[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - August 10, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Aug 10 10:55:44 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
Watt d’Or Exhibition of Swiss Energy Innovation Award Winners
Northeastern International Village, 1155-1175 Tremont Street, Boston
until September 14
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Monday, August 11
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2pm Keeping Solar Collectors Clean with Electrodynamics
2pm LENS × BLOCK: World as Construction Kit: Jay Silver Thesis Defense
6pm ProfDev: Socially Responsible Investing
7pm Science by the Pint: Magic of Mathematical Modeling: Numerical tools for aerospace
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Tuesday, August 12
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8am Boston TechBreakfast
12:30pm Your Delicious Foods at Risk: Honey Bees and Public Health
6:30pm Blower Door Testing and Diagnostic Demo
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Wednesday, August 13
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6pm Mass Innovation Nights Foodie #7
7pm Behind the Scenes Look at mbtaviz (MBTA Data Visualization)
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Friday, August 15 - Sunday, August 17
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Greenfest
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Saturday, August 16
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3pm Union Square Fixer Fair Call for Fixers
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Tuesday, August 19
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5:30pm Summer Solar Soiree: The African Photovoltaic Project and Community Water Solutions
6pm Boston New Technology August 2014 Product Showcase #BNT44
7pm CafeSci Boston - "The Science of Decision Making" with Leslie Pack Kaelbling
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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
Addressing Climate Change Through Community Engagement and Behavior Change
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2014/08/addressing-climate-change-through.html
Silicon Solar Cells Transformed
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2014/08/silicon-solar-cells-transformed.html
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Watt d’Or Exhibition of Swiss Energy Innovation Award Winners
Northeastern International Village, 1155-1175 Tremont Street, Boston
until September 14
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Monday, August 11
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Keeping Solar Collectors Clean with Electrodynamics
Monday, August 11
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
BU, 8 Saint Mary's Street, Room 339, Boston
PhD Prospectus Defense: Arash Sayyah
Deserts and arid zones offer enormous potential for solar energy harvesting that significantly exceeds the current market need. However, dust accumulation on the optical surfaces of solar energy collectors, such as solar panels and concentrating solar mirrors has a significant deteriorating impact on the performance of solar plants by absorption and scattering of the incident light. Commonly practiced cleaning methods such as high-pressure water jets and deluge water cleaning are both expensive and labor-intensive. As an alternative approach, the Electrodynamic Screen (EDS) has yielded promising results in mitigation of soiling losses via dust removal from solar collectors’ surface. An EDS consists of series of alternating electrodes deposited on a glass substrate and encapsulated by transparent dielectric layer to protect electrodes from exposure to atmospheric environment. When the electrodes are activated using high-voltage, low frequency pulses, the accumulated dust particles on the surface are electrostatically charged and then removed by the electrodynamic forces. The generated electric field varies both with respect to time and space coordinates, which provides the lift force and transport the dust particles away.
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LENS × BLOCK: World as Construction Kit: Jay Silver Thesis Defense
Monday, August 11
2:00pm - 4:00pm
MIT Media Lab, E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Jay Silver
Lens
"By the means of Telescopes, there is nothing so far distant but may be represented to our view; and by the help of Microscopes, there is nothing so small, as to escape our inquiry; hence there is a new visible World discoveredto the understanding." ~Hooke
Block
"The smooth shapely maple blocks with which to build, the sense of which never afterwards leaves the fingers: so form became feeling. And the box with a mast to set upon it, on which to hang with string the maple cubes and spheres and triangles, revolving them to discoversubordinate forms." ~Frank Lloyd Wright
Discovery can be re-seeing the world we live in as Hooke says. Discovery can be building something as Wright says. What if we do both at the same time, taking a lens and crossing it with a block? Can we make a tool, a “Constructive Lens,” that, by design, catalyzes this active discovery process of
re-seeing (lens) the everyday world as something we can build with (block)
This thesis will explore the space of Constructive Lenses and introduce technologies that attempt to fulfill the role of "Constructive Lens," with a focus on two tools in particular, the Drawdio and the Makey Makey. The thesis will investigate, through both design studies and case studies, what experiences and outcomes are possible when interacting with creative lenses. Finally, Silver will offer design guidelines for creating Constructive Lenses.
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ProfDev: Socially Responsible Investing
Monday, August 11
6:00-6:30 Socializing - bring your own dinner
6:30-8:30 Training and Q&A
The NonProfit Center, 89 South Street, Boston
Cost: $10 advance/$20 door is split with the trainer.
Limited space - register ahead of time: www.sojust.org
<http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sojust.org%2F&h=rAQE53B9T&enc=AZPL9ZwCKGcFkpKi4z14X-uqQNkdOrrPSNMoq_9j8vg6yframE2IVN2Oy0WQ07l8pN4&s=1>
Credit cards accepted online. Cash only at the door (if space available).
Newcomers always welcomed!
How do we manage our savings to best sustain ourselves and support our vision of a more just economy? Whether you?re investing now, informing yourself for the future, or organizing a divestment or financial campaign, this is a chance to learn investment basics and discuss all those questions with a local progressive activist and finance professional. No prior knowledge expected: we'll start with basic terms and concepts, and also cover political choices and investment strategies. Participants gain a more intuitive sense of how to use investments, and ideas about how to research and choose between different financial tools without checking your politics at the door.
ABOUT OUR PRESENTER
Joby Gelbspan is a lifelong progressive activist who has dedicated her career to "translating finance for activists." She holds a Master's in Accounting and an MBA, with financial and management experience ranging from non-profit organizations to the investment management industry. She has served on several nonprofit Boards and as CFO and Financial Consultant
for grassroots, progressive organizations. She currently coordinates strategic corporate and financial research to support Corporate Accountability International's grassroots campaigns challenging the World Bank and some of the world's largest corporations to halt their abusive practices.
