.com/.
Confirmed Panelists:
Ryan Cordell, Northeastern Univ. professor - His very interesting perspective as an academic at Northeastern U. who has looked at how content went viral 150 years ago. We also like the connection as a father who saw the phenomenon of Two Girls and a Puppy http://mashable.com/2013/01/18/sisters-get-a-puppy/ boom first hand with 1 Million+ likes, but also minimal $ actually raised. Ryan's background and blog at: http://ryan.cordells.us/
Rob Ciampa, CMO of Pixability, a Boston-based, big data software company that works with major brands on YouTube. Rob ran the acclaimed SXSW panel, “Mythbusting: Engineering a Viral Video.” His comments on viral video can be found at http://pixvid.me/1es. Web: pixability.com Twitter: @robciampa
For our final panelist, we are seeking a performing artist who has benefited from popular shared content.
Moderator: Adam Zand,president, Social Media Club Boston and almost ubiquitous at Almost Ubiquitous. Twitter @NoOneYouKnow
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Friday, January 24
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Weathering the Data Storm: The Promise and Challenges of Data Science
Friday, January 24, 2014
9:00am - 5:30pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Attendance is free, no registration required
Session Co-Chairs:
Hanspeter Pfister, Computer Science
Joe Blitzstein, Statistics
Pavlos Protopapas, Institute for Applied Computational Science
Industry leaders, researchers, and Harvard students will come together for a day of lively conversation about the sweeping advances in data science at the intersection of statistics, computer science, and various domains. Leading experts in data science will talk about the way organizations are using careful analysis of data to address important real-world issues, about the challenges of big data, and about the future of this exciting emerging field. This one-day symposium will bring together data analytics professionals, domain scientists, academic researchers and users, and fosters an exchange of ideas through invited talks, panels, and plenty of audience interaction. Click here to download the symposium poster, and here to download a copy of the symposium schedule (tentative).
Speakers:
Ryan Adams, Harvard University
Luke Bornn, Harvard University
Jeff Heer, University of Washington
Diane Lambert, Google
Fernando Perez, UC Berkeley
Claudia Perlich, Dstillery
Bonnie Ray, IBM
Cynthia Rudin, MIT
Rachel Schutt, News Corp
Yuan Yuan, Dropbox
http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/data-storm
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Workshop on Mapping the Neighborhoods of Boston
Friday, January 24, 2014
9am to 4 pm
Emerson College's Bordy Theater, 216 Tremont Street, Boston
Free; Pre-registration is required at http://www.rsvpbook.com/mappingboston
This day-long, hands-on workshop will introduce Boston-area scholars, students, civic leaders and community members to the Boston Research Map and other tools that can improve research, teaching, and advocacy focused on Boston’s neighborhoods.
During the day, participants will:
Learn How to Use the Boston Research Map: In the morning, participants will learn how to visualize various types of spatial information—including administrative and research data, historical maps, Google Street View and Flickr photos—in Boston Research Map, a free, online platform developed by Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis with support from the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). Participants will also learn how to use the map’s other features, including uploading and downloading data, linking maps to other web sites (e.g., Yelp), and drawing custom neighborhoods.
Use the Boston Research Map to Describe a Nearby Neighborhood: Participants will use these tools when they fan out into surrounding neighborhoods for lunch. When they return, they will use the tools to prepare brief presentations about the areas they visited.
Explore Use of Boston Research Map in Their Work: The day will conclude with breakout sessions exploring ways to use the tools in research, classroom activities and course assignments, and work with community-based organizations and other entities.
The workshop will be led by BARI Research Director Dan O’Brien and BARI Senior Project Advisor David Luberoff. Attendees should bring their own laptops, but do not need previous experience with GIS or spatial data. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
The workshop is free but space is limited so participants must pre-register.
To register please visit us at http://www.rsvpbook.com/mappingboston.
