[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - April 13, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Apr 13 12:00:28 PDT 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, April 14
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12pm Geoengineering the Climate
12pm GSD Talks: Chris Reed, "Projective Ecologies”
12:15pm Innovation Science in the Making: Theoretical Physics and Industrial Production in a Danish Factory
5:30pm Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know
5:30pm Venezuelan El Sistema 7/4 Ensemble
5:30pm What I have learned reinventing my profitable, bootstrapped software company for the third time in 15 years
6pm Nationalism, Sentimentality, and Judgment: Cultivating Sympathy in the Syrian Uprising, 2011-2013
6pm Hackers for Start-Ups
6:30pm Science by the Pint: Using Math to Answer Scientific Questions
7pm Science by the Pint: Molecular Movies: Using supercomputers to discover drugs and genes
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Tuesday, April 15
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11:45am TARP: How the Most Unpopular Bill in History Became Law
12pm Can We Trust the Western Media's Coverage of Syria?
12pm Bob Berkebile
12:30pm Ethereum: Freenet or Skynet?
12:30pm Asia's 21st Century: Risks and Opportunities
3pm Challenges of Managing Post-Conflict Economies: Balancing Growth, Development, and Employment
4pm Arab Transitions: Why do Governance Reforms Matter?
4pm Science, Society and Education
4:30pm Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: Current and Looming Problems
4:30pm A Conversation with Ambassador Nabeela Al-Mulla
4:30pm The Nuclear Agreement with Iran and Its Ramifications for the Regional Politics of the Middle East
5pm From Activist to Terrorist: Civil Liberties and the Green Scare
5pm Combatting the Climate Crisis: the Path from Science to Action
5pm "What's the Public for Public Social Science?"
5:30pm FREETHINK at HARVARD: "The Overview Effect: Space Policy for a Better Planet”
6pm Boston New Technology April 2014 Product Showcase #BNT40
6:30pm Swiss Creativity Night
7pm Sustainable Real Estate - Startup Financing for Sustainable Housing
7pm Expecto Patronum: Lessons from Harry Potter for Social Justice Organizing
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Wednesday, April 16
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8:30am Local Food Networking at Something GUD Somerville
8:30am Massachusetts Climate Change Youth Forum
10am Boston GreenFest
11am "PV in Latin America – Understanding the Top 3 Emerging Markets: Brazil, Chile, and Mexico”
12pm America and the World in the Age of Obama
12pm The Roots of Educational Inequality
12pm From the Maple Spring to the Charter of Values: Quebec Politics in An Age of Cynicism and Hope
1:30pm Energy Lecture: Solar at the Cost of Coal
1:30pm "Images of Mind”
2pm Angel Azul - Please join us for a special screening at The Boston International Film Festival! Q & A to follow!
2:30pm Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks and Organizational Innovations in India's Struggle for Democracy
2:30pm Swords into Bank Shares: Financial Solutions to the Political Economy Challenges of Development
3:45pm Ice Sheet Melt, Sea Level and Storms
4pm “New Platforms for the Efficient Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Fuel”
4:10pm Environmental Inspections in India
4:15pm Rethinking and Redirecting Health System Performance
6:30pm Water, Water, Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink!
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Thursday, April 17
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8am Sustainability: Systems and Solutions
9am ROBOTS: From Imagination to Market
12pm Health Consequences of Hydrofracturing: The Known and Unkown
12pm Energy 101: Chapter 11 in the Energy Sector
12pm "The Carbon Isotope 'Revolution': new perspectives on early hominin diet”
12pm Make Waves, Not Waste: A Lunch Presentation by Bureo Skateboards
12pm "New insights into the formation of methane at both low and high temperatures using stable isotopes”
12:15pm The Consolidation of Strategic Communications in the United States, 1950–1975
2pm Anaerobic Digestion Panel
4pm The Arab World: After the Spring ... Before the Storm?
4:15pm Network Neighborhoods and the Dispersion of Social Ties
4:30pm Religion and World Politics: Connections and Collisions
4:30pm "Low-Cost, High-Performance Optical Technologies to Meet Global Health Needs.”
5pm "The Long and Winding Road to Clean Energy”
5pm Feminism and Democratization after the Arab Spring
5:30pm Green Justice Coalition Energy Efficiency Summit
5:30pm Starr Forum: Junk Food and the Modern Mind
6pm Leading Between the Vines (film presentation and lecture)
6pm Traffic Advisory Speaker Series: "City Models/Three Perspectives”
6pm What Happened in Ukraine?
6pm A 3D Mixer: Networking, Cocktails and Conversation
6:30pm Where Is Our Collective Imagination?
6:30pm WATER: security, resiliency and self-sufficiency in New England
6:40pm Bidder 70
7pm Grow Your Soil - A Biological Approach to Soil Testing, Amendments and More.
7:30pm Shambhavi Dandikar, lec-dem on Kathak Dance
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Friday, April 18
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Cambridge Science Festival April 18-27
9:30am Ceremony of Remembrance for Officer Sean A. Collier
12:30pm Capital in the Twenty-First Century
1:30pm "Time to React" a book talk
2pm xTalks: Breslow & DeBoer on National Differences in an International Classroom
2pm ACT | Public Space? Lost & Found Symposium
3pm Tools for Well-Being Talk Series: Brain Fitness
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Saturday, April 19
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9am Harvard Public Leadership Conference
9am Sustainability Hackathon
10am Understanding Compost
10am ACT | Public Space? Lost & Found Symposium
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Monday, April 21
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12pm "The Impact of Energy Policy Instruments on the Level of Energy Efficiency"
12:15pm "Fat China: Who Is Making China's Obesity Science and How”
1pm The Responsive City: Using Data to Enhance Democracy
4pm "Years of Living Dangerously" Screening/Talk with Dan Abbasi (HBS ’98)
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Tuesday, April 22
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11am Harvard Earth Day Bonanza
12pm Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance
12:30pm Fair Use(r): Art and Copyright online
12:30pm Future Robots, Disaster, and Demographic Crisis in Japan
3pm Sustainability in Cambridge – a conversation.
3:30pm Graphene and the Magic of Physics in Two Dimensions
5pm Loud Clothing and Noise-Enhanced Sensorimotor Function
6pm The Rita E. Hauser Forum for the Arts with Steven Spielberg
6pm Molecularizing Taste at the Intersection of Biochemistry and French Cuisine
6:30pm Design + Management = Innovation
6:30pm Greening Rozzie Spring Potluck
6:30pm The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth
7pm SciEx: Extreme Science Original Video Contest
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My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com
Green Energy for a Billion Poor
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2014/04/green-energy-for-billion-poor.html
“Imagine a world without snow"
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/13/1291725/--Imagine-a-world-without-snow
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Monday, April 14
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Geoengineering the Climate
Monday, April 14, 2014
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Harvard Kennedy School, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
David Keith, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics (SEAS); Professor of Public Policy (HKS)
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar Series
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund at hks.harvard.edu
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GSD Talks: Chris Reed, "Projective Ecologies”
WHEN Mon., Apr. 14, 2014, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Stubbins, Room 112, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Chris Reed
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE More information to come.
Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office two weeks in advance at 617.496.2414 or events at gsd.harvard.edu.
LINK http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/events/gsd-talks-chris-reed-projective-ecologies.html
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Innovation Science in the Making: Theoretical Physics and Industrial Production in a Danish Factory
Monday, April 14
12:15-2:00 pm
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street
Joakim Juhl
One of STS’ major contributions has been to expand the conception of ‘science’ as a plurality of specialized practices that are intertwined with other societal institutions, interests and practices. With this presentation I wish to add to our conception of ‘sciences’ by directing attention to what I call: “Innovation Science”. By analyzing work practices in a Danish science-industry collaboration, where theoretical physics was used to interpret and modify production processes, I draw out differences in the deployed practices’ performance criteria and develop a perspective on how we can better conceive the specific role, meaning and value of science in the context of technological innovation. While scientific knowledge production usually is evaluated on basis of its ‘universal truthfulness’, the Danish science-industry case illustrates how the meaning and value of Innovation Science rather is one of particular and practical usefulness than representational accuracy.
In the presentation I will address the following questions among others: How can we understand the differences and connections between Normal Science and Innovation Science? How is scientific knowledge translated from ends in themselves, into means for operational purposes? How can our understanding of the challenges in science-industry collaborations benefit from further investigation of Innovation Science? How can we perceive diffusion of technology and knowledge between science and the rest of society, and finally how we might rethink assessment criteria in research funding?
Biography: Joakim Juhl holds a joint postdoc at Harvard Science, Technology and Society Program and at Harvard Engineering School where he works on their inter-institutional collaboration. His research focuses on how we can understand the connection between technological innovation and scientific knowledge making. Before Harvard, he helped to establish the new STS research institution “Center for Design, Innovation and Sustainable Transition” (C-DIST) at Aalborg University’s new facility in Copenhagen. His PhD project “Models in Action – Realising Abstractions” was initiated at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) from where he received his engineering degree in innovation management. Joakim has also worked with audio equipment development and has been a special consultant in Front End Innovation.
A complete list of STS Circle at Harvard events can be found on our website: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/sts/events/sts_circle/
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“Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know”
Monday April 14, 2014
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Tufts, ASEAN Auditorium, Cabot Intercultural Center, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
Peter W. Singer, Director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at The Brookings Institution
Charles Francis Adams Lecture Series
Peter W. Singer is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. Singer’s focus is on changes in global security and technology. He is the author of Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry, which pioneered the study of the new industry of private companies providing military services for hire, Children at War, the first book to explore the tragic rise of child soldier groups, Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, which looked at the implications of robotics for war, politics, ethics, and law, and the new book Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Should Know, which has been recommended by sources as diverse as the US Army, US Navy, Washington Post, al Jazeera and Vice.
He has been named by the Smithsonian Institution as one of the “leading innovators in the nation,” by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, and by Foreign Policy Magazine to their Top 100 Global Thinkers List. He served as coordinator of the Obama-08 campaign’s defense policy task force and on the US military’s Transformation Advisory Group, which helps visualize the future. He is a contributing editor to Popular Science magazine and led the Pentagon’s “NeXTech” project, exploring the implications of “gamechanging” technologies. The founder of a technology and entertainment consulting firm, NeoLuddite, he has advised the US military, FBI, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Legendary, Universal, HBO, and the video game series “Call of Duty,” the best-selling entertainment project in history.
Contact: Paulette Folkins
paulette.folkins at tufts.edu
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Venezuelan El Sistema 7/4 Ensemble
Monday, April 14
5:30pm
Harvard Graduate School of Education, Askwith Lecture Hall, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA
The Venezuelan 7/4 Ensemble, a hot young musical septet from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, that is a product of the renowned El Sistema music-education program, will visit the Harvard Graduate School of Education during their Boston residency.
Featuring introductions and discussion with El Sistema USA founder Mark Churchill, HGSE Arts in Education program director Steve Seidel, and Boston-area music educators.
Co-sponsored by the HGSE Arts in Education program (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/academics/masters/aie/ ), the Boston Philharmonic (http://www.bostonphil.org), and the Conservatory Lab Charter School (http://conservatorylab.org) .
Venezuelan 7/4 Ensemble
At the beginning of 2011, four Venezuelan trumpet players, all products of the Venezuelan System of Children and Youth Orchestras (El Sistema), decided to explore and conquer new musical frontiers beyond their experience as an academic trumpet quartet, having as their ambition to play not only the Venezuelan repertoire but also the vast repertoire of the entire American continent. To achieve this they invited to their ensemble three outstanding performers of the Venezuelan cuatro, the double bass and percussion to create a unique new musical organization.
ENSEMBLE 7/4 has definitely become an innovative musical and artistic voice, which starts with the use of the trumpet in genres that usual don’t feature it, like the Venezuelan joropo or the Argentinian tango. Other innovations include the creation of arrangements influenced by a deep investigation of the musical styles of countries such as Cuba, Mexico and the USA. These arrangements respect the original sonorities of the native music and feature a broad range of colors and timbres within the same instrument. In particular the group’s TOUR PABELLON
CRIOLLO, a consolidation of its artistic and musical vision, is like a journey in which rhythms, melodies, colors and tastes intrinsic to our American countries join happily together.
BOSTON PERFORMANCE:
FRIDAY APRIL 18
7:30PM
STRAND THEATER, DORCHESTER
http://www.bostonphil.org/events/74-ensemble-0
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What I have learned reinventing my profitable, bootstrapped software company for the third time in 15 years
Monday, April 14, 2014
5:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building E51-325, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Andrew Roberts, CEO of Ephox Corporation
As founder and CEO of Ephox, Andrew is responsible for the company's strategic direction and execution. He has been an entrepreneur for more than 15 years, and on three continents. Prior to co-founding Ephox in 1999, Andrew helped start Webz, a Web development company, as well as Home Computing Connections, a computer services provider targeting consumers. After launching Ephox???s Australian-based engineering team and leading the development of EditLive!, Andrew moved to Silicon Valley to establish Ephox???s headquarters. Since he became CEO in 2004, Ephox has grown its sales by more than 600 percent, increased profits more than tenfold, and developed key strategic partnerships. A member of the entrepreneurial committee of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE). Andrew was also a board member of Software Engineering Australia and the winner of a Young Australian of the Year Award.
During this presentation, Andrew will share his 15-years of experience to create, maintain, and grow his businesses and how product management is part of this amazing journey.
