[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - September 7, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Sep 7 11:01:31 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, September 8
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12pm Webinar: Move Over, Big Data! How Small, Simple Models Can Yield Big Insights
12pm Using the Global Electric Circuit (GEC) to monitor Climate Change
12pm Lessons learned about unconventional energy: cases from around the world (US, Australia, China, Indonesia)
12:15pm Social Molecules: Biomarkers and the New Data Imaginary in Social Science Research
1pm Pearl Food Production Small Business Center and Culinary Incubator Ribbon Cutting Celebration
4pm Why You Can't Find a Taxi in the Rain and Other Labor Supply Lessons from Cab Drivers
6:30pm The Ethics of the Human Genome Project
6:30pm Bill McKibben on Eaarth
7pm MIT Sustainability Club KICKOFF MEETING
7pm Science by the Pint: A Deep History of Life
7pm Science and Cooking: A Look at the Last Twenty Years
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Tuesday, September 9
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8am Boston TechBreakfast: NewsUp, Upshot Commerce, Voice Dream, Robin, OpportunitySpace
12pm Robin Sproul, vice president and Washington Bureau Chief, ABC News.
12pm GSD Talks: Innovate: Wolfgang Rieder
12:30pm Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Tuesday Luncheon
12:30pm Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown
1:30pm Access, Equality and Molecular Diagnostics for Global Health
2pm Converting Biogas into Energy and Vehicle Fuel
4pm The Search for 100 Earths
6pm JFK Jr. Forum -- Ebola: Can We Avoid A Global Pandemic?
6pm People's Climate Rally Pre-Event: Change in Action
6pm Cooking with Fire: Culinary Historians of Boston
7pm JP Forum: JP Gears Up for the People's Climate March
7pm Turbulent Summer: An Update on the Middle East
7pm After It Hits: Reporting Trauma, Crisis, and Violence
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Wednesday, September 10
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9am TEDMED Live BodyWisdom
12pm From Micro to Nano in Solar cells and Batteries: Limitations and Possibilities
12pm Lunch & Learn: Urban Design and Water Insecurity
12pm Promoting Access to Farmland for New and Established Farmers
12pm The State of the Euro in a Changing EU
12pm Iraq, Syria, and the Role of the U.S. Military
12:10pm A metabolic tree of life: from geochemical roots to oceanic ecosystems
1pm Democratization of Next-Generation Imaging, Diagnostics and Measurement Tools through Computational Photonics
4:30pm Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Research Showcase at Harvard Law School
5:30pm Community Self Defense
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Thursday, September 11
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11am BU Sustainability Festival
12pm Community Farms Outreach: A Local Resource for Food Access and Environmental Education
2pm Media Lab Conversations Series: Sarah Parcak
4pm The Impact of Space Weather on the Global Atmospheric Electric Circuit
5pm Social Influence and The Dynamics of Online Reputation
5:30pm Berkman's Digital Problem-Solving Initiative (DPSI) Kickoff at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
5:30pm Boston Recycling Coalition’s Community Meet-Up: A Strong and Local Green Economy
6pm Disruption - Film Showing
6pm SoJust is 8! Connecting for Justice (Open House)
6:30pm Genetic Roulette The Gamble of our Lives
6:30pm “Social Strategy: How We Profit From Social Media”
7pm Hot War, Climate Change & Sustainability
7:30pm Saha Global and the African Photovoltaic Project
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Friday, September 12
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8:30am Innovation Breakfast at Coalition
10:30am Fully Secure Functional Encryption Without Obfuscation
12pm Strong Vegetation-mediated Chemical Forcing of Climate in Modern and Deep Time
1pm IACS Seminar: Using Big Data in Epidemiology for Digital Disease Detection: Lessons Learned and New Directions
2:30pm MIT Water Club 2014 Water Opportunities Workshop with Imagine H2O
3:30pm DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
5pm Living in the Future
5pm TEDxCambridge
7pm The Bee: A Natural History
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Saturday, September 13
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8am DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
The City of Boston's First Community Yard Sale
5pm Summer Sol: a global-local journey of food + spirit to benefit theMOVE
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Sunday, September 14
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Boston Local Food Festival
The City of Boston's First Community Yard Sale
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Monday, September 15
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12pm Climate realism
12:15pm Computational Social Science: The Use of 'Big Data' to Study Human Behavior
2pm "Economics, But Not as You Know It”
4pm Vehicle Scrappage and Gasoline Policy
4pm Towards Sustainable Computing: Innovative Design and Management Strategies across the Computing Stack
6pm Boston Food Swap - September Event
6:30pm An Evening with Ambassadors of the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Program (C3E)
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Tuesday, September 16
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12pm Short-Lived Climate-Forcing Pollutants: Current Research at the IASS
12pm Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor, The New Yorker.
12pm Complexity and the Art of Public Policy
12pm Achieving Cost and Schedule Certainty in Technically-Complex, Politically-Charged Condo Renovations
12:30pm Drone Warfare and the Public Imagination
4:30pm Romania's Abandoned Children: Deprivation, Brain Development, and the Struggle for Recovery
4:30pm Starr Forum: “Documented"
5:15pm Refiguring American Jewish Identity through Solidarity with Palestinians: A Relational Approach to Religious Innovation
6pm Greenovate Boston's Upcycling Panel
6pm The Importance of Pollinators
6pm Boston New Technology September 2014 Product Showcase #BNT45
7pm What Stays in Vegas: The World of Personal Data—Lifeblood of Big Business—and the End of Privacy as We Know It
7pm Greenport Forum: Evacuation Routes or Bandaids
8pm Evan Ziporyn's 20,000th day Concert
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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
Climate Changed
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2014/09/climate-changed.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, September 8
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Webinar: Move Over, Big Data! How Small, Simple Models Can Yield Big Insights
Monday, September 08, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
Webinar at http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_090814/big-data-vs-small-models.html
Speaker: Richard C. Larson, Ph.D., Mitsui Professor of Engineering Systems and Director of the Center for Engineering Systems Fundamentals, MIT
MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar Series
This series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.
About the Presentation
Today's emphasis on big data and data analytics may leave some folks thinking that management and policy insights can only arise from the analysis of millions of data entries. Nothing could be further from the truth! Sometimes less is more. In fact, an excess of numbers can engender more headaches than insight.
In this talk, managers and policymakers will learn how simple mathematical models of systems can improve intuition and lead to better decisions. Dr. Larson will provide concrete examples from his professional research and consulting engagements, then discuss general applications to industry. He will cover:
Flaws of averages-what they are and how to avoid them;
Square root laws-how to apply them to locating facilities and more;
Singularities-why and how managers of service systems must schedule idle time for servers or face huge waiting lines (aka the "elbow effect");
Simple difference equations-how to use them to discover major system instabilities when inputs are year-to-year gross revenues;
Going viral-how a major demography parameter can apply to exponential explosiveness in many business sectors; and
Lateral thinking-and how it can sometimes make a problem go away.
Learn to cut to the chase, see the big picture, and stay out of the weeds!
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us.
Web site: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_090814/big-data-vs-small-models.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and open to all
Tickets: See url above.
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division, MIT System Design and Management (SDM)
For more information, contact: Lois Slavin
617-253-0812
lslavin at mit.edu
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Using the Global Electric Circuit (GEC) to monitor Climate Change
Monday, September 8
12pm – 1pm
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Colin Price, Tel Aviv University
MASS Seminar
mass.seminar at gmail.com
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Lessons learned about unconventional energy: cases from around the world (US, Australia, China, Indonesia)
Monday, September 8
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Holly Morrow, Fellow, Geopolitics of Energy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, HKS
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
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Social Molecules: Biomarkers and the New Data Imaginary in Social Science Research
Monday, September 8
12:15 pm to 2:00 pm
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Aaron Mauck, Harvard
The last two decades have witnessed a precipitous increase in the use of biological data in social sciences that previously used such data relatively rarely. For many researchers, such data provides novel opportunities to illustrate the biological consequences of social phenomena, such as stratification or dislocation, in furtherance of a comprehensive “cell to society” account of human experience. In pursuit of this account, social scientists have reconstructed evidentiary standards, reconfigured funding structures, and developed new justifications for policy interventions. This talk examines the recent history of stress research, illustrating how social and biological research come to align in the examination of target molecules. The embrace of such molecules has significant implications for how social scientific data are employed in the construction of economic and health policies.
Biography: Aaron Pascal Mauck is a lecturer in the History of Science Department at Harvard University. He received his PhD in the History of Science from Harvard University in 2010, and also holds an MA in Science Studies (Sociology) from the University of California, San Diego. From 2010-2012, he served as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at the University of Michigan, examining the institutional origins of chronic disease management in the United States. His first book project, Typing Diabetes: Diagnostic Ambiguity and Clinical Practice in the Twentieth Century, charts the complicated historical process through which clinical beliefs about diabetes risks were gradually transformed into concrete diagnostic criteria for this disease. He is currently undertaking a second book project that delves further into the foundations of chronic disease management by exploring how biomarker research is employed by healthcare researchers and social scientists to reconstruct our models of pathogenesis.
STS Circle at Harvard
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Pearl Food Production Small Business Center and Culinary Incubator Ribbon Cutting Celebration
Monday, September 8
1pm
196 Quincy Street, Dorchester
RSVP at Sandra - swest at dbedc.org
Please join Mayor Walsh, Governor Patrick, Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corp., and CropCircle Kitchen on Monday, Sept. 8th to celebrate completion of the $15 million Pearl Food Production Small Business Center! 36K square feet of manufacturing space for start-up and growing retail and wholesale food businesses! Value-added processing and cold storage for local growers!
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Why You Can't Find a Taxi in the Rain and Other Labor Supply Lessons from Cab Drivers
Monday, September 8
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, Building W20-303, Private Dining Room # 3, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
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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Bill McKibben on Eaarth
Monday, September 8
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Lesley University, Marran Theater, 34 Mellen Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clas-reads-bill-mckibbens-eaarth-tickets-12567380373
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MIT Sustainability Club KICKOFF MEETING
Monday, September 8
7p
MIT, Building 10-401, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Abstract: Want to get involved with the sustainability community at MIT? Come to the MIT Sustainability Club (Sustainability at MIT) kickoff meeting on Monday at 7pm in room 10-401. You'll get to meet undergrad and graduate students from all across the Institute who are interested in various aspects of promoting issues of sustainability at MIT. We have lots of great activities planned for this year, including continued engagement with the MIT Office of Sustainability, the new MIT Environmental Initiative, and our ally groups (Fossil Free MIT, Energy and Water Clubs, UA and GSC Sustainability Committees, and others). Come with great ideas about continuing to make sustainability a priority in MIT's research, education, operations, and student life!
More information: sustainability-exec at mit.edu
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Science by the Pint: A Deep History of Life
Monday, September 8, 2014
7PM
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville
Dr. Andrew Knoll: A Deep History of Life
rofessor Knoll studies the relationship between the evolution of paleolithic life and the environment it inhabited by comparing fossil records and mineral deposits over time. Blending geochemistry and paleobiology, the Knoll lab uncovers the history of life found deep within the earth.
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.
More information at http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Science and Cooking: A Look at the Last Twenty Years
Monday, September 8
7:00pm
Harvard, Science Center Lecture Hall C, Cambridge
Dave Arnold & Harold McGee
Eminent food writer Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, joins cocktail innovator Dave Arnold of Booker and Dax, in this lecture featuring a discussion and commentary on the developments in the food world over the last 20 years.
Host: Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Email: science+cooking at seas.harvard.edu
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Tuesday, September 9
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Boston TechBreakfast: NewsUp, Upshot Commerce, Voice Dream, Robin, OpportunitySpace
Tuesday, September 9
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155723012/
Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.
And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)
Agenda for Boston TechBreakfast:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
NewsUp - Andrew Schuster
Upshot Commerce - Neal Kaiser
Voice Dream - Winston Chen
Robin - Zach Dunn
OpportunitySpace: OpportunitySpace online marketplace - Alexander Kapur
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words
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Robin Sproul, vice president and Washington Bureau Chief, ABC News.
Tuesday, September 9
12 P.M.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
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GSD Talks: Innovate: Wolfgang Rieder
WHEN Tue., Sep. 9, 2014, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Stubbins 112, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
COST Free and open to the public
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/wolfgang-rieder-innovate.html
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Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Tuesday Luncheon
Tuesday, September 9
12:30 pm
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein West B Room (2nd Floor), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/openhouse#RSVP
Free and Open to the Public
Learn more about the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and join our community
Follow the Berkman Centaur! This event is part of a series of kick-off activities for the 2014-2015 academic year. If you are student, faculty member, fellow, interested member of the public, or lover of LOLcats, we welcome you to join us at one or more of these gatherings.
Learn more about the Berkman Center for Internet & Society -- and its network of researchers, activists, faculty, students, technologists, entrepreneurs, artists, policy makers, lawyers, and more -- in an interactive conversation lead by Faculty Chair Jonathan Zittrain. If you’re curious about connecting with our research, our community, or our events, or are just generally interested in digital technologies and their impact on society, please join us at our first Tuesday lunch of the academic year on September 9th on the Harvard Law School campus.
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Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown
WHEN Tue., Sep. 9, 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
SPEAKER(S) Gregory Jaczko, former chairman, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2009-12); Kenji Tateiwa, manager of nuclear power programs, Washington D.C. office, Tokyo Electric Power Company; Herman Leonard, George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management, Harvard Kennedy School, and Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; moderated by Susan Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming
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Access, Equality and Molecular Diagnostics for Global Health
Tuesday, September 9
1:30pm - 2:30pm
Room 521, Wyss Institute, 3 Blackfan Circle, 5th floor, Boston
Speaker: Cathie Klapperich, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director, Center for Future Technologies in Cancer Care, Boston University
Many new and exciting portable molecular testing technologies are emerging for application in both personalized and global medicine. The potential to provide fast, isothermal, and quantitative molecular diagnostic information to clinicians in the field and at the bedside will soon be a reality. What many of these technologies lack is a robust front end for sample clean up and nucleic acid preparation. Such technologies would enable many different downstream molecular assays. The Klapperich Laboratory for Diagnostics and Global Healthcare Technologies is focused on the design and engineering of manufacturable, disposable systems for low-cost point-of-care molecular diagnostics. We have invented technologies to perform microfluidic sample preparation for bacterial and viral targets from several human body fluids including, urine, blood, stool and nasowash. These technologies include nucleic acid extraction, protein extraction, microorganism enrichment and/or concentration and small-scale dialysis. We are currently working on devices for the detection and quantification of HIV, hemorrhagic fevers, infectious diarrheas, influenza, MRSA and cancer biomarkers.Projects include detection by PCR, isothermal amplification, and novel optical techniques. Our main application area is global health. We consider assay development, device design, sample flow, storage and transport all opportunities to drive down the cost and increase the accessibility of molecular tests in the developing world.
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Converting Biogas into Energy and Vehicle Fuel
Tuesday, September 9
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
webinar at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/832731910
Do you have a supply of biogas? If it’s not being turned into electricity, heat or vehicle fuel, it needs to be put to work! Converting Biogas to Energy and Vehicle Fuel will describe how sites around the world are converting biogas from wastewater treatment plants, industrial digesters and landfills into electricity, heat and vehicle fuel.
Sponsored by Unison Solutions, Inc., this free one-hour webinar will explain how waste to energy systems work and provide a number of case studies from across the country.
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The Search for 100 Earths
Tuesday, September 9
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 4-349, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Debra Fischer, Yale
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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JFK Jr. Forum -- Ebola: Can We Avoid A Global Pandemic?
Tuesday, September 9
6:00pm
Harvard, Kennedy School, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
A Panel Discussion with:
Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH, FACEP, Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Professor in the Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health
Dyann Wirth, Ph.D., Richard Pearson Strong Professor and Chair, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health; Co-chair of the Infectious Diseases Initiative, The Broad Institute
Sheila Burke (moderator), Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy; Faculty Research Fellow, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
For more on this forum, please visit http://forum.iop.harvard.edu/content/ebola-can-we-avoid-global-pandemic
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People's Climate Rally Pre-Event: Change in Action
Tuesday, September 9
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/peoples-climate-rally-pre-event-change-in-action-tickets-12797382315
Learn more about the most vital issue facing our planet today – Climate Change - and discover how you can have an immediate and direct impact.