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Science by the Pint: Magic of Mathematical Modeling: Numerical tools for aerospace
Monday, August 11
7 PM
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville
Dr. Karen Willcox: The Magic of Mathematical Modeling: Numerical tools to explore a sustainable future for aerospace
Dr. Willcox is a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT and co-director of the MIT Center for Computational Engineering. Her research develops computational and mathematical methods to support decision-making in the design and operation of complex systems. One major focus of her research is on methods to improve the effectiveness of computational models in the early stages of aircraft design. Dr. Willcox will talk about the challenges and opportunities in designing the next generation of sustainable aerospace systems, and how mathematical modeling and numerical tools play a critical role in moving us forward.
Science by the Pint is sponsored by an organization of Harvard graduate students called Science in the News. In between their sleepless hours of hard work at Harvard Med School, they bring cutting edge scientific research to the public in a fun and informal format.
Contact: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/#june9
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Tuesday, August 12
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Boston TechBreakfast
Tuesday, August 12
8:00am - 10:00am
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155722982/
Based on the popular TechBreakfast format, the Boston TechBreakfast is a "show and tell" format event where up to five different technologists will demo their technologies from a wide range of industries ranging from software to hardware, IT to Biotech, robotics to space tech. The event is "triple agnostic". We don't care if the technology is from a start up, a large company, a university, a government agency, or someone's hobby. We are also agnostic as to the industry of the tech - it could be IT, biotech, robotics, aerospace, materials sciences, anything tech and innovative is cool. And we're also region agnostic - even if you're not from where we're hosting, we want to see you and your technology!
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
Basepair - Amit Sinha
EcoCloud360 - Olafur K. Olafsson
Jisto - Parasvil Patel
Rocketboard: Rocketboard.it - Joe Lemay
Jetco Research: lüv.it - Douglas Humphrey
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words
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Your Delicious Foods at Risk: Honey Bees and Public Health
August 12
12:30 pm
Kresge G-2, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join Harvard School of Public Health for this "hot topics" event with Chensheng “Alex” Lu, Associate Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology, Department of Environmental Health.
See more at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/your-delicious-foods-risk-honey-bees-and-public-health#sthash.n9X7GppQ.dpuf
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Blower Door Testing and Diagnostic Demo
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
6:30 to 8 PM
Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge
Please RSVP mduclos at deapgroup.com by August 11 if you are attending.
Multiple blower doors will be used to test the 23,500 sf Cambridge Community Center.
In addition, the use of specialized software to perform a computer assisted multi-point blower door test of a small portion of the building will be demonstrated. This type of test is required for Passive House certification.
Following the demonstration, we will adjourn to a local purveyor of food and drink to further our education and networking.
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Wednesday, August 13
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Mass Innovation Nights Foodie #7
Wednesday, August 13
6:00pm - 8:30pm
District Hall 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
Cost: FREE
RSVP at http://mass.innovationnights.com/events/mass-innovation-nights-min-foodie-7
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Each month, ten companies bring new products to Mass Innovation Nights and the social media community turns out to blog, tweet, post pictures and video, add product mentions to LinkedIn and Facebook, and otherwise help spread the word. In the last four years, the events have helped to:
Launch more than 650 products
Connect dozens of job seekers and hiring managers
Profile dozens of local experts
Launch a wave of Innovation Nights events around the world (coming soon)
Held once a month, with registration and networking at 6:00 p.m. and presentations starting at 7:00 p.m., the live events allow companies to show off Massachusetts-based innovation. Innovation Nights are held on-site at various venues who donate their space to further the cause of local innovation.
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Behind the Scenes Look at mbtaviz (MBTA Data Visualization)
Wednesday, August 13
7:00 PM
MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/hackshackersboston/events/197794892/
Abstract:
Visualizing MBTA Data is an interactive report of the performance and behavior of Boston's subway system that we launched in June. This talk will outline how we combined traditional and modern visualization techniques to create this application. We'll cover the design process, lessons learned from collecting and processing train data, how we built and scaled a large D3.js based project with a responsive UI, and techniques for exploratory visualizations. We’ll also touch on what’s happened with the project since the launch including the release of the website source code and feedback we’ve received from the MBTA and other groups.
http://mbtaviz.github.io/
Author Bios:
Mike Barry is a software engineer at Twitter who focuses on backend services and data analysis, Brian Card is a software engineer at ViaSat who focuses on UI design and network management. Both Mike and Brian have an active interest in data visualization and analysis. This project was expanded from a graduate course on data visualization from WPI where Mike and Brian are part time students.
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Friday, August 15 - Sunday, August 17
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Greenfest
Friday, August 15 - Sunday, August 17
Boston City Hall Plaza
http://www.bostongreenfest.org/schedule.html
Friday-Sunday, August 15-17, 2014, Boston City Hall Plaza
Envisioning Our Future!
Boston GreenFest 2014 is presented by the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. Our goal is to educate and empower people to create a more sustainable, healthier world. We are actively building an interconnected, ever expanding network , with a diverse audience, throughout our neighborhoods, city and region. From business to nonprofit, neighborhood association to academic institution, BostonGreenFest spans age, culture and industry.
This year the emphasis of Boston GreenFest is on envisioning our future. We are featuring innovations and information that will educate festival-goers about ways to create a bright future for all of us. The Boston GreenFest team has new plans brewing for 2014 - come and be part of it!
As the region's largest multicultural environmental festival, Boston GreenFest 2014 has many opportunities to volunteer and be part of our team. We will offer you the opportunity to get involved on different levels and help festival-goers find their way to healthier more sustainable choices.