Web site: https://mitpmc.wufoo.com/forms/the-mit-product-management-club-rsvp-ar/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Product Management Club
For more information, contact: Suzie Livingston
PMCLUBOFFICERS at SLOAN.mit.edu
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Nationalism, Sentimentality, and Judgment: Cultivating Sympathy in the Syrian Uprising, 2011-2013
Monday, April 14, 2014
6:00p–7:30p
MIT, Building 3-133, 33 Massachusetts Ave (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Lisa Wedeen, Professor of Political Science University of Chicago
Aga Khan Lecture Series
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/lecturescurrent.htm
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
For more information, contact: Jose Luis Arguello
253-1400
akpiarch at mit.edu
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Hackers for Start-Ups
Monday, April 14
6-9 PM
MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Rm. e14-525, Cambridge
RSVP: jwerner at media.mit.edu
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Science by the Pint: Using Math to Answer Scientific Questions
WHEN Mon., Apr. 14, 2014, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE The Burren, Davis Square, 247 Elm Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S) Michael Brenner
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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Science by the Pint: Molecular Movies: Using supercomputers to discover drugs and genes
WHEN Mon., Apr. 14, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE The Burren, Davis Square, 247 Elm Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S) Michael Brenner
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, April 15
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TARP: How the Most Unpopular Bill in History Became Law
WHEN Tue., Apr. 15, 2014, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bell Hall (5th Floor Belfer Building, HKS), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Larry C. Lavender, Republican Staff Director, House Financial Services Committee and James Segel, M-RCBG Senior Fellow
CONTACT INFO mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
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Can We Trust the Western Media's Coverage of Syria?
Tuesday, April 15
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Deborah Amos, international correspondent, covers the Middle East for National Public Radio.
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Bob Berkebile
Tuesday, April 15
12pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP at https://online.architects.org/bsassa/censsareqauth?p_url=evtssarsvp.display_page%3Fp_cust_id%3D__CUSTID__%26p_event_id%3D1268%26p_item_id%3DCTE_RSVP
BOB BERKEBILE FAIA OF BNIM is famous for being a co-founder of AIA-COTE, a founding member of USGBC, a writer and a leader of the team that helped recreate Greensburg, Kansas as the nation's first LEED Platinum community after the town had been completely demolished by a tornado. More recently, he and his firm have turned to not only designing but developing portions of the community he lives and works in, Kansas City, MO. View his description of his experiences in a presentation given at the OMEGA Institute.
Meetings are free and open to all, but RSVPs are required. Click HERE to attend, or visit the BSA calendar.
For more information on getting to BSA Space, including accessibility and parking, visitbsaspace.org/about.
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Ethereum: Freenet or Skynet?
April 15, 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/2014/04/difilippi#RSVP
This event will be webcast live (on this page) at 12:30pm ET.
Primavera Di Filippi, Berkman Center Fellow
Ethereum is a contract validating and enforcing system based on a distributed public ledger (or blockchain) such as the one implemented by the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Yet, Ethereum also features an internal Turing-complete scripting language that can be used to encode advanced transaction types directly into the blockchain. This allows for the deployment of self-enforcing smart contracts (such as joint savings accounts, financial exchange markets, or even trust funds) as well as distributed autonomous organizations (DAOs) that subsist independently of any moral or legal entity. These algorithmical entities are both autonomous and self-sufficient: they charge users from the services they provide so as to pay others for the resources they need (e.g. bandwidth, cpu). Thus, once they have been created and deployed onto the blockchain, they no longer need (nor heed) their creators.
But if DAOs are independently operated — neither owned nor controlled by any given entity — who is actually in charge, responsible for, or accountable for their operations? And if their resources cannot be seized (because DAOs have full sovereignty over them), how can they be required to pay damages for their torts? This talk will analyse the interplay between distributed autonomous organizations and the law, with a view to explore the dangers and opportunities of Ethereum: could this new platform promote the establishment of an entirely decentralized society, or will its disruptive potential eventually be absorbed by the established system?
About Primavera
Primavera De Filippi is a postdoctoral researcher at the CERSA / CNRS / Université Paris II (Panthéon-Assas). She is currently a research fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, where she is analyzing the challenges raised by distributed architectures and multimedia applications in the context of cloud computing and peer-to-peer networks.
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Asia's 21st Century: Risks and Opportunities
WHEN Tue., Apr. 15, 2014, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), 2nd Floor, CGIS Knafel, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University Asia Center
SPEAKER(S) Takehiko Nakao, president, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Moderator: Susan Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming
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Challenges of Managing Post-Conflict Economies: Balancing Growth, Development, and Employment
WHEN Tue., Apr. 15, 2014, 3 – 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bell Hall (5th Floor Belfer Building, HKS), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government and the Center for International Development.
SPEAKER(S) Amara Konneh, finance minister of the government of the Republic of Liberia
CONTACT INFO mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
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Arab Transitions: Why do Governance Reforms Matter?
WHEN Mon., Apr. 14, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Allison Dining Room, 5th Floor Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Raed H. Charafeddine, first vice-governor of Banque du Liban, Central Bank of Lebanon
NOTE Raed H. Charafeddine is the First Vice-Governor of Banque du Liban, Lebanon's Central Bank, position he’s held since April 2009.Prior to assuming his current responsibility, he had an extensive banking experience of 20 years and has held senior positions including deputy general manager and program director of total quality management (TQM).In the civil society arena, he served as a board member in several NGOs and as a lifelong activist in the areas of social justice, women's empowerment and economic development.In the academic realm, he was a member of several master and doctoral juries and a visiting lecturer at select universities where he facilitated courses in Strategic Management, Leadership, and Leading Change. He also lectured at Harvard, Yale, Tufts and INSEAD on the current challenges of the Arab transition, particularly on the economic, financial, social and cultural aspects.He holds a BA and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, USA and participated in several executive education programs at Harvard University.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6280/raed_charaffedine.html
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"Science, Society and Education"
Tuesday, April 15
4:00PM to 6:00PM
Egan Research Center, Raytheon Amphitheatre, 120 Forsyth Street, Boston
Nobel Prize winner Sir Harold Kroto
A necessary condition for creativity in the sciences and the arts to flourish is a liberal/ democratic socio-political environment. In Europe this was manifested in the Enlightenment as Galileo, Copernicus and others laid the foundations for the evidence-based natural philosophy which signaled the birth of the Enlightenment.
The importance of intellectual and personal freedom for humanitarian advance is clearly manifested in the exponential success of the sciences in conquering many humanitarian problems from starvation and disease to the more obvious technologies that make modern life relatively pleasant for many – especially in the developed world. The down side has been the reckless thirst of a plethora of governments to exploit the vast powers of the sciences to construct ever more powerful destructive weapons.
Great thinkers from Kant to Russell, scientists from Einstein to Feynman and writers from Whitman to Shaw have repeatedly pointed to the importance of the doubt-based philosophy that is the crucial antidote to the stultifying effect of dogmas of all kinds. Indeed it is only doubt that leaves the road open for all advances in human endeavour.
We have reached a watershed in that the human race now confronts a set of crises significantly more serious than any previously. These threats can only be overcome by an open minded liberal education of the next generation of young people.
Before the name "Science" was coined it had another name, "Natural Philosophy" which more adequately describes its primary place in the spectrum of human culture. More important than any other aspect is the fact that Natural Philosophy is the only philosophical construct we have devised to determine Truth with any degree of reliability. As such it should be a primary ethical focus for the education of every child, student and citizen so at the very least they can decide whether what they are being told is actually true. This is also a strong intellectual basis for fostering creativity. For a truly humanitarian global society to evolve, equality of opportunity and personal freedom will be necessary for all young people whatever their race, colour, nationality and most importantly sex.
Bio: Sir Harold Kroto, FRS is the English chemist who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley. Kroto is the Francis Eppes Professor of Chemistry at the Florida State University, which he joined in 2004. Prior to that, he spent a large part of his career at the University of Sussex, where he now holds an emeritus professorship.
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Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: Current and Looming Problems
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor Jennifer Leaning of the Harvard School of Public Health
A session of the Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Inter-University Committee on International Migration
For more information, contact: Phiona Lovett
253-3848
phiona at mit.edu
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A Conversation with Ambassador Nabeela Al-Mulla
WHEN Tue., Apr. 15, 2014, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Allison Dining Room, Fifth Floor Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Ambassador Nabeela Al-Mulla, permanent representative of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations and former ambassador of the State of Kuwait, and Professor Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
NOTE Amb. Al-Mulla will discuss Iran's nuclear program and the economic and political relations between Kuwait, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and the European Union.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6347/conversation_with_ambassador_nabeela_almulla.html
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The Nuclear Agreement with Iran and Its Ramifications for the Regional Politics of the Middle East
Tuesday April 15
4:30-6:30pm
MIT, Building E51-057, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Ali Banuazizi, Professor of Political Science and Director, Program in Islamic Civilization & Societies (ICS) at Boston College
After receiving his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1968, Ali Banuazizi taught at Yale and the University of Southern California before joining the Boston College Faculty in 1971. Since then, he has held visiting appointments and fellowships at the University of Tehran, Princeton, Harvard, and Oxford University, and MIT. He served as the founding editor of the journal of Iranian Studies, from 1968 to 1982. He is a past President of the International Society for Iranian Studies (ISIS) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA).
Ali Banuazizi is the author of numerous articles on society, culture, and politics in Iran and the Middle East, and the coauthor (with A. Ashraf) of Social Classes, the State and Revolution in Iran (2008, in Persian) and coeditor (with Myron Weiner) of three books on politics, religion and society in Southwest and Central Asia. He is currently associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World.
Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar
This program is free and open to the public
For more information, visit http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani
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From Activist to Terrorist: Civil Liberties and the Green Scare
Tuesday, April 15
5:00 pm
Harvard Law School, Pound Hall, Room 102
Jake Conroy and Will Potter
Jake Conroy is a non-violent animal rights activist and member of the SHAC 7. He spent three years in prison on charges filed under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. Will Potter is a DC-based journalist and author of Green is the New Red, the leading work on the Green Scare and governmental persecution of environmental and animal rights activists. They will speak about civil liberties, the treatment of activists in prison, and the use of terrorism statutes to target domestic activists.
Contact: josephehamilton at gmail.com
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Combatting the Climate Crisis: the Path from Science to Action
Tuesday, April 15
5:00PM-6:30PM
MIT, Building E51-345, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Followed by informal reception in Bush Room (10-105, 6:30PM-7:30PM)
Speaker: Dr. James Hansen
We are thrilled that our sixth and final Climate Change Speaker Series talk will be delivered by world famous climate scientist and prominent advocate of global warming intervention, Dr. James Hansen. Dr. Hansen will discuss the climate realities confronting us as the 21st century unfolds, and the opportunities for MIT students to rise to meet them. Following the talk, an informal reception will be held in the Bush Room (10-105, 6.30-7.30pm). We are most grateful for the generous cosponsoring support of this event by the MIT Earth System Initiative.
Dr. Hansen, formerly Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (a position from which he retired to “focus more on climate activism”), is Adjunct Professor and at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, where he directs a program in Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions. Dr. Hansen is well known for his 1988 testimony on climate change to Congress that helped raise broad awareness of global warming. As one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people on Earth in 2006, Dr. Hansen is one of the world’s most prominent advocates of public and political action against climate change.
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"What's the Public for Public Social Science?"
Tuesday, April 15
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Harvard, Tsai Lecture Hall, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Craig Calhoun
Director, London School of Economics and Political Science
With Panelists:
David Armitage, Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History
Michèle Lamont, Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies
Orlando Patterson, John Cowles Professor of Sociology
Moderated by:
Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies
Craig Calhoun is Director of the London School of Economics. He is a social scientist whose work connects sociology to culture, communication, politics, philosophy and economics. He took up his post in September 2012, having left the United States where he was University Professor at New York University, director of the Institute for Public Knowledge, and President of the Social Science Research Council. He co-founded, with Richard Sennett, Professor of Sociology at LSE, the NYLON programme, which brings together graduate students from New York and London for cooperative research programs. Professor Calhoun earned a D.Phil. in History and Sociology at Oxford University and a Master's in Social Anthropology at Manchester. He is the author of several books including Nations Matter, Critical Social Theory, Neither Gods Nor Emperors, and most recently, The Roots of Radicalism (University of Chicago Press, 2012).
This event is organized by the Program on Science, Technology, and Society, at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-sponsored by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Graduate School of Design, and the Harvard University Center for the Environment. For more information on Science, Technology, and Society events at Harvard University, please visit: www.ksg.harvard.edu/sts/. This lecture and discussion is free and open to the public.
Contact: Lisa Matthews, Assistant Director of Events and Communications, Harvard University Center for the Environment
24 Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
lisa_matthews at harvard.edu
p. 617-495-8883
f. 617-496-0425
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FREETHINK at HARVARD: "The Overview Effect: Space Policy for a Better Planet”
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
5:30pm
Askwith Lecture Hall, Longfellow Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
RSVP at https://secure.post.harvard.edu/olc/pub/HAA/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=171890
The third in our series of events using astronauts' experience of seeing Earth from space (and in space) to illuminate issues faced on Earth.
Moderator:
Frank White Author, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution
Speakers:
Ron Garan - Social Entrepreneur, Astronaut
Joan Johnson-Freese - Professor of National Security Affairs, Naval War College; Adjunct Professor, Harvard Extension & Summer Schools
Ariane Cornell - Harvard Business School 2014 MBA Candidate and Aerospace & Aviation Club Co-President
This event will be free and open to the public, but seating will be limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ask questions of the panelists and discuss the event on Facebook and Twitter using #overvieweffect, or e-mail questions to alumni at dcemail.harvard.edu.
Watch the first event, The Overview Effect: Astronauts' Unique View of Earth and What We can all Learn from it, at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0X_fhLIPydE
For information on other past Freethink at Harvard events, see http://alumni.extension.harvard.edu/freethinkatharvard
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Boston New Technology April 2014 Product Showcase #BNT40
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WeWork (South Station), 745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/174095882/
Join us in the lobby and check in to print your name tag.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community! Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Questions & Answers. Please follow @BostonNewTech and use the #BNT40 hashtag in social media posts: details here.
Products / Presenters:
Details to be added shortly, but the lineup is:
1. Mario Berruti / CookRadar
2. Ramon Andino / Zopaf
3. Maximilian Alexander / ShoutHub
4. Paul Henderson / CourseKicker
5. Dan Siegel / Sourceful
6. Mory Bahar / Personal Remedies
7. Ken Smith / Rejjee
8. Matteo Alampi / Sonical
Agenda:
6:00 to 6:30 - Networking
6:30 to 6:40 - Announcements
6:40 to 7:45 - Presentations, Questions & Answers
7:45 to 9:00 - Networking on the 3rd floor with WeWork providing complementary refreshments
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Swiss Creativity Night
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM (EDT)
swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
In conjunction with the Swiss Gaming Corner swissnex Boston presents Faceshift and Apelab’s Mimicry.