Come hear Cathy Ann Buckley, a Climate Reality Speaker, discuss the first-hand implications and science behind global warming, the UN Climate Change forumand how you can be part of this century’s Woodstock equivalent:
People’s Climate Rally
in New York City on September 21, 2014
Learn how you can affect climate action on the planet today and why this is the most pivotal event yet on climate.
Discover why being in the US at this time in history makes you a powerful agent of change.
Find out how easy it is to get there, and how hard it will be to forget.
Whether you are interested in action, education or just meeting folks with a passion toward protecting our planet, join us on September 9th at Kingston Stationin Boston for free appetizers, some drinks and inspiring conversation.
How are you getting to NYC? Problem solved.
We will be providing information on buses to and from the People’s Climate March, making your involvement a reality!
Cathy Ann Buckley is an MIT graduate. She began studying climate change professionally toward the end of her career as a transportation planner in the Boston region. She is a Climate Reality Speaker, a Environmental Defense Fund Lead Ambassador, and a committee member of the Sierra Club, 350MA, and Westwood Environmental Action.
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Cooking with Fire: Culinary Historians of Boston
Tuesday, September 9
6-8pm
Radcliffe Institute, Schlesinger Library, 3 James Street, Cambridge
Paula Marcoux
Former Plimoth Plantation historic interpreter, Paula Marcoux, will get the sea on off to a sizzling start. Marcoux, who is now the food editor of “Edible South Shore” magazine, has just published her first cookbook, “Cooking with Fire: From Roasting on a Spit to Baking in a Tannur, Rediscovered Techniques and Recipes that Captures the Flavors of Wood-Fired Cooking”.
The book includes recipes for everything from a 14th century recipe of cormarye, a seasoned pork roast, to her own “campfire baklava,” a simpler version of the popular dessert that she cooks outdoors.
Marcoux is not only an experienced and enthusiastic cook,but she has also built her own wood-fired mud ovens.
A food historian as well, Marcoux explores the history and techniques of open-fire cooking in her writing and her talks.
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JP Forum: JP Gears Up for the People's Climate March
Tuesday, September 9
7:00pm – 8:30pm
UU First Church, Eliot Street (by the Monument), Jamaica Plain
Hear a report back from the Lobster Boat Trial in Somerset, MA from star witness Tim DeChristopher and the Lobster Boat Blockade--Ken Ward and Jay O'Hara.
Be part of history in the making, as we build a movement for the long haul – with speakers, workshops, teach-ins, music, artful activism and community building happening all weekend from Sept 19-20th leading up to the People’s Climate March on September 21st, the largest climate demonstration in history.
Hear from local activists groups including BCAN, 350MA, ACE, SIEU, Mother's Out Front and more.
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Turbulent Summer: An Update on the Middle East
WHEN Tue., Sep. 9, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Emerson 105, Harvard Yard
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Hillel, co-sponsored with the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations; Center for Middle Eastern Studies; Funding for the Riesman Forum is provided by the Mandell and Madeleine Berman Foundation in memory of Robert Riesman
SPEAKER(S) Noah Feldman, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law; R. Nicholas Burns, Sultan of Oman Prof of the Practice of International Relations, HKS; Meghan O'Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Relations, HKS; Michael Ignatieff, Edward R. Murrow Professor of the Practice, HKS
COST Free and open to the public; priority seating for Harvard ID holders
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After It Hits: Reporting Trauma, Crisis, and Violence
Tuesday, September 9
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 338 Newbury Street, Boston
Reporting trauma is one of the most delicate and important facets of the journalism industry. Whether it is an act of personal violence or a natural disaster, reporters must sift through an enormous amount of information while being careful to keep psyches and communities safe and in tact. Join us and these talented and award-winning journalists as they share how they report trauma, crisis, and violence.
About our panelists:
Scott Helman has written for the Boston Globe for over a decade. He co-authored Long Mile Home, a book about the Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt that ensued.
Jenna Russell has written for the Boston Globe since 2000. She is the co-author of Long Mile Home. She has written as a regional reporter and about education. In 2010, she worked on a series of stories about childhood bullying that won a Dart Award, for excellence in coverage of trauma, from Columbia Journalism School.
Phillip Martin joined WGBH in the spring of 2010. He has covered human trafficking, police training, race issues, and the Occupy movement. Martin recently returned to the States from Kenya where he worked on several stories about the country’s largest slums.
Joanna Marinova is the co-director of Press Pass TV, where she does work that could be described as advocacy journalism. She has done projects on urban violence, suicide among teens, and is committed to forming deep and meaningful relationships with the communities on which she reports.
About our moderator:
Bruce Gellerman is a reporter for NPR, PRI, WBUR & Living on Earth. He is an award-winning journalist covering science, business, technology and environment.
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Wednesday, September 10
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TEDMED Live BodyWisdom
Wednesday, September 10
9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, 14th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedmed-live-bodywisdom-tickets-12853357739
“Unlocking Imagination in Service of Health and Medicine” is TEDMED's focus from September 10-12 as they welcome some of the most respected and undiscovered names in science, journalism, education, business and technology to their stage.
Dawn Jordan is your official TEDMED ambassador. Dawn teaches body/mind medicine and is the author of the forthcoming book Get Back Into Touch. BodyWisdom is her system for achieving inspired action by leveraging the intelligence of your body.
On September 10 Dawn will be streaming Sessions 1-4 of the TEDMED talks at the Cambridge Innovation Center and facilitating conversations with attendees at the end of each 90-minute session.
Register your seat today.
Follow this link to view all speaker bios: http://tedmed.com/event/stage2014
SESSION 1
Turn It Upside Down
This opening session of TEDMED 2014 introduces surprising insights that flip beliefs, question standard operating procedures, discard some closely held assumptions and lead to fresh insights about health and medicine. Below, we proudly introduce the speakers and artists for this session.
Farah Siraj
Global Humanitarian Musician
Ted Kaptchuk
Placebo Investigator
Elliot Swart
Smart Dermatologic Cameraman
Erica Frank
Virtual Medical School Pioneer
NANDA
Acrobaticalists
Jared Heyman
Crowd Wisdom Channeler
Thomas Goetz
Visionary Health Entrepreneur & Writer
Danielle Ofri
Reflective Physician
E. Bimla Schwarz
Women’s Health Truth-Teller
Sonia Shah
Social Justice Science Journalist
Heather Raffo
Global Witness / Artistic Healer
SESSION 2
We Just Don’t Know
This session explores the liberation that can happen when we recognize the limits of our knowledge – those transformational moments when we realize that the more we know, the more we realize how little we know. Below, we proudly introduce the speakers and artists for this session.
Rosie King
Storytelling Activist
Elizabeth Nabel
Medical Leader
Gary Conkright
Predictive Analytics Entrepreneur
Amy McGuire
Genomic Bioethicist
Zsolt Bognár
Concert Pianist
Daniel Webster
Gun Violence Preventer
Tig Notaro
Counterintuitive Comedian
Jeffrey Iliff
Glymphatic Scientist
SESSION 3
Flat Out Amazing
This session focuses on imagination at the far edge of possibility, featuring stories of the seemingly impossible acts, facts or events that should inspire and dazzle even the most cynical or sophisticated listener. Below, we proudly introduce the speakers and artists for this session.
Elizabeth Holmes
Medical Diagnostics Game Changer
Gail Reed
Cuban Health Care Expert
Diana Nyad
Open Water Swimming Champion
Marc Koska
Persistent Inventor / Global Life-Saver
Foteini Agrafioti
Biometrics Entrepreneur
Kitra Cahana
Incisive Photographer
SESSION 4
Stealing Smart
The session demonstrates how some of the best solutions to problems in health and medicine come from other worlds than the domain where the problem originated or is usually addressed. Below, we proudly introduce the speakers and artists for this session.
Dominick Farinacci
Worldly Trumpeter
Nina Tandon
Tissue Engineer
Zachary Copfer
Bio-Artist
Nora Volkow
Explorer of the Human Brain
Brian Primack
Media and Medicine Researcher
Ramanan Laxminarayan
Drug Resistance Economist
Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
Zoobiquitous Physician
Abraham Verghese
Attentive Physician / Passionate Storyteller
Drew Lakatos
Trauma Prevention Technologist
Leslie Morgan Steiner
Motherhood Investigator
Stephen Goldner
Clinical Trials Matchmaker
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From Micro to Nano in Solar cells and Batteries: Limitations and Possibilities
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 34-401, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Light lunch at 11:30am.
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Vanessa Wood, ETH Zurich
Abstract: Transport in disordered solids remains poorly understood, leaving room for improvement in how these systems are used in devices. This talk presents examples of two different devices that incorporate disordered solution-processed solids - nanocrystal solar cells and lithium ion batteries - and demonstrates how optical and electronic techniques can be used to understand transport and develop guidelines for systematically improving device performance.
Brief Bio: Prof. Wood received her BS from Yale in 2005 and PhD from MIT in 2010. In 2011, she joined the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at ETH Zurich as an assistant professor. Her research group works on implementing analytical approaches to understand and guide the design of optoelectronic and electrochemically active systems
MTL Seminar Series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact: Valerie DiNardo
617-253-9328
valeried at mit.edu
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Lunch & Learn: Urban Design and Water Insecurity
Wednesday, 10 September
12:00 pm
MIT, Building 8-119, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Access Via 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
At this Lunch & Learn, the MIT Water Club’s very own George Beane will talk about his work on water insecurity within informal settlements in and around Mexico City, with a focus on the role of urban design in addressing shortages and flooding.
George Beane is a dual masters candidate in the Masters of City Planning (MCP) and Science Masters of Architecture Studies (SMArchS) programs. He is interested in the role of urban design and urban policy as they pertain to water provision in the Global South.
More information at http://waterclub.scripts.mit.edu/wp/
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Promoting Access to Farmland for New and Established Farmers
Wednesday, September 10
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
webinar at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/529496746
Join us this fall for our continuing Wednesday webinar series focused on state and federal policies that could improve our region’s food system. The webinars explore in greater detail the policies and policy options described in our report, New England Food Policy: Building a Sustainable Food System.
All webinars are recorded and will be available at www.farmland.org/newengland. You will find these four webinars already posted there:
May 14: Introduction to the New England Food Policy Report and Project
June 18th: Organic Waste: Finding Uses for It in the Food System
July 16th: Frameworks for Regional Food System Collaboration
July 23rd: Reducing Farmland Conversion: State Land Use and Protection Policies
For a more detailed description of each of the webinars, please visit www.newenglandfoodpolicy.org
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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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Iraq, Syria, and the Role of the U.S. Military
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: NORA BENSAHEL, Center for a New American Security
SSP Wednesday Seminar Series
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/seminars/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact: Elina Hamilton
617-253-7529
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A metabolic tree of life: from geochemical roots to oceanic ecosystems
Wednesday, September 10
12:10pm – 1:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Rogier Braakman, MIT
Abstract: Metabolism mediates the global biogeochemical cycles and provides the building blocks for all cells. I will illustrate how we can use the continuity of life to reconstruct trees of functional metabolic networks. I will first show how we can trace the evolution of CO2-fixation to the root of the tree of life, and then examine the metabolic evolution of ecosystems in the oligotrophic oceans. Together these examples highlight how building bridges between chemistry, systems biology and Earth science can give us new insights into the co-evolution of Earth and the biosphere.
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Democratization of Next-Generation Imaging, Diagnostics and Measurement Tools through Computational Photonics
Wednesday, Sep 10, 2014
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Room 521, Wyss Institute, 3 Blackfan Circle, 5th floor, Boston
Speaker:Aydogan Ozcan, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, CA
In this presentation Dr. Ozcan will discuss some of the emerging applications and the future opportunities/challenges created by the use of mobile phones and other consumer electronics devices as well as their embedded components for the development of next-generation imaging, sensing, diagnostics and measurement tools through computational photonics techniques. The massive volume of mobile phone users, which has now reached ~7 billion, drives the rapid improvements of the hardware, software and high-end imaging and sensing technologies embedded in our phones, transforming the mobile phone into a cost-effective and yet extremely powerful platform to run e.g., biomedical tests and perform scientific measurements that would normally require advanced laboratory instruments. This rapidly evolving and continuing trend on the use of mobile phones and other emerging consumer electronics devices including e.g., wearable computers, in advanced imaging and sensing experiments might help us transform current practices of medicine, engineering and sciences through democratization of measurement science and empowerment of citizen scientists, educators and researchers in resource limited settings and developing countries.
Contact: alison.reggio at wyss.harvard.edu
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Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Research Showcase at Harvard Law School
Wednesday, September 10
4:30-6:30PM
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein East Rooms (2nd Floor), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2014/09/researchshowcase#RSVP
Free and Open to the Public
Refreshments will be served
Follow the Berkman Centaur! This event is part of a series of kickoff activities for the 2014-2015 academic year. If you are student, faculty member, fellow, interested member of the public, or lover of LOLcats, we welcome you to join us at one or more of these gatherings.
Select Berkman projects will be present with information about their projects' current activities. Staff working with each of these projects are eager to share information about the big research questions they are considering, meet potential future collaborators, and solicit ideas. In addition to the project tabling, there will be space and opportunity to connect with other Berkman community members and open house participants. You may come for any portion of time during this session.
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Community Self Defense
Wednesday, September 10
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Copley Square, 560 Boylston Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-self-defense-tickets-12624429007
As one of the largest communities of women in the city, Healthworks Fitness believes it is our duty to empower women by providing training and resources to learn how to protect against violence. Join Healthworks and Impact for a Community Self Defense class in Copley Square plaza from 5:30pm-7pm. All are welcome to attend this complimentary 90 minute workshop. Please come 15 minutes early to register.
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Thursday, September 11
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BU Sustainability Festival
Thursday, September 11
11:00am – 2:30pm
Talbot Green behind 715 Albany Street, Boston
Bike & Pedestrian Safety:
Register your bike or get a free “Ride Ready” safety check by local bike mechanics. Lots of free swag including helmets, lights, and other biking gear. And enter for your chance to win a bike and other great prizes.
LED Light Bulb Exchange:
Get a new standard LED light bulb when you bring less-efficient incandescent or CFL to swap with us.
sustainability at BU:
Connect with leaders of the BU Environmental Coalition—17 clubs, from BU Beekeeping to BU Outing Club. Discover how to get a free home energy audit. Join the Challenge to reduce your environmental footprint.
Some invited clubs and vendors include:
Goodwill
Save That Stuff
Hubway
ZipCar
Landry’s Bicycles
REI
MassBike
Urban Adventours
WalkBoston
BUPD
BU Parking & Transportation Services
Bikes not Bombs
Boston Cyclist Union
The Christina Clark Genco Foundation
BU Environmental Coalition
BU Bikes
Environmental Student Organization
Global Water Brigades
Earth House
International Affairs Association
MET Graduate Certificate in Applied Sustainability
Earth & Environment Department
Office of Wellness & Prevention Services
Sargent Choice
Next Step Living
Greenovate Boston
More information at http://www.bu.edu/festival/
Contact: sustainabilitybucalendar at gmail.com
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Community Farms Outreach: A Local Resource for Food Access and Environmental Education
Thursday, September 11
12
Tufts, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Claire Kozower, Executive Director, Community Farms Outreach/Waltham Fields Community Farms
Join Executive Director, Claire Kozower, in a discussion about the work of Community Farms Outreach/Waltham Fields Community Farm, a nonprofit farming organization serving Greater Boston. Claire's presentation will focus on the farm's initiatives to increase food security, provide farm-to-table programming, offer farmer training, and carry out sustainable land management.
Claire Kozower holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Barnard College, and earned her M.S. from Tufts University in 1999, through the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program. Before coming to Waltham Fields in 2008, Claire spent the last 7 years working with the Somerville Public School Department to coordinate a farm-to-school program, professional development and wellness opportunities for food service personnel, nutrition education for students and families, and policy implementation. Her hands-on agricultural experience includes over a decade of seasonal work with organic, non-profit farming organizations. Claire describes her central commitment as that of "promoting sustainable agriculture, nutrition education, and community food security."