Contact http://www.bostongreenfest.org
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Saturday, August 16
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Union Square Fixer Fair Call for Fixers
Saturday, August 16
3PM to 7PM
Union Square, Somerville
The Fixer Fair is an event devoted to fixing, repairing, maintaining and making new. Attendees will be encouraged to bring items to fix and a willingness to learn how to repair instead of replace and recycle.
We are seeking participants, volunteers, workshop leaders and vendors whose work educates, encourages and employs repair.
You can:
Volunteer to work in the general repair tent, helping attendees diagnose problems with anything they bring in, and helping them use tools and materials to try and fix it.
Run a workshop or demonstration that shows how to take something apart, put something together, fix something or maintain it.
Promote your repair business by doing on-site repairs on common household items.
Run an educational workshop for kids using old or recycled items to help demonstrate making, fixing, upcycling and fabrication skills.
Sell upcycled or repaired things.
Help sign people up to start the Somerville Tool Library
Something else related to the theme!
Email
dinagjertsen at gmail.com
to get involved or check out Union Square Fixer Fair
Fixer Fair is a community event in Union Square Somerville celebrating repair, tinkering and fixing.
www.fixerfair.org
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Tuesday, August 19
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Summer Solar Soiree: The African Photovoltaic Project and Community Water Solutions
Tuesday, August 19
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
TRADE Restaurant and Bar, 540 Atlantic Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-solar-soiree-tickets-12425323477
Please join us for a networking mixer on Tuesday, August 19th from 5:30-8:30pm at TRADE 540 Altantic Ave. Boston, MA 02110 for the:
Summer Solar Soirée a.k.a SOLAREEZY a social accelerator attracting a dynamic and bright demographics of professionals and students in the hub. Light appetizers will be provided with a cash bar.
The purpose of the event is to create buzz, awareness, and discuss future benefits for two local nonprofits that were initiated in hub that now have a global impact: Community Water Solutions andThe African Photovoltaic Project. These projects promote water and renewable solar energy - green living, as well social innovation.
Find out about current and future projects, big events, partnerships, and how you can get involved with these exciting environmentally sustainable nonprofits! Feel free to invite colleagues and friends!
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
http://www.sndden.org/en/news-and-events/photovoltaic-project/sisters-of-notre-dame-de-namur-pvproject1/
https://www.rotary.org
http://www.communitywatersolutions.org/
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Boston New Technology August 2014 Product Showcase #BNT44
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge,
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/195066542/
Take the elevator up to the second floor and sign in at the registration table.
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 #BNT44 hashtag in social media posts: details athttp://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/pages/Help_Promote_BNT_Meetups_and_Companies!
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CafeSci Boston - "The Science of Decision Making" with Leslie Pack Kaelbling
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Middlesex Lounge, 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/NerdFunBoston/events/198373872/
Hey all. Scott from NOVA here with August's CafeSci Boston. This month, our speaker is Leslie Pack Kaelbling, professor of computer science and engineering at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT.
Leslie will be talking about her work in robotics and the continuing development of artificial intelligence at CSAIL. Specifically, we'll be learning about "decision making under uncertainty" and reinforcement learning in artificially intelligent robots.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, August 20
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Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, August 20
7:30am – 8:30am
Pret-A-Manger, 185 Franklin Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/august-boston-sustainability-breakfast-meetup-tickets-12292562385
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Planning for Healthy Cities: A Public Forum
Wednesday, August 20
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planning-for-healthy-cities-a-public-forum-registration-12446250069
Cities are wonderful places to live, work, and have fun. However, cities often experience a range of environmental and human health challenges and disparities. With overall warmer temperatures and poorer water and air quality, it can be difficult to make urban spaces as healthy as their surroundings.
Led by four local youth, this forum will be based around real environmental data collected in and around Boston. Come learn the issues and challenges the greater Boston area faces as a city, discuss the options we have to increase the health of our city, and share your opinion!
This program is recommended for grades 8-12 and adults.
This program is free thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute.
Have questions about Planning for Healthy Cities: A Public Forum? Contact Museum of Science
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Thursday, August 21
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HEET Race to Solar Workshop
Thursday, August 21
12pm to 1:30pm
Cambridge City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge
Through the Race to Solar program, eligible nonprofits can acquire a solar electric energy system for their school, house of worship, food pantry, community center, or other building owned by their nonprofit organization. Learn more about the Race to Solar program at the upcoming workshop and meet the solar and efficiency experts that can help your organization save energy and money. Please RSVP to attend the following workshop:
For more information about the program contact info at HEETma.org or call 617-HEET-350.
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Startup Stir Gubernatorial Candidate Forum - Charlie Baker
Thursday, August 21
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Workbar, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
We're asking -
If elected, what will you do to foster the innovation economy and help startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed?
Each candidate will speak independently on their candidacy, their plans for small business development and their support of entrepreneurs and the innovation economy.
Charlie Baker, Republican
Charlie Baker is a Republican candidate for governor of Massachusetts. A former Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governors Weld and Cellucci, and former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Charlie has been a highly successful leader of complex organizations in both the private and public sectors. He has spent the past three years as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners.
Charlie and his wife, Lauren, have been heavily involved in numerous civic and charitable endeavors. They live in Swampscott, and have three children: Charlie, AJ, and Caroline.
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Friday, August 22
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Innovation Breakfast at General Assembly
Friday, August 22
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
General Assembly, 51 Melcher Street, Boston
The Roving Innovation Breakfast is visiting General Assembly in Boston. General Assembly transforms thinkers into creators through education and opportunities in technology, business, and design.