Program:
6.30 pm: Doors open – have fun gaming in the Swiss Gaming Corner
7.00 pm: Welcome and presentation of Faceshift by Thibaut Weise and Mimicry by Emilie Tappolet from Apelab
8.00 pm: Q & A
8.30 pm: Networking reception and more gaming in the Swiss Gaming Corner
9.30 pm: Doors close
About Faceshift
Faceshift’s software analyzes the face motions of an actor, and describes them as a mixture of basic expressions, plus head orientation and gaze. This description is then used to animate virtual characters for use in movie or game production. We have astonishing real time tracking and a high quality offline post-processing in a single, convenient application.
Faceshift’s customers come from the television, movie, commercials, and game production, where faceshift is employed for virtual production, post-production, and content creation. Faceshift also supports live streaming, which lead to a fast adoption by artists using it for interactive installations.
About Mimicry
Mimicry is a playful installation displaying a series of computer graphics paintings. As someone approaches the screen, the painting come to life and reacts to the viewer’s expressions.
After participating at swissnex San Francisco Gamegazer exhibit during GDC, Mimicry was invited by Pro Helveti, to show its new interactive painting and other projects during Tokyo Game Show 2013 at the swiss game booth.
The painting shows a romantic landscape with which the spectator can interact by using the expressions on his face to modulate the weather and environment.
Mimicry was produced through a collaboration between the Media Design of the Design Master program at Geneva University of Art and Design – Geneva, the Computer Graphics and Geometry Laboratory (LGG) at EPFL and Faceshift AG.
A first version of Mimicry was exhibited in the Swiss Game Lounge at the House of Switzerland United Kingdom 2012.
This event is free and open to the public. Drinks and food will be served throughout the evening. Registration requested.
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Sustainable Real Estate - Startup Financing for Sustainable Housing
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
7:00 PM
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/EntreTechForum/events/143820302/
Is It Affordable and How to Build in a New Real Estate Environment
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Expecto Patronum: Lessons from Harry Potter for Social Justice Organizing
WHEN Tue., Apr. 15, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sperry Room, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Religion
SPONSOR HDS Religious NONEs and HUUMS
CONTACT studentlife at hds.harvard.edu
NOTE What can social justice organizers learn from the Harry Potter series?
Author and trainer Chris Crass has worked for two decades in transformative social organizing—leading anti-racist work in white communities and feminist work with men. Join Chris in an exploration of Hermione's feminist leadership, the Voldemort principle of systemic oppression, and how to break free from it by organizing like the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army.
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Wednesday, April 16
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Local Food Networking at Something GUD Somerville
North Shore Local Foods Initiative
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
8:30 AM to 9:30 AM (EDT)
14 Tyler St., Somerville
Come celebrate the start of Spring (and boy don't we need it!) with your Local Food community in Something GUD's brand new space!
Colin Davis, who spoke at our Quarterly Meeting in December of 2013, is the founder and owner of Something Gud, a Boston area food distribution company that connects local, sustainable food producers directly with the consumer through an easy and affordable online ordering system. In Colin's own words: "We want Something Gud to be easier. We've done the research. We've found the best local, small businsses who treat their employees like family, believe in sustainable practices, and make the highest quality products. The best part? We'll deliver it all to your door. With a couple of clicks, you can make a change that will save you time, cut your carbon footprint, and invest in local/family businesses."
This new space in Somerville will not only house Something Gud, but also two fantastic local food businesses: a coffee roaster called Barismo, and a brewery called Aeuronaut. We may even be able to sample some of their delicious wares!
A special thanks to Colin Davis, Founder and Owner of Something Gud and everyone at Barismo and Aeronaut!
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Massachusetts Climate Change Youth Forum
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM (EDT)
EPA Region 1, Leighton Hall, 5 Post Office Square, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/massachusetts-climate-change-youth-forum-tickets-10299699679
The Massachusetts Climate Change Youth Forum encourages high school and college students to educate themselves on environmental issues and inspires them to be the next generation of youth leaders. The Forum is designed to advance the knowledge and perspective of Massachusetts’ high school and college students with interactive roundtable discussions on local relevant topics.
The critical factor for a sustainable future is in preparing the next generation to understand and value the interconnectedness of environmental responsibility, social equity and economic development. The Forum empowers, encourages and mobilizes Massachusetts’ high school and college students to be local Thought-Leaders for positive impact.
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Boston GreenFest
Wed, April 16
10am – 11am
City Hall Plaza, City Hall Square, Boston,
Free fun fully inclusive multicultural environmental music festival with over 200 exhibitors and vendors, more than 80 live performances on 4 stages. GreenFilmFest, Forums, EcoArt, EcoPoetry, and plenty more! 100,000 attendees expected.
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"PV in Latin America – Understanding the Top 3 Emerging Markets: Brazil, Chile, and Mexico”
Wednesday,April 16, 2014
11am
Webinar at https://www.intersolarglobal.com/en/news-and-media/intersolar-webinars/upcoming.html
Top Speakers: Josefin Berg, analyst in the IHS Solar Group and Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia, PV Consultant (in English).
Chile and Mexico drive Latin America PV growth in 2014
Chile
After years in the spotlight as a new PV market, in 2014 Chile is advancing to fulfill its potential. A combination of soaring electricity prices, a mining sector in need of power and excellent solar resources have spurred hopes of a dawn for a PV market detached from subsidy schemes. The challenges lie in finding off-takers, securing PPAs, and consequently attracting financing. Chile is set to add 400 MW of PV in 2014, but long-term additions hinge on the build-out of the grid.
Mexico
Mexico has become a promising PV market, with 300 MW of large commercial and utility-scale projects under construction. Similar to Chile, Mexico has specific nodes on the power grid where PV is competitive with spot-market prices. Mexico also has a scheme for industries to sign direct PPAs with generators at other locations. Net-metering also spurs a residential market. In Mexico, in spite of tough competition with low-priced wind projects, PV has started to gain ground.
Brazil
In 2012, the country implemented both a nation-wide net-metering system and an 80% discount in transmission and distribution fees for large-scale solar projects. In 2013, the federal government allowed solar energy to participate in two national electricity auctions for the first time in Brazilian history. The poor results of the national auctions were followed by Brazil’s first ever solar-only state electricity auction, which took place in the State of Pernambuco. This successfully concluded initiative is expected to increase the current Brazilian PV installed capacity at least fourfold in the coming years. As we reach the end of the first quarter of 2014, Brazil is now in the midst of a strong electricity supply debate and under preparations for presidential elections.
Josefin Berg is an analyst in the IHS Solar Group. Focusing on the downstream segment of solar power, Josefin performs market research and analysis on the competitive strategies of utilities, IPPs, developers, and EPCs, and other investors. She is the lead analyst for the IHS quarterly report on solar PV in emerging markets. Prior to joining IHS, Josefin was an R&D strategy consultant in the field of cleantech and renewable energies. She holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Uppsala University, Sweden. She speaks English, French, Spanish and Swedish.
Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia Executive Director of the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR), a private non for profit organization that gathers companies from the whole PV value chain with operations in Brazil. ABSOLAR coordinates, represents, and defends the interests of its associate members regarding the development of the PV sector and market in Brazil, promoting and advertising the use of PV electricity in the country. Brazilian representative at the National PV Associations Forum organized by EPIA, PV technical advisor for Greenpeace Brazil, PV consultant for Intersolar South America.
The webinar is free of charge. Limited log-ins available. Register now at https://www.intersolarglobal.com/en/news-and-media/intersolar-webinars/upcoming.html
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America and the World in the Age of Obama
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Fred Kaplan, Slate Magazine
SSP Wednesday Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact:
617-253-7529
valeriet at mit.edu
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The Roots of Educational Inequality
WHEN Wed., Apr. 16, 2014, 12 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Hutchins Center for African and African American Research
SPEAKER(S) Erika Kitzmiller, assistant clinical professor, School of Education, Drexel University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
617.495.3611
NOTE A Q+A will follow the lecture. Feel free to bring a lunch.
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From the Maple Spring to the Charter of Values: Quebec Politics in An Age of Cynicism and Hope
WHEN Wed., Apr. 16, 2014, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bowie Vernon Room (K262), CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Canada Program
SPEAKER(S) Ethan Cox, journalist and political analyst from Montreal
COST Free and open to the public; RSVP to jremes at wcfia.harvard.edu
NOTE This event will be chaired by Professor Jacob Remes, the 2013-14 William Lyon Mackenzie King Research Fellow at the WCFIA Canada Program. A light lunch will be available - please register for this event with Prof. Remes. jremes at wcfia.harvard.edu.the Canada Seminar examines Canadian social, economic, cultural, and political issues in their domestic and international dimensions. Presentations are made by public figures, scholars, artists, and experts in various fields to provide Harvard faculty and students, and the broader community, a look at Canadian scholarly and public life. It seeks to enhance the understanding of one of the United States' closest allies and largest trading partners, and to provide a forum for the lively exchange of ideas on a wide range of issues. Because Canada and the United States must respond to similar economic and social challenges with distinctly different frameworks and historical legacies, the study of Canadian issues offers rich opportunities for scholars engaged in comparative studies. The seminar has presented numerous distinguished speakers including Canadian Supreme Court Justice Madame Rosalie Abella; political philosophers, Charles Taylor and Will Kymlicka; Matthew Teitelbaum, director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario; and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, the Honorable Bob Rae. In 2013–2014, George Elliott Clarke, professor of English at the University of Toronto, joins the Canada Program as the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies and Canada Seminar Chair.
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/canada_program/seminars-0
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Energy Lecture: Solar at the Cost of Coal
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
1:30p–2:30p
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Frank van Mierlo
Frank van Mierlo, CEO of 1366 Technologies, will discuss how innovative silicon wafer technology eliminates waste, reduces consumables and cuts the manufacturing process from multiple, complex actions to just a single step. He will explain how the resulting cost advantage has impacted a growing eight billion dollar silicon wafer market and the solar industry as a whole.
Energy Lectures Series
The Energy Lectures Series brings experts from the industry, the public sector and academia to share their insights and visions on important energy topics.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
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"Images of Mind"
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
1:30p–3:00p
MIT, Building W20-202, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: MIT Professor John Gabrieli
For the inaugural Division of Student Life Speaker Series on April 16, MIT Professor John Gabrieli will be speaking on "Images of Mind". Prof. Gabrieli is very popular teacher, renowned lecturer, and world class researcher at MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research. He will discuss recent research into understanding the organization of memory, thought, and emotion in the human brain. This event is open to the entire MIT community. Talk @ 1:30, followed by Meet & Greet & Eat @ 2:30. RSVPs are requested to dsl-speaker-series at mit.edu.
The DSL Speaker Series will feature top professionals, from outside and inside MIT, who can share the research and professional experience relative to education and student development. There will be 3-4 talks per year and each will be followed by an informal "meet & greet" with colleagues and the featured speaker.
Web site: http://studentlife.mit.edu/dsl-sponsored-events
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): Division of Student Life
For more information, contact: Bob Ferrara
617-253-7495
rferrara at mit.edu
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Angel Azul - Please join us for a special screening at The Boston International Film Festival! Q & A to follow!
April 16
2:00pm
AMC/Loews Theater,175 Tremont Street, Boston
Tickets available here: http://bifilmfestival.com/festival/schedule/biff-2014-session-16/
Cost: $12
Through the hauntingly beautiful lure of Jason deCaire's Taylor's underwater life-like statues we witness the birth of an artificial coral reef, learn how we are inextricably connected to the ocean, and are left to consider how our choices will determine what we leave to future generations.
"This synergy between science, and the arts underscores the power of cultural diplomacy as a tool for winning hearts and minds to important issues, and identifying solutions with which all can identify and support." - Eduardo del Buey - Former Senior Diplomat
Contact Marcy Cravat, Director/Producer
marcy at angelazulthemovie.com
angelazulthemovie.com
510.332.2143
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Forging a Non-Violent Mass Movement: Economic Shocks and Organizational Innovations in India's Struggle for Democracy
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E51-376, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Saumitra Jha (Stanford GSB)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Workshop
For more information, contact:
econ-cal at mit.edu
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Swords into Bank Shares: Financial Solutions to the Political Economy Challenges of Development
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E51-376, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Saumitra Jha (Stanford GSB)
Web site: http://economics.mit.edu/files/9676
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Workshop
For more information, contact: econ-cal at mit.edu
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Ice Sheet Melt, Sea Level and Storms
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
3:45p–5:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Refreshments, 3:45 pm, Ida Green Lounge
Speaker: Jim Hansen -- Columbia University
EAPS Department Lecture Series
Weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, meteorology, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science.
All are welcome.
If you have any questions regarding the lecture, please contact Jennifer DiNisco at 617.253.2127 or jdinisco at mit.edu. Reservations not required.
Web site:http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2014/spring_DLS_Hansen
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jen DiNisco
617-253-2127
jdinisco at mit.edu
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“New Platforms for the Efficient Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Fuel”
April 16, 2014
4:00 PM
BC, Merkert 130
Professor Joel Rosenthal, University of Delaware
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Environmental Inspections in India
WHEN Wed., Apr. 16, 2014, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Environmental Economics Program
SPEAKER(S) Rohini Pande, Harvard University
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k96249
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Rethinking and Redirecting Health System Performance
Wednesday, April 16
4:15-5:30pm
MIT, Building E38-615, 292 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Bobby Milstein, ReThink Health director and Sloan visiting scientist
SSRC Conversations on Sociotechnical Systems
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Water, Water, Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
6:30 PM (EDT)
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/water-water-everywhere-and-not-a-drop-to-drink-registration-10088965367
Learn how water-related extremes present a host of challenges to our health and our engineered infrastructures. Discuss several geographic and cultural case studies connected to questions such as drought, sea level rise, extreme precipitation events, and water quality, and participate in collaborative problem-solving around our uncertain water future.