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Media Lab Conversations Series: Sarah Parcak
Thursday, September 11
2:00p–3:30p
MIT, Building E14, MIT Media Lab, 3rd Floor Atrium, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Sarah Parcak is an associate professor of anthropology and director of the Laboratory for Global Observation at the University of Alabama. She is an archaeologist, space archaeologist, and Egyptologist, who uses satellite imaging to identify potential archaeological sites.
Web site: http://www.media.mit.edu/events/2014/09/11/media-lab-conversations-series-sarah-parcak
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Media Lab
For more information, contact: Jess Sousa
events-admin at media.mit.edu
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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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Social Influence and The Dynamics of Online Reputation
Thursday, September 11, 2014
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Sinan Aral
Identity and reputation drive some of the most important decisions we make online: Who to follow or link to, whose information to trust, whose opinion to rely on when choosing a product or service, whose content to consume and share. Yet, we know very little about the dynamics of online reputation and how it affects our decision making.
The MIT Sloan School of Management's Sinan Aral will describe a series of randomized experiments that explore the population level behavioral dynamics catalyzed by identity and reputation online. He will explore some of the implications for bias in online ratings, the foundations of social advertising and the ability to generate cascades of behavior through peer to peer social influence in networks. The coming decades will likely see an emphasis on verified identities online. Aral will argue that a new science of online identity could help guide our business, platform design and social policy decisions in light of the rising importance of online reputation and social influence.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
For more information, contact: Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cmsw at mit.edu
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Berkman's Digital Problem-Solving Initiative (DPSI) Kickoff at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Thursday, September 11
5:30 pm
Location TBA @ Harvard Graduate School of Education
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2014/09/hgse#RSVP
Refreshments will be served
Follow the Berkman Centaur! This event is part of a series of kickoff activities for the 2014-2015 academic year. If you are a student, faculty member, fellow, interested member of the public, or lover of LOLcats, we welcome you to join us at one or more of these gatherings.
Please join the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University for the launch of the Digital Problem-Solving Initiative (DPSI), one of the many initiatives and projects at the Center focused on education and digital technologies. DPSI is an innovative and collaborative project that brings together a diverse group of learners (students, faculty, fellows, and staff) to work on projects to address challenges and opportunities across the university. DPSI offers participants a novel opportunity to engage with research, design, and policy relating to the digital world.
We are accepting applications from Harvard students for participation in DPSI until September 6 - click here to find out more. You do not need to be a Harvard student or a DPSI participant to attend this event.
Speakers will include Dean Martha Minow, Professor Urs Gasser, Professor Tom Eisenmann, and HarvardX Research Fellow/Berkman affiliate Justin Reich.
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Boston Recycling Coalition’s Community Meet-Up: A Strong and Local Green Economy
Thursday, September 11
5:30-7:30pm
Dudley Square Public Library, 65 Warren Street, Roxbury
Want quality jobs for your community? Enjoy litter-free neighborhoods? Concerned about climate change? Join the Boston Recycling Coalition and city representatives at a Community Meetup on a Strong, Local Green Economy.
Join Boston #Recycling Coalition @JohnFBarros for “Strong, Local Green Economy” Community Mtg 9/11 5:30p Dudley Sq Library @CleanH20MA
Learn how better #recycling & #composting in #Boston can help strengthen local economy! 9/11 5:30p Dudley Sq Library @CleanH20MA
Hear local food movement leaders, #ZeroWaste experts at “Strong, Local Green Economy” Community Mtg 9/11 5:30p Dudley Sq Library @CleanH20MA
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Disruption - Film Showing
Thursday, September 11
6:00 PM
Friends Meeting, near Harvard Square, 5 Longfellow Park, Cambridge
RSVP at http://act.350.org/event/disruption_attend/8559/signup/?t=2&akid=5056.354267.d7Xj4H
Global leaders are meeting at the U.N. to talk about bold climate initiatives -- and tens of thousands of people from across the country will meet them in New York for the People's Climate March on September 21st, to make sure that talk leads to action.
Adding to this momentum, this weekend will bring the world premiere of Disruption -- a brand new movie about the science, politics, and movement around climate change. There's at least one screening near you:
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SoJust is 8! Connecting for Justice (Open House)
Thursday, September 11
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Lir, 903 Boylston Street, Boston
Cost: $5-$20 collected at the door. Newcomers always welcomed!
(One raffle ticket per $10 to win a $25 Trader Joe's gift card.)
Complimentary appetizers will be provided and yummy cupcakes thanks to our STARZ!
SoJust is 8! That's right, it's been EIGHT years since our first event! Join us to celebrate 2500 members, 180+ events and countless connections made since 2006! Our birthday parties are always our biggest events. Haven't been to a Socializing for Justice event? It’s time to meet 120+ friendly SoJusters!
Meet like-minded progressives atConnecting for Justice on September 11th from 6-8:30PMat Lir Irish Pub and get connected to great social justice organizations in Boston. SoJust is all about building a cross-issue progressive community and network in Boston. We're doing it by putting the SOCIAL back in SOCIAL JUSTICE. We focus on creating welcoming spaces that foster relationship-building across issue silos. Join us if you are ready to go BEYOND ALLIES and build a CROSS-ISSUE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.
RSVP at http://www.sojust.org (our main website) and view Member Profiles, Message Board and Calendar of Progressive Events.
This is not a meeting - it's a fun networking social!
No Program. No Speaker. Just Us. For Justice.
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Genetic Roulette The Gamble of our Lives
Thursday, September 11
6:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library, Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl Street, Cambridge
The Harvest Co-op Market Membership and Social Concerns Committee, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Northeast Organic Farmers Association, will be hosting a viewing of the documentary film Genetic Roulette
More information at http://geneticroulettemovie.com/
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“Social Strategy: How We Profit From Social Media”
Thursday, September 11
6:30 - 9pm
swissnex Boston, the Consulate of Switzerland*, 420 Broadway Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-we-profit-from-social-media-prof-piskorski-imd-swissnex-tickets-12745457005
Cost: $27.37
6:30 to 7:00 p.m. Drinks, hors d’oeuvres and informal networking
7:00 p.m. Welcome by IMD New England Alumni President, Janet Gilmartin followed by a moment of silence in remembrance of the anniversary of 9/11
7:05 to 8:00 p.m. Presentation by Professor Piskorski followed by Q&A
8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Informal networking and book signing by Professor Piskorski
Please join us in welcoming IMD Professor of Strategy and Innovation, Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, one of the world’s leading experts on social media, to Boston on Thursday evening, September 11th, when we will be treated to a dynamic presentation entitled “Social Strategy: How We Profit from Social Media”. Social Media is one of today’s hottest topics, and it affects the personal and professional lives of people of all ages, as well as the strategies of many companies. This event, which includes appetizers, Swiss wine, a book signing, and a chance for informal networking, is hosted by Dr. Felix Moesner, Swiss Consul and CEO of swissnex Boston.
Almost no one had heard of social media a decade ago, but websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn now have more than one billion users and account for nearly twenty-five percent of Internet use. Almost overnight, social media seems indispensable to our lives -- from friendship and dating to news and business.
What makes social media so different from traditional media? According to Piskorski, answering that question is the key to making social media work for any business. In A Social Strategy, he provides the most convincing answer yet - one backed by original research, data, and case studies. Groundbreaking and important, A Social Strategy provides not only a story- and data-driven explanation for the explosion of social media, but also an invaluable, concrete road map for any company that wants to tap the marketing potential of this remarkable phenomenon.
Drawing on his analysis of proprietary data from social media sites, Piskorski argues the secret of successful sites is that they allow people to fulfill social needs that either can't be met offline or can be met only at much greater cost. This insight provides the key to how companies can leverage social platforms to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Companies need to help people interact with each other, before they will promote products to their friends or help companies in other ways. Done right, a company's social media should benefit both customers and the firm. Piskorski calls this "a social strategy," and he describes how companies such as American Express and Nike have successfully incorporated one into their business.
Janet Gilmartin, President, IMD New England Alumni Association
Mobile: 203 394-3227
Janetgilmartin at aol.com
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Hot War, Climate Change & Sustainability
September 11
7 pm
MIT, Building 35-225, Cambridge, 127 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
presentation by Michael Klare, Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies, Hampshire College, author of /Blood and Oil and The Race for What’s Left
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Saha Global and the African Photovoltaic Project
Thursday, September 11
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist; 3 Church Street, Harvard Square
In some countries, electricity is a scarce commodity and clean water is non-existent.
Saha Global empowers women in rural communities to solve their village's need for clean water and electricity by providing business opportunities. How do they do it? By bringing leaders from around the world to Ghana through their Global Leadership Program where they train local women to launch profitable social enterprises.
All of the revenue from these businesses stays in the community and is managed by the women entrepreneurs. To date, Saha has launched 71 clean water businesses and 5 solar electricity businesses, which empower 164 women entrepreneurs who serve 38,108 people. 100% of these businesses are still in operation today.
The African Photovoltaic Project grew out of the struggles faced by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) working in Africa. Prototyped at the Cuvilly Arts & Earth Center in Ipswich, MA, photovoltaic systems have been installed at sites in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). At these remote villages, having a clean source of electricity has raised the level of safety, especially in the clinics, maternity wards and schools. Life is more livable for the sisters and the people.
Solar energy can make an enormous impact in rural locations, directly displacing the use and expense of kerosene and diesel fuels. Saha Global and the African Photovoltaic Project have dramatic stories to share and show at the next BASEA Forum. We look forward to seeing you Thursday!
Kate Clopeck is the Executive Director for Saha Global. Since 2005, Kate has worked extensively on water improvement projects around the globe including Nicaragua, Cameroon and Ghana. She earned a Master's of Science in Technology and Policy from MIT in 2009 where her research was focused on the sustained use of water treatment technologies in Northern Region Ghana. She holds Bachelor's in Science from the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Prior to founding Saha, Kate was an associate engineer at Aerojet, an aerospace firm located in Virginia. Kate is passionate about finding simple yet effective solutions to complex problems. She loves running marathons, traveling, and the island of Nantucket. She currently splits her time between Ghana and her hometown of Boston, MA.
Sister Leonore Coan, is the Mission Support Director for the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She develops resources for unfunded and underfunded ministries of the Congregation. Sr. Leonore has been a teacher and administrator for twenty-two years in elementary schools of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Worcester Diocese. She has worked professionally with developmentally challenged adults in a workshop setting as well as volunteered for a number of years with Special Olympics.
Please Join Us! Donations and membership support BASEA.
The Boston Area Solar Energy Association, www.BASEA.org
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Friday, September 12
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Innovation Breakfast at Coalition
Friday, September 12
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Coalition, 101 Arch Street, 19th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-breakfast-at-coalition-tickets-12391720971
The Roving Innovation Breakfast is visiting Coalition Workspace in Downtown crossing. Coalition is a coworking community in the heart of Boston for serious businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Fully Secure Functional Encryption Without Obfuscation
Friday, September 12, 2014
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Refreshments: 10:30 AM
MIT, Building 32-G882, Hewlett, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Mark Zhandry
Abstract: Previously known functional encryption (FE) schemes for general circuits relied on indistinguishability obfuscation, which in turn either relies on an exponential number of assumptions (basically, one per circuit), or a polynomial set of assumptions, but with an exponential loss in the security reduction. Additionally these schemes are proved in an unrealistic selective security model, where the adversary is forced to specify its target before seeing the public parameters. For these constructions, full security can be obtained but at the cost of an exponential loss in the security reduction.
In this work, we overcome the above limitations and realize a fully secure functional encryption scheme without using indistinguishability obfuscation. Specifically the security of our scheme relies only on the polynomial hardness of simple assumptions on multilinear maps.
* Joint Work with Sanjam Garg, Craig Gentry, and Shai Halevi
Contact: Deborah Lehto, 617.324.7303, dlehto at csail.mit.edu
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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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IACS Seminar: Using Big Data in Epidemiology for Digital Disease Detection: Lessons Learned and New Directions
WHEN Fri., Sep. 12, 2014, 1 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin G115, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Information Technology, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute for Applied Computational Science (IACS), Harvard SEAS
SPEAKER(S) Mauricio Santillana, SEAS & HMS
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO nrbaker at seas.harvard.edu
NOTE Preventing outbreaks of communicable diseases is one of the top priorities of public health officials from all over the world. Although traditional clinical methods to track the incidence of diseases are essential to prevent outbreaks, they frequently take weeks to spot critical epidemiological events. This is mainly due to the multiple clinical steps needed to confirm the appearance and incidence of diseases. Recently, the real time analysis of big data sets such as search queries from Google, posts from Facebook, tweets from Twitter, and article views from Wikipedia, has allowed researchers to identify epidemic events in multiple communities, giving rise to the creation of internet-based public health surveillance tools. These new tools often provide timely epidemiological information to public health decision makers up to two or three weeks ahead of traditional reports.
LINK https://www.seas.harvard.edu/calendar/event/77946
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MIT Water Club 2014 Water Opportunities Workshop with Imagine H2O
Friday, 12 September
2:30 pm
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-water-opportunities-workshop-hosted-by-the-mit-water-club-tickets-12759186069
Cost: $0-25
The Water Opportunities Workshop is a yearly event hosted by MIT Water Club and imagine H2O (iH2O), a San Francisco-based non-profit. The historically well-attended workshop is comprised of three segments: a panel discussion, a business ideation session, and a reception. The panel discussion consists of four panelists from academia, industry, startups, and government. Our panel lineup for this year includes Karen Golmer from the New England Water Innovation Network (NEWIN), Justin Buck from Cambrian Innovation, and Christina Chase from the Martin Trust for MIT Entrepreneurship. The business ideation session allows the audience to split into roundtable groups to discuss concepts and share ideas on Infrastrucutre in Water, the theme for this year’s iH2O challenge. The event will end with a catered reception.
Schedule
2:30 – 2:45pm Introduction to the workshop
2:45 – 3:30 Session 1: Water Opportunities Panel
3:30 – 4:00 Coffee break
4:00 – 4:45 Session 2: Business Ideation Roundtable Discussions
4:45 – 5:00 Closing
5:00 – 6:00 Reception + mixer
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DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
Friday, September 12
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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Living in the Future
Friday, September 12
5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
MIT, Building N51, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Free with Museum admission; pizza available 5-6pm.
High speed robots? Humans colonizing space? How do today’s technologies reflect what we’ve seen on the big screen? Sit back, grab some pizza and popcorn, and enjoy short clips from the fantastic and futuristic movies of yesterday and today. Then, hear from scientists and inventors about how close we are to taking the "fiction" out of "science fiction!”
Presentations by:
MARIO BOLLINI - Autonomous Cookie-baking Robots
Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder of GRIT
OLIVIER DE WECK - Humans as a Multi-planet Species
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, MIT
ELINOR KARLSSON - Genetic Engineering
Postdoctoral Scientist, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
SANGBAE KIM - Robo Cheetah
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Biomimetic Robotics Lab, MIT
SKYLAR TIBBITS- 4D Printing
Research Scientist. Director, Self-Assembly Lab, MIT
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TEDxCambridge
September 12
5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
Cost: $70
TEDxCambridge 2014 encompasses a Spring and Fall event hosted in Kendall Square at three world-renowned research centers. The conference features our unique TEDx evening event format and guest experience followed by a gourmet reception with amazing food & beverages provided by the area’s top chefs and restaurants. Request an invitation by submitting an application.