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Impacts of West African Monsoon Variability
Friday, January 24, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Dr. Alessandra Giannini, IRI/LDGO
2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/academics/courses/iap#noncredit%20id=
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jacqui Taylor
617-253-3381
jtaylor at mit.edu
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New Materials for Solar Cells: From Quantum Mechanical Simulations to Computational Materials Design
Friday, January 24
3:00 PM
BU, Room 205, 8 St. Mary’s Street, Boston
Refreshments served at 2:45 PM
Na Sai, University of Texas at Austin
Abstract: The sun delivers enormous energy to Earth that can meet our current and future demands. Only 0.18% of the total US electricity production is currently derived from sunlight. The enormous gap between the potential for solar energy exploitation and its utilization is due to the cost and inefficiency of existing energy conversion devices. Third-generation solar cells are being designed to meet the grand challenge of making the conversion dramatically more affordable and efficient by innovating in the area of materials and design concepts.
Organic semiconductor solar cells offer the prospect of inexpensive and scalable production combined with mechanical flexibility. The design of optimal organic photovoltaics (OPVs) demands elucidation of physical mechanisms in the separation of electrons and holes at organic interfaces and in the transport of charge in organic heterojunctions. Both are critical steps in the energy conversion process and are defined by the unique active material electronic properties. Computational investigations of OPV materials and interfaces predict key electronic properties governing the energy conversion efficiency, such as excited states, energy level alignment, interfacial charge transfer, interfacial dipoles, charge trapping, and the dependence on the molecular structure, interfacial geometry, and morphology. I will discuss strategies for integrating theory with experiment to generate fundamental insight into the role of hot charge transfer excitons and for harnessing materials design to enhance organic photovoltaic performance.
Biography: Na Sai is a research fellow in the Department of Physics and the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin and a Sandia National Laboratories-affiliated member of the DOE-EFRC Center on Charge Separation and Transfer at Interfaces in Energy Materials. She received her bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from Jilin University, China, and Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from Rutgers University. She did postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania and University of California, San Diego. She applies a wide range of computational techniques to study electronic properties of materials, elucidating fundamental processes and mechanisms and developing insights to guide the design of new materials, most recently for solar energy conversion. Her current research interests include organic polymers, nanostructured materials, hybrid materials, molecular electronics, multifunctional oxides for solar energy conversion and storage, nanotechnology, and next generation electronics.
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Drinkable Science: Mixology, Distilling, and Biomimetic Devices
Friday, January 24, 2014
6:00p–8:00p
MIT Museum, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor John Bush, Jared Sadoian, Will & Dave Willis
Why are some drinks shaken, not stirred? Do you have what it takes to make a perfectly balanced cocktail? What do biomimetic devices have to do with drinking cocktails? Find out the answer to these questions and more during an evening of discussion and demonstrations at the MIT Museum.
Learn about the science of cocktails and distilling, sample a variety of craft spirits, and have the opportunity to make your own concoctions at our evening event. Leave knowing far more about the science of spirits than you thought possible!
Featuring:
Jared Sadoian, Beverage Director, Craigie on Main
Will and Dave Willis, Owners, Bully Boy Distillers
John Bush, Professor of Applied Mathematics, MIT
Web site: https://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/calendar/2014-01-24.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: $20
Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/drinkable-science-mixology-distilling-and-biomimetic-devices-tickets-9900253926
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact: Andrew Hong
617.324.7313
andhong at mit.edu
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Saturday, January 25
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TEDxNortheastern University
Saturday, January 25
More information at http://www.tedxnortheasternu.com
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HEET Energy Upgrade
Saturday, January 25
9 am - 130 pm
Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street, Boston
Lunch will be served.
The Community Church is an old activist church that has helped support many of Boston's most progressive changes including fighting against the Vietnam War, raising awareness about the Concentration Camps during WWII and trying to stop the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti.