Presented in collaboration with Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs for their “Water: Challenges of Extremes” Open Classroom series.
More about this season of Adult Offerings at the Museum of Science:
Join us to explore what is possible when we apply our boundless ingenuity to bolster ourselves, restore our reserves, and improve our future.
We are constantly adding to our seasonal lineup of special guest lectures, panel discussions, podcasts, social event, and more. To stay in touch with the latest Museum Happenings, visitmos.org/events.
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Thursday, April 17
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Sustainability: Systems and Solutions
April 17, 2014
8am - 4:30pm
UMass Lowell Conference Center
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-massachusetts-sustainable-communities-and-campuses-conference-tickets-9732436981
Cost: $45 - $75
Our 2014 conference is in Lowell, the fourth largest city in Massachusetts, a "green community", and world famous revitalized mill city. Learn from government, business, education, and nonprofit stakeholders from across the Commonwealth who share best practices in sustainable development.
www.MaSustainableCommunities.com
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ROBOTS: From Imagination to Market
Thursday, April 17, 2014
9:00a–7:00p
MIT, Building E51-115, Wong Auditorium, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://robots14.eventbrite.com
During this one-day seminar and networking event you will follow robots from imagination to state-of-the-art research and finally to market. Starting with a short introduction to robots in science fiction, we will dive into the latest research, hear the newest startup pitches and learn from successful companies. Additional highlights will include an overview of legal and ethical questions, and a panel discussion with key actors in the field.
Web site: robots14.eventbrite.com
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Tickets: robots14.eventbrite.com
Sponsor(s): SwissLinkBoston, SwissNex Boston, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
For more information, contact: Aron Blaesi
swisslinkboston at mit.edu
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Health Consequences of Hydrofracturing: The Known and Unkown
April 17, 2014
12pm
Tufts, 10 Upper Campus Rd, Tisch College, Rabb Room, Medford
RSVP at https://healthconsequenceshydrofracturing.eventbrite.com
Reynold Panettieri, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Director of the Airways Biology Institute; Deputy Director of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Panettieri will be speaking live from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Panettieri directs the Airways Biology Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. His interests are in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate airway smooth muscle cell growth and the immunobiology of airway smooth muscle. Consequences of increases in airway smooth muscle growth promote the development of irreversible airflow obstruction and airway remodeling seen in subjects with chronic severe asthma. Dr. Panettieri's lab also focuses on cytosolic signaling pathways that mediate gene expression and alter myocyte function.
Dr. Panettieri also serves as the Deputy Director of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology. He directs the human exposure chamber that defines the molecular mechanisms regulating ozone- and particulate matter-induced airway hyperresponsiveness.
In parallel with his basic science interests, Dr. Panettieri currently directs the comprehensive clinical program for the care of patients with asthma and is actively involved in clinical investigations focused on the management of asthma and COPD.
In addition to his research and clinical interests, Dr. Panettieri served as chairperson of the NIH Lung Cellular, Molecular, and Immunobiology Study Section, is a member of the NIH Distinguished Editorial Panel and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians.
This event is co-sponsored by Upstate NY Society for Risk Analysis Webinar Series and Tufts Institute of the Environment as part of the "Scientific Studies on Impacts of Natural Gas Extraction from Marcellus Shale on Water Resources." The event will start promptly at noon, so please arrive early.
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Energy 101: Chapter 11 in the Energy Sector
Thursday, April 17, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building E51-325, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Always a controversial topic, the lecture will explore the topic with specific relation to the energy industry.
Energy 101 Series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
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"The Carbon Isotope 'Revolution': new perspectives on early hominin diet"
Thursday, April 17, 2014
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Harvard, HEB Meeting Room (52H), 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge
Dr. Julia Lee-Thorp (Professor of Archaeological Science, Oxford University),
Her main research interests are in the diets of early hominins and later humans, the emergence of modern humans, stable isotope ecology in modern and ancient ecosystems, and the impact of environmental and climate shifts on past human societies.
HEB Colloquium Series
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Make Waves, Not Waste: A Lunch Presentation by Bureo Skateboards
Thursday, April 17, 2014
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (EDT)
Harvard, 14 Appian Way, Larsen Hall - Room 214, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/make-waves-not-waste-a-lunch-presentation-by-bureo-skateboards-tickets-11161206469
Come meet the founders of Bureo Skateboards and discover how their business is creating high-quality recycled products while reducing marine waste along the Chilean coastlines and advancing employment opportunities for coastal villagers. Learn about their experience as young entrepreneurs through their journey from idea to a sustainable business model.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided!
About Bureo
Bureo is a new venture based in the US and Chile, formed by three friends focused on finding solutions for the growing issue of plastic pollution in our oceans and initiating social change. With lifelong passions for surfing and the environment, the team aims to continue the fight against ocean plastics and inspire others to find solutions through sustainable product design.
Bureo’s innovative boards are manufactured in Chile through the team’s initiative, ‘Net Positiva’, Chile’s first ever fishnet collection & recycling program. Net Positiva provides fisherman with environmentally sound disposal points, while Bureo receives highly recyclable and durable raw materials. Net Positiva is supported by the Chilean government, World Wildlife Fund Chile, Marine Conservation Action Fund and in alliance with local fisheries. In the first year of operations, Bureo is focused on proving the concept, with future sales funding increased support to local fishing communities as the program expands.
Bureo is an active participant in the Start-Up Chile program (http://startupchile.org) and the IDEA venture accelerator program at Northeastern University. With board production underway in Chile, Bureo will be launching a Kickstarter campaign in April. Following the campaign and completion of production, the Bureo team will return to the US for a grassroots marketing tour to clean beaches and share their story along the way. The team will head back down to Chile in late 2014 to expand fishnet collection and production activities.
The name ‘Bureo’ comes from the language of the Mapuche, the native Chileans, and means ´the waves’. Selected in honor of the Chilean people, the name represents our mission. Just as a wave originates from a disturbance of wind along the ocean surface, Bureo is starting with a small change in an ocean of plastic. Through time and energy, the waves of Bureo will develop the force required to cause real change.
Event Organized by Harvard Extension Environmental Club
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"New insights into the formation of methane at both low and high temperatures using stable isotopes"
Thursday, April 17, 2014
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Harvard, Haller Hall, Geo Museum 102, 24 Oxford Street, 1st Floor, Cambridge
Daniel Stolper, Caltech Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences,
Daniel Stolper is currently a geobiology graduate student in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at Caltech. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University in 2008 in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Daniel is interested in the application of geochemical tools to the study of both modern and ancient geobiological processes.
Methane is a critical greenhouse gas, energy resource, and product of microbial metabolisms. Despite its importance in the carbon cycle, distinguishing the sources of methane in natural systems is challenging due to gas migration and potentially overlapping chemical and isotopic characteristics of biogenic and thermogenic sources. Knowledge of the formation temperatures of methane would help distinguish biogenic and thermogenic methane in nature; however, formation temperatures of naturally occurring methane are generally unknown. I will present results of a new geothermometer that can be used to measure methane formation temperatures. It is based on the measurement of rare, multiply substituted (‘clumped’) methane isotopologues (13CH3D and 12CH2D2), the abundances of which are functions of temperature for isotopically equilibrated systems. I will describe the calibration of this clumped isotope geothermometer and present measurements from a range of experimental and natural thermogenic and biogenic gases. These results suggest that clumped-isotope-based temperatures generally represent formation temperatures for natural samples. This was not necessarily an expected result: It has implications for our understanding of the chemistry of how methane forms in nature and the sources of methane in various environments, and it can be used to test various methane formation models.
Geobiology Seminar
Contact Name: Sabinna Cappo
scappo at fas.harvard.edu
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The Consolidation of Strategic Communications in the United States, 1950–1975
WHEN Thu., Apr. 17, 2014, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR International Security Program
SPEAKER(S) Daniel Volmar, research fellow, International Security Program; Ph.D. candidate, Department of the History of Science, Harvard University
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch at harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6331/consolidation_of_strategic_communications_in_the_united_states_19501975.html
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Anaerobic Digestion Panel
April 17
2:00 to 4:00 pm
City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e938xo9d86717d1b&c
With the Commonwealth’s organics waste ban going into effect, entities that generate more than a ton of organics per week will need to find alternative ways to dispose of the material. The panel of experts will discuss the factors to consider for implementing an anaerobic digestion facility. Co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the City of Cambridge.
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The Arab World: After the Spring ... Before the Storm?
WHEN Thu., Apr. 17, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Allison Dining Room, 5th Floor Taubman Building, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Religion, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Mohamad Al-Ississ, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
NOTE Mohamad Al-Ississ, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Middle East Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School, will discuss public opinion in the Arab World three years after the Spring. This event will be moderated by Ishac Diwan, lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School.
In the short term, polarization is a key challenge threatening the very basic fabric of Arab societies. However, little is known about the issues that Arab societies are polarized about, and the axes along which fault lines are drawn. These questions will be addressed using recent public opinion data from the region. He will also discuss the short and long term challenges facing the region.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6351/mohamad_alississ.html
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Network Neighborhoods and the Dispersion of Social Ties
Thursday, April 17, 2014
4:15p–5:15p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Jon Kleinberg
ORC Spring Seminar Series
The OR Center organizes a seminar series each year in which prominent OR professionals from around the world are invited to present topics in operations research. We have been privileged to have speakers from business and industry as well as from academia throughout the years. For a list of past distinguished speakers and their seminar topics, please visit our Seminar Archives.
ORC Spring Seminar Series
Seminar reception immediately following the talk.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/orc/www/seminars/seminars.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Operations Research Center
For more information, contact:
Swati Gupta, Nathan Kallus, Maokai Lin
617-253-6185
swatig at mit.edu, kallus at mit.edu, lmk at mit.edu
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Religion and World Politics: Connections and Collisions
WHEN Thu., Apr. 17, 2014, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer, Weil Town Hall, Lobby Level, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Religion, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Bryan Hehir, Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life, HKS
NOTE Frontline with Faculty Series: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/hauser/news-events/upcoming-events
LINK http://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/hauser/news-events/upcoming-events/20140417
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"Low-Cost, High-Performance Optical Technologies to Meet Global Health Needs."
4:30 - 6p.
MIT, Building 3-270, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Rebecca Richards-Kortum
More information at http://imes.mit.edu/about/events/imes-distinguished-speaker-series
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"The Long and Winding Road to Clean Energy"
Thursday, April 17, 2014
5:00pm
Harvard Law School, Austin Hall North, 1515 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Jeff Bingaman, Distinguished Fellow, Stanford Law School; former Senator of New Mexico and chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Jeff Bingaman served in the U.S. Senate 1982-2013 and was chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural resources Committee from 2001-2002, and again from 2007 until the end of his term in the 112th Congress. In the 109th Congress, Bingaman played a major role in the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the first comprehensive energy bill to become law in 13 years. He was the lead sponsor of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which required a historic increase in vehicle fuel economy, boosted homegrown biofuels, and mandated the most sweeping energy efficiency legislation ever to be put into law. Bingaman served on the Senate Finance Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure. He was also a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a senior member of the Joint Economic Committee. Before being elected to the Senate, Bingaman was elected New Mexico attorney general. The former New Mexico Senator has an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and law degree from Stanford (JD ’68).
Future of Energy
http://environment.harvard.edu/events/future/video
Contact Name: Lisa Matthews
matthew at fas.harvard.edu
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Feminism and Democratization after the Arab Spring
Thursday, April 17, 2014
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 3-133, 33 Massachusetts Ave (Rear), Cambridge
McMillan Stewart lecture series on women in the developing world.
Is democracy good for women? If so, why? Is it because of some intrinsic features of democracy as a political system that makes it best suited for the attainment of women's full citizenship and gender equality? Or is it because of mobilizations that take place during democratic transitions or democratization episodes, which may lead to women's empowerment, albeit given the presence of other factors and forces? And what are those factors and forces that result in successful, women-friendly democratic transitions and consolidation?
The presentation is part of an ongoing, larger project comparing the Arab Spring to other instances of mass social protest leading to major political change and new constitutions. The focus is on Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, which I compare with each other and with other "third wave" democratizations - southern Europe, Latin America, southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and South Africa. Similarities and differences across the three countries are examined, with updates on developments in each country, and implications for theory, policy, and politics.
Valentine M. Moghadam joined Northeastern University in Boston as Director of the International Affairs Program, and Professor of Sociology, in January 2012.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies
For more information, contact:
The Friendly WGS Staff
617-253-8844
wgs at mit.edu
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Green Justice Coalition Energy Efficiency Summit
Thursday, April 17th
Doors open at 5:30pm for snacks. The program will start at 6pm and end at 7pm.
SEIU Local 615, 26 West Street, 3rd Floor, Boston
RSVPs welcome: https://www.facebook.com/events/432849103525137/
Join BostonCAN in celebrating the power of linking environmental, labor, and social justice movements. Learn about the recent victories and upcoming goals of the Green Justice Coalition on April 17th at the Energy Efficiency Summit!
You'll hear residents, organizers, representatives of the utility companies, and others speak on the benefits of energy efficiency for making our low- and moderate-income neighborhoods more resilient in the face of climate change and volatile energy prices.
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Starr Forum: Junk Food and the Modern Mind
Thursday, April 17, 2014
5:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Capt Joseph Hibbeln, Rachel V Gow, Lynn C Todman
Experts discuss the research and the global implications of the modern American diet.
Speakers:
Capt Joseph Hibbeln, MD, is Lead Clinical Investigator, Unit on Nutrition in Psychiatry, NIAAA, Washington DC; & a Commander in the United States Public Health Service. A psychiatrist & lipid biochemist by training, Dr Hibbeln is now one of the world's leading experts on the importance of dietary fats for human brain development & function. Dr Hibbeln received a BA with special honors from the University of Chicago and an MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Rachel V Gow is currently working as a Guest Researcher in the Section of Nutritional Neurosciences at the National Institutes of Health. Her main research interests are in the role of brain selective nutrients such as omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids &
neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD & conduct disorder related behaviors. Dr Gow completed a PhD in the department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.