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Miniaturized High Throughput Experimentation as an Enabling Tool for Drug Discovery
Friday, August 22
10:00a–11:00a
MIT, Building 32-124, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Dr. Timothy A. Cernak, Merck
Organic Chemistry Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemistry Department
For more information, contact: Chemistry Department
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Building a Movement of Movements: Towards the Peoples Climate March in NYC
Friday, 22 August
7:00 to 9:30PM
Boston Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-a-movement-of-movements-towards-the-peoples-climate-march-in-nyc-tickets-12358629995
Cost: $12 - $100
A night of inspiring stories, lessons, and ideas from across the climate movement!
A movement of movements is growing around the Peoples Climate March this September in New York City. As United Nations Secretary Ban Ki Moon calls world leaders together for a landmark summit on climate change, we know that this is our moment for a historic march of unprecedented proportions to demand climate justice and build real solutions to the climate crisis.
As we build towards this mobilization - we want to highlight the important ongoing work and struggles happening in communities across the globe, and illuminate how climate change is a cross-cutting issue that impacts every person and every issue. And it's our opportunity - to build a movement of movements powerful enough to transform our society - and build a world that is based on justice and sustainability at the core.
Join us in Boston to hear inspiring movement leaders, community organizers, and activists talk about these issues, and get connected to local organizing around the Peoples Climate March.
Speakers at the Boston event include:
Bill McKibben - author, educator, environmentalist, co-founder of 350.org
Vanessa Rule - Co-Director of Mothers Out Front, co-founder of Better Future Project
Koreti Mavaega Tiumalu - Pacific Islands Climate Warrior Campaigner
Sandra Steingraber -Biologist, author, and science advisor for Americans Against Fracking
Varshini Prakash - UMass Amherst student, Board Member at Responsible Endowments Coalition and Divestment Student Network
More tbd!
Doors open at 6:30, Show starts at 7:30 promptly! There will be informational tables in the lobby about the PCM - including ways to join (or host) a charter bus, organize in your community, and outreach materials.
For more information on the Peoples Climate March, September 21st in NYC, visit: http://peoplesclimate.org/march/
This is an invitation to change everything.
In September, world leaders are coming to New York City for a UN summit on the climate crisis. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging governments to support an ambitious global agreement to dramatically reduce global warming pollution.
With our future on the line and the whole world watching, we’ll take a stand to bend the course of history. We’ll take to the streets to demand the world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities.
To change everything, it takes everyone.
Sunday, September 21 in New York City. Join us.
http://peoplesclimate.org/march/
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Engadget Live
Friday, August 22
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Royale, 279 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/engadget-live-in-boston-registration-10679579911
Unlike all the tradeshows and press-only events that don’t let consumers attend, Engadget Live is designed specifically to bring gadget lovers and tech brands together.
As always, we’ll have a bunch of great companies with us at the event ready to show you their newest products and hear what you think.
There’ll be tons of great swag and chances to win some awesome gear.
If you're a member of the media and you're interested in attending the press preview hour from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, email live at engadget.com and we’ll send you the details.
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, send an email to sponsors at engadget.com
You can see the current list of the companies participating at http://www.engadget.com/engadget-livebut check back because we’re still adding more.
Also, be sure to follow @engadget for updates! The official hashtag for this event is #EngadgetBOS. We’d love to have everyone join the conversation before, during and after the show.
See you there!
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Saturday, August 23
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Grow or Die Garden Bike Tour
Saturday, August 23
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (EDT)
Roxbury, MA
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-or-die-garden-bike-tour-tickets-12459902905
Dave Jenkins
For three years, the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP) has been transforming communities with urban gardening. This August, we want to share it with you.
Please join us for a bike tour of our beautiful community gardens and learn about our campaign for food justice!
In 2011, REEP launched Grow or Die in response to the lack of healthy and affordable food in our neighborhoods. We began taking over vacant lots, testaments to Boston’s racism and classism, and building raised beds to grow our own food. Today, over 100 families grow vegetables and herbs in our Roxbury and Dorchester gardens.
Join us and our friends at Bikes Not Bombs to see the impacts of our campaign and help keep this work going. Bring your bike. A light lunch will be provided.
August 23, 2014
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Start location TBA
“The food system we know is rooted in racism, poverty, and corporate greed. Food should be about life, growth, health, community, and justice."
--Grow or Die launch statement
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Tuesday, August, 26
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Tuesday, August, 26-28
Facilitating Remote and Online Meetings - Essential Success Skills, featuring Michael Fraidenburg.
webinar
RSVP at https://remotemeetings.eventbrite.com
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Models for Emotion Recognition in Natural Settings and Perspectives for Energy Efficiency
Tuesday, August 26
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Refreshments: 1:45 PM
MIT, Building 32-G449, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridg
Speaker: Hazem Hajj , American University of Beirut
Abstract: This last decade has seen a major shift towards user centric computing. This shift has further inspired an attempt to personalizing devices and capturing the deepest essence of humans: emotions. Despite advances in the field of emotion recognition, challenges remain for the devices to operate unobtrusively and accurately capture user emotions in natural settings. The two main challenges are accurate models in natural settings and energy availability on mobile devices for continuous operation. To address these challenges, I will cover, in the first part of the talk, models for emotion recognition in natural settings from different modalities. I will walk through the end to end process presenting challenges and solutions for: proposing new features inspired from human thinking, developing ground truth data, evaluating features from different modalities, and providing end user recommendations. In the second part of the talk, I will present approaches for evaluating and improving energy efficiency across the different ends of the computing spectrum. For algorithm centric evaluation, the method uses a top-down approach to energy assessment in software computations. For platform centric evaluation, I will present enhancements for cloud computing, and mobile computing. These methods include Hadoop enhancements to support integration to high-end reconfigurable data nodes on a cloud computing platform and energy efficient sensing methods for mobile devices.