Schedule
5:00pm: Venue Doors Open
6:30pm: Talks Begin
8:30pm: Talks End & Reception Begins
11:00pm: Reception Ends
See more at: http://www.tedxcambridge.com/event-item/tedxcambridge-2014-fall/#sthash.B3mYyjdz.dpuf
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The Bee: A Natural History
Friday, September 12, 2014
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Noah Wilson-Rich
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Saturday, September 13
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DESIGN DIALOGUES: Grounded Visionaries
Saturday, September 13
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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The City of Boston's First Community Yard Sale
Saturday, September 13
http://yardsale.greenovateboston.org
Got stuff to give away? Want to enjoy a beautiful day? Either host or attend a yard sale with your neighbors from all across Boston - just add an event and follow the instructions athttp://yardsale.greenovateboston.org
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Summer Sol: a global-local journey of food + spirit to benefit theMOVE
Saturday September 13
5-8p
Fort Hill, Roxbury
RSVP at http://www.summersol.org
Cost: $75(presage) - $85(door)
Come and celebrate theMOVE's 5TH ANNIVERSARY with us at SUMMER SOL -- Saturday September 13th, in Fort Hill in Roxbury. Thanks to your support over the years, we've taken out nearly 2,500 urban youth and young adults on local farm workdays. Now, it's time to celebrate! Summer Sol is an all-inclusive event, featuring some of the most incredible locally-sourced foods in Boston from many of the restaurants you know and love (and many new ones too), local beer and cocktails, tastings, pourings, demos, and more! Best of all, Summer Sol attracts the most beautiful, most interesting, most diverse crowd in Boston -- and is the most popular annual gathering of the movers and shakers of Boston's urban food movement. It will be hosted at the Edward L. Cooper Center in Roxbury, theMOVE's new headquarters, and the new collaborative hub for 5 urban food justice organizations working together to make Boston a better place to eat and live.
We'd love for you to join us next weekend. Please find more details, including the link to purchase tickets, at summersol.org or on our facebook invitation. Additionally, we are still in need of folks to help us serve food at the event -- if you are able to commit to 4 hours of help that evening, please email dave at farmvolunteer.org to let us know. Volunteers also have time to enjoy the event on their own, and of course don't pay to enter.
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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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The City of Boston's First Community Yard Sale
Sunday, September 14
http://yardsale.greenovateboston.org
Got stuff to give away? Want to enjoy a beautiful day? Either host or attend a yard sale with your neighbors from all across Boston - just add an event and follow the instructions athttp://yardsale.greenovateboston.org
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Monday, September 15
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Climate realism
Monday, September 15
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
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Computational Social Science: The Use of 'Big Data' to Study Human Behavior
Monday, September 15
12:15 pm to 2:00 pm
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
David Lazer, Northeastern, Political Science
STS Circle at Harvard
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"Economics, But Not as You Know It"
Monday, September 15
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Tufts University Fletcher School, Cabot 702, 170 Packard Avenue, Medford
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/economics-but-not-as-you-know-it-a-talk-by-ha-joon-chang-tickets-12835877455
Bestselling author and prize-winning economist Ha-Joon Chang, will give a talk on his recently published book “Economics: The User’s Guide.” With wit and insight, the book addresses questions such as: What is economics? What can and can’t it explain about the world? Why does it matter?
Chang introduces a wide range of economic theories. In this talk, he will provide a clear, comprehensive guide to understanding the controversial science and its implications in our everyday lives. He will offer an engaging view of the global economy, representing the best of economic theory and analysis, but also accessible to the general public.
Ha-Joon Chang teaches economics at Cambridge University. His books include the international bestsellers Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism, Kicking Away the Ladder, and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism. In 2005, GDAE awarded him the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
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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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Towards Sustainable Computing: Innovative Design and Management Strategies across the Computing Stack
Monday, September 15
4:00
BU, Photonics Center, 8 St Mary's Street, Boston
Assistant Professor Ayse K. Coskun, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University
Energy efficiency is a central issue in all computing domains. In data centers, operational and cooling costs impose significant sustainability challenges. In tandem, future processors, even in mobile systems, are expected to run complex, highly performance-demanding workloads, making the well-studied energy management policies inadequate. High power densities also increase the chip temperatures and thermal variations, both of which degrade system reliability and add to the system design complexity.
Achieving orders of magnitude of energy efficiency improvements requires novel system and software design approaches coupled with dynamic techniques that recognize the hardware-software characteristics and understand the complex interplay among performance, energy, and temperature. This talk will discuss innovative research thrusts for building future energy-efficient computing systems, specifically through designing: (1) novel 3D stacked architectures and the necessary runtime management strategies for improving processor efficiency; (2)
System-level optimizations for applications and computing nodes; and (3) workload management and power regulation methods in data centers and large-scale computing systems to reduce the overall electricity cost.
Bio:
Ayse K. Coskun is an assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Boston University since 2009. She received her MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from University of California, San Diego. Coskun's research interests are temperature and energy management, 3D stack architectures, computer architecture,
embedded systems, and data center energy efficiency. Prof. Coskun worked at Sun Microsystems (now Oracle), San Diego prior to her current position at BU. She received the best paper award at IFIP/IEEE VLSI-SoC Conference in 2009 and at High Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC) Workshop in 2011, and she is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award. She has served as an associate editor for ACM Transactions on Design Automation of Electronic Systems and IEEE Embedded Systems Letters. Coskun also writes a bi-monthly column on green computing for Circuit Cellar magazine.
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Boston Food Swap - September Event
Monday, September 15
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WeWork South Station, 745 Atlantic Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-food-swap-september-event-tickets-12744413885
For the first time in Boston Food Swap history, we're trying a weekday! Join us atWeWork South Station on a Monday night for the harvest season swap! If you have ideas about inexpensive weekend space for future swaps, please contact us atbostonfoodswap at gmail.com.
All swap items must be homemade, homegrown, or foraged by you. Think baked goods, jam, pickles, spreads, honey, vinegar, granola, pasta, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, homemade sausages, backyard eggs, home brews … you name it! Bring as little or as much as you like. You can bring a bunch of one thing or multiples of a few different things. The possibilities are endless!
Keep in mind that swappers will be examining and picking up your goods, so be sure to package them in a way that protects the food and makes it clear the amounts you want to swap. We encourage reusable, earth-friendly packaging whenever possible.
If possible, you should also bring samples for others to try.
Schedule
6:00pm - 7:00pm People arrive, set up their items, chat with other swappers, and sample the goods
7:00pm - 7:30pm Bidding begins
7:30 Swap!
Please arrive no later than 7pm!
Parking is available at metered spots around the building. WeWork is adjacent to the South Station T stop.
If you have any feedback about this time or location, e-mail us at bostonfoodswap at gmail.com.
Check out our website at http://www.bostonfoodswap.com
Follow us on Twitter at @bosswappers
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An Evening with Ambassadors of the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Program (C3E)
Monday, September 15
6:30PM - 8:30PM
MIT, Building 4-163, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
The U.S. C3E Ambassadors will be gathering in September for the annual Women in Clean Energy Symposium. Join us for a special night with a select group of these ambassadors. These women will discuss their careers - important decisions made and challenges overcome, as well as the trends they see in clean energy technology and policy that will influence tomorrow's energy landscape. Panelists include Rose McKinney-James, Managing Principal of Energy Works LLC and President of McKinney-James & Associates; Kim Saylors-Laster, VP of Energy for Walmart; Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clinton Climate Initiative; Nancy Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Investors, and Dian Grueneich, Senior Research Scholar at Stanford University (with a long history of government service). Full bios available at http://c3eawards.org/about-c3e/c3e-ambassadors/. RSVP at link below. Networking begins at 6:30, and panel at 7:00. Snacks will be provided. What is C3E? The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative was launched by the 23-government Clean Energy Ministerial in 2010. The U.S. C3E initiative, executed in collaboration by the MIT Energy Initiative and the Department of Energy, is "designed to attract, retain, and advance the careers of women in the field." One pillar of the U.S. C3E Initiative are the Ambassadors, distinguished senior professionals with extensive experience in the clean energy field.
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Tuesday, September 16
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Short-Lived Climate-Forcing Pollutants: Current Research at the IASS
Tuesday, September 16
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Mark Lawrence
Speaker Bio: http://www.iass-potsdam.de/people/prof-dr-mark-lawrence
Contact: Jasna Pittman
pittman at seas.harvard.edu
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Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor, The New Yorker.
Tuesday, September 16
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
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Complexity and the Art of Public Policy
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 12 – 1 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
SPEAKER(S) Roland Kupers, independent consultant on complexity, resilience, and energy transition; and associate fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University
COST Free; RSVP to mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE Lunch will be served.
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Achieving Cost and Schedule Certainty in Technically-Complex, Politically-Charged Condo Renovations
September 16, 2014
12:00 PM
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%3D1394%26p_item_id%3DCTE_RSVP
Meetings are free and open to all, but rsvp's are required.
James M. Jones is a Senior Director of Business Development at Skanska, where he has played a key role in the expansion of the company's program management and consulting division. His presentation will focus on the hurdles and challenges encountered on two very different condominium renovation projects: one at Harbor Towers, the other at the condominium where he resides and is a condominium trustee.
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Drone Warfare and the Public Imagination
Tuesday, September 16
12:30 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/kaag#RSVP
Event will be webcast live at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/kaag at 12:30 pm.
John Kaag, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Introduced by Bruce Schneier
In 2012, U.S. drone strikes occurred most often in which nation?
If you don’t know, don’t feel too bad. You’re not alone. You could just admit it and join the 27 percent of Americans who report that they haven’t a clue. Or you could guess, give the wrong answer, and join the 60 percent of Americans who just plain get it wrong. Many people know this answer first-hand, but they tend not to be Americans, and for them the answer has a non-trivial significance.
A large majority (65 percent) of Americans claimed that they had heard a lot about the U.S. drone program in 2013. This is a significant increase from the year before. But what they’d heard hadn’t furnished the answer to this most basic question about the purpose and nature of targeted killings. This makes sense, since the media often focuses on what is most important to its readers: namely, themselves. This is why the death of Americans in targeted killings dominated early discussion of drone warfare, why the mere prospect of domestic surveillance has taken center stage in the drone debate, and why commercial uses of drones has gained more attention in 2014.
So what should the media cover when it comes to drones and military robotics? What is worth reporting? And what responsibility do journalists have to focus in on the most pressing moral and legal questions when it comes to drone technologies? At what point should reportage blend into legal commentary and moral argumentation? What are the dangers associated with this sort of public discourse?
About John Kaag
John Kaag is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Director of the Doctoral Program in Global Studies. He recently co-authored Drone Warfare (Polity, 2014) with Sarah Kreps, and is author of A Wilderness of Books: A Study of American Philosophy (forthcoming with Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2015).
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Romania's Abandoned Children: Deprivation, Brain Development, and the Struggle for Recovery
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Countway Library of Medicine, Minot Room, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Notable Books Series at the Countway Library of Medicine
SPEAKER(S) Charles A. Nelson III, professor of pediatrics and professor of psychology in Psychiatry, HMS; Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research, Boston Children's Hospital
CONTACT INFO rvogel at hms.harvard.edu
NOTE Following the lecture there will be a book signing and a reception in the Lahey Room.
“The implications of early experience for children's brain development, behavior, and psychological functioning have long absorbed caregivers, researchers, and clinicians. The 1989 fall of Romania's Ceausescu regime left approximately 170,000 children in 700 overcrowded, impoverished institutions across Romania, and prompted the most comprehensive study to date on the effects of institutionalization on children's well-being. Romania's Abandoned Children, the authoritative account of this landmark study, documents the devastating toll paid by children who are deprived of responsive care, social interaction, stimulation, and psychological comfort”.
-- Harvard University Press
LINK www.countway.harvard.edu
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Starr Forum: "Documented"
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
4:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building E15-070, Bartos Theater, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Film screening and conversation with the filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and the founder of Define American, a media and culture campaign that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in a changing America. Documented is the first project of his production company, Apo Anak Productions, named in honor of his grandparents and mother (in Tagalog, his native language, "apo" means grandchild and "anak" means "child").
More about the film: http://documentedthefilm.com/
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_091614_documented.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum at mit.edu
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Refiguring American Jewish Identity through Solidarity with Palestinians: A Relational Approach to Religious Innovation
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 5:15 – 7 p.m.
WHERE CSWR Common Room (42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
SPONSOR Center for the Study of World Religions
CONTACT Lexi Gewertz, 617.495.4476
NOTE Professor Atalia Omer will deliver this year's Dana McLean Greeley Lecture for Peace and Social Justice. Professor Omer is Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies at Notre Dame and Faculty Fellow at the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University.
Based on in-depth interviews with Jewish Palestine solidarity activists and systematic study of Jewish solidarity movement social media, Omer demonstrates how refiguring alternative Jewish meanings of rituals, practices, and texts may emerge from contesting Jewish nationalism and Israeli occupation policies, through solidarity with Palestinians.
This event is free but RSVPs are required. Please email cswr at hds.harvard.edu in order to secure your spot.
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Greenovate Boston's Upcycling Panel
Tuesday, September 16
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/greenovate-bostons-upcycling-panel-tickets-12711728121
How does upcycling compare to recycling? How do shipping containers become hydroponic farms and old t-shirts turn into quilts? How does upcycling creates funding for non-profits and charities?
Join us at District Hall, Tuesday September 16 from 6-7:30 PM to hear from a panel of Boston entrepreneurs and experts who are transforming trash into treasure!
The panel speakers include:
Brooke Nash: Branch Chief, Municipal Waste Reduction, Mass Dept of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
Ross Lohr: Founder of Project RePAT, an innovative textiles upcycling company, with experience in international textiles reuse markets
Brad McNamara: Founder of Freight Farms, a local company that takes old shipping containers and upcycles them to become hydroponic farms
Julie Shane: Founder of Causes International, an organization that allows for easy means of upcycling electronics and e-waste that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities and municipal governments
This event is free and open to the public. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Lauren Goldberg at lgoldberg at boston.gov.
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The Importance of Pollinators
Tuesday, September 16
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Boston Day and Evening Academy, 20 Kearsarge Avenue, Roxbury
Join BNAN and the Boston Gardeners Council in exploring the busy lives of pollinators! Find out why and how we can attract pollinators with varieties of plants in our gardens. All gardeners and friends are invited to come. A BBQ and potluck lunch will follow- make sure to bring your favorite dish to share. To RSVP, emaildana at bostonnatural.org or call 617-542-7696.
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Boston New Technology September 2014 Product Showcase #BNT45
Tuesday, September 16
6:00PM–9:00PM
Foley Hoag LLP, Seaport West, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston
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 #BNT42 hashtag in social media posts: details here.
Products / Presenters:
Will be announced here.
Agenda:
6:00 to 7:00 - Networking with dinner and beverages
7:00 to 7:10 - Announcements
7:10 to 8:20 - Presentations, Questions & Answers
8:20 to 9:00 - Networking
9:00 - More networking over drinks across the street, at The Whiskey Priest, 150 Northern Ave. (at Seaport Blvd.), Boston, MA. (optional)
More information at http://www.foleyhoag.com/news-and-events/events/2014/september/boston-new-technology-september-2014-product-showcase
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What Stays in Vegas: The World of Personal Data—Lifeblood of Big Business—and the End of Privacy as We Know It
Tuesday, September 16
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Adam Tanner
Harvard Book Store welcomes ADAM TANNER, fellow at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University and Forbes contributor, for a discussion of his book What Stays in Vegas: The World of Personal Data—Lifeblood of Big Business—and the End of Privacy as We Know It.
In What Stays in Vegas, Tanner exposes the greatest threat to privacy today. It’s not the NSA, but good-old American companies. Internet giants, leading retailers and other firms are gathering data behind the scenes with little oversight from anyone. “This is the information age, and information is power!” screamed DocuSearch, “America’s Premier Resource for Private Investigator Searches & Lookups” in 1996—and they were right.
In Las Vegas, no company knows this mantra better than Caesars Entertainment. Despite the fact that its Vegas casinos are decades old and can’t boast their rivals’ singing gondoliers or fountains exploding in a choreographed dance, many thousands of enthusiastic clients continue to pour through the ever-open doors of Caesars hotels. The secret to the company’s success lies in their one unrivaled asset: they are able to track the activities of the overwhelming majority of gamblers who walk in. They know exactly what games we like to play, what foods we enjoy for breakfast, when we prefer to visit, who our favorite hostess might be and exactly how to keep us coming back for more.
Caesars’ dogged data-gathering methods have been so successful that they grew to become the world’s largest casino operator, and they have inspired companies from across industries to ramp up their own data mining in the hopes of boosting their targeted marketing efforts. Some do this themselves. Some rely on data brokers. Others clearly enter a moral gray zone that would make American consumers deeply uncomfortable.