Sign up to help out a great church while you learn how to save energy in your own home at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Z2tSf1nhm8XUa8FFY-N8twzxtiXKsv_Rw3I_a7DjYO8/viewform
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Sunday, January 26
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Exploring Victory Gardens: How a Nation of Vegetable Growers Helped to Win the War
Sunday, January 26
2:00–4:00pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
Cost: $20 general; $15 Arnold Arboretum member
Judith Sumner, PhD, Botanist and Author
During World War II, home front victory gardens flourished nationwide—in former lawns, flower gardens, school yards, public parks, ball fields, and abandoned lots. As part of the war effort, posters encouraged patriotic Americans to “Grow vitamins at your kitchen door” and “Eat what you can, and can what you cannot eat.” In fact, Americans needed to supplement their diets during a time of food rationing and shortages. Nearly 20 million gardeners answered the call, including many who had never wielded a hoe. Join us as we explore the role of 1940s vegetable gardens, ration-book cookery, and food preservation in wartime victory.
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The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible: An Evening with Charles Eisenstein
Sunday January 26th
4:00pm
First Church JP, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/1390291651218107/ or
by email info at jamaicaplainforum.org?subject=RSVP%20for%201%2F26%20Charles%20Eisenstein%20forum
As our social and ecological crisis deepens, what is our next step as agents of healing and change? Charles Eisenstein's
(http://charleseisenstein.net/) work is an empowering antidote to the cynicism, frustration, and paralysis so many of us feel, replacing it with a grounding reminder of what's true: we are all connected, and our personal choices bear unsuspected transformational power.
Using real-life stories, Charles unites systems-level change with small, individual acts of courage, kindness, and self-trust. These, he says, can
change our culture's guiding narrative of separation that has generated the present planetary crisis. Charles is the author of several books,
including Sacred Economics (http://sacred-economics.com/) and Ascent of Humanity (http://www.ascentofhumanity.com/).
His new book is The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Hearts-Possible-Sacred-Activism/dp/1583947248)
http://jamaicaplainforum.org/
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Neighborhood Kitchen/Greenport Forum: Childraising in the Era of Climate Change
January 26, 2014
5:00pm
Eitz Chayim, 136 Magazine Street, Cambridge
The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Kitchen is opening its’ next event to the entire Cambridge community. Please join us!
At the next Neighborhood Kitchen dinner we will be hosting a discussion with parents on the issues of child raising in the era of climate change. Among the issues to discuss are the following:
How do we talk to our kids about climate change? Their future?
What is our conception of our children’s future?
What skills will our children need—including technical, social and emotional skills in order to live with our changing climate.
How do we as parents locate ourselves emotionally with our feelings of hope/despair for our children’s future. How do we deal with uncertainty?
What concrete things can we do as a family to lesson our carbon footprint; how can we get our children involved in these activities?
The Neighborhood Kitchen is a Cambridgeport group that is an offshoot of Greenport. Our goal is to build community by cooking monthly meals together. Each person is asked to sign up to help cook, set up, or clean-up. We eat at the Eitz Chayim on Magazine St. This wonderful meal offers an opportunity for local families and neighbors of all ages to come together and get to know one another; offering conversation, comfort and support. In an age when more and more of us do not know our neighbors; this dinner offers us the opportunity to change that!
We will begin at 5 by sharing a meal, with a discussion to follow after we have eaten. During the discussion childcare will be available by neighborhood teenagers. To cover food costs we ask for $5-$8 per adult, $0-$5 per child, sliding scale, depending on what the participant wants to pay.
Contact Sally at waa348 at juno.com to sign up. Please sign up by January 19.
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Monday, January 27
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Cold Fusion 101: Introduction to Excess Power in Fleischmann-Pons Experiments
Monday, January 27
10:30AM-01:30PM
MIT, Building 4-145, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Peter Hagelstein, Mitchell Swartz
Excess power production in the Fleischmann-Pons experiment; lack of confirmation in early negative experiments; theoretical problems and Huizenga's three miracles; physical chemistry of PdD; electrochemistry of PdD; loading requirements on excess power production; the nuclear ash problem and He-4 observations; approaches to theory; screening in PdD; PdD as an energetic particle detector; constraints on the alpha energy from experiment; overview of theoretical approaches; coherent energy exchange between mismatched quantum systems; coherent x-rays in the Karabut experiment and interpretation; excess power in the NiH system; Piantelli experiment; prospects for a new small scale clean nuclear energy technology.
Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Jan/28 Tue 10:30AM-01:30PM 4-145
Jan/29 Wed 10:30AM-01:30PM 4-145
Jan/30 Thu 10:30AM-01:30PM 4-145
Jan/31 Fri 10:30AM-01:30PM 4-145
Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Peter Hagelstein, plh at mit.edu
--------------------------------
Hazard Predeiction in the Developing World: Tales of efforts to span the "Valley of Death"
Monday, January 27, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Professor Peter Webster, Georgia Tech
2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/academics/courses/iap#noncredit%20id=
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jacqui Taylor
617-253-3381
jtaylor at mit.edu
---------------------------
A Fireside Chat with Drew Houston, Founder & CEO of Dropbox and Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief, MIT Technology Review
Monday, January 27, 2014
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Cost: Free for full-time students with ID, and MITEF Members; $45 for Non-members
Tickets: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
Speaker: Drew Houston, CEO, DropBox
Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief and Publisher, MIT Technology Review will host a fireside chat with Drew Houston, Founder and CEO of Dropbox.
Drew graduated from MIT and wrote the first lines of code for Dropbox while at a train station in Boston. These days he's usually out and about running Dropbox's business affairs, but he still contributes a lot to Dropbox's client software. In the little free time he has, Drew can be found jamming on his guitar.
Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, two MIT students tired of emailing files to themselves to work from more than one computer.
Today, more than 200 million people across every continent use Dropbox to always have their stuff at hand, share with family and friends, and work on team projects.
Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/fireside-chat-with-drew-houston-founder-ceo-of-dropbox/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact: Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
agoggins at mit.edu
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Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality
Monday, January 27
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome MIT professor MAX TEGMARK for a discussion of his book, Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality.
Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist. Fascinating from first to last—this is a book that has already prompted the attention and admiration of some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians.
“Tegmark offers a fascinating exploration of multiverse theories, each one offering new ways to explain ‘quantum weirdness’ and other mysteries that have plagued physicists, culminating in the idea that our physical world is ‘a giant mathematical object’ shaped by geometry and symmetry. Tegmark’s writing is lucid, enthusiastic, and outright entertaining, a thoroughly accessible discussion leavened with anecdotes and the pure joy of a scientist at work.” —Publishers Weekly
“Galileo famously said that the universe is written in the language of mathematics. Now Max Tegmark says that the universe IS mathematics. You don’t have to necessarily agree, to enjoy this fascinating journey into the nature of reality.” —Prof. Mario Livio, astrophysicist, author of Brilliant Blunders and Is God a Mathematician?
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Tuesday, January 28
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Robotic Surveillance: Authorship or Intrusion?
January 28, 2014 at 12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/01/kaminski#RSVP
This event will be webcast live (on this page) at 12:30pm ET.
with Margot Kaminski, Executive Director, Information Society Project, Yale Law School
Robots will use surveillance for locomotion, communication, and for marketing. As robots are adopted for personal use, private third-party surveillance will expand to new locations and scenarios. This project explores how the pending increase in robotic surveillance poses new questions for U.S. privacy law, particularly the application of privacy torts. Some robotic surveillance will be necessary, some will be superfluous, and some will be deliberately intrusive. Some will be automatic, while some will depend on a robot's deliberate decisions. Is it possible--or desirable--to craft meaningful laws or guidelines before widespread private adoption of robots?