Bio: Hazem Hajj is an Associate Professor with the American University of Beirut (AUB). Sine joining AUB, he had led several initiatives, including the AUB’s Intel Middle East Energy Efficiency Research (MER) initiative. Before joining AUB in 2008, Hazem was a principal engineer at Intel Corporation. At Intel, he led research and development for Intel’s manufacturing automation, where he received several patents, and numerous Intel Achievement Awards. On the academic front, Hazem received his bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from AUB in 1987 with distinction, and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996, where he also received several teaching awards, including the University Teaching Excellence Award. Hazem’s research interests include Data Mining, Energy-Aware Computing, with special interests in Opinion Mining, Mobile Sensing, and Emotion Recognition.
Contact: Mary McDavitt, 617-253-9620, mmcdavit at csail.mit.edu
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Thursday, August 28
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Boston Games Forum: August Demo Night
Thursday, August 28
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Microsoft, 1 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-games-forum-august-demo-night-tickets-12474630957
The Games Forum is the place to see the newest independent games being built in Boston and network with the people who built them. Each month, we get together to watch five awesome demos and eat pizza. We're doing it again this month at Microsoft. Join our community of game developers, designers, creatives, investors and more building across multiple platforms and genres.
Want to demo your game? Complete the form here and we'll be in touch.
Please include your first and last name when you RSVP. Your name must be on the list to get past building security. Also, all guests must RSVP on their own.
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Pitch Club Boston
Thursday, August 28
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pitch-club-boston-august-tickets-12256476451
Every pitch is a performance.
And every performance needs rehearsal.
Whether you're raising funds or just floating a half-baked business idea, standing up in front of people and giving a powerful pitch is critical. But getting that pitch right takes practice and feedback, and the stakes of getting it wrong in front of important people are high.
So what if someone provided a low-stakes venue and an audience where you could go to practice? That's PitchClub. Open mic night for entrepreneurs.
PitchClub Boston provides a powerful and confidential environment for entrepreneurs to practice and refine their presentations in front of a constructive audience ready to give feedback. There are eight presentation slots once each month. Presenters get ten minutes to pitch and five minutes for feedback. Slides are welcome, as are solo and group pitches. Time limits are strictly enforced.
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Digital Health: Designing for Behavior Change
Thursday, August 28
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center (NERD), 1 Memorial Drive, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/digital-health-designing-for-behavior-change-tickets-11768143835
Cost: $20
This unique event will feature forward thinking entrepreneurs, researchers and companies who are redefining the digital health space through the use of self-tracking systems, behavior change psychology, and human analytics.
AGENDA
6pm- Networking with refreshments
7pm- Presentations
8pm- Moderated Panel Discussion
SIGNATURE SPEAKERS
Amy Bucher, PhD - Associate Director of Behavioral Science,
Wellness & Prevention, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company)
Dr. Bucher works as a member of the Behavioral Science and Data Analytics Group at Wellness & Prevention, Inc., with a focus on grounding digital health coaching program content, design, and functionality with behavioral-science based approaches. Within Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Bucher works to shape convergence opportunities where psychological science supports consumer behaviors and outcomes. She also consults with customers to design solutions that meet business challenges while being engaging, appealing, and behaviorally sound. Prior to her current role, Dr. Bucher lead the content and design development teams for HealthMedia’s suite of specialty programs, customized for pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer packaged goods clients. Dr. Bucher received her A.B. magna cum laude in psychology from Harvard University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan.
Margaret McKenna - Head of Data and Analytics, RunKeeper
Margaret is a software engineer and the Head of Data & Analytics at RunKeeper, where she leads a team of engineers and analysts focused on providing personalized guidance and motivation to people who want to improve their fitness. Margaret recieved her MPS in Interactive Telecommunications from New York University. Prior to joinging RunKeeper she worked at IBM's Visual Communication Lab and at ChoiceStream as a Senior Implementation Consolutant.
Stephen Intille, PhD - Director of the mHealth research group,Northeastern University
Stephen Intille, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the College of Computer and Information Science and Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. His research focuses on the development of novel healthcare technologies that incorporate ideas from ubiquitous computing, user-interface design, pattern recognition, behavioral science, and preventive medicine. Areas of special interest include technologies for measuring and motivating health-related behaviors, technologies that support healthy aging and well-being in the home setting, and mobile technologies that permit longitudinal measurement of health behaviors for research, especially the type, duration, intensity, and location of physical activity. After ten years as Technology Director of the House_n Research Consortium at MIT, in 2010 he joined Northeastern University to help establish a new transdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Personal Health Informatics.
Natasha Schüll, PhD - Associate Professor in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT - Author of Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas
Natasha Dow Schüll is a cultural anthropologist and associate professor at MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society. Her recent book, ADDICTION BY DESIGN: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas draws on extended research among compulsive gamblers and the designers of the slot machines they play to explore the relationship between technology design and the experience of addiction. Her current, ongoing research concerns the rise of digital self-tracking technologies and the new modes of introspection and self-governance they engender. Schüll graduated Summa Cum Laude from UC Berkeley’s Department of Anthropology in 1993 and returned to receive her PhD in 2003. Schüll held postdoctoral positions as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Columbia University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, and as a fellow at NYU’s International Center for Advanced Studies.
If you are a designer, technologist, health professional, entrepreneur, journalist, scientist, or user, please join us for an interactive evening of inspiration packed with great speakers, networking and more!
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Friday, August 29
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Innovation Breakfast at The Food Loft
Friday, August 29
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)
The Food Loft, 535 Albany Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-breakfast-at-the-food-loft-tickets-12391512347
The Roving Innovation Breakfast's next step is at South Boston's Food Loft, a co-working space dedicated to Food and Tech entrepreneurs. Join us to talk about using social media to help get the word out about great new food products!