Even if you’ve never set foot in a casino or signed up for an airline’s frequent flier program, companies little-known to the public like Acxiom are still gathering information on you at every turn. And there are those, such as PeopleSmart and Instant Checkmate, that will sell your dossier to anyone for cash.
The reality is that we live in an age where our personal information is harvested and aggregated whether we like it or not. And it is growing ever more difficult for those businesses that choose not engage in more intrusive data gathering to compete with those that do. Tanner’s timely warning resounds: yes, there are many benefits to the free flow of all this data, but there is a dark side as well. With societal and legal boundaries on the use of personal data still largely undefined, the potential for abuse looms large.
And, as to what stays in Vegas? The answer: almost nothing…
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Greenport Forum: Evacuation Routes or Bandaids
Tuesday, September 16
7-9pm
Cambridgeport Baptist Church, cornet of Magazine Street and Putnam Avenue, Cambridge
Join City Councillor Craig Kelley & former City Councillor Sam Seidel In a conversation about what keeps us all safe.
An evacuation plan?
Bandaids in your wallet?
Or simply knowing your neighbors?
Contact greenportlocal at gmail.com
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Evan Ziporyn's 20,000th day Concert
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
8:00p–10:00p
MIT, Building 14w-111, Killian Hall, 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Evan Ziporyn's 20,000th day on this planet, a celebratory concert featuring the US premiere of In My Mind & In My Car, a 50-minute collaboration by Christine Southworth and Evan Ziporyn for bass clarinet, electronics, and video. The piece was recently premiered in its entirety at the OFF Festival in Katowice, Poland. Also on the program, CAST Visiting Artist in Residence (and MTA Visiting Lecturer) Arnold Dreyblatt will perform Nodal Excitation, a signature piece on his signature re-strung and re-tuned double bass. 8pm, Killian Hall. Free. Reserve your seat on Eventbrite:http://mit.mta.eventbrite.com.
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://mit.mta.eventbrite.com
Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
For more information, contact: Clarise Snyder
mta-request at mit.edu
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, September 17
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September Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, September 17
7:30 AM to 8:30am
Pret A Manger, 185 Franklin Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/september-boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-12871500003
Join us for the September installment of our Boston Sustainability Breakfast, an informal breakfast meetup of sustainability professionals together for networking, discussion and moral support. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones out there in the business world trying to do good!
So come, get a cup of coffee or a bagel, support a sustainable business and get fired up before work so we can continue trying to change the world.
Though our Sustainability Breakfast Series is now a little over one year old, this is an evolving event so your input and participation is more than welcome.
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Harvard Green Transportation Celebration
Wednesday, September 17
11 am–3 pm
Harvard, Science Center Plaza, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Join CommuterChoice for free food, fun and giveaways at the Green Transportation Celebration! Help celebrate all the sustainable choices employees, faculty, and students make to get around campus! Along with CommuterChoice, representatives from the following programs will have plenty of information and fun giveaways:
Zipcar
Hubway
Quad Bikes
HUPD
Harvard Recreation
Center for Wellness
MassRIDES
Shuttle Services
There will be free coffee from Black Magic Coffee in the morning and b. good and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and shakes in the afternoon! So please join us in celebrating YOU and your commitment to a greener campus!
See more at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/green-transportation-celebration#sthash.nT7fFDvC.dpuf
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Buying Regional: State Procurement and Purchasing Policies
Wednesday, September 17
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM EDT
webinar at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/751922210
Join us this fall for our continuing Wednesday webinar series focused on state and federal policies that could improve our region’s food system. The webinars explore in greater detail the policies and policy options described in our report, New England Food Policy: Building a Sustainable Food System.
All webinars are recorded and will be available at www.farmland.org/newengland. You will find these four webinars already posted there:
May 14: Introduction to the New England Food Policy Report and Project
June 18th: Organic Waste: Finding Uses for It in the Food System
July 16th: Frameworks for Regional Food System Collaboration
July 23rd: Reducing Farmland Conversion: State Land Use and Protection Policies
For a more detailed description of each of the webinars, please visit www.newenglandfoodpolicy.org
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Tales from the Trenches of Connectomics
Wednesday, September 17
12pm – 1pm
Boston University, 2 Cummington Street, Room 109, Boston
Narayanan “Bobby” Kasthuri, Boston University
Background video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAxjta7Q0mw
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The Future of Urban Housing: Enhancing Energy Efficiency
Wednesday, September 17
12-1:30p.m. (lunch will be available starting at 11:30a.m.).
BU, 67 Bay State Road, Boston
Seating is limited and advance registration is required by Friday, September 12
RSVP at http://www.bu.edu/pardee/rsvp-the-future-of-urban-housing-enhancing-energy-efficiency/
Pardee Research Fellow Enrique Silva (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy) will moderate the session. Featured speakers will be Boston University professors Robert K. Kaufmann (Earth & Environment) and Michael Gevelber (Mechanical Engineering). Silva, Kaufmann, and Gevelber work together on the Madison Park Housing Energy Efficiency research project at BU.
Speakers’ Biographies
Enrique Silva is an expert in comparative urbanization, metropolitan governance, and the institutionalization of planning practices in North and South America. He is also actively involved in efforts to promote the development of urban growth management and planning institutions in post-earthquake Haiti. Silva is currently the Senior Research Associate for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Cambridge-based Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. He is responsible for overseeing the Lincoln Institute’s research portfolio on urban development and land use planning for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the Lincoln Institute, Silva was Assistant Professor of City Planning at Boston University. Silva has also worked as a planner and environmental development consultant in the Greater Boston Area and was the Program Assistant for the Democratic Governance Program for the Ford Foundation’s Santiago, Chile Office.
Robert K. Kaufmann is a Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment at Boston University. He is also a co-founder of First Fuel Software, a Lexington-based company founded in 2009 that that helps utilities and government agencies deliver scalable energy efficiency across their commercial building portfolios. He has written three books, several book chapters, and more than 90 peer review papers on topics that include world oil markets, global climate change, land-use change, the global carbon cycle, and ecological economics. These papers have appeared in a variety of academic journals, includingScience, Nature, and Proceedings National Academy of Sciences and have been cited more than 3,000 times. Research results and interviews with Kaufmann have appeared on CBS and NBC news programs, The National Geographic, Readers Digest, and nearly 100 newspapers including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Michael Gevelber is an Associate Professor in Boston University’s Mechanical Engineering Department. He has an undergraduate degree in Physics with honors from Brown University and a Masters and Ph.D. from M.I.T. in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on controls. He is a co-founder of Aeolus Building Efficiency Inc., which won the energy efficiency track of MIT’s Clean Energy Contest 2013. Professor Gevelber serves on the Boston University Sustainability Committee, co-chairs the university’s energy working group, and serves on the city of Newton’s Energy Commission. His engineering research focuses on developing enhanced materials processing capabilities though modeling, sensor development, and integrated system and control design, as well as building energy use. In terms of energy, his research focuses on optimizing commercial building HVAC systems, as well as analyzing energy efficiency in residential homes, urban housing, and commercial buildings.
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The influence of cloud feedbacks on the leading modes of climate variability
Wednesday, September 17
12:10pm – 1:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Katinka Bellomo, U Miami
Prior studies have provided observational evidence that cloud feedback over the subtropical stratocumulus regions is positive because cloud cover is anti-correlated with local Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies. Moreover, regressions of observed atmospheric fields on equatorial SST anomalies indicate that cloud feedbacks over the southern hemisphere stratocumulus regions (i.e., Peruvian and Namibian) co-vary with the respective equatorial modes of variability: El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Atlantic Niño. However, from observations alone it is not possible to quantify the influence of regional cloud feedbacks on large-scale climate variability. To address this question, a set of sensitivity experiments are conducted using an atmospheric general circulation model (ECHAM6) coupled to a slab-ocean in which the strength of positive cloud feedback is enhanced over the Peruvian and Namibian regions. Enhanced positive cloud feedback increases the variance and the persistence of local as well as equatorial SST anomalies, enhancing ENSO and Atlantic Niño variability. We explore the role of cloud feedbacks over other regions in the South Atlantic and find that they increases local SST variability, but exhibit negligible responses at the equator. Our results indicate that the subtropical stratocumulus regions play a central role in enhancing equatorial SST variability because they are located where the SST anomalies have the largest growth rates, that is, where the variance of SST is largest and the damping rate of SST is weakest. These results highlight the important role of the regional coupling of cloud cover over the subtropical stratocumulus regions with local SSTs, and have implications for the response of equatorial climate variability to climate change.
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Ebola in West Africa
September 17
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
O’Keeffe Auditorium, Blake Building 1st Floor, Mass General, 55 Fruit Street, Boston
Please join the Center for Global Health, clinicians from West Africa, and experts in infectious disease and hospital preparedness to discuss the international response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
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Critical Issues Confronting China
WHEN Wed., Sep. 17, 2014, 12:30 – 1:50 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS Building, Belfer Case Study Room (S020), 1730 Cambridge Street, Harvard University
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Cosponsored by the Harvard University Asia Center and the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies
SPEAKER(S) Jerome Cohen, New York University School of Law
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO lkluz at fas.harvard.edu
NOTE Jerome A. Cohen, a professor at New York University School of Law since 1990 and co-director of the US-Asia Law Institute, is a leading American expert on Asian law. A pioneer in the field, Professor Cohen began studying Chinese criminal law in the early 1960s and from 1964 to 1979 introduced the teaching of Asian law into the curriculum of Harvard Law School, where he served as Jeremiah Smith Professor and Associate Dean.
LINK http://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/jcohen
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Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Technical Showcase with the Geeks
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 3:00 pm
Location on Harvard Campus TBD
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2014/09/geeks#RSVP
Free and Open to the Public
Refreshments will be served
Follow the Berkman Centaur! This event is part of a series of kick-off activities for the 2014-2015 academic year. If you are student, faculty member, fellow, interested member of the public, or lover of LOLcats, we welcome you to join us at one or more of these gatherings.
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society welcomes students and other Harvard community members to an open session with the Center’s software development and systems operations team (affectionately known as "The Geeks”).
Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Director of the Harvard Law School Library, and Faculty Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, will kick things off, and the Geeks will present some of the most interesting projects and initiatives currently on our plates.
The Berkman Center's Geek Cave works with ruby, perl, php, bash, jQuery, PostgreSQL, MySQL and a slew of other tools to build and extend open source software, create scalable websites, and manage the mixed desktop network that keeps the Center moving. We have a small group of talented, devoted, fun, full-time developers on staff that want to hear about your 1337 coding skillz and talk about fun projects to pair code or geek out on; two project managers to give you tips to about keeping your work on track; and technologists to talk about what hardware and software support it takes to deploy our projects on Berkman infrastructure.
This is a great opportunity to learn more in detail about the technical work done at the Berkman Center, to learn how your own personal or class-related projects might align with the Center’s, and to consider ways you might be able to collaborate with our team on some of the work we have lined up for this year!
More info about the projects that we work on can be found on our github organization page at http://github.com/berkmancenter
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Radcliffe Institute Fellow's Presentation: Firing Line, PBS, and the Rise of the American Conservative Movement
WHEN Wed., Sep. 17, 2014, 4 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Heather Hendershot, Radcliffe Institute Maury Green Fellow and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-heather-hendershot-fellow-presentation
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Cambridge Net Zero Task Force Meeting
September 17
5:00 to 9:00 pm
Cambridge College, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, 1st floor conference room
This is a task force workshop meeting
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Climate Engineering Research and Stakeholder Engagement at the IASS
Wednesday, September 17
5:30 pm
Harvard, Haller Hall, Geo Museum 102, 24 Oxford Street 1st Floor, Cambridge
with Mark Lawrence, Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies Potsdam
Geoengineering: Science and Governance
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Innovation in Massachusetts
September 17
5:30PM–8:00PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVp at http://sites.foleyhoag.vuturevx.com/97/364/landing-pages/rsvp---blank.asp
Join us for a conversation with Antonio "Tony" Parham, the Commonwealth's first Government Innovation Officer (GIO), at the nextTEC at FoleyHoag event at District Hall.
Tony is an experienced executive with 30 years of business and technology leadership. As GIO, Tony is responsible for improving efficiencies and experiences of government services to businesses, local governments and residents through the use of new technologies and innovative processes. He advises Governor Deval Patrick, the Secretary for Administration and Finance, the Commonwealth’s CIO, executive branch leaders and other stakeholders on identifying, funding and managing the execution of high-impact business change projects.
On September 17, Tony will discuss:
His mission as the Government Innovation Officer
Highlights of innovation within the state government
Growth areas for partnerships with Boston-area businesses, entrepreneurs and technology communities
Be sure to RSVP early for what promises to be an informative and enlightening presentation.
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Airbnb Tech Talk
Wednesday, September 17
6:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin Room 123, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Airbnb is the world's largest marketplace for space, and keeps getting bigger every day. With 10 million nights booked and counting, we're constantly tackling challenges in search algorithms, payments, fraud prevention, and growth — all while maintaining a beautiful user experience. We want to build solutions to these problems that are scalable, performant, and elegant, and we're looking for talented new grads and interns to help us do just that.
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Film Screening - Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building W79, Simmons Hall, 229 Vassar Street, Cambridge
"A Rising Tide of Silence" is a reflective portrait of Father Thomas Keating, one of today's most influential spiritual leaders. Interweaving historical footage, interviews, and extensive conversations with Father Thomas, the film traces his spiritual journey from an affluent New York City childhood, to an austere Trappist monastic life, to his rise through the Order, and his election as Abbot of St. Joseph's Abby in 1961.
While at the Monastery in the early 1970's Father Thomas introduced Eastern religious practices to the monks and became one of the originators of Centering Prayer. After resigning as Abbott in 1981, Father Thomas founded Contemplative Outreach in 1984 to bring Centering Prayer to a worldwide audience. A renowned theologian and author of more than 30 books, Father Thomas Keating is widely recognized for his ecumenical approach to spirituality. For those who encounter him, his example is a moving modern journey of faith.
Screening will be followed by Conversation with Producer & Director Peter Jones
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Religious Life, Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values, Buddhist Community at MIT, Simmons Hall
For more information, contact: Christina English
617-253-7707
cenglish at mit.edu
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Crypto News, TOR, and our PGP/GnuPG Keysigning Party XIV
Wednesday, September 17
6:30 pm
MIT Building E-51, Room 325, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Bill's annual Crypto News update, a history of TOR, and our annual keysigning party. Pre-register your PGP key before the meeting!
More information at http://www.blu.org
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Cambridge Forum: Uncertain Justice: The Supreme Court and the Constitution
Wednesday, September 17
7pm
First Parish in Cambridge, 1446 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Laurence Tribe, eminent Constitutional Law scholar at Harvard Law School, discusses his new book (co-authored with Joshua Matz), Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution, on the day the United States celebrates its 227th Constitution Day.
Is the Roberts Court really the “least dangerous” branch of our federal government, as Alexander Hamilton opined in Federalist Paper No. 78?
Tribe argues that this Supreme Court is shaking the foundation of the nation’s laws and reinterpreting the meaning of the Constitution.
Doors open at 6:30 p, book signing follows forum
More information at http://www.cambridgeforum.org
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Foreign Film Series: Peace Through Cinema
Wednesday, September 17
7:00 - 9:30 p.m.
Hostelling International Boston, 19 Stuart Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/foreign-film-series-peace-through-cinema-tickets-12875102779
Join HI-Boston for a special edition of its foreign film series featuring a variety of short international films that spread peace through their subject matter.
In honor of HI-USA's Annual Sleep for Peace on September 21.
Featured Films Include:
The Thing That Happened (Uganda)
Saving Face (Pakistan)
Sari's Mother (Iraq)
With more to be added…
This month, HI-Boston is hosting a very special edition of its monthly foreign film series by exploring peace through cinema. The selected films highlight a variety of themes, including hunger, war, and poverty, and how each film's protagonists attempt to overcome them through everyday actions and aspirations. After each screening, a brief discussion will follow with questions and facts around the film's message and theme, before moving onto the next film and its related topic. We hope to cover a wide variety of themes and issues, and look forward to a set of very diverse conversations. HI-Boston will provide handouts with additional background, discussion questions and information about the Sleep for Peace initiative, and how you can help. And as always, free popcorn will be available to all who attend. See you there!