Lynn C Todman is currently a visiting scholar in the Center for International Studies at MIT. Dr Todman's areas of interest include urban poverty, social exclusion, community development, & the social determinants of health & mental health. Dr Todman earned a BA from Wellesley College and a Master's in City Planning & a PhD in Urban & Regional Planning at MIT
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_041714.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: starrforum at mit.edu
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Leading Between the Vines (film presentation and lecture)
Thursday, April 17
6 PM
Boston University School of Theology, Room B19, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Terry Theise, Author, Filmmaker, & James Beard Award-Winning wine importer
Presented in conjunction with MET ML 641, Anthropology of Food
Barbara Rotger, Gastronomy Program Coordinator
brotger at bu.edu
T 617-358-6916
F 617-353-4130
Gastronomy Program, Metropolitan College, Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 111, Boston MA 02215
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Traffic Advisory Speaker Series: "City Models/Three Perspectives"
Thursday, April 17
6:00 pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP to rsvp at architects.org with "Traffic 4/17" in the subject line
Jerry Dobrovolny, director of transportation for the City of Vancouver, British Columbia; Harriet Tregoning, director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Phillip Washington, general manager of Denver's Regional Transportation District, draw from their own regional insights to present three multiscale perspectives on transportation development.
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What Happened in Ukraine?
Thursday, April 17, 2014
6:00p–7:30p
MIT, Building N51, MIT Museum, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Daren Acemoglu and Gerald Easter
TalkBack360
Recent events in Ukraine and Crimea have stunned the world as we witness the greatest conflict in Eastern Europe since the Cold War. Discuss what led to the current situation with MIT economist Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail, and Boston College political scientist Gerald Easter, author of Capital, Coercion, and Post-Communist States. What factors contributed to the civil unrest in Ukraine, and how did its proximity to, and relationship with, Russia influence the uprising in Ukraine's capital?
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/talkback.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact: Andrew Hong
617.324.7313
andhong at mit.edu
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A 3D Mixer: Networking, Cocktails and Conversation
Thursday, April 17, 2014
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-3d-mixer-networking-cocktails-and-conversation-tickets-11080988535
Sustain for the Future and the Babson Energy and Environmental Club have teamed up to bring you an evening of Networking, Cocktails and Conversation with renowned leader in Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Asheen Phansey. Asheen will be sharing his wisdom, work and enlightening you on:
“The 3D experience: How 3D Printing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things are Revolutionizing Sustainable Innovation”
This event is open to all, and best of all, it's free to attend.
Asheen Phansey is the global head of Sustainable Innovation Lab at Dassault Systèmes (3DS), the $3B software company that provides businesses and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations, where he is responsible for leading and executing the vision and strategy for sustainability apps and solutions. Asheen is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Babson College teaching sustainable business where his innovative curricula have received press in BusinessWeek and The Economist. Asheen holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Babson, and is certified in bio-inspired design from the Biomimicry Institute.
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Where Is Our Collective Imagination?
WHEN Thu., Apr. 17, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Teddy Cruz
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE **This scheduled lecture by Teddy Cruz, in the Alumni Insights series, was rescheduled due to a weather-related flight cancellation in February. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.**
As the global city has become the primary site of economic consumption and display in the last years of economic boom, marginal neighborhoods of these power centers have remained sites for cultural production through the adaptation and retrofit of sites whose configuration is due to discriminatory zoning and economic development practices. Noting the need in such praxis for artistic interpretation and political representation, Teddy Cruz engages this space of intervention at the US-Mexico border to produce a specific political language for new interpretations of housing, infrastructure, property, and citizenship. Teddy Cruz has exhibited nationally and internationally, including the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale and “Small Scale, Big Change,” at MoMA in New York. A professor in public culture and urbanism at UC San Diego, Cruz is founding co-director of the Center for Urban Ecologies and Blum Cross-Border Initiative, and leads the Civic Innovation Lab for the City of San Diego.
The Alumni Insights lecture series, co-hosted with GSD Development and Alumni Relations, was created to recognize the work of Harvard GSD alumni and give students an opportunity to hear about the diverse careers and achievements of the school’s graduates.
Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations should contact the events office two weeks in advance at 617 496 2414 or events at gsd.harvard.edu
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/alumni-insights-teddy-cruz.html
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WATER: security, resiliency and self-sufficiency in New England
April 17
6:30PM-8:30PM
Earthos Lab, 1310 Broadway, Somerville
Suggested donation: $15
Each month, Earthos hosts a Conversation about a key resource at the New Earthos Lab for resilient and sustaining regions. Each conversation focuses on a resource system, and how it relates to the other resources: food, energy, land, biodiversity, waste, people (art+innovation+education+basic needs+economy+justice). In April, the resource of focus is WATER. As a participant, you will help build collaborative knowledge about this important topic, resulting in a white paper.
The Earthos Lab brings people together to research, learn, collaborate towards robust regional systems.
Contact phil-earthos at ldparch.com
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Bidder 70
Thursday, April 17
6:40; film starts promptly 7pm
243 Broadway, Cambridge - corner of Broadway and Windsor, entrance on Windsor
In 2008, as the US government tried to gift the energy and mining industries thousands of acres of pristine Utah wilderness via a widely disputed federal auction, college student Tim DeChristopher decided to monkey-wrench the process.
Bidding $1.7 million, he won 22,000 acres with no intention to drill. For this astonishing (and successful) act of civil disobedience he was sent to federal prison.
*Bidder 70* tells the story of this peaceful warrior whose patriotism and willingness to sacrifice have ignited the climate justice movement.
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." Edward Abbbey
"At this point of unimaginable threats on the horizon, this is what hope looks like. In these times of a morally bankrupt government that has sold out its principles, this is what patriotism looks like. With countless lives on the line, this is what love looks like, and it will only grow… " Tim DeChristopher
"...without the slightest tinge of manipulation, Bidder 70 convinces us that these people really do care about the fate of humankind and that we're entrapped in a legal system that is, environmentally speaking, still set on driving us off a cliff." Kalvin Henely, Slant Magazine
"A film everyone needs to see, even if you think you're well-informed about political issues, environmentalism, and global climate change." Ashland Independent Film Festival
"Tim's trial was pushed back 6 times over two years and was fraught with maddening plot twists. The judge refused to let Tim use the Necessity Defense or let the jury know crucial facts, including that the auction was illegal." Think Progress
"Sometimes you just have to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.” Tim DeCristopher
Tidbits from the pen of Henry David Thoreau:
"A common and natural result of an undue respect of law is, that you may see a file of soldiers, colonel, captain, corporal, privates, powder-monkeys, and all, marching in admirable order over hill and dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense and consciences..."
"Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward."
"Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice."
"What does education often do? It makes a straight-cut ditch of a free, meandering brook."
"[Slavery] exists wherever men are bought and sold, wherever a man allows himself to be made a mere thing or a tool, and surrenders his inalienable rights of reason and conscience. Indeed, this slavery is more complete than that which enslaves the body alone.... I never yet met with, or heard of, a judge who was not a slave of this kind, and so the finest and most unfailing weapon of injustice. He fetches a slightly higher price than the black men only because he is a more valuable slave."
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them."
Please join us for a stimulating night out; bring your friends!
*free film & free door prizes
[donations are encouraged]
*feel free to bring your own snacks and soft drinks - no alcohol allowed
"You can't legislate good will - that comes through education." Malcolm X
UPandOUT film series - see http://rule19.org/videos
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Grow Your Soil - A Biological Approach to Soil Testing, Amendments and More.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Agricultural Hall, 245 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/640277
Cost: $5.00 and space limits the event to 24 attendees.
In this workshop we will discuss soil biology, soil testing, amendments and other biological farming practices. These practices can be applied at the farm or the backyard garden. We will also discuss how unbalanced soil can affect plant and human health.
Topics to be covered:
What is in the soil?
What is missing from the soil?
The importance of a balanced soil.
How a biological soil test differs from other soil tests.
How do plants interact with the bacteria and fungi living in the soil?
How do plants use trace elements in the soil?
Difference between soil amendments and fertilizers
A year of growing; ideal time to test your soil, ideal time to amend your soil, using cover crops, and more.
Not in the soil, not in the plants, not in the human body – how missing soil elements can affect plant health, animal health and human health.
The workshop will be led by Dee Blake, owner of Savin Hill Seedlings (http://savinhillseedlings.com/), and farmer at Lindentree CSA in Lincoln, MA.
Attendees will receive a sample of Savin Hill Seedling's Compost Boost (a rock dust amendment that can be added to compost to increase biological activity).
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Shambhavi Dandikar, lec-dem on Kathak Dance
Thursday, April 17, 2014
7:30p
14W-111, Killian Hall, Hayden Library Building, 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
For more information, contact: Clarise Snyder
mta-request at mit.edu
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Friday, April 18
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Cambridge Science Festival
April 18-27
For events and other information, visit http://www.cambridgesciencefestival.org
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Ceremony of Remembrance for Officer Sean A. Collier
Friday, April 18, 2014
9:30a–10:30a
MIT, Tent on North Court
The MIT community will gather to remember Officer Collier on Friday, April 18. All are welcome.
PRESENTATION OF THE FLAGS
MIT Police-Cambridge Police Joint Honor Guard
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Performed by Lt. Pauline Wells, Cambridge Police Department
SPEAKERS
Israel Ruiz SM '01, MIT Executive Vice President and Treasurer
John DiFava, Director, Facilities Operations and Security and Chief, MIT Police
The Honorable David Maher, Mayor of the City of Cambridge
Sara E. Ferry '11, G, MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Jay Perault, Deputy Chief, MIT Police
J. Meejin Yoon, Associate Professor, MIT Department of Architecture
BENEDICTION by Robert M. Randolph, Chaplain to the Institute
MUSIC PERFORMED by the MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble, featuring John Harbison, Institute Professor
Open to: MIT community and friends of the Institute
Cost: n/a
Tickets: n/a
Sponsor(s): Information Center
For more information, contact: Institute Events
617-253-4795
info-events at mit.edu
Editorial Comment: Sean Collier was shot in Danny Lewin Square, named for one of the founders of Akamai and a passenger on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center in NYC on September 11, 2001. It is an eerie coincidence that I haven’t seen mentioned.
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Capital in the Twenty-First Century
WHEN Fri., Apr. 18, 2014, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Weil Town Hall (First Floor Belfer Building, HKS), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Thomas Piketty, professor of economics, Paris School of Economics
COST Free and open to the public; RSVP to mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE Lunch will be served.
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"Time to React" a book talk
Friday, April 18, 2014
1:30p–3:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, Lucian Pye Conference Room, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Heidi Hardt, Ken Oye
"Time to React: The Efficiency of International Organizations in Crisis Response"
A book talk with author Heidi Hardt, University of Texas-Arlington.
Moderated by Ken Oye, MIT
About the book: The speed with which international organizations respond to crises affects prospects for sustainable peace, but scholars have yet to understand why some organizations take longer than others to do so. Building on interview evidence from 50 ambassadors across four leading organizations, this manuscript identifies a key explanation for variation: differences in informal institutional cultures. In particular, unspoken rules and social networks among decision-makers at organization's peace and security committees dictate the pace of proceedings. This book examines the dominant role of informal relations and rules in crisis decision-making and delimits the impact of an organization's affluence.
Free and open to the public
Books will be sold at the event
Web site: http://www.amazon.com/Time-React-Efficiency-International-Organizations/dp/019933711X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383751846&sr=8-2&keywords=%22time+to+react%22
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: rochoa at mit.edu
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xTalks: Breslow & DeBoer on National Differences in an International Classroom
Friday, April 18, 2014
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building 4-237, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Lori Breslow & Jennifer DeBoer
xTalks: Digital Discourses
The xTalks series provides a forum to facilitate awareness, deep understanding and transference of educational innovations at MIT and elsewhere. We hope to foster a community of educators, researchers, and technologists engaged in developing and supporting effective learning experiences through online learning environments and other digital technologies.
The virtual classrooms of open online courses include students from a vast array of backgrounds. These students are individually unique, but they are also nested within unique social, economic, political, and educational contexts in different countries. In this presentation, we highlight interesting systematic differences in performance and behaviors for students and countries with different characteristics such as language, internet availability, and income.
Dr. Lori Breslow is the director of the Teaching and Learning Lab at MIT, as well as senior lecturer at Sloan. Dr Jennifer DeBoer is post-doctoral associate for education research at TLL.
Web site: http://odl.mit.edu/events/lori-breslow-jennifer-deboer-national-differences-in-an-internationl-classroom/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): OEIT- Office of Educational Innovation and Technology
For more information, contact: Molly Ruggles
617-324-9185
ruggles at mit.edu
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ACT | Public Space? Lost & Found Symposium
Friday, April 18, 2014
2:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
The MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) and the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST) present Public Space? Lost & Found, a two-day symposium and accompanying exhibition to celebrate the living legacy of artist and educator Antoni Muntadas and collectively redefine ideas of public space and its multiple functions. Convening scholars, artists, architects, and planners from MIT and beyond, the symposium will engage contemporary critical discourses and practices on public space.
2:00 pm | Opening remarks by Adele Santos (Dean of the School of Architecture + Planning, MIT)
2:30 pm | Panel 1: Private Public Spaces: Cultural Identity and Context
Speakers: Ina Blom (Oslo University), Antoni Muntadas (ACT, MIT), Nestor Garcia Canclini (Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico City)
Respondents: Doris Sommer (Cultural Agents, Harvard), Ana Maria Leon (HTC, MIT)
Moderator: Meejin Yoon (Architecture, MIT)
5:00 pm | Panel 2: Reclaiming Public Space/Surveillance and Control
Speakers: Teddy Cruz (UCSD), Marjetica Potrc (HFBK, Hamburg), Krzysztof Wodiczko (GSD, Harvard).
Respondents: Jane Hutton and Adrian Blackwell (GSD, Harvard)
Moderator: Catherine D'Ignazio (Media Lab, MIT)
7:00 - 9:00 pm | Exhibition Opening Reception
Takes place on the first floor gallery of the E14 Media Lab Complex.