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Summer Series: Urban Design Film, The Human Scale
Friday, August 29
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Assembly Row, 100 Foley Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-series-urban-design-film-the-human-scale-tickets-12125195787
50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this will increase to 80%. Experience a one-time film screening of The Human Scale at Assembly Row’s new outdoor amphitheater. Enjoy pop-corn and a live-skype discussion with the Danish filmmaker Andreas Dalsgaard.
The first ever Design Museum Boston Summer Series will be hosted at the outdoor amphitheater at Assembly Row in Somerville, MA. The series will consist of 3 events, each focused on a theme related to urban design (urban planning, landscape architecture, transportation, etc). When looked at holistically, the design of our urban environment and public infrastructure can shape communities to be more livable and sustainable— this tri-event series will showcase innovative thinking & inspirational examples of great urban design!
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Saturday, August 30
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Bread and Puppet Theater: Insurrection Oratorio
The Quarry, Acton, MA
Saturday, August 30
7 pm
Magazine Beach Park, Cambridge
plus
The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus
Magazine Beach Park, Cambridge, MA
Sunday, August 31st, 3 pm
and
Bread & Roses Heritage Festival, Lawrence, MA
Monday, September 1st, 4 pm
The award-winning Bread & Puppet Theater takes its annual Labor Day weekend "little big tour" down to the Boston area, this year not only bringing a new Insurrection Oratorio, to be performed in The Quarry located at Contemporary Arts International (CAI) in Acton on Saturday August 30th, but also their new The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus presented in Cambridge's Magazine Beach Park on Sunday August 31st. Bread & Puppet will then cap the holiday weekend by also performing their Circus at the 30th Annual Bread & Roses Heritage
Festival in Lawrence on Labor Day Monday.
Detailed listings information:
Bread & Puppet Theater: Insurrection Oratorio
Saturday, Aug. 30, 7 pm, rain or shine
The Quarry, Contemporary Arts International, 68 Quarry Road, Acton, MA 01720
[Closest stop on the Fitchburg Line commuter rail: South Acton Station, 3 miles biking distance.]
$20 general admission ("walk-in discount" $10), $35 per carload (over 3
people $10 each); tickets available at the door (cash or check only) or general admission in advance at
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/777264.
For more information: http://www.contemporaryartsinternational.org,
617-699-6401.
Description: An improvised piece developed by Peter Schumann, artistic director of Bread & Puppet, with instrumental music created on mechanical sound sculptures including "Container Man," a massive multi-media kinetic sculpture. All sound sculptures were designed by Viktor Lois, Hungarian-born artistic director of Contemporary Arts International (CAI). The Oratorio
will include Bread & Puppet's signature visual elements, along with movement, vocals, and pertinent political social commentary. Sourdough rye bread will be served and cheap art will be for sale after the performance.
Presented by CAI.
Bread & Puppet Theater: The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus
Sunday, Aug. 31, 3 pm, rain or shine
Magazine Beach Park (along the Charles River), 719 Memorial Drive,
Cambridge, MA 02139
[Located at the foot of Magazine St., across from Trader Joe's and the Micro
Center; in close proximity to the Red Line stop: Central Square Station,
less than 1 mile walking/biking distance.]
Pass-the-hat donation, rain location: Cambridge Community Center
(http://www.cambridgecc.org).
For more information: http://www.magazinebeach.org/events,
http://www.cambridgema.gov/arts/Programs/summerinthecity.aspx, 617-286-6694.
Description: The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus is for the not yet existing upriser masses and their kids who need to practice their upriser skills by teaming up with butterflies, cockroaches and elephants. Lions, horses and dogs are also employed to invent the correct rhythmical patterns that fight planetary destruction. The boot flags of the 15th century peasant revolution
lead the way, with a lively brass band for accompaniment. Bread & Puppet’s "Circus" acts can often be politically puzzling to adults, but accompanying kids can usually explain them. Sourdough rye bread will be served and cheap art will be made available (with a recommended donation) after the performance. Presented with assistance from the Cambridge Arts Council and the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association.
Bread & Puppet Theater: The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus
Monday, Sept. 1, 4 pm performance (entire festival runs noon-5pm), rain or
shine
30th Annual Bread & Roses Heritage Festival, Lawrence Common, Lawrence, MA
01840
[Located in close proximity to the Haverhill commuter rail stop: Lawrence Station, less than 1 mile walking/biking distance.]
The Festival is free & open to all, festival donations welcome.
For more information: http://www.breadandrosesheritage.org, 978-794-1655.
Description: The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus is for the not yet existing upriser masses and their kids who need to practice their upriser skills by teaming up with butterflies, cockroaches and elephants. Lions, horses and dogs are also employed to invent the correct rhythmical patterns that fight planetary destruction. The boot flags of the 15th century peasant revolution
lead the way, with a lively brass band for accompaniment. Bread & Puppet’s "Circus" acts can often be politically puzzling to adults, but accompanying kids can usually explain them. Sourdough rye bread will be served and cheap art will be for sale after the performance. Presented as part of the 30th Annual Bread & Roses Heritage Festival, an open-air social justice celebration.
http://www.breadandpuppet.org
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Tuesday, September 2
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Simons Center Workshop 2014: The Social Brain - New Opportunities for Discovery and Technology Development
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
3:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building 46-3002, Building 46 Atrium (3rd Floor)
Speaker: Ulrich Froriep, Alan Jasanoff; Isaac Kohane, Elizabeth Norton, Sarah Spence, Mriganka Sur
Simons Center for the Social Brain is excited to announce the 2014 Annual Workshop: New Opportunities for Discovery and Technology Development. Please join us to hear about current research and funding opportunities in understanding the social brain and its disorders, including autism.