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Thursday, September 18
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Identity, Sovereignty, and Global Politics in the Building of Baghdad: From Revolution to the Gulf War and Beyond
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18 – Sat., Sep. 20, 2014
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Conferences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
NOTE Using the history of urban development in Baghdad as a reference point, this conference examines the extent to which interventions intended to modernize and integrate different populations in the city were part of a larger process of negotiating competing visions of political economy, sovereignty, and identity in post-WWII Iraq. By gathering political scientists, architectural and urban historians, and scholars of Iraq and the larger Arab world, the conference engages theoretical and empirical questions about the ruptures and continuities of Baghdad’s urban and political history, using the built environment of the city as a canvas for understanding struggles over Iraq’s position in a global context shaped by ongoing war tensions (from the Cold War to the Gulf War and beyond) to more recent Middle East conflicts. The full day event (September 19) will be preceded by a Keynote Panel held the prior evening, focused on the relationship between war and urbanism, a theme that will re-emerge comparatively and historically in subsequent day’s panels which focus on a range of theoretical, historical, and practical dilemmas facing Baghdad and other cities in the region. The conference ends with a half-day discussion of the urban planning, design, and governance challenges facing the city now and in the near future.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/conference-identity-sovereignty-and-global-politics-in-the.html
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Wyss Lecture: Using Light to Visualize and Manipulate Molecular Forces in Living Systems
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18, 2014, 2 – 3 p.m.
WHERE Room 521, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Wyss Institute
SPEAKER(S) Khalid Salaita
NOTE Mechanical forces can profoundly influence chemical and biochemical reactions at interfaces. For example, chemo-mechanical couplings are important in fields ranging from lubrication and tribology to microfluidics, biofouling, and cell biology. A major challenge to understanding the role of forces in biochemical signaling pertains to the lack of molecular tools that allow one to image and manipulate forces at the cell membrane. To address this issue, we have developed a set of fluorescent probes (mechanophores) and actuators to investigate the role of forces in biochemical signaling. In this talk, Dr. Salaita will describe the synthesis and characterization of molecular force probes and their application in the area of mechanotransduction. Force probes take advantage of FRET or NSET to determine the extension of an entropic polymer “spring” to quantify tension (Nat. Methods 2012, JACS 2013, Biophys. J. 2013, Nano Lett. 2014). He will describe the development of second and third generation force probes that allow one to quantify molecular forces with high spatial and temporal resolution for a range of recombinant proteins. Finally, he will discuss the development and application of optically controlled nanoscale actuators to control cell migration and activation of the Notch and integrin receptor signaling pathways.
LINK http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/411/using-light-to-visualize-and-manipulate-molecular-forces-in-living-systems
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Face to Face with History: Creating the 9/11 Memorial Museum
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Memorial Church, Harvard Yard
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement
SPEAKER(S) Alice Greenwald, director, National September 11 Memorial Museum
COST Free and open to the public
NOTE Why is it important to have a museum memorializing America’s most painful and vulnerable moment? Why revive memories that are unbearable? Director Alice Greenwald will address these questions and describe the educational mission of the 9/11 National Museum. She will discuss the process of creating the Museum and some of the unusual challenges involved, and explore how the Museum seeks to bring history back into immediate focus, “connecting visitors to the shared human impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of people from more than 90 nations."
LINK hilr.harvard.edu
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Social Status in Networks
Thursday, September 18
4:00p–5:30p
Harvard, Littauer-M16, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Mihai Manea (MIT)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Theory Workshop
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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Media Impact Assessment and Beyond: Thoughts on the Treacherous Task of Quantifying Journalistic Performance
Thursday, September 18
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Philip Napoli
In recent years, a variety of funders have begun to invest substantially in efforts to assess the impact of media initiatives such as documentary films and journalism ventures. These efforts reflect a fundamental shift in how media performance is assessed (and whose assessments matter) in an environment of extreme audience fragmentation and increased challenges to monetizing media content. This presentation will focus on ongoing research that seeks to define and assess the field of media impact assessment. In addressing these issues, this analysis seeks to:
1) identify important points of distinction between contemporary notions of media impact and more traditional notions of media effects;
2) assess the methods and metrics being employed to assess media impact;
3) identify the key challenges and tensions inherent in such efforts.
This presentation also will illustrate that impact represents only one of a number of aspects of journalistic performance that are being converted to quantitative performance metrics. Related areas of ongoing research include efforts to assess the health of local media ecosystems and the quality of journalistic content. The broader implications of this wide-ranging transformation in how journalistic performance may be assessed will be considered.
Philip M. Napoli (Ph.D., Northwestern University) is Professor of Journalism & Media Studies in the School of Communication & Information at Rutgers University.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
For more information, contact: Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cmsw at mit.edu
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Corruption in America
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18, 2014, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Austin 111 West, Harvard Law School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
SPEAKER(S) Zephyr Teachout, associate professor of law, Fordham University; gubernatorial candidate, New York State
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO katy at ethics.harvard.edu
LINK http://ethics.harvard.edu/event/lecture-zephyr-teachout
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First Annual Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family Lecture: "Advancing the Human Condition: An Agenda for Research & Education”
Thursday, September 18
5:30 pm
BU, Tsai Auditorium, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Join us for the first annual Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family CAS Lecture: “Advancing the Human Condition: An Agenda for Research and Education.” This event features a panel of distinguished Boston University faculty, including Rosella Cappella (Dept. of Political Science); Sharon Goldberg (Dept. of Computer Science); Joe Harris (Dept. of Sociology); Lucy Hutyra (Dept. of Earth & Environment); Jeremy Menchik (Pardee School of Global Studies); Henrik Selin (Pardee School of Global Studies); Virginia Sapiro (Dean, College of Arts & Sciences); Adil Najam (Dean, Pardee School of Global Studies); and Anthony Janetos (Director, Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future). Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and Boston University community members are welcome to attend.
More information at http://www.bu.edu/alumniweekend/events/#schools-colleges
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Bird Extinctions in the Hawaiian Islands
Thursday, September 18
6:00PM
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street 1st Floor, Cambridge
With Helen F. James, Curator-in-Charge, Division of Birds, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Ornithologist Helen James takes us to an archipelago that has been an epicenter for bird extinctions: the Hawaiian Islands. When people first set foot there approximately 800 years ago, the islands were home to a rich diversity of birds that included many unusual—even flightless—species. Most of these birds became extinct after the islands were colonized, leaving behind only their bones. James will discuss her strategies for finding the remains of these extinct species, reconstruct the history of their demise, and highlight lessons that can be drawn from their story.
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php
See more at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-09-18-220000/bird-extinctions-hawaiian-islands#sthash.OPm3NDQL.dpuf
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Urban Films: Revolution '67
Thursday, September 18
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 3-133, 33 Massachusetts Ave (Rear), Cambridge
REVOLUTION '67 is an illuminating account the black urban rebellions of the 1960s. Focusing on the six-day Newark, N.J., outbreak in mid-July, REVOLUTION '67 reveals how the disturbances began as spontaneous revolts against poverty and police brutality and ended as fateful milestones in America's struggles over race and economic justice. Voices from across the spectrum---activists Tom Hayden and Amiri Baraka, journalist Bob Herbert, Mayor Sharpe James, and other officials, National Guardsmen, and Newark citizens---recall lessons as hard-earned then as they have been easy to neglect since. A co-production with the Independent Television Service (ITVS); presented in collaboration with the award-winning documentary series POV (www.pbs.org/pov). 90 minutes.
Urban Planning Film Series
A semi-weekly series showing documentary and feature films on topics related to cities, urbanism, design, community development, ecology, and other planning issues. Free.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Ezra Glenn
617-253-2024
eglenn at mit.edu
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EarthOS Conversation: People and Resilient Regional Systems
September 18
6:00PM-9:00PM
EarthOS Lab, 1310 Broadway, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.earthos-institute.us
Cost: $15
Join us for an Earthos Conversation about PEOPLE and resilient regional systems. What do we as people need to participate in creating and innovating community-to-regional systems that sustain all of us into the future? We've invited leaders, who are grappling with this question, to talk about their efforts in resiliency, arts, education, housing, social innovation, economy, heritage, diversity, self-expression and actualization, health, community, and ownership among others. Together, we'll explore emerging ideas and efforts in Boston, New England and beyond.
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Pitch Club
September 18
6-8pm
NGIN Workplace, 210 Broadway, Cambridge
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.
Open and honest feedback from the audience is encouraged, subject to:
THE RULES OF PITCH CLUB
The first rule of Pitch Club: Don’t talk about Pitch Club.
No matter how awesome or how awful, by informal agreement whatever you hear in Pitch Club stays within the walls of Pitch Club. Unless the presenter gives permission, in which case blab away. That said, if you’re worried about someone stealing your idea, don’t pitch it.
The second rule of Pitch Club: Don’t talk about Pitch Club.
Seriously. Any pitch – no matter how early or crazy or terrible – is welcome.
Pitch Club is where you go to get feedback without worrying about looking stupid.
The third rule of Pitch Club: Pitches will go on as long as they need to, but no more than ten minutes.
Each pitch gets ten minutes, plus five minutes of feedback. Period.
We do eight pitches per night. And then we stop. And then we drink.
The fourth rule of Pitch Club: There are no bad Pitches
The audience’s only job is to make your pitch better next time. But beware: you will be critiqued on both content AND style. If they’re harsh, it’s out of love.
Admission is free. Presentation slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
More information at http://pitchclubboston.com
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Startup Stir Foodie Forum
September 18
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Workbar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://startupstirseptember2014.eventbrite.com/
How to Launch a Foodie Startup
An evening of Food and Fun with Local Foodie Founders, Brewmasters, Chick Pea Lovers, Restaurateurs and More!
This month, Beacon Hill Partners is excited to host a panel discussion with some of Boston's best chefs, restaurateurs, distillers, brewmasters, direct-to-grocery food product makers and more! If you've ever dreamt of turning your foodie passions in to a business, this is an event you won't want to miss.
Best of all - as our panelists share their stories and take your questions, you'll be able to sample their creations with complimentary cocktails and food tastings!
Startup Stir Website: http://www.StartupStir.com
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A Film Screening and Discussion on Tap Water
Thursday, September 18
7pm - 9pm
The Uniun, 11 Sanborn Court, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/433974850078031/?source=1
Where does your tap water come from?
Is tap water better than bottled water?
Join us on Sept. 18th to learn about bottled water and why tap water is a better choice. Somerville Community Access Television is proud to partner with Shape Up Somerville – Schools and the Cambridge Health Alliance on this project.
RSVP to the event here!
These two films will be screened during the event:
The Story of Bottled Water & Tapped the Movie
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Friday, September 19
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Healthscapes: Using the urban environment to support human health and resilience
Friday, September 19
8:00 am
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
Please RSVP to rsvp at architects.org with "Healthscapes 9/19" in the subject line; 1.5 LU|HSW are available to those who qualify.
Join the BSA for a thought-provoking discussion on the way the planning of cities has a strong bearing on the health of the people who live within them. From specific details on the effect of design on physical health to how architects can successfully harness techniques that support well-being, this event offers designers an opportunity to learn about green-space solutions that are conducive to a mindset change in the profession. Free and open to the public. Read more.
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Park(ing) Day Cambridge
Friday, September 19
8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
PARK(ing) Day is an annual international event where residents, artists and activists come together to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco. Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, with organizations and individuals creating new forms of temporary public space in urban contexts around the world.
The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!
Who's Participating and Where
Harvard Square
Harvard University, Office for Sustainability: Contemplating Your Impact
Longfellow House, Washington's Headquarters NHS: Longfellow's Garden
Metro Pedal Power: Local Human Based Transportation for our Cities
MassRides: Commuting Sustainably
Charles River Conservancy: Daffodils!
City of Cambridge Police Department: Meet our new bomb dogs!
Central Square
The Door Store
Cambridge Elections Commission: Voter Registration
Fletcher Maynard Academy: Peace Couch
Cambridge Energy Alliance: Energy Efficiency Fun
Community Development Department, Housing Division: Micro House
Green Cambridge: Reduce Our Carbon Footprint
City of Cambridge Mayor's Office: Food Pantry Donation
TGE, Inc: Green Island
MassBike: Bikes and Art with Artists & Craftsmen
Boston Cyclists Union: A Bike-Friendly Smoothie Cafe
Central Square Business Association: The Central Square Cultural District Putt Putt
CCTV: NeighborMedia Outdoor Newsroom by CCTV
UMass Lowell: Baby Got Bounce
SHED(x)change + Cambridge Resident's Alliance: C3 in C2
Upper Broadway (Inman Street to Cambridge Public Library)
MIT Media Lab, Social Computing Research Group: Bike Inlet
Hubway: #HubwayEveryday
Harvard Urban Planning Organization: Studio Park
Cambridge Health Alliance, Department of Family Planning: "Protect your health. Protect the planet."
Inman Square
CPCU Credit Union: CPCU Credit Union Prize Wheel
Department of Public Works, Recycling Division: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Compost!
Community Development Department, Community Planning: Playful Planning
Community Development Department, Economic Development: Take the Inman Square Survey!
Kendall Square
Community Development Department, Environmental and Transportation Planning: Get with the sustainability game!
Cambridge Bicycle Committee: Cambridge Bicycle Network Plan; Separated Bike Lane
Charles River Transportation Management Association: Sustainable Transportation Snacks
Cambridge Pedestrian Committee: Walk This Way
Cambridge Bicycle Committee/Urban AdvenTours: Free Bicycle Safety Tune-ups
Other Locations
Friends of the Tobin: Maria Montessori's Backyard (Vassal Lane, near the Tobin School)
Sustainable America: Turn it off! (Vassal Lane, near the Tobin School)
Cambridge in Motion / Cambridge Public Health Department: Celebrating Healthy Markets (Windsor Street at Main Street)
For a full map of PARK(ing) Day activities in Cambridge, please visit www.cambridgema.gov/parkingday.
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The 142nd NE Electricity Restructuring Roundtable: FERC Chair Cheryl LaFleur will Keynote
Friday, September 19, 2014
9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston
Livecast
RSVP at http://signup.clickstreamtv.com/event/raab/events/?utm_source=9%2F19+Roundtable%3A+Registration+Required%2FSpace+Limited
Three Keynotes:
U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy,
FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur, and
ISO New England CEO Gordon van Welie
We are delighted to announce that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy and ISO New England CEO Gordon van Welie will join Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Cheryl LaFleur at the September 19th New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable.
The three keynotes will address issues of great importance to New England:
U.S. EPA Administrator McCarthy will discuss EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan proposed rules [aka Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act], and how they may interface with and impact RGGI and other New England states' clean energy policies and programs.
FERC Chairman LaFleur will address a range of important issues and topics related to New England's electricity/gas markets and reliability.
ISO New England CEO van Welie will discuss the economic and reliability challenges resulting from an electric power industry in transition. In particular, he will discuss ISO New England's actions to address the retirement of coal, oil and nuclear generation, the high dependency on natural gas generation, and increased investments in renewable energy and behind-the-meter resources.
There are important changes that you need to be aware of for this Roundtable.
Given the expected draw for this Roundtable (and our long string of standing-room only Roundtables), we are requiring pre-registration and a ticket for this event, as well as capping in-person attendance.
There will also be a small fee of $65 for this Roundtable to ensure a meaningful registration process (with a discounted fee of $35 for government or non-profit employees, and students).
We are reducing the live-streaming fee for this Roundtable to $40 to facilitate a web participation alternative to in-person attendance.
Both in-person attendance and live-streaming are free for Roundtable Sponsors, but Sponsors have to pre-register and get a ticket along with everyone else.
Thanks for your patience and understanding and we look forward to your participation in this exciting upcoming Roundtable.
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The BIG Tiny House Festival
Friday, September 19
12:00 PM
to Sunday, September 21, 2014, 10:00 PM
10 Poplar Street, Somerville
There will be actual tiny homes parked there that some attendees are bringing to the event. In addition, a workshop is being planned too!