About Margot
Margot E. Kaminski is a Research Scholar in Law, Executive Director of the Information Society Project, and Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. She is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School and a former fellow of the Information Society Project. While at Yale Law School, she was a Knight Law and Media Scholar and co-founder of the Media Freedom and Information Access Practicum. Following graduation from Yale Law School, she clerked for The Honorable Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has been a Radcliffe Research Fellow at Harvard and a Google Policy Fellow at theElectronic Frontier Foundation. Her research and advocacy work focuses on media freedom, online civil liberties, data mining, and surveillance issues. She has written widely on law and technology issues for law journals and the popular press and has drawn public attention to the civil liberties issues surrounding the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
Links
Drone Federalism: Civilian Drones and the Things They Carry, 4 Cal. L. Rev. Cir. 57 (2013)
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Writing in Digital Margins - Annotation Studio Workshop
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Annotation Studio, an easy-to-use web application for education, engages students in close reading through annotation, allows them to add multimedia links to comments in order to cite sources, variations, or adaptations, and to share annotations with fellow students.
In this hands-on workshop you'll learn how to create, tag, link, and share annotations, how you can integrate digital text annotation in your teaching, or - if you are interested in the development or deployment aspects - how the underlying open-source technology opens up exciting possibilities for new functionality. Free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Web site: http://hyperstudio.mit.edu/events/annotation-studio-workshop-january-2014/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Hyperstudio
For more information, contact: Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio at mit.edu
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Stay Secure in 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
6:30 PM
White Horse Tavern, 116 Brighton Ave, Allston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/TechinmotionBoston/events/159186142/
2013 was a great year for Tech in Motion: Boston. We reached over 2600 members and had over 1600 total RSVPs all thanks to you! Our hope is for this year to be no different.
Join us for a night of networking, drinks, and demos to kickoff the new year! We've invited some of Boston’s best tech security companies out to demo their products and lend advice on staying secure in 2014.
We will list the participating companies once they are confirmed so stay tuned!
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Hacking your idea into a business
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Industry Lab, 288 Norfolk Street, Cambridge
Come to the side entrance, to the left of the building, follow signs when you get there.
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Cambridge-Hackspace/events/157093632/
Come and join us on the 28th of January, with speakers from Dragon Innovation and Technical Machine, to hear how you can make your projects, your hobbies, and possibly your dreams a reality.
We’ve all had big ideas, we’ve dreamt about building the ‘thing’ that we thought up last Tuesday in the pub, making a prototype, crowd funding the project, mass production, fame, fortune. However, in reality most of our projects don’t make it past the idea stage, and if we do manage to make a prototype, taking it further seems like a massive undertaking, one we rarely attempt. Is it the lack of time, direction, accountability, or being completely overwhelmed by everything you need to get done.
We’re not promising fame or fortune, but we can show you how others have made the jump, and successfully taken their ideas further.
We have 3 entrepreneurs speaking about their involvement in this area, two who have personally succeeded, and one who has helped others succeed. They all have an impressive vision, and are all about taking ideas and making them a reality. Between them they are a great resource, and should get you pointing in the right direction.
Food and Booze will be provided for the evening, a big thank you to GM for sponsoring the event.
Confirmed Speakers:
Scott N. Miller, CEO / Co-Founder, Dragon innovation
http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottnmiller
Scott has been fascinated with hardware since he was old enough to hold a screwdriver. Over the course of his career, he’s worked on high efficiency robotic tunafish, life size robotic dinosaurs for Disney Imagineering, and robotic baby dolls with Hasbro. Leaving iRobot after 10 great years, Scott saw the deadly gap that many Entrepreneurs were facing in going from a functional prototype to high volume production. At Dragon Innovation, Scott has worked with over 100 companies to help them scale by providing them with his expertise in all sectors of the business. Scott loves new challenges and the opportunity to work with world class teams.
Tim Ryan, Co-Founder, Technical Machine
@timcameronryan
Tim Ryan is a software developer and recent graduate from Olin College in Massachusetts. The Internet has been a part of his life since he was four years old, having cut his teeth on AOL 3.0 and BASIC. Out of esoteric hobbies like programming compilers and vintage video game consoles came the skills to co-found Technical Machine, a company enabling the same skills and tools used by software developers today to make physical experiences. He is one of the three co-founders and spends his time on developing firmware and tools for Tessel, a JavaScript-compatible prototyping platform.