Web site: http://act.mit.edu/projects-and-events/events/public-programs/public-space-symposium/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://bit.ly/K3IXtd
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning, Arts at MIT
For more information, contact: Laura Anca Chichisan
617-253-5229
act at mit.edu
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Tools for Well-Being Talk Series: Brain Fitness
Friday, April 18, 2014
3:00pm - 4:00pm
MIT Media Lab, E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Alvaro Pascual-Leone
Dr. Pascual-Leone serves as the associate dean for clinical and translational research at Harvard Medical School and has directed the Clinical Research Center Program of Harvard Catalyst since 2012. Prior to that he served as program director (2001-12) at the Harvard-Thorndike GCRC at BIDMC. Pascual-Leone is an HMS professor of neurology, and an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of noninvasive brain stimulation where his contributions span from technology development, through basic neurobiologic insights from animal studies and modeling approaches, to human proof-of-principle and multicenter clinical trials. His clinical research using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been fundamental in establishing the field of therapeutic noninvasive brain stimulation, securing FDA approval for TMS in depression and human cortical mapping, and opening up a growing number of applications in clinical neuroscience. Dr. Pascual-Leone and his team combine various brain imaging and brain stimulation methodologies to characterize brain plasticity across the lifespan in health and disease. He continues to work as a cognitive neurologist.
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Saturday, April 19
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Harvard Public Leadership Conference
Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 9:00 AM –
Sunday, April 20, 2014 at 4:00 AM (PDT)
John F. Kennedy School of Government, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/harvard-public-leadership-conference-tickets-11190526165
The day includes dynamic keynotes and experiential learning in facilitation, adaptive leadership, negotiation, and more!
Sponsored by Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, the Harvard Public Leadership Retreat is designed to bring leaders from different geographies, sectors and universities together to define and articulate a vision for 21st century public leadership. The conference, attended by leadership practitioners, academics and students, will further three goals:
To identify challenges and opportunities for global public leadership in the 21st century
To bridge the gap between leadership theory and practice
To allow for the cross-fertilization ideas between leaders from different public policy schools
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
9am Registration
9.30am Welcome from CPL
10am Morning Keynote: Michael Ignatieff
11am Leadership in practice: break out activities
1pm Lunch
2pm Closing keynote
3pm Small group reflection
3.30pm Closing reflections from CPL
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Sustainability Hackathon
WHEN Sat., Apr. 19, 2014, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard i-Labs, 125 Western Avenue, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Information Technology, Special Events, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard i-Labs
COST Free and open to the public
TICKET WEB LINK http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainability-hackathon-at-harvard-registration-4658589968
CONTACT INFO sustainabilityhackathon at gmail.com
NOTE CALLING ALL: designers, engineers, architects, artists, policymakers, economists, business men / women, and of course, app developers!!!
If you have ever wanted to solve real-world issues facing our planet,
come participate in the first ever Sustainability Hackathon at Harvard.
WIN EXCITING PRIZES!!!
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Understanding Compost
Saturday, April 19
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
City Soil Composting Site, 416 American Legion Highway (Zoo Overflow Parking Lot)
Visit the City of Boston compost facility to learn how a municipal composting yard operates. Join Bruce Fulford, President of City Soil, to learn the processes behind yard waste collection, staging and composting, and even take a hike to the top of the compost heap!Registration required, to register call 617-542-7696 or email info at bostonnatural.org.
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ACT | Public Space? Lost & Found Symposium
Saturday, April 19, 2014
10:00a–7:30p
MIT, Building E14-633, The Media Lab Complex, 6th Floor, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
The MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) and the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST) present Public Space: Lost & Found, a two-day symposium and accompanying exhibition to celebrate the living legacy of artist and educator Muntadas. Convening scholars, artists, architects, and planners from MIT and beyond, the symposium will engage contemporary critical discourses and practices on public space.
10:00 am | Welcome by Otto Piene (Professor Emeritus, Director Emeritus of CAVS, MIT)
10:30 am | Panel 3: Alternatives for Contemporary Public Space: Interdisciplinary Praxis
Speakers: Juan Herreros (GSAPP, Columbia), Dennis Adams (Cooper Union), Angela Vettese (IUAV, Venice)
Respondent: Caroline Jones (HTC, MIT)
Moderator: Ute Meta Bauer (NTU, Singapore)
2:00 pm | Panel 4: Speculations on the Future of Urban Space: Utopia
Speakers: Gediminas Urbonas (ACT, MIT), Andres Jaque (Princeton), Mark Wigley (GSAPP, Columbia)
Respondent: Ana Miljacki (Architecture, MIT)
Moderator: Alexander D'Hooghe (CAU, MIT)
5:00 pm | Panel 5: Public Space: Research, Projects, Production
Speakers: Jennifer Allora (Allora & Calzadilla), Marrikka Trotter (GSD, Harvard), Matthew Mazzotta (ACT, MIT), Coryn Kempster (Harry Gugger Studio)
Respondents: Beatriz Colomina (Princeton University School of Architecture), Azra Akamija (ACT, MIT)
Moderator: Antoni Muntadas (ACT, MIT)
7:00 pm | Closing remarks by Nader Tehrani (Head of the Department of Architecture, MIT)
Web site: http://act.mit.edu/projects-and-events/events/public-programs/public-space-symposium/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://bit.ly/K3IXtd
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Arts at MIT
For more information, contact: Laura Anca Chichisan
617-253-5229
act at mit.edu
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Monday, April 21
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"The Impact of Energy Policy Instruments on the Level of Energy Efficiency"
Monday, April 21, 2014
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Harvard Kennedy School, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Massimo Filippini, Visiting Scholar, HKS, and Professor, ETH Zurich and University of Lugano
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar Series
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund at hks.harvard.edu
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"Fat China: Who Is Making China's Obesity Science and How"
Monday, April 21, 2014
12:15pm - 2:00pm
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts at hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Susan Greenhalgh (Harvard, Anthropology),
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
sts at hks.harvard.edu
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The Responsive City: Using Data to Enhance Democracy
Monday, April 21
1:00pm to 2:30pm
Harvard, 60 Oxford Street, Room 330
Susan Crawford, John A. Reilly Visiting Professor in Intellectual Property, Harvard Law School (calendar 2014)
Cities and citizens around the world are using data around the world to thicken democratic engagement. Prof. Crawford will talk about her upcoming book ("The Responsive City," co-authored with Prof. Stephen Goldsmith of HKS) and the heroism it describes -- together with the many open policy questions it raises.
Speaker Bio: Susan Crawford is the John A. Reilly Visiting Professor in Intellectual Property at the Harvard Law School (2014). She is a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, and a co-director of the Berkman Center. She is the author of Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age, and a contributor to Bloomberg View and Wired. She served as Special Assistant to the President for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (2009) and co-led the FCC transition team between the Bush and Obama administrations. She also served as a member of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Advisory Council on Technology and Innovation.
Ms. Crawford was formerly a (Visiting) Stanton Professor of the First Amendment at Harvard’s Kennedy School, a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, and a Professor at the University of Michigan Law School (2008-2010). As an academic, she teaches Internet law and communications law. She was a member of the board of directors of ICANN from 2005-2008 and is the founder of OneWebDay, a global Earth Day for the internet that takes place each Sept. 22. One of Fast Company’s Most Influential Women in Technology (2009); IP3 Awardee (2010); one of Prospect Magazine’s Top Ten Brains of the Digital Future (2011); and one of TIME Magazine’s Tech 40: The Most Influential Minds in Tech (2013).
Ms. Crawford received her B.A. and J.D. from Yale University. She served as a clerk for Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) (Washington, D.C.) until the end of 2002, when she left that firm to enter the legal academy. Susan, a violist, lives in New York City.
Center for Research on Computation and Society
Contact: Carol Harlow
Email: harlow at seas.harvard.edu
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"Years of Living Dangerously" Screening/Talk with Dan Abbasi (HBS '98)
WHEN Mon., Apr. 21, 2014, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Business School; Room TBA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film, Special Events, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Business School
SPEAKER(S) Dan Abbasi
COST Free and open to the public; registration required
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/years-of-living-dangerously-screeningtalk-with-dan-abbasi-hbs-98-tickets-11108938133
CONTACT INFO awebster at hbs.edu
NOTE Screening @ 4-5 p.m.; Q&A with Dan Abbasi 5-5:30 p.m.
Harvard Business School invites you to a screening and discussion of the new SHOWTIME series: “Years of Living Dangerously.” Please join the Harvard community and special guest speaker Dan Abbasi (HBS MBA '98), one of the executive producers of this groundbreaking documentary series, that tells the biggest story of our time: climate change and the impact it's having on people right now across the world.
LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/years-of-living-dangerously-screeningtalk-with-dan-abbasi-hbs-98-tickets-11108938133
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Tuesday, April 22
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Harvard Earth Day Bonanza
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Science Center Plaza
Rain Location: Science Center Arcade
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Hosted by: Harvard Office for Sustainability and the Harvard Law School, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University Housing, Harvard Real Estate, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
COST Free and open to the public
NOTE
Games and Prizes
Cool Raffles
Spin the FAS Green Program’s Energy Wheel to test your knowledge of energy trivia, or try your hand at matching everyday items to their average electricity consumption to learn where you can see the most savings in your own home!
Photo Booth Fun
THUD (Harvard Undergraduate Drummers) performs at 12 pm
One GIANT Freecycle
Bike safety check-ups with Quad Bikes
Meet and greet with Harvard’s sustainability reps—learn how you can join the effort
LINK http://green.harvard.edu/events/earth-day-bonanza
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Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Information Technology, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Julia Angwin, senior reporter, ProPublica
CONTACT INFO edith_holway at hks.harvard.edu
LINK http://shorensteincenter.org/news-events/calendar/
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Fair Use(r): Art and Copyright online
April 22, 2014
12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/04/kreisinger#RSVP
This event will be webcast live (on this page) at 12:30pm ET.
Elisa Kreisinger, Pop Culture Pirate
With the democratization of content creation came the democratization of the overzealous copyright claim. Do private agreements between copyright holders and hosting platforms such as YouTube’s Content ID system compromise artist's fair use rights? This open discussion invites artists, users and lawyers to share their copyright experiences with hosting platforms and debate the future of distributing digital arts works online.
About Elisa
Pop Culture Pirate is the digital home of Elisa Kreisinger, a Brooklyn-based video artist remixing pop culture. Her latest work includes mashing up Mad Men into feminists and The Real Housewives into lesbians. Elisa’s 2012 US Copyright Office testimony helped win crucial exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, decriminalizing DVD ripping for artistic statements. She is a contributor to The Book of Jezebel and the forthcoming The Routledge Companion to Remix Studies. She is currently an artist-in-residence at Public Knowledge and Eyebeam Art and Technology Center. Elisa speaks around the world on the power of remix and remaking pop culture.
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Future Robots, Disaster, and Demographic Crisis in Japan
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), 2nd Floor, CGIS Knafel, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, co-sponsored by the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
SPEAKER(S) Shawn Bender, associate professor of East Asian studies, Dickinson College; moderated by Theodore C. Bestor, Reischauer Institute Professor of Anthropology, and director, Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University
CONTACT INFO wnehring at wcfia.harvard.edu
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming
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Sustainability in Cambridge – a conversation.
Cambridge Community Development Department
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (PDT)
CIC, One Broadway, Venture Café, 5th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainability-in-cambridge-a-conversation-tickets-10853833107
Join the City of Cambridge as we answer your questions about sustainability initiatives in Cambridge.
(Followed by “Save That Banana Peel and Eat Your Veggies” Workshop, hosted by the Dept. of Public Works)
Why are we hosting this? There is so much going on in Cambridge on the topic of sustainability that it is sometimes hard to keep track of! We are hoping to bring together a broad group of people who live, work and play in Cambridge to learn all about these initiatives. Of course we’d love for people to become involved after they learn about these interesting programs, but there is no mandatory action to take afterwards – unless you want to! Our primary goal is to raise awareness of what is going on.
Schedule
2:30 Doors Open in the Venture Café
3:00 Intro and Overview of the Cmty Compact for a Sustainable Future
3:15 Overview of Topics
3:35 Tabling / Networking
4:35 Reconvene – Question and Answer Period
5pm Closing Comments
6pm “Save That Banana Peel and Eat Your Veggies”
What will we talk about?
1. Water Use
2. Building Energy Use
3. Waste Reduction
4. Energy Use Reduction/ Solar
5. Net Zero Taskforce
6. Climate Change Vulnerability
7. EcoDistricts
8. PTDM/CitySmart
9. Transit
10. Hubway
11. Public Schools
12. Employee Initiatives
What do participants need to do?
Come to the CIC on Earth Day, bring an inquisitive mind and a desire to learn about the programming going on within Cambridge, and get ready to learn. We’d also like you to bring any other ideas about sustainability programming we can and should be doing within our community to put on the Community Ideas Board. We will take these back with us and figure out how/when to incorporate into our programming.
*Learn your options to compost food scraps, and ways to reduce food waste. Cambridge's Recycling Director, Ms. Randi Mail will review best practices for outdoor composting, indoor composting with worms, and options for drop-off and bicycle pickup. Recycling food scraps and making soil is extremely rewarding, benefits your garden and house plants and helps to curb climate change! Reducing food waste is also incredibly important considering that Americans waste more than 40% of the food we produce for consumption. That comes at an annual cost of more than $100 billion. For more info on composting, click here. To RSVP for this workshop email recycle at cambridgema.gov.
Directly following this event, grab the train to Venture Café’s Sustainability unConference** at District Hall in Boston! Keep the sustainability conversation going.
**An unConference is a conference where the attendees make it all happen. There will be several programmed panels, exhibitors and thematic spaces, but the majority of the unConference content will be up to you! As Wikipedia says, "...at an unConference, the agenda is created by the attendees at the beginning of the meeting. Anyone who wants to initiate a discussion on a topic can claim a time and a space.”