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/simons-center-workshop-2014-the-social-brain-new-opportunities-for-discovery-and-technology-tickets-12478957899
Sponsor(s): Simons Center for the Social Brain
For more information, contact: Alexandra Sokhina
617-324-7757
asokhina at mit.edu
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Boston Area Sustainability Group Presents: WATER
Tuesday, September 2
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
The Venture Cafe - Cambridge Innovation Center, 5th Floor 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sept-2nd-basg-presents-water-tickets-12452847803
Cost: $8-12
In partnership with Northbound Ventures, we're kicking off the fall season with 3 top-tier speakers to lead our discussion about water. Come hear, meet and engage with:
Brian Swett, Chief, Environment & Energy at City of Boston www.linkedin.com/pub/brian-swett/1/645/163. Brian will present key sustainability initiatives of the city focusing on water use and climate change planning for a rising tide.
Brooke Barton, Director of Water Program at Ceres www.linkedin.com/in/brookebarton.Brooke will share highlights of current research and trends in corporate engagement surrounding water scarcity risks and opportunities.
Dr. C. Adam Schlosser, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Global Change Science Deputy Director for Science, MIT Joint Program for Global Change http://globalchange.mit.edu . Adam will discuss the risks imposed on our water systems for developed & developing nations as a result of anticipated changes in our natural, managed and built environments.
Time is short and we all need to learn a boatload, fast. One of BASG’s explicit goals is that we learn as much as we can from each other, where the very diversity of the group is one of our most valuable assets. Come join the discussion, or hang out and listen. Meet those folks working hard to do what you’re trying to do and your paths have not yet crossed. We have a great time and really want to meet you!
Our format for the evening begins with informal networking followed by quick introductions all round before several lightening-speed presentations from knowledgeable folks. Using a modified IGNITE-style format, our speakers share their experiences and then we open the discussion to the group.
We’ll end the discussion with time left for more networking and sharing info on other local events. Hope to see you there!
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Wednesday, September 03
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Restoring Balance with Noise: SftPublic's Public Science Lectures
Wednesday, September 3
6:30 PM
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Note: This lecture will not be recorded, so be sure to join the audience.
James J. Collins, PhD, William F. Warren Distinguished Professor, University Professor, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Director, Center of Synthetic Biology, Boston University; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Dr. Collins was a core founding faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. He is also Boston University's first HHMI Investigator.
Balance seems effortless --until you lose it. The loss of balance due to conditions such as aging, Parkinson's Disease, stroke or injury severely limits mobility. In this presentation, Dr. Collins explains the physical mechanisms of balance that most of us take for granted, as well as what causes the loss of balance. By applying a unique biophysics approach to the problem of balance loss, he developed a very effective solution: specially engineered lightweight wearable devices such as vibrating insoles and leg cuffs that deliver random mechanical "noise" signals to affected muscles. The mechanism that makes these restorative devices so effective is as fascinating as the devices themselves. And the devices represent a great advance for rehabilitative medicine. Dr. Collins is one of America's most innovative scientists, and his balance-restoration devices are just one area of his work.
James Collins is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering.
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Thursday, September 4
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Iran: Where Do We Go from Here?
WHEN Thu., Sep. 4, 2014, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS, Knafel 262, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Center for Middle Eastern Studies
SPEAKER(S) Gary Sick, executive director, Gulf 2000, adjunct professor of international and public affairs, senior research scholar, Columbia University
CONTACT INFO lgmartin at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE This event is open to the public; no registration required. This event is off the record. The use of recording devices is strictly prohibited.
LINK http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3700
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Thursday, September 04, 2014
5:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building 7-338, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Since the Industrial Revolution, cities and industry have grown and evolved together. Despite this shared past, popular notions of urban industry tend to focus on the negative aspects of manufacturing: pollution, environmental degradation, and the exploitation of labor caused by industry.
Industrial Urbanism: Places of Production moves the conversation beyond these overly-simplified and overly-negative characterizations. It explores the relationship between current urban planning practices and the types of places that are actually designed and designated for the production of goods today. In the midst of shifting labor markets, technological changes, and resurgent metropolitan growth, the need to reimagine the role of industry in our cities is greater than ever.
The exhibition reexamines how industry can create place, sustain jobs, and promote environmental sustainability, all within the urban fabric.
Exhibition Curators:
Tali Hatuka, Laboratory for Contemporary Urban Design, Department of Geography and Human Environment, Tel Aviv University.
Eran Ben-Joseph, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, School of Architecture + Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Web site: http://www.industrialurbanism.com/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Amber Sinicrope
617-258-9106
asinicro at mit.edu
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Friday, September 5
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Near-Term Climate Change: Projections and Mitigation
Friday, September 5
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Abstract: While anthropogenic climate change is a long-term phenomena, anthropogenic influences on climate will also be felt in the near-term. New work examining the near-term rate of climate change will be presented showing that the rate of global and regional changes will soon be increasing to well above background levels. The talk will then examine the potential for short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs) to reduce near-term climate change. Forcing agents with relatively short atmospheric lifetimes, short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), are a potentially attractive mitigation target since they offer the prospect of reducing near-term anthropogenic climate change. Much of the work in this area has focused on black carbon and methane. The potential for near-term climate mitigation by SLCFs was analyzed and shown to be smaller than previously estimated. Climate and atmospheric inertia reduce the near-term SLCF mitigation potential well below equilibrium values. SLCF mitigation potential has a high uncertainty, which was also assessed. A large portion is due to uncertainty in carbonaceous aerosol emissions and aerosol forcing in general.