More information at http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/artsunion/2014/tiny
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Emulating Natural Systems for Geologic CO2 Capture and Storage, and to Enhance Subsurface Permeability
Friday, September 19
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Peter Kelemen
Environmental Science and Engineering Seminars
Contact: langmuir at eps.harvard.edu
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Challenges of Innovation in the Fight Against Organized Crime
WHEN Fri., Sep. 19, 2014, 12 – 1:45 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Ash Center Foyer, Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center
SPEAKER(S) Chief Prosecutor of the Netherlands Herman Bolhaar
CONTACT INFO maisie_obrien at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE Please read the discussion case in advance: http://www.ash.harvard.edu/extension/ash/docs/Discussion_Case_Human_Trafficking.pdf
LINK http://www.ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Events/Challenges-of-Innovation-in-the-Fight-Against-Organized-Crime
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The Future of the Book
WHEN Fri., Sep. 19, 2014, 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Tsai Auditorium, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
NOTE Book history continues to be a thriving area of scholarship, engaging librarians and academics from across the disciplines, including business, history, classics, art and design and, more recently, the digital humanities.
Join us for a discussion that asks “What is the future of the book? How will recent developments in technology and publishing impact scholarship and publishing? Will—or should—the history of the book guide its future?”
The discussion will feature James O’Donnell, University Professor and former Provost at Georgetown University and author of Avatars of the Word, as well as Ellen Faran, Director at MIT Press. It will be moderated by Ann Blair, Henry Charles Lea Professor of History at Harvard University, and author of Too Much to Know.
Refreshments will be served following the event.
LINK http://library.harvard.edu/hlsc
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HarvardX Open House
WHEN Fri., Sep. 19, 2014, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
WHERE HarvardX HQ
125 Mt Auburn Street - 4th Floor
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HarvardX
SPEAKER(S) HarvardX team
COST Free and open to the Harvard community
TICKET INFO http://www.eventbrite.com/e/harvardx-open-house-tickets-12686247909
CONTACT INFO michael_rutter at harvard.edu
LINK http://harvardx.harvard.edu/event/harvardx-open-house
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Citizens Rising: A Republic Held Hostage And The Plan To Take It Back
Friday, September 19
5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MIT Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/citizens-rising-a-republic-held-hostage-and-the-plan-to-take-it-back-tickets-12201718669
The US political system is broken.
Our governance has been bought and sold. We all know this, but you can change it.
With featured speakers Lawrence Lessig (Harvard) and Martin Gilens (Princeton),Citizens Rising is a symposium exploring how this corrupted system is used to enhance the leverage of the elite few over the many, and more importantly, it's the chance to ask:
“What am I going to do about it?”
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An Evening of IoT at MIT
Friday, September 19
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
MIT, Building 51-345, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
"An Evening of IoT at MIT" is a free event that will trace the evolution of IoT from the roots of IT. The evening will include hands-on demonstrations and extensive discussions. This event is brought to you by the IoT Initiative (www.iotinit.com) and the MacTechGroup (www.mactechgroup.org)
Questions? Email: iotinit at gmail.com
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Saturday, September 20
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Hack for Democracy – Boston
Saturday, September 20
9:00 AM - Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 5:00 PM
MIT Stata Center, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hack-for-democracy-boston-tickets-12750205207
CALLING ALL DESIGNERS, DEVELOPERS, THINKERS & DOERS
Americans have lost faith in our government. 96% of voters agree that money in politics is a problem, but 91% don’t think it can be fixed.
But with your help, we can fix it. We will discuss how at the Citizens Rising Anti-Corruption Symposium on September 19th. Then we are going to DO something about it.
The High Impact Network has joined forces with Team Democracy to bring you Hack for Democracy at MIT's Stata Center.
ABOUT HACK FOR DEMOCRACY
Come and work with us for 2 days on projects to help get big money out of politics. Please join us if you…
Have a skill you'd like to lend to the cause: web or software development, UX or graphic design, marketing, political strategy, writing, art — you name it!
Want to meet like-minded people and have fun.
Are great at teamwork and can’t resist a challenge.
Want to make a difference in the movement to end the system of corruption in DC and create a vibrant democracy in the USA.
Be there or be a plutocrat!
PROJECTS
Hack for Democracy is a little unique, so let us explain.
First, we have some projects lined up to help existing organizations such as the NH Rebellion, Democracy Matters, Open Democracy, and others, but we also want your ideas, so if you've got one, please come prepared to pitch your idea.
Second, “hacks” don’t have to be limited to technology. A project can be a marketing campaign, a video, software, a website, an interesting concept, or anything to support the movement to create representative democracy.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
NH Rebellion —Presidential Candidate Tracker
Continue design and development of a web-based tool to support Lawrence Lessig's NH Rebellion in asking every presidential primary candidate “How are YOU going to end the system of corruption in Washington?”
Democracy Matters — Democracy Pledge App & Website
Design and develop an app interface (and complementary website) which allows facebook users to sign the Democracy Pledge, "I support restoring democracy by publicly financing elections and getting big money out of politics", and check a box to "donate your data to get big money out of politics". The back-end of the app (currently being develop) will use the data to identify influential university students to join in the anti-corruption movement.
WHAT TO BRING
Your body, your mind, your ideas, and a collaborative, solution-focused attitude.
A laptop with your preferred development, graphic design, and productivity tools installed.
SCHEDULE (provisional)
Saturday, September 20
9:00am Doors open, check in
9:30am Welcome and introduction
9:45am Presentations
10:00am Project briefing
10:30am Form teams
11:00am Start hacking
12:00pm Lunch break
1:00pm Hacking continues
6:00pm Official end of day
6:00pm Hacking continues for those who want to stay late
9:00pm End of day
Sunday, September 21
9:00am Doors open, day begins
12:00pm Lunch break
3:00pm Submission deadline
3:30pm Project presentations
5:00pm Vote for People's Choice award
5:00pm – 6:00pm End of official event, networking
FAQ
Q: Don’t you know that the United States of America isn’t a democracy? It's a republic.
A: A republic is a form of representative democracy. So although our government is not an absolute democracy or direct democracy, it is nonetheless a democracy. To save time, we sometimes just call it a democracy. Both are correct.
Q: What are you? Democrats? Republicans? Liberals? Conservatives?
A: We have a variety of opinions on substantive issues like tax reform, education, healthcare, privacy, environment, etc… But none of that matters. The issue of big money in politics means that none of us are being represented by our lawmakers. Restoring our representative democracy means that all viewpoints — left, right, and center — can compete in the marketplace of ideas. We all need to work together to solve this problem.
Q: Will there be food?
A: Yes. We are lining up sponsors to provide you with food and beverages. There will definitely be caffeine.
Q: Will there be prizes?
A: There will be a popular vote for best project, but our participants are not motivated by fame or prizes. Our mission is to create projects that will make a meaningful impact on the movement to fix our broken political system.
Q: What's the best way to get there?
A: Parking may be limited at the Stata Center. Kendall Station on the Red line is 0.3 miles from Stata center.
Q: Are there any rules I should know about?
A: Yes. Check them out on the Hack for Democracy rules page at http://www.teamdemocracy.us/h4d_rules
Join us at the MIT Stata Center on September 20th & 21st.
Space is limited, so register today!
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Facing Our Nuclear Responsibilities
Saturday, September 20
2:00– 4:00pm
Newton City Hall, War Memorial Auditorium, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton
Speaker: Dr. Helen Caldicott
Renowned Activist, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
and Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND), Author “The New Nuclear Danger”, “Nuclear Power is Not the Answer”
Followed by 3 Panelists
Status of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and other international efforts Panelist: TBA
Our nuclear arsenals and their costs Panelist: Guntram Mueller, Board Chairman, Mass. Peace Action
Nuclear power: waste fuel issue, the environment, status of Pilgrim Plant Panelist: TBA
Moderator: Beverly Droz, Past National President, WAND
There will be a Questions & Answers session from the Audience.
Co-Sponsors will set up literature tables and actions at this event.
Co-Sponsors (to date):
Green Decade/Newton, Massachusetts Peace Action, Newton Dialogues for Peace and War, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom
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Monday, September 22
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EPA’s proposed clean power plan: Implications for states and the electric industry
Monday, September 22
12:00PM TO1:30PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Judy Chang, Principal, The Brattle Group
ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/seminar.html
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund at hks.harvard.edu
See more at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-09-22-160000-2014-09-22-173000/etipconsortium-energy-policy-seminar#sthash.4MvuARPr.dpuf
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Chicken, Egg, or Cook? Foodborne Salmonellosis and Distributed Responsibility
Monday, September 22
12:15PM TO2:00PM
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Angie Boyce, Harvard, Robert Wood Johnson Fellow
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts at hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Contact Name: sts at hks.harvard.edu
See more at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-09-22-161500-2014-09-22-180000/sts-circle-harvard#sthash.koVtApXA.dpuf
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Monarch Butterfly Migration: From behavior to neurons to genes
Monday, September 22
12:15p.
Boston Children's Hospital, Folkman Auditorium, Enders Building, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston
Steven Reppert. The Monarch Project.
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The Power of Noticing
WHEN Mon., Sep. 22, 2014, 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Pound Hall 101, Harvard Law School Campus
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Behavioral Insights Group at the Center for Public Leadership and the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) Max Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO bhankes at law.harvard.edu
NOTE Join us as Professor Max Bazerman discusses his new book, The Power of Noticing: What the Best Leaders See, and shares insights on how effective leaders enhance their negotiations and management decisions by seeing and analyzing information that others might not notice. Professor Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. Co-sponsored by The Behavioral Insights Group at the Center for Public Leadership and the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Refreshments will be served.
LINK http://www.hks.harvard.edu/news-events/events-calendar/max-bazerman-the-power-of-noticing/
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MIT Energy Week - Flagship Expo
Monday, September 22
7:00PM - 8:30PM
MIT, Building 34-101, 34 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Come learn about the various Energy Club Flagship Events, meet their leadership teams, and get involved!
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Urban Greening for Urban Birds
WHEN Mon., Sep. 22, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Arnold Arboretum
SPEAKER(S) Paige Warren, associate professor, Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
COST $10 (students can email to register for free)
TICKET WEB LINK https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1375&DayPlannerDate=9/22/2014
CONTACT INFO adulted at arnarb.harvard.edu, 617.384.5277
NOTE What are the needs of an urban bird? Paige Warren has recently analyzed 150 years of documented changes in the bird communities of Cambridge and examined a variety of Boston’s green spaces to determine ways to improve and increase habitat for year-round as well as migratory birds and other city-dwelling animals. She will speak about her research to understand processes generating and maintaining biological diversity in a world that is becoming increasingly dominated by humans.
LINK arboretum.harvard.edu
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Tuesday, September 23
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Miriam Elder, Foreign Editor, BuzzFeed.
Tuesday, September 23
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
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Digital Badges for Global Health Delivery Skills
Tuesday, September 23
12:30 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/weintraub#RSVP
Event will be webcast live on http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/weintraub at 12:30 pm.
Rebecca Weintraub, MD, Faculty Fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University & Faculty Director, Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard University
Healthcare professionals worldwide often have extensive non-clinical skills in management, public health, policy, or other fields which are not officially recognized through a degree. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project aims to introduce digital badges, a credentialing mechanism for healthcare professionals to showcase their skills and experience to potential new employers, grant-giving organizations, and others. GHD is investigating how other industries internally and externally reward professionals and aims to be the platform that health care delivery professionals use to track their professional development activities.
About Rebecca Weintraub
Rebecca Weintraub, MD is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Faculty Director of the Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project at Harvard University. She is an Associate Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the Division of Global Health Equity and practices medicine within the Department of Medicine. The GHD Project has published over 30 Harvard Business School case studies with Harvard Business Publishing, available online at no cost to the public. Weintraub is a co-faculty lead for the Global Health Delivery Intensive at Harvard, a joint HMS and HSPH training to introduce key principles in global health delivery to providers and implementers. In 2008, the GHD Project launched GHDonline.org, a network of virtual professional communities that connects global health implementers from over 182 countries and 4,000 organizations. Weintraub graduated from Yale University, Stanford Medical School and completed her medical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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Science for All Seasons Public Lecture
WHEN Tue., Sep. 23, 2014, 6 – 7:15 p.m.
WHERE Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MIT Center for Integrative Synthetic Biology
SPEAKER(S) Timothy Lu is a member of the Broad Institute’s Cancer program and an associate professor in the Synthetic Biology Center in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT
COST Free and open to the public
TICKET WEB LINK engineeringoflife.eventbrite.com
NOTE Over the last 50 years, exponential increases in our ability to manipulate electrons and engineer electronic systems have spawned a revolution in information technology. Similarly, rapid improvements in technologies for reading and writing DNA are now transforming our capacity to engineer biological systems. Leveraging these technologies, synthetic biology is an emerging discipline for designing biological systems with novel functionalities. The field has opened up new strategies for interrogating, understanding, diagnosing, and treating human diseases. Timothy Lu will discuss several relevant examples where we have created effective and highly specific antimicrobial agents, identified novel pathways for re-sensitizing highly-drug-resistant bacteria to antibiotic therapy, and invented rapid analytic procedures for detecting microbial pathogens.
LINK http://www.broadinstitute.org/partnerships/education/science-all-seasons/science-all-seasons
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Getting to Net Zero
Tuesday, September 23
6:00PM- 8:30PM
Join us for a public forum on Getting towards Net Zero featuring guest panelists and big ideas for reducing carbon emissions from buildings! The purpose of this forum is for the City to present the Task Force’s preliminary ideas to the public followed by guest expert analysis and feedback in addition to public comment. Guest panelists will be tasked to craft an objective response to the preliminary ideas and offer recommendations moving forward. This is an opportunity for the City to solicit public input on the preliminary ideas as well as receive feedback on issues of concern.
Please save the date! Location and details to follow.
Visit the Net Zero Task Force webpage at http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Climate/netzerotaskforce.aspx
Questions? Contact Ellen Kokinda ekokinda at cambridgema.gov or 617-349-4618
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MIT Energy Week - Community Expo
Tuesday, September 23
7:00PM - 8:30PM
MIT, Building 6-120, Cambridge
Come learn about the various communities within the MIT Energy Club, meet their leadership teams, and get involved!
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Wednesday, September 24
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Policy Gaps and Needs in Meat, Poultry and Seafood Processing
Wednesday, September 24
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM EDT
webinar at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/327934906
Join us this fall for our continuing Wednesday webinar series focused on state and federal policies that could improve our region’s food system. The webinars explore in greater detail the policies and policy options described in our report, New England Food Policy: Building a Sustainable Food System.
All webinars are recorded and will be available at www.farmland.org/newengland. You will find these four webinars already posted there:
May 14: Introduction to the New England Food Policy Report and Project
June 18th: Organic Waste: Finding Uses for It in the Food System
July 16th: Frameworks for Regional Food System Collaboration
July 23rd: Reducing Farmland Conversion: State Land Use and Protection Policies
For a more detailed description of each of the webinars, please visit www.newenglandfoodpolicy.org
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A Roadmap to Long-Term Brain-Machine Interfaces
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
12:00a–1:00p
MIT, Building 34-401, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Light lunch at 11:30am
Speaker: Jan M. Rabaey, University of California at Berkeley
Abstract: Acquiring deeper insights into the dynamic behavior of the brain requires imaging capabilities operating at multiple scales of resolution ?????? from microns to the complete brain. Recent advances in microscopic sensing, ULP processing and communications lead to interfaces that may be able to observe thousands if not millions of active neurons in vivo, opening the door for viable long-term brain-machine interfaces that restore function for people with severe neural disabilities.