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Graphene and the Magic of Physics in Two Dimensions
Tuesday, April 22
3:30PM to 4:30PM
BU, SCI 109, Metcalf Science Building, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Refreshments will be served at 3:00 in the 1st Floor Lounge
Speaker: Eva Andrei, Rutgers University
Abstract: Since its first scotch-tape extraction from graphite in 2004, Graphene – a one atom-thick crystal of carbon - has metamorphosed from the poor relative of diamond into a “wonder material”. By now it has amassed an impressive string of superlatives –lightest, thinnest, strongest material, best electrical and thermal conductor - as well as the 2010 Nobel Prize for its discoverers. Due to its remarkable properties graphene is rapidly moving from research laboratories into industrial, medical and electronics applications. For physicists much of the continuing excitement about Graphene stems from its exotic charge carriers - Dirac fermions - which resemble two dimensional massless neutrinos. I will review the story and physics of graphene with emphasis on its unusual electronic properties and will describe the experiments and techniques which provided access to the two-dimensional world of Dirac fermions, their interactions with each other and with the environment.
This event is part of the Physics Department Colloquia Series.
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Loud Clothing and Noise-Enhanced Sensorimotor Function
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 5 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) James J. Collins, William F. Warren Distinguished Professor, professor of biomedical engineering, and professor of medicine, Boston University; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; founding core faculty member and platform lead of Anticipatory Medical and Cellular Devices, Wyss Institute, Harvard University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO 617.496.1084
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-james-j-collins-lecture
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The Rita E. Hauser Forum for the Arts with Steven Spielberg
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 6 p.m.
WHERE Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film, Humanities, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard
SPEAKER(S) Filmmaker Steven Spielberg in conversation with Homi Bhabha, director, Mahindra Humanities Center
COST Free and open to the public; tickets required
TICKET WEB LINK http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/steven-spielberg-conversation-homi-k-bhabha
Tickets through a lottery, apply by 2pm on Monday, April 14
CONTACT INFO 617.495.0738
NOTE Seating is limited.
LINK http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/steven-spielberg-conversation-homi-k-bhabha
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Molecularizing Taste at the Intersection of Biochemistry and French Cuisine
Tuesday, April 22
6 PM
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences Building, Room 326, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Sophia Roosth, Assistant Professor, History of Science, Harvard University
Presented in conjunction with MET ML 715, Food and the Senses
Barbara Rotger, Gastronomy Program Coordinator
brotger at bu.edu
T 617-358-6916
F 617-353-4130
Gastronomy Program, Metropolitan College, Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 111, Boston MA 02215
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Design + Management = Innovation
WHEN Tue., Apr. 22, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Tadashi Yanai
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE Tadashi Yanai studied economics and political science before turning to retailing. From a single UNIQLO store, opened in Hiroshima in 1984, the brand has expanded to over 1,300 UNIQLO stores in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, lndonesia, the U.S., the UK, France, and Russia—and is set to open in Australia and Germany in 2014. Today Yanai is chairman, president, and CEO of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., which designs, manufactures, and sells clothing under seven main brands (Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam tam, Theory, and UNIQLO) and is currently the world’s fourth largest apparel retail company. In 2013 TIME magazine named Yanai in its “Time 100,” the magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in the world. Yanai will give a brief presentation at the GSD in conjunction with a second presentation at Harvard Business School, April 23.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/lecture-tadashi-yanai-design-management-innovation.html
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Greening Rozzie Spring Potluck
Tuesday, April 22
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Roslindale Community Center, 6 Cummins Highway, Roslindale
Join Greening Rozzie for a potluck supper to launch the GreenMobile and hear Gary Rucinski of the Citizen's Climate Lobby.
http://www.greeningrozzie.org
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The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth
Tuesday, April 22
6:30-8:00pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, Jamaica Plain
Cost: $0-$10
John Kricher, PhD, Professor of Biology, Wheaton College
The idea of a balance of nature has been a dominant part of Western philosophy since before Aristotle, and it persists in the public imagination and even among some ecologists today. In his lively and thought-provoking book, The Balance of Nature: Ecology’s Enduring Myth, John Kricher demonstrates that nature in fact is not in balance, nor has it ever been at any stage in Earth's history. John will explain how and why this notion of a natural world in balance has endured for so long, and show why, in these times of extraordinary human influence on the planet's ecosystems, it is critical that we accept and understand that nature is constantly in flux, and, in effect, quite naturally out of balance.
Fee Free members and students, $10 nonmember(Students: call 617-384-5277 to register for free.)
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SciEx: Extreme Science Original Video Contest
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT Museum
Ever seen a short science video as exciting as an extreme sports video? Now???s your chance! Join MIT graduate students and choose your favorite original extreme science video. Popcorn included!
Web site:http://www.cambridgesciencefestival.org/2014Festival/2014ScheduleOfEvents.aspx?day=5
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): SCIEX, Office of the Dean for Graduate Education, Graduate Student Life Grants, Office of Digital Learning
For more information, contact: Zoya Bylinskii
sciex at mit.edu
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, April 23
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An Overview of the National Nuclear Security Administration
WHEN Wed., Apr. 23, 2014, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Center Library (Littauer-369), 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Environmental Sciences, Information Technology, Law, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Managing the Atom
SPEAKER(S) Brig. Gen. Jim Dawkins Jr., principal assistant deputy administrator for military application, National Nuclear Security Administration's defense programs
NOTE Brig. Gen. Jim Dawkins Jr. will lead a discussion on the NNSA, providing a history and overview of the organization, discussing the stockpile stewardship program, and providing insight into the challenges of managing the nuclear enterprise.
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Clara Deser -- National Center for Atmospheric Research
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
3:45p–5:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Refreshments, 3:45 pm, Ida Green Lounge
EAPS Department Lecture Series
Weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, meteorology, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science.
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2014/spring_DLS_Deser
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Jen DiNisco
617-253-2127
jdinisco at mit.edu
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Risk and Return in the Design of Environmental Policy
WHEN Wed., Apr. 23, 2014, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Environmental Economics Program
SPEAKER(S) Robert Pindyck, MIT
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k96249
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openLAB hosted by metaLAB (at) Harvard
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Arts @ 29 Garden, 29 Garden Street, Cambridge
Featuring:
Demos & Presentations of Palladio & Curarium
Student projects from the past few semesters of Mixed-Reality City, Cold Storage, and Homeless Paintings
An exhibition of designs and page layouts from the forthcoming metaLABprojects publication series with Harvard University Press, including The Library Beyond the Book card decks
Clips and rushes from a couple of web documentary projects that are underway
Fresh experimental dishes from the Library Test Kitchen
Posters, installation pieces, hacks, visualizations, and performances
openLAB is a platform for experimentation and innovation. Migrating from site to site, ranging from local galleries to public spaces to Harvard arts venues, the openLAB series provides a forum to share everything from recent hacks and projects in progress to ad-hoc spectacles and polished productions. openLAB participants include core metaLAB members and other artists, scholars and technologists engaged in exploring new modes of practice, exhibition and knowledge design.
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Fed Up - Advance Screening
Wednesday, April 23
6:30PM
Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge
Let’s Talk About Food and ChopChop magazine are co-hosting an exclusive advanced screening of FED UP, a Katie Couric and Laurie David (An Inconvenient Truth) documentary unearthing the dirty secrets behind one of the largest health epidemics of our time. The documentary explores why, despite media attention and government policies to combat childhood obesity; generations of kids will now live shorter lives than their parents.
A limited number of complimentary tickets are available and the public is encouraged to RSVP by April 16 by visiting, http://fedupscreening.eventbrite.com. There will also be a “Continuing the Conversation” after-party hosted by Cambridge farm-to-table stalwart The Blue Room, located adjacent from the theater. Tickets for the after-party are $50.00, with proceeds going to ChopChopKids, Inc., a 501(c)(3), whose mission is to teach and inspire kids to cook real food with
their families. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be provided with a cash bar.
Contact Sharon Sprague
sharon at chopchopmag.org
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“More than Food: Exploring human milk as medicine”
WHEN Wed., Apr. 23, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Pfizer Lecture Hall (B23), Mallinckrodt Chemistry Lab, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S) Laura Klein
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
NOTE Come hear a Ph.D. student give an engaging and accessible lecture on his or her cutting-edge research. No prior knowledge necessary! Free refreshments!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/seminar-series/
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Thursday, April 24
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Advancing Sustainability and Social Good Through Consulting
Thursday, April 24, 2014
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
RSVP: https://socialsustainability.eventbrite.com
Ian Kline, President and CEO, Cadmus Group Inc.
Environmental protection, energy efficiency, climate change vulnerability assessment, climate change adaptation and resiliency planning, sustainable transportation, sustainable travel, community sustainability planning, public health protection, high performance and green building, and renewable energy deployment are some of the many social good issues addressed by The Cadmus Group in support of its clients. Ian Kline will talk about some of the firm's work in these areas, the origin and implementation of his strategic vision to grow a firm focused on advancing social good through consulting, and what it takes to build a career in consulting while also realizing a passion for and commitment to creating social value, improving the quality of people's lives, and protecting the natural environment.
Ian Kline serves as president and CEO of The Cadmus Group, Inc. He is the architect of the firm's strategic vision to create shareholder value for the firm's more than 400 employee-owners by focusing on market and client sectors that allow the firm to create social value, improve the quality of people's lives, and protect the natural environment. This strategic plan more than doubled the size of the firm over the first three years of its execution and has continued to generate significant growth and diversification since. As a result of the project work that comprised that growth, Cadmus has also created significant social value for its clients, their constituencies, and society at large.
In his project work, Mr. Kline provides technical and strategic advice to government and commercial clients on a variety of complex sustainability, environmental, and public health issues. Mr. Kline joined Cadmus in 1995, was named a principal in 1999, and became a vice president in 2000. As a vice president, he led two of Cadmus' business units. He became president in 2005 and chief executive officer in 2007.
Mr. Kline holds an M.P.P. in environmental policy and management from the University of Southern California and an A.B. from Cornell University. He also is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's comprehensive executive leadership program.
Mr. Kline serves on the advisory board of the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. He also sits on the executive board of The Nature Generation, a nonprofit organization that works to inspire responsible environmental stewardship.
Environmental Studies Lunch & Learn Program
http://as.tufts.edu/environmentalStudies/events/lunchlearn.htm
Contact Name: Sarah Neville
saraheneville at gmail.com
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"Measuring Green Development with Indices: China's Case and Cross-country Comparisons"
Thursday, April 24, 2014
3:30pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Li Xiaoxi, Professor and Founding Director, School of Economics and Resource Management, Beijing Normal University; Visiting Scholar, Department of Economics, Harvard University
http://chinaproject.harvard.edu/event/Li140424
Contact Name: Chris Nielsen
nielsen2 at fas.harvard.edu
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Askwith Forum: Educational Challenges of the 21st Century
WHEN Thu., Apr. 24, 2014, 4 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Forum, Lecture, Panel, Question & Answer Session
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Amber DiNatale
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums at gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
NOTE Moderator: Fernando Reimers, Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88, Ford Foundation Professor of International Education, and Director, International Education Policy Program, HGSE
Panelists:
Amar Bhidé, Thomas Schmidheiny Professor, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools
Mitchell Chester, Ed.M.’88, Ed.D.’91, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Deb Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Nancy Hoffman, Vice President and Senior Advisor, Jobs for the Future; Adjunct Lecturer on Education, HGSE
This panel will examine the role K-12 schools can play in supporting economic and civic renewal. Participants will discuss the key gaps in preparing students to be contributors to a knowledge-based economy and to democratic participation. Panelists will also examine the options to support reform efforts.
Askwith Forum in conjunction with the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative
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Symposium: "Science, Identity, and Ethnicity"
Thursday, April 24, 2014
5:00 PM - Friday, April 25, 2014 at 5:30 PM (PDT)
Harvard, William James Hall 1550, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
a two-day interdisciplinary symposium with keynote speaker Nadia Abu El-Haj (Barnard College & Columbia University)
free and open to the public
5.00-5.15pm Welcome: Elise Burton and Ian McGonigle
5.15-7.00 Roundtable Discussion: Disciplinary Perspectives on Science, Ethnicity, and Identity
Chair: Elise Burton, PhD Candidate in History & Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard
History of Science: Everett Mendelsohn, Emeritus Professor of History of Science, Harvard University
Gender Studies: Sarah Richardson, Assistant Professor of History of Science and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard
Government: Ofrit Liviatan, Lecturer of Government, Harvard
Anthropology: Ian McGonigle, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of Chicago
Sociology: Trina Vithayathil, PhD Candidate in Sociology, Brown University
Science & Technology Studies: Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard Kennedy School
With recent advances in the biosciences, such as second-generation genomic sequencing, advanced techniques in assisted conception, and the prediction of inheritable diseases, many aspects of individual identities— from ethnicity to genealogy to disease susceptibility— have been problematized. DNA is now being “read” by scientists to articulate a molecular basis for many historical and social phenomena, such as individuals’ membership in ethnic or national groups, as well as renewing older concerns about social control of populations through genetics. But what do these new kinds of genetic readings do for states and their citizens? To what extent have the genetic sciences expanded or circumscribed the ways of authorizing ethnic and national belonging? How has research in population genetics and human biogeography affected legal and political rights to citizenship, and territorial disputes? Are biological sciences, technologies, and society entangled to the point of being co-produced, and if so in what ways? This symposium tackles these questions from a global perspective, with the hope of fostering dialogue across disciplinary divides and geographical regions.
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High Speed Photography – A journey from Edgerton to Oefner
Apr 24, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
swissnex Boston, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/high-speed-photography-a-journey-from-edgerton-to-oefner-tickets-10171430021
Swiss Fabian Oefner (born 1984) is a curious investigator, photographer and artist, whose work moves between the fields of art and science. His images capture in unique and imaginative ways natural phenomena that appear in our daily lives, such as sound waves, centripetal forces, iridescence, or the unique properties of magnetic ferroliquids. His exploration of the unseen and poetic facets of the natural world is an invitation, as he says, “to stop for a moment and appreciate the magic that constantly surronds us”. Oefner’s art and techniques are quite similar to those of Harold “Doc” Edgerton, former MIT professor of electrical engineering. Prior to Oefner’s experiments, J. Kim Vandiver, director of the Edgerton Center at MIT, will speak about Edgerton’s work and legacy and how Oefner’s work relates to this pioneer!