About Cambridge Hackspace
Cambridge hackspace is a maker space based in Industry lab, in the center of Cambridge, MA. We hold weekly meetings where we get together and make things. Our mission to to help empower makers to, well, make things. We provide a community-operated physical space, tools, and a way for our members to share their knowledge.
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Wednesday, January 29
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"Horses and Thunder" -- Meeting the Energy Needs and Oil Exploration and Production in the Deepwaters
Wednesday, January 29
09:00AM-05:00PM
MIT, Building 3-333, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Ahmed Ghoniem, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Adam Ballard, Ryan Yeley
How will we meet our growing energy needs in the future, especially for transportation, which is heavily dependent on oil? More and more oil is discovered and produced offshore, in deeper and deeper water. How do we know where and how to drill for oil? What are some of the engineering challenges in working at 5000’ of water? How do we produce it efficiently, bring it to shore safely, and beyond? What are some of the recent developments in science and engineering that will take us further? This short course will discuss: 1. Energy needs and role of offshore oil 2. Exploration - the idea phase 3. Drilling - the discovery and development phase 4. Production - the extraction phase 5. Transportation - getting it to market 6. Recent science and engineering developments We will look at the Thunder Horse field located in the Gulf of Mexico. Starting with 1999, this field has contributed > 5% of the oil produced within the United States. Since then, oil has been discovered further out and effort is underway to produce from these fields.
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up, lunch provided.
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Contact: Prof. Ahmed Ghoniem, 3-344, 617) 253-2295, ghoniem at MIT.EDU
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Radcliffe Institute Fellows' Presentation Series: "Olympia (2012)"
WHEN Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 4 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film, Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) T. Marie Dudman, 2013-2014 Radcliffe-Harvard Film Study Center Fellow, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO 617.495.8212
NOTE T. Marie Dudman is a transdisciplinary artist and an assistant professor in the animation program at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her recent works "Slave Ship" and "Water Lilies" extend her long-term interest in the intersection of film, painting, and animation.
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-t-marie-dudman-fellow-presentation
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Clean Air Act Regulation of CO2 from Power Plants
WHEN Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Environmental Economics Program
SPEAKER(S) Dallas Burtraw
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k96249
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Public Meeting on the Cambridge Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Project
Wednesday, January 29
6:00 TO 8:30 PM
Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, in the ballroom
An agenda for the meeting will be available the week of January 13th. The purpose of the meeting is:
1) Talk about why the City is planning for impacts from climate change
2) Describe how the vulnerability assessment is being conducted and the status of the project
3) Ask the community to help the City understand how climate change impacts would affect residents and businesses, assess how resilient Cambridge already is, and identify what more needs to be done to cope with climate change impacts such as flooding and increased heat.
This meeting will be participatory. We look forward to seeing you.
Contact: Jennifer Lawrence
Phone (617) 349-4671
jlawrence at cambridgema.gov
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Food on Film Presents: Symphony of the Soil
Wednesday, January 29
7:00 p.m.
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston
Local specialists will be offering soil and composting workshops beginning 30 minutes before the program and for 30 minutes afterward.
Thomas J. Akin, conservation agronomist, grazing lands coordinator, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Serita D. Frey, PhD, professor of soil microbial ecology, University of New Hampshire; research faculty at The Harvard Forest
Jim Ward, farmer and owner, Ward’s Berry Farm, Sharon, Massachusetts
Join us to explore the complexity and mystery of a miraculous substance—soil. Symphony of the Soildraws from ancient knowledge and cutting-edge science, and shares the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers, and activists. Filmed on four continents, it portrays soil as a protagonist in our planetary story. Soil is alive, and its health and survival are intricately connected to that of all life. A panel discussion follows the screening.