MTL Seminar Series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact: Mara Elena Karapetian
452-2545
webmaster at mtl.mit.edu
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Science, Technology, and Innovation in Africa
Wednesday, September 24
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
MIT, Building 26-100, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Moderator: Calestous Juma, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visiting Professor, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
In June 2014 African heads of state and government adopted a 10-year Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024). The strategy is part of the long-term Agenda 2063 which outlines the need to "consolidate African initiatives and strategies on accelerated human capital development, science and technology and innovation." More specifically, it calls on Africa to "lead the new industrial revolution by building a skilled workforce, capitalizing on the digital revolution and global knowledge. This will contribute to rapid diversification of sources of growth, sustain current economic performance and lift large sections out of poverty and create a powerful middle class." In pursuing this vision, the African Union emphasizes the importance of "building our universities as centers of excellence." As part of its efforts to implement STISA-2024, African countries are exploring a variety of partnerships with leading science and technology universities around the world. The aim of the symposium is to explore areas of mutual cooperation between MIT and Africans countries in areas of science, technology and innovation. The event will allow MIT to learn more about emerging trends in Africa and for Africa to familiarize itself with activities and MIT. The event will bring together high-ranking officials from government, industry and academia to MIT for activities that include:
a) Meeting with the senior leadership of MIT and faculty to learn about the Institute's activities;
b) Interacting with students and fellows to gain an understanding of their activities; and
c) Participation in a symposium to help raise awareness on the potential for cooperation.
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Anita: Film Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, September 24
3:45 pm
Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall Room 2019, Milstein West, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.charleshamiltonhouston.org/2014/09/anita-film-screening-discussion/
Please join us for a screening of the film and a panel discussion with:
Anita Hill, Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University
Charles J. Ogletree, Jr*, Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Nan Stein, Senior Research Scientist, Wellesley Centers for Women
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Clean Energy Block Party
Wednesday, September 24
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, 63 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-energy-block-party-tickets-12694261879
Celebrate the end of the summer with MassCEC and your clean energy neighbors from Downtown Crossing and the Financial District at our clean energy block party!
We hope to see you and your staff there!
Light refreshments will be served
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MIT Energy Week - MITEI Expo
Wednesday, Sep 24
7:00PM - 8:30PM
MIT, Building 3-270,
Come learn about the various opportunities offered by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), meet the MITEI staff, and get involved!
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Thursday, September 25
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The Hidden Faces of Modern Day Slavery
WHEN Thu., Sep. 25, 2014, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE The Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn St, Harvard Square Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR WomenExplore Lecture and Discussion Forum, formerly the Theological Opportunities Program at Harvard Divinity School
SPEAKER(S) Lina Sidrys Nealon, director of policy & outreach at Demand Abolition, the Hunt Alternatives Fund's Modern Day Slavery Project
COST $15 general; $5 students
CONTACT INFO info at womenexplore.org
NOTE WomenExplore Lecture and Discussion Forum was formed in 1973 as the Harvard Divinity School program Theological Opportunities Program. In the fall of 2013 WE celebrated 40th years of thought-provoking lectures within a strong feminist community. WE brings together people from the Cambridge and Greater Boston area.
This lecture is part of a 10-week lecture and discussion forum addressing topics relevant to our society, aimed at better understanding our world and ourselves. The Fall 2014 series examines the theme of " Class and Privilege Through a Feminist Lens," and runs each Thursday from September 18th through November 20th.
Visit www.womenexplore.org and Facebook for more information.
LINK www.womenexplore.org
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Aviation's carbon neutral growth goals – how do we get there from here?
September 25
12pm
Tufts, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
The Tufts Institute of the Environment generously sponsors lunch.
Kristin Lewis, PhD, Environmental Biologist, Energy Analysis and Sustainability Division, John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
The global aviation community has committed to achieving carbon neutral growth in aviation operations starting in 2020. The U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization is evaluating potential contributors to achieving this target out to 2050. We will discuss the challenges and the current efforts to reach this goal via performance improvements and alternative fuels. In particular, we will focus on issues relating to the environmental sustainability of alternative jet fuels. We will also discuss the integrated efforts across government, private industry, and international governing bodies to evaluate and facilitate development and deployment of sustainable alternative jet fuels.
Kristin Lewis focuses on climate change adaptation and resilience in transportation, alternative jet fuel transportation, availability, and sustainability analyses, and environmental impact assessments. Dr. Lewis received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama in 2011.
Dr. Lewis supports Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the Head Research and Technical Advisor to the FAA sponsored Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI®), and she provides technical expertise to FAA as a member of the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection (ICAO CAEP) Alternative Fuels Task Force. She also leads the development of the Alternative Fuel Transportation Optimization Tool, a national model for assessing transport of alternative fuels, feedstocks, and co-products, which has been sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and FAA. Dr. Lewis is part of the winning Volpe Innovation Challenge team focusing on supporting the use of Federal tools to address transportation-related climate change.
Contact: environmentalstudies at tufts.edu
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“Science of Rock 'n' Roll”
September 25, 2014
4:00 PM
BC, Merkert 130, located at the far end of Middle Campus, near Conte Forum and Alumni Stadium, on Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill
Professor Ning Fang, Iowa State University
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Clean Energy Block Party
Thursday, September 25
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, 63 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-energy-block-party-tickets-12694261879
Celebrate the end of the summer with MassCEC and your clean energy neighbors from Downtown Crossing and the Financial District at our clean energy block party!
We hope to see you and your staff there!
Light refreshments will be served
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By Design: Or, What Remote Controls Can Teach Us about the Nature of Control
Thursday, September 25
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Caetlin Benson-Allott
How does an object set the limits for human experiences of will and subjecthood? How does an interface temper our desires for interactivity or intervention? A remote control appears to exert its user's will over distant objects, yet the design and function of the device itself instill in its subject a vexed relationship to his or her own agency. Analyzing the technical and design evolution of these devices reveals how the seemingly most inconsequential of media devices have shaped the way users cohabit with mass media, consumer electronics, and each other.
Caetlin Benson-Allott is Associate Professor of English and Film and Media Studies at Georgetown University. She is the author of Killer Tapes and Shattered Screens: Video Spectatorship from VHS to File Sharing (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013) and Remote Control (New York: Bloomsbury Press, forthcoming 2015). Her articles have appeared in Cinema Journal, Jump Cut, Film Quarterly, South Atlantic Quarterly, Film Criticism, and The Quarterly Review of Film and Video as well as multiple anthologies.
Co-sponsored with MIT Literature
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
For more information, contact: Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cmsw at mit.edu
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MIT Energy Week - Opportunities in Wider Boston Area
Thursday, September 25
7:30PM - 9:00PM
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Come hear from industry professionals about the various opportunities in the Wider Boston Energy Ecosystem.
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American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood
Thursday, September 25
8 p.m.
NE Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston
RSVP at http://support.neaq.org/site/Calendar?id=105501&view=Detail
Paul Greenberg, author, and Alex Hay, chief operating officer, Mac’s Seafood, Cape Cod, MA
*Book signing to follow
New York Times bestselling author Paul Greenberg is back with his latest book, American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood. In American Catch, Greenberg explores the idea that Americans need to repair their relationship with local seafood. As more of us become health-conscious and realize the benefits of eating fish, we also need to support local fishing and ensure the protection of these natural resources. From Alaska's salmon in Bristol Bay, to New York City’s oysters, learn more about how you can protect the ocean with the choices you make in the grocery store.
As an added bonus, Greenberg will be joined by local fish supplier Mac’s Seafood for a conversation about how consumers can support their local seafood better. Located on Cape Cod since 1995, Mac’s Seafood is a family business that has been buying local seafood since the very beginning. Why? Because they knew there was nothing better out there. Seafood lovers, don’t miss this lecture! Register here.
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Friday, September 26
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Innovation Breakfast
Friday, September 26
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)
Workbar, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-breakfast-at-workbar-cambridge-tickets-12956109071
The Roving Innovation Breakfast continues! Hosted by Bobbie Carlton, founder of Mass Innovation Nights, we'll be visiting WorkBar in Cambridge. Check out this cool co-working space (they'll be hosting our October 8th Mass Innovation Nights event too!) Join us for coffee+, networking and a discussion on entrepreneurial resources in Boston and Cambridge. Also get an update on the SpaceX-4 launch that Bobbie will be attending the week before!
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Atmospheric methane and ethane: 35 years of global monitoring and 12 years of regional measurements
Friday, September 26
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Donald Blake
Speaker Bio: http://ps.uci.edu/~rowlandblake/
Contact: Lei Zhu
Email: leizhu at fas.harvard.edu
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“Vote With Your Fork” Rally!
Friday, September 26
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/join-us-at-the-vote-with-your-fork-rally-tickets-12532746783
Join elected officials, chefs, neighbors and friends for a Get Out the Vote Rally
Let’s Talk About Food is thrilled to kick-off this year’s Let’s Talk About Food
Festival with a Vote With Your Fork rally with Food Policy Action!
There will be live music from the local band, Grey Season, and some notable speakers including Ken Cook, the Chairman of the Board of Food Policy Action, US Rep Chellie Pingree, Chef and Founder of Wholesome Wave, Michel Nischan, and Chef Barton Seaver.
They’ll be on hand to discuss why we should consider candidates’ votes on food and farming legislation when casting our ballots. Advocating for good food policies and electing food policy leaders across the country are the best ways to get to the heart of many issues facing our food system today.
Food Policy Action is working on making food issues matter as much in Washington as they do in communities across the country, and you can join the movement—just by voting with your fork.
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Saturday, September 27
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2014 Boston Fermentation Festival
Saturday, September 27
10am - 4pm
Egleston Farmer’s Market, Jamaica Plain
Our second annual Fermentation Festival will be a tour de fermentation! This completely *free* festival will be headlined by one of the worl's most reknowned fermentation revivalists, Sandor Katz. Also on hand will be dozens of speakers, lectures, demos and small fermenting businnesses will be on hand to sample & sell their delicious work. We will also have a competitive & tasty pickle-off with some of Boston's most creative chefs.
The festival will be for all levels of fermenting enthusiasts & lactic acid aficionados. There will be more advanced workshops & demos and a kraut mob for those interested in learning the basics of fermentation.
Then on September 28th, join us for an intimate fermentation-themed brunch with Sandor at Oleana Restaurant! Mark your calendars!
More information at http://www.bostonferments.com/#!festival/c8k2
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Cambridge Repair Café
Saturday, September 27
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge
Free and open to the public
What to do with a chair when a leg is loose? With a toaster that no longer works? Or a sweater with moth holes?
Toss it? No way! You can repair it at Repair Café!
Clothes, Electrical Appliances, Toys, Bicycles,
Musical Instruments, Jewelry, Furniture, Etc.
Repair things together, receive expert advice,
meet each other and be inspired.
Call for Repair Specialists:
Tinyurl.com/CambridgeRepairSpecialists
We're looking for repair specialists including electricians, seamstresses, carpenters, Do-It-Yourselfers, bicycle mechanics and people who can fix musical instruments and jewelry to volunteer their time and share their skills for 4 hours on Saturday 9/27 from 10am-2pm. Thank you!
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The Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival
Saturday, September 27
noon to 6 p.m.
Columbus Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and Burke Street in Boston’s South End
Boston’s biggest block party! The outdoor performances are open to the public and free of charge.
More information at http://www.beantownjazz.org
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European Short Film Festival at MIT
Saturday, September 27, 2014
3:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 10-250, access via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge
As in past years, the European Short Film Festival at MIT offers a unique selection of recent short films from all over Europe - most of them screened for the first time in the US. Whether it's ground-breaking cinematic experiments, unconventional comedies, imaginative animation, original documentaries or tense dramas, it's all part of the wide-ranging programming for the ESFF's much-anticipated weekend with screenings starting on Friday at 7:00 pm, an all-ages program on Saturday at 3:00 pm, adult themes on Saturday night at 7:00 and Experimental films on Sunday at 7:00 pm. All the screenings will be held in room 10-250 on the MIT campus. FREE and open to the public.
Web site: http://esff.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
This event occurs daily at 7:00p - 10:00p through September 28, 2014, and also on September 27, 2014 at 3:00p - 5:00p.
Sponsor(s): MIT Hyperstudio, Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Foreign Languages & Literatures
For more information, contact: Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio at mit.edu
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The Ninth Annual “What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Invention”
Saturday, September 27 (Raindate Sunday, September 28)
3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Union Square, Somerville
More information at https://unionsquaremain.org/fluff-festival/
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Sunday, September 28
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Go Global Expo
September 28
11am-5pm
Boston Marriott Cambridge, 2 Cambridge Center, 50 Broadway, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2014-go-global-expo-boston-tickets-11252970939
The Go Global Expo (www.letsgoglobal.com) is a FREE expo taking place September 28, 2014 at the Boston Marriott Cambridge, Cambridge MA. It features opportunities for anyone who wants to get abroad! Whether you are considering going abroad to live, work, volunteer or study, there are opportunities for you here.
The expo will showcase:
Exhibitors representing opportunities in over 100 countries.
Verge Magazine's "Best of" Travel Photo Exhibit.
Informational seminars presented each hour by experts in the field.
International work and internships, volunteering abroad, graduate and undergraduate degrees abroad, exchanges, adventure - and lots more!
The event will run as follows:
September 28:
11am-12pm: Keynote address
12pm-5pm: Exhibit hall open
Pre-register online for the expo to receive a free one-year digital subscription to Verge Magazine!
For more information, please visit www.letsgoglobal.com.
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Circle the City: Open Streets / Open World
Sunday, September 28
1pm – 5pm
Blue Hill Avenue, Boston,
Open Streets is an opportunity to celebrate our local resources and community revitalization efforts through a temporary transformation to a car-free Blue Hill Avenue with exciting FREE programs for the whole family. On September 28th from 1-5pm, it will be closed to cars and open to people, with featured activities that include fitness and dance classes, kids’ games and art projects, walking and biking tours, art making, a historic photo exhibition, free bikes for all ages, live music, an interfaith dialogue, job resources and much more!
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Opportunity
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The Boston Network for International Development (BNID) maintains a website (BNID.org) that serves as a clearing-house for information on organizations, events, and jobs related to international development in the Boston area. BNID has played an important auxiliary role in fostering international development activities in the Boston area, as witnessed by the expanding content of the site and a significant growth in the number of users.
The website contains:
A calendar of Boston area events and volunteer opportunities related to International Development
- http://www.bnid.org/events
A jobs board that includes both internships and full time positions related to International Development that is updated daily - http://www.bnid.org/jobs
A directory and descriptions of more than 250 Boston-area organizations - http://www.bnid.org/organizations
Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter (we promise only one email per week) to get the most up-to-date information on new job and internship opportunities - www.bnid.org/sign-up
The website is completely free for students and our goal is to help connect students who are interested in international development with many of the worthwhile organizations in the area.
Please feel free to email our organization at info at bnid.org if you have any questions!
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SOMERVILLE ROVING ART EVENTS BUS
We are looking for folks to help us program our new M.U.S.C.R.A.T. Bus (Multi Use Somerville Community Roving Art Transport).
About the MUSCRAT
The city of Somerville, led by the Somerville Arts Council, has bought an old school bus, which has been transformed into a Multi Use Somerville Community Roving Art Transport (M.U.S.C.R.A.T). We anticipate that the inside will be used to conduct roaming art classes, performance art or dance, while the outside could be used to screen films or host concerts. The intent for our M.U.S.C.R.A.T. is to create a flexible roving catalyst for creation.
Perhaps you'd like to…
create a comix workshop for youth in an underserved area; this might take place at Mystic River Housing, for example
produce a dance performance in or around the bus in an unlikely location
host a public craft night inside the bus
We look forward to hearing your ideas!
Official Call
For more details and the official call to Producers, go here: http://somervilleartscouncil.org/muscrat
Rachel Strutt, Program Manager, Somerville Arts Council
p: 617.625.6600, x2985 f: 617.666.4325
www.somervilleartscouncil.org
Visit Nibble, a blog about food & culture at
www.somervilleartscouncil.org/nibble
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CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSETTS ARTS GRANT PROGRAM - October 15, 2014
Cambridge Arts makes annual awards of $200-$2000 to support access to professional arts and culture events for Cambridge youth through Field Trip Grants and supports individual artists and organizations through Project Grants. Project Grants are awarded in two categories: Creating & Presenting and Education & Access. Entry fee.
Details: 617-349-4380
http://www.cambridgeartscouncil.org/grants
cambridgearts at cambridgema.gov
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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/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/
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