Contact Name Andreas Rufer
Contact Phone 617-876-3076
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The Race for Spring: How Climate Change Alters Plant Communities
Thursday, April 24
6:30-7:30pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/SelectDate.aspx
Elizabeth Wolkovich, PhD, Assistant Professor, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Climate change research indicates that “biological spring” has shifted earlier in most parts of the world, with plants leafing and flowering approximately one week earlier than a century ago. Such work uses plant phenology---the timing of life-history events---to track responses to warming. Plant phenology is strongly linked to climate, can be easily observed, and affects important ecosystem services, thus it is one of the most reported and critical indicators of climate change. However it is also one of the most variable—showing remarkable variation across species, habitats, and time. Elizabeth Wolkovich will speak about her research aimed at improved prediction of this variation and how temporal assembly and species attributes may interact with phenology to shape current and future plant communities.
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Internet, Security, and Power
Thursday, April 24, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Bruce Schneier
The Internet affects power, and power affects the Internet. And while we first thought that the Internet would empower the powerless, the reality is much more complicated. Both government and corporate power dominate today's Internet even as distributed groups gain in power. This talk examines the various ways power manifests itself in the Internet, and how security both allows the powerful to remain so while permitting the powerless to thrive as well. On the Internet, data equals power, and the dynamic between the various forces is the fundamental societal issue of the Information Age.
Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by The Economist. He is the author of 12 books,including Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust Society Needs to Thrive, as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers. His influential newsletter "Crypto-Gram" and his blog "Schneier on Security" are read by over 250,000 people. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, has served on several government committees, and is regularly quoted in the press. Schneier is a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, a program fellow at the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute, a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Advisory Board Member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the Chief Technology Officer at Co3 Systems, Inc.
IEEE/ACM Joint Seminar Series
Exploring the edge of computing technology.
Web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/schneier.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): ACM & IEEE/CS78yh
For more information, contact: Dorothy Curtis
dcurtis at csail.mit.edu
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Friday, April 25
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Symposium: "Science, Identity, and Ethnicity"
Friday, April 25
9am-5pm
Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Case Study Room, CGIS South S-020, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
9.00 am Continental breakfast
9.30-9.45 Welcome and Introduction: Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard Kennedy School
9.45-11:45 Panel I: Law, Governance, and the Science of Identity
Jennifer Hochschild, Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government and Professor of African and African-American Studies, Harvard: “African-American Views of DNA Ancestry Testing”
Susan Greenhalgh, John King and Wilma Cannon Fairbank Professor of Chinese Society and Professor of Anthropology, Harvard: “Biogovernance in the Making of Global China”
Jonathan Kahn, Professor, Hamline University School of Law: “Race, Law and Neuroscience”
Discussant: Stephen Hilgartner, Associate Professor and Chair of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University
11:45-12:45 Catered lunch for registered attendees
12:45-2.45 Panel II: Scientific Practice and Social Relations
Ajantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology, Harvard: “Meritocracy and the Resurgence of Race and Caste in Indian Technical Education”
Karen-Sue Taussig, Professor of Anthropology, University of Minnesota:“Science, Salvation, and Citizenship: Building Social Relations for a Molecular Medical Future”
Ruha Benjamin, Assistant Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Boston University: “Can the Subaltern Genome Code?”
Discussant: Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard Kennedy School
2.45-3:00 Coffee break
3:00-4:00 Keynote: Nadia Abu El-Haj, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Barnard College & Columbia University: "The Nature of Politics"
4.00-4.50 Q&A and Discussion, moderated by Susan Kahn, Associate Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Lecturer in Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, Harvard
4.50-5.00 Closing comments: Elise Burton and Ian McGonigle
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Designing the Workplace of Tomorrow ... TODAY: Occupier, Designer, and Investor Perspectives
WHEN Fri., Apr. 25, 2014, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge (Reception to Follow)
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Business, Conferences, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Information Technology, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Real Estate Academic Initiative at Harvard University and MDes Real Estate and the Built Environment, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) See website for full details on panelists
COST Free and open to the public; registration required
TICKET WEB LINK http://www.reai.harvard.edu
CONTACT INFO henshall at gsd.harvard.edu, 617.496.1570
NOTE Registration closes on April 15. Reception to follow.
LINK www.reai.harvard.edu
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Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau's Woods
Friday, April 25
3:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Richard B. Primack
Harvard Book Store welcomes professor of biology at Boston University RICHARD B.PRIMACK for a discussion of his book Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau's Woods.
In his meticulous notes on the natural history of Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau records the first open flowers of highbush blueberry on May 11, 1853. If he were to look for the first blueberry flowers in Concord today, mid-May would be too late. In the 160 years since Thoreau’s writings, warming temperatures have pushed blueberry flowering three weeks earlier, and in 2012, following a winter and spring of record-breaking warmth, blueberries began flowering on April 1—six weeks earlier than in Thoreau’s time. The climate around Thoreau’s beloved Walden Pond is changing, with visible ecological consequences.
In Walden Warming, Richard B. Primack uses Thoreau and Walden, icons of the conservation movement, to track the effects of a warming climate on Concord’s plants and animals. Under the attentive eyes of Primack, the notes that Thoreau made years ago are transformed from charming observations into scientific data sets. Primack finds that many wildflower species that Thoreau observed—including familiar groups such as irises, asters, and lilies—have declined in abundance or have disappeared from Concord. Primack also describes how warming temperatures have altered other aspects of Thoreau’s Concord, from the dates when ice departs from Walden Pond in late winter, to the arrival of birds in the spring, to the populations of fish, salamanders, and butterflies that live in the woodlands, river meadows, and ponds.
Primack demonstrates that climate change is already here, and it is affecting not just Walden Pond but many other places in Concord and the surrounding region. Although we need to continue pressuring our political leaders to take action, Primack urges us each to heed the advice Thoreau offers in Walden: to “live simply and wisely.” In the process, we can each minimize our own contributions to our warming climate.
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Power to the Pedals: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change
Friday, April 25
6:30 pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP https://online.architects.org/bsassa/evtssareg.custid?p_event_id=1247
Cost: $10, $5 for BSA Members
Power to the Pedals: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change, a 30-minute film narrating the story of Wenzday Jane, the business mind behind Boston's cargo bike business, Metro Pedal Power.
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Saturday, April 26
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HackFood+Ag
Saturday, April 26
MIT
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/357993637672217/
Abstract: The creative minds of students spanning the gamut of engineers, scientists, programmers, urban planners and MBAs from MIT, Harvard, Tufts, Babson, and others will be collaborating on innovative new ideas for solutions to problems in four main areas: Urban Agriculture, Food Waste, Financing Sustainable Food and Ag, and Local Food Systems. There will also be an overarching theme of using big data and analytics. We have organized two panels on Tuesday April 15th and Wednesday April 23rd, where representatives from industry, startups, and local government will speak about some of the outstanding problems needing solutions. The main event will start at 8AM with a kickoff of ideas brainstorming, followed by team formations. There will be mentors helping teams throughout the day, as they work on business plans or prototyping. The event will culminate in a 2-minute pitch to a panel of judges, after which over $5000 in prize money will be awarded!
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hackfoodag-2014-tickets-10917776363
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Investing in a Sustainable Future: Economic Growth and Environmental Constraints
Saturday April 26
9:00am-5:00pm
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http:// enviroecon.org
Cost: $0 - $25
The goal of this conference stimulate lively and interactive discussion about the relationship between economic activity and environmental impacts. The guest speakers are thought leaders from government, academia, and the non-profit and for-profit sectors.
More info: http:// enviroecon.org
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Sunday, April 27
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Holocaust and Technology: When Technology becomes Evil
Sunday, April 27, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building W1, Flowers Dining Room, Maseeh Hall, 305 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
A Panel Discussion -
The trains at Auschwitz ran on time. In fact, the Holocaust was one of the most efficient attempted genocides in history. Complicit in that efficiency were companies we know today - like IBM and VW. But beyond the efficiency, there was also a substantial scientific bent to the Holocaust, ranging from medical experiments to the development of the atomic bomb.
Some of the ethical questions have already been asked. How do we relate to the companies that were complicit? How do we relate to the scientific evidence that the Nazi regime produced?
But the question that is far closer to MIT relates to the technological process that is happening here on campus. What responsibilities do the students, the faculty, and the institute have to ensure that the technologies being developed here are used for ethical purposes? Until what point can we claim technological neutrality? What are the other questions we need to be asking now?
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Hillel (MIT)
For more information, contact: Shoshana Gibbor
848-992-7374
sgibbor at mit.edu
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Opportunity
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Intern with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate!
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (BLC) is a nonprofit based in the Cambridge, MA area. Our mission is to mobilize the biosphere to restore ecosystems and reverse global warming.
Education, public information campaigns, organizing, scientific investigation, collaboration with like-minded organizations, research and policy development are all elements of our strategy.
Background: Soils are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on the planet. Restoring the complex ecology of soils is the only way to safely and quickly remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ground, where it’s desperately needed to regenerate the health of billions of acres of degraded lands. Restoring carbon to soils and regenerating ecosystems are how we can restore a healthy hydrologic cycle and cool local and planetary climates safely, naturally, and in time to ensure a livable climate now and in the future.
Our Work: immediate plans include
Organizing the First International Biodiversity, Soil Carbon and Climate Week, October 31-November 9, 2014, and a kick-off conference in the Boston area, “Mobilizing the Biosphere to Reverse Global Warming: A Biodiversity, Water, Soil Carbon and Climate Conference – and Call to Action” to expand the mainstream climate conversation to include the power of biology, and to help initiate intensive worldwide efforts to return atmospheric carbon to the soils.
Coordination of a global fund to directly assist local farmers and herders in learning and applying carbon farming approaches that not only benefit the climate, but improve the health and productivity of the land and the people who depend on it.
Collaboration with individuals and organizations on addressing eco-restoration and the regeneration of water and carbon cycles; such projects may include application of practices such as Holistic Management for restoration of billions of acres of degraded grasslands, reforestation of exploited forest areas, and restoring ocean food chains.
Please contact Helen D. Silver, helen.silver at bio4climate.org for further information.
781-316-1710
Bio4climate.org
SharedHarvestCSA.com
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Online Collaborative Explorations focusing on "Scientific and Political Change"
April-May 2014
Collaborative Explorations (CEs) are an extension of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and related approaches to education in which participants shape their own directions of inquiry in response to a scenario in which the problems are not well defined. The online CEs consist of live 60-minute sessions each week for a month and exchanges on a private community between sessions. The format is designed to address the needs of onlne learners who want to:
participate for shorter periods than a semester-long MOOC
dig deeper, make "thicker" connections with other learners
connect topics with their own interests
learn without needing credits or badges for MOOC completion.
In short, online CEs are "moderately open online collaborative learning."
Schedule:
April: Preparing people to be informed participants in political
debates about science, technology, and social change
May: Science-policy connections to improve responses to extreme
climatic events
Day and time is set to suit the people who register.
Open to the public--please spread the word.
For more information and link for registering:http://collabex.wikispaces.com
Organized in collaboration with UMass Boston's Science in a Changing World graduate track: http://www.cct.umb.edu/sicw
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Share an opportunity to take part in a fun project, One Day on Earth: Your Day. Your City. Your Future, a multi-city participatory media-creation event. On April 26th, 2014, hundreds of filmmakers, non-profit organizations, and inspired citizens in 11 U.S. city-regions will document stories that they believe most affect the future of their city.
The idea is to have people, organizations, and groups across the Boston region film on the same day within a 24-hour duration (on Saturday, April 26, 2014) to tell their stories. Video stories submitted to One Day in Boston will result in a 90 minute film — a localized version of One Day on Earth. Video submissions not included in the 90 minute piece will feature in a geo-tagged film archive featuring the people, stories, and events of Greater Boston. Participation is voluntary. You can make your own film, partner with a videographer/film-maker, or reach out to Cecily Taylor, producer of the Boston project at Cecily.Tyler at onedayonearth.org.
It is a great way to document stories about our lives, our families, our organizations, our communities, and our city. We encourage you to get involved and participate to showcase our city. You can learn more about this project by clicking on the following links:
One Sheet and Press Kit: http://yourdayyourcity.org/boston/2014/03/01/press-kit/
One Day in Boston - participate: http://onedayinboston.org/#participate
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/605133916238534/
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Climate Stories Project
http://www.climatestoriesproject.org
What's your Climate Story?
Climate Stories Project is a forum that gives a voice to the emotional and personal impacts that climate change is having on our lives. Often, we only discuss climate change from the impersonal perspective of science or the contentious realm of politics. Today, more and more of us are feeling the effects of climate change on an personal level. Climate Stories Project allows people from around the world to share their stories and to engage with climate change in a personal, direct way.
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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!
Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch. No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.
For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home
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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images
Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera? With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more comfortable and less expensive to heat. However, at $200 or so, the cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.
HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer Cambridge residents free thermal scans.
Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras. They will scan every building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or buildings or on a private way). Building owners can view thermal images of their property and an analysis online. The information is password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.
Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.
The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.
Go to Sagewell.com. Type in your address at the bottom where it says "Find your home or building" and press return. Then click on "Here" to request the report.
That's it. When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to do about it.
With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money, not to mention comfort).
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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to Cambridge residents.
During the assessment, the energy specialist will:
Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on your energy bills. You might as well use the service.
Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729. A Next Step Living Representative will call to schedule your assessment.
HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the services and rebates possible.
(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home Energy Assessment. We won’t keep the data or sell it.)
(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)
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Resource
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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org
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Free Monthly Energy Analysis
CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.
https://www.carbonsalon.com/
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Boston Food System
"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."
The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.
Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.
It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs
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Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation, contact jmatthaei at wellesley.edu
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Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the Boston Area: http://www.BostonScienceLectures.com
MIT Events: http://events.mit.edu
MIT Energy Club: http://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
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