Advance registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 15 (Monday, January 13 for Museum members).
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Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Best of European Short Film Festival at MIT 2013
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Watch a rarely seen selection of the best European short films from the MIT 2013 European Short Film Festival. These films give you a glimpse into contemporary short film productions from European film schools, young and established independent filmmakers, and European festivals. 12 films - many of them US premiers - that reflect the most compelling fiction, animation, documentary and experimental film from the 3-day festival in October 2013. A brief introduction will precede the screening.
Web site: esff.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): CMS, MIT Hyperstudio
For more information, contact: Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio at mit.edu
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Science in the News Election Meeting
WHEN Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE TMEC 250, Longwood campus, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
NOTE Science in the News, and democracy in action – if you are a SITN member, come to our annual election meeting, cast your vote (or join!) the new executive board, and make your ideas heard. If you would like to become a member, come check us out!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
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Thursday, January 30
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"Fuel Your Mind" -- A Primer on Transportation Fuels, Current and Future
Thursday, January 30
09:00AM-05:00PM
MIT, Building 66-168, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
William H. Green, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Jim Simnick, George Huff
How is crude oil converted into gasoline and other transportation fuels? Is the gasoline available in Boston the same as what is available in Chicago? What are biofuels and what is driving the demand for these fuels of the future? Which fuel properties matter for performance? Please join us in this short course offered by engineers from BP and Prof. Green to answer these questions, and to gain a better understanding of transportation fuels, and fuel processing technology.
Projections and recent history suggest significant shifts in the transportation fuels system over the next few decades, but no one is sure how things will actually develop. This mini-course will give you a more complete perspective on the many issues involved when fuel standards or regulations shift and when new types of fuel feedstocks become available.
Experiences so far with E85 (and CNG) illustrate some of the realities which make it very challenging to introduce alternative fuels which are not compatible with existing engines and infrastructure.
Topics Include:
Fuel Performance Criteria
Refining
Gasoline & Diesel
Biofuels, Ethanol & E85
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering
Contact: Prof. William H. Green, 66-352, 617-253-4580, whgreen at mit.edu
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Economics and Policy of Global Change
Thursday, January 30
01:00PM-03:00PM
MIT, Building 66-144, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Arthur Yip, Michael Davidson
This session will outline how energy use and greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the world economy and the technologies we use, how climate change impacts affect us, and discuss mitigation and adaptation options and instruments. It will also survey policies in place, and major challenges and opportunities as the world works toward coordinated action. One of the presenters attended the recent UN climate talks held in Poland and will reflect on next steps toward a new global climate agreement in 2015.
Sponsor(s): Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Contact: Robert Morris, E19-411, 617 324-7375, RHGMORR at MIT.EDU
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Media Lab Conversations Series: Colleen Macklin
Thursday, January 30, 2014
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building E14, 3rd floor atrium, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Media Lab Conversations Series
Colleen Macklin in conversation with Joi Ito
Web site: http://www.media.mit.edu/events/2013/01/30/media-lab-conversations-series-colleen-macklin
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Media Lab
For more information, contact: Jess Sousa
events-admin at media.mit.edu
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Biomaterials for the 21st Century and How They Will Change Our Lives
WHEN Thu., Jan. 30, 2014, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Robert S. Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
COST Free and open to the public.
NOTE In this lecture, Robert Langer will examine the enormous impact of biomaterials and biomaterial-based drug delivery systems on human health and how these new technologies might develop and be applied in the future. For example, he will detail how mammalian cells, including stem cells, may be combined with synthetic polymers to create a new approach to engineering tissues. He will also discuss nanoparticles and novel microchips for drug delivery. Langer will explore how new materials can change the way we treat diseases today and play an even larger role in how we fight cancer, address spinal cord injuries, and create new tissue.