Email: xilu at fas.harvard.edu
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Saturday, September 6
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Exploring Boston’s Urban Forest
Wednesday, September 6
10am-4pm
Cambridge DPW, 147 Hampshire Street, Cambridge
Cost $15.00 but free with promo code TREES
RSVP at http://earthwatch.org/expeditions/exploring-bostons-urban-forest
How are our most important neighbors—our cities' trees—faring? Find out while exploring one charming city.
Urban forests are more than pretty: they mitigate climate change, improve psychological health, filter pollutants, and increase oxygen levels.
Cities are made up of buildings and streets, but between and among human structures are thousands of trees that make up the urban forest. Earthwatch is collaborating with the arborist of the City of Cambridge, just across the river from Boston, to collect data to study and protect the 18,000 trees that make up the city's critically important urban forest.
You'll be trained in techniques for identifying species, measuring and observing individual tree samples, and uploading data via mobile apps. During the course of the day you'll work in groups, exploring Cambridge's urban forest and collecting data on the health, growth patterns, and impact on buildings and streets of individual trees.
You'll help build a growing database of information needed to understand how trees positively impact urban areas and what trees need to survive and thrive in stressful environments.
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Monday, September 8
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Why You Can't Find a Taxi in the Rain and Other Labor Supply Lessons from Cab Drivers
Monday, September 08, 2014
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E51-151, 2 Amherst Street, (70 Memorial Drive), Cambridge
Speaker: Hank Farber (Princeton Univeristy)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Public Finance/Labor Workshop
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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The Ethics of the Human Genome Project
Monday, September 8
6:30p–7:30p
MIT, w20-303, Private Dining Room # 3
Speaker: Rabbi Gavriel Goldfeder and guests speakers from the MIT community and beyond
The amazing work around the HGP points toward unprecedented possibility, and also brings ethical questions - old and new - to the forefront. Our bi-weekly class will feature discussion of the science and the ethics, with a focus on how traditional Jewish source can be bought to bear.
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
This event occurs every 2 weeks on Mondays through December 8, 2014.
Sponsor(s): Hillel (MIT)
For more information, contact: Rabbi Gavriel Goldfeder
heyrabbi at mit.edu
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Tuesday, September 9
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The Search for 100 Earths (Speaker: Debra Fischer, Yale)
Tuesday, September 9
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 4-349, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
The search for exoplanets is motivated by the question of whether life exists elsewhere. This drives our interest in the detection of planets that are similar to our own world: rocky planets with the potential for liquid surface water and plate tectonics; worlds that might harbor life that we can recognize. Importantly, we will need to discover not just a few, but hundreds of these worlds to eventually gain a statistical understanding of whether life is rare, common, or ubiquitous and ground-based telescopes offer an ideal platform for carrying out decade-long surveys. It is critical for follow-up studies (imaging, atmospheric studies) that these planets orbit nearby stars. In this talk, I will discuss how we plan to take what we've learned and push on to the next frontier: our plans for a next generation spectrograph, EXPRES, to carry out a search 100 Earths with the Discovery Channel Telescope.
MIT Astrophysics Colloquium
Web site: http://space-live.mit.edu/events/all
Open to: the general public
Cost: no charge
Tickets: n/a
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research
For more information, contact: Debbie Meinbresse
617-253-1456
meinbres at mit.edu
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Wednesday, September 10
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The State of the Euro in a Changing EU
WHEN Wed., Sep. 10, 2014, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, The Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Lower Level Conference Room, 27 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR European Union Study Group, Weatherhead Canter for International Studies and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
SPEAKER(S) Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, visiting scholar, Program on Transatlantic Relations; Richard N. Cooper, Maurits C. Boas Professor of Economics, Harvard University; Jeffry A. Frieden, Stanfield Professor of International Peace, Department of Government, Harvard University; Hans-Helmut Kotz, senior fellow, Center for Financial Studies, Goethe University; Karl Kaiser, director, Program on Transatlantic Relations
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO atownes at wcfia.harvard.edu
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Thursday, September 11
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The Impact of Space Weather on the Global Atmospheric Electric Circuit
Thursday, September 11
4-5PM.
BU, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 502
The seminar is preceded by a brief reception in room 500 at 3:30PM
Colin Price Tel Aviv University
Contact: http://skynet.bu.edu/mailman/listinfo/csp_seminar
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Friday, September 12
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Strong Vegetation-mediated Chemical Forcing of Climate in Modern and Deep Time
Friday, September 12
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Nadine Unger
Speaker Bio: http://environment.yale.edu/profile/nadine-unger/
Contact Ploy Achakulwisut
pachakulwisut at fas.harvard.edu
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DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
Friday, September 12, 2014
3:30pm
Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://secure.post.harvard.edu/olc/pub/HAA/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=174416
Cost: $50-75
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Saturday, September 13
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DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
Saturday, September 13, 2014
8am - 4 pm
Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://secure.post.harvard.edu/olc/pub/HAA/event/showEventForm.jsp?form_id=174416
Cost: $50-75
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Sunday, September 14
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Boston Local Food Festival
Sunday, September 14
11 a.m.-5 p.m
Boston Local Food Festival, considered New England's largest one day farmers market, is Boston's premier food event connecting eaters and consumers to healthy sustainable foods grown and produced close to home. Attracting thousands of residents and visitors, it provides an ideal opportunity for local food growers and producers to showcase their products and connect with new and existing costumers while growing and supporting the local food movement.
More information at http://bostonlocalfoodfestival.com
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Monday, September 15
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Vehicle Scrappage and Gasoline Policy
Speaker: Hank Farber (Princeton)
Monday, September 15
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E51-151, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Public Finance/Labor Workshop
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal 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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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/
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
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