LINK www.radcliffe.harvard.edu…
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Harvard University and Boston University Joint Piano Recital: The Two Piano Project
Thu., Jan. 30, 2014, 8 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Concerts, Music, Special Events, Support/Social
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard College Piano Society; Boston University, College of Fine Arts, Piano Department
CONTACT INFO harvardpiano at gmail.com
NOTE Music is a collaborative art. Many people, musicians and composers are among them, are required to produce a performance of music. As an organization part of an academic institution, collaboration is at the core of Harvard’s values, as it is through collaboration that progress and fulfillment can be achieved.
With these goals in mind and with the passion to create music, Boston University’s Piano Department chairman Boaz Sharon, Co-President of the Harvard College Piano Society George Ko and concert pianist and BU doctoral candidate Anna Arazi have decided to create the Two Piano Project. This project entails an annual recital series featuring Boston University and Harvard students performing two piano works side by side. George Ko and Millie Shi are the Harvard directors and Anna Arazi is the Boston University director and coach for this event.
Repertoire:
I. Suite Op. 23 No. 2 Silhouettes by Arensky
Leon Bernsdorf (Boston University)- Primo
Auburn Lee (Harvard University)- Secundo
II. Concerto per due pianoforti soli by Stravinsky
Sitan Chen (Harvard University)- Primo
Pei-yeh Tsai (Boston University)- Secundo
III. Suite No. 1 Fantasie-Tableaux for Two Pianos by Rachmaninoff
Anna Arazi (Boston University)- Primo
Jennifer Tu (Harvard University)- Secundo
LINK http://harvardpiano.com/?page_id=1605
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Friday, January 31
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2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
Friday, January 31
12-1pm
MIT, Building 54-910 (the tallest building on campus)
Monsoon variability & decline of Maya
Jan/31 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Martin Medina - Amherst College
Seasonally reversing atmospheric circulations known as monsoons determine the intensity and seasonality of precipitation throughout the tropics. Monsoon rains supply water for approximately two-thirds of the world's population, govern the distribution of tropical ecosystems and agriculture, and drive continental weathering in low latitudes; as a result, monsoon variability has wide-ranging impacts on human society and natural systems.
This January, EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Individual lectures in the series will be given in 54-915, noon to 1pm. Please check individual session listing for descriptions of each topic and the day it will be offered.
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, 253-3380, vsm at mit.edu
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Friday, January 31, 2014
IAP Math Department Music Recital
2:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 14-Killian Hall, 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
The math department's annual IAP music recital at Killian Hall. It's a fine tradition, and always features a variety of great performances for an adoring audience of our peers and colleagues
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Mathematics, Department of
For more information, contact: Alexander Moll
alexmoll at math.mit.edu
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Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22
http://mitenergyconference.org
Cost: $60-300
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Opportunity
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If you know anyone who might be interested in a very cost-effective way to learn about managing or conducting an ecological risk assessment, please forward this on to them.
Sustainable City Network has partnered with the Northwest Environmental Training Center to provide introductory and advanced training in ecological risk assessments in online courses offered March 4 through 13.
Instructor Charles "Chuck" Harman will conduct the 6-hour introductory course in three 2-hour webinars March 4, 5 and 6. The 6-hour advanced course will be presented in three 2-hour webinars on March 11, 12 and 13. Continuing education certificates will be provided.
A terrestrial ecologist, Harman has more than 23 years of experience in the environmental consulting field. He specializes in natural resource related assessment and management activities, including ecological risk assessments, sediment evaluations, biological assessments, natural resource damage assessments, wetlands management and ecological restorations.
He is responsible for the completion of ecological risk assessment projects and wetlands evaluations at hazardous waste sites and industrial facilities around the country.
Click here to register: http://sCityNetwork.com/ERA.
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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 Guideq2
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://www.mitenergyclub.org/events/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/tabid/57/Default.aspx
Boston Society of Architects: http://www.architects.org/calendar
Startup and Entrepreneurial Events: http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar
High Tech Events: http://harddatafactory.com/Johnny_Monsarrat/index.html
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