[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - September 14, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Sep 14 11:02:00 PDT 2014
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke at world.std.com
What I Do and Why I Do It: The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html
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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index
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Monday, September 15
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10am Archemy: Combining Art and Science
12pm Climate realism
12pm TEMPO: The future of space-based air pollution observations
12:15pm Computational Social Science: The Use of 'Big Data' to Study Human Behavior
12:30pm Meet the Loeb Fellows: Agitating Community
12:30pm Vaccinating Children: Public Trust and Health
2pm "Economics, But Not as You Know It”
2pm U.S.-Russia Nuclear Security Cooperation: The Road Ahead
4pm Vehicle Scrappage and Gasoline Policy
4pm Towards Sustainable Computing: Innovative Design and Management Strategies across the Computing Stack
4:30pm Planets and Life Series: Planetary Changes from Deep Time to the 4th Kind
5pm Hacking for Transformative Development
6pm Boston Food Swap - September Event
6pm Building biological networks with BEL open source language
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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8am HILT (Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching) Annual Conference 2014
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
12pm MIT D-Lab Open Hour!
12:30pm Drone Warfare and the Public Imagination
12:30pm Meet the Loeb Fellows: Resiliency for the 21st Century
2:45pm Agricultural Productivity and Structural Transformation. Evidence from Brazil
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
6:30pm 1st Public Forum: Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop
6:30pm Superficial Surfaces
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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Wednesday, September 17
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7:30am September Boston Sustainability Breakfast
11am Harvard Green Transportation Celebration
12pm Buying Regional: State Procurement and Purchasing Policies
12pm Tales from the Trenches of Connectomics
12pm The Future of Urban Housing: Enhancing Energy Efficiency
12pm A Covenant sans Sword
12:10pm The influence of cloud feedbacks on the leading modes of climate variability
12:30pm Ebola in West Africa
12:30pm Critical Issues Confronting China
3pm Berkman Center 2014-2015 Orientation: Technical Showcase with the Geeks
3:30pm "Natural Tuning: Towards A Proof of Concept”
4pm Radcliffe Institute Fellow's Presentation: Firing Line, PBS, and the Rise of the American Conservative Movement
5pm Cambridge Net Zero Task Force Meeting
5:30pm Climate Engineering Research and Stakeholder Engagement at the IASS
5:30pm Innovation in Massachusetts
6pm Tree Mob™ – Building with Bamboo
6pm Airbnb Tech Talk
6pm Film Screening - Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence
6:30pm Crypto News, TOR, and our PGP/GnuPG Keysigning Party XIV
7pm Cambridge Forum: Uncertain Justice: The Supreme Court and the Constitution
7pm Foreign Film Series: Peace Through Cinema
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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
12pm Worldmap: A Spatial Infrastructure to Support Teaching and Research (BROWN BAG TALK)
12:30pm Meet the Loeb Fellows: Community Power and Leadership
2pm Wyss Lecture: Using Light to Visualize and Manipulate Molecular Forces in Living Systems
4pm Face to Face with History: Creating the 9/11 Memorial Museum
4pm Social Status in Networks
4:30pm A Conversation with Peter Thiel
5pm Media Impact Assessment and Beyond: Thoughts on the Treacherous Task of Quantifying Journalistic Performance
5:30pm Corruption in America
5:30pm First Annual Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family Lecture: "Advancing the Human Condition: An Agenda for Research & Education”
6pm Bird Extinctions in the Hawaiian Islands
6pm Urban Films: Revolution ‘67
6pm EarthOS Conversation: People and Resilient Regional Systems
6pm Pitch Club
6:30pm 2nd Public Forum: Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop
6:30pm Startup Stir Foodie Forum
7pm A Film Screening and Discussion on Tap Water
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Friday, September 19
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8am Healthscapes: Using the urban environment to support human health and resilience
8am Park(ing) Day Cambridge
9am The 142nd NE Electricity Restructuring Roundtable: FERC Chair Cheryl LaFleur will Keynote
12pm The BIG Tiny House Festival
12pm Emulating Natural Systems for Geologic CO2 Capture and Storage, and to Enhance Subsurface Permeability
12pm Challenges of Innovation in the Fight Against Organized Crime
12:15pm The Beggars of Xi'An: China's Urban Undercaste
2pm The Future of the Book
3pm The Role of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Addressing the World’s Energy Challenges
3:30pm HarvardX Open House
5pm The Role of Arts in Social Change
5pm Citizens Rising: A Republic Held Hostage And The Plan To Take It Back
6:30pm An Evening of IoT at MIT
7pm Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders
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Saturday, September 20
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9am Hack for Democracy – Boston
9:30am Cambridge Discovery Day Historical Tours
2pm Facing Our Nuclear Responsibilities
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Monday, September 22
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12pm MASS Seminar
12pm Webinar: Where's the Money? Migrating to a Global Digital Money Ecosystem
12pm EPA’s proposed clean power plan: Implications for states and the electric industry
12:15pm Chicken, Egg, or Cook? Foodborne Salmonellosis and Distributed Responsibility
12:15pm Monarch Butterfly Migration: From behavior to neurons to genes
4pm Shonen Knife: Panel discussion with band members
5pm The Power of Noticing
6pm 20 Questions with William Deresiewicz on "Excellent Sheep”
6pm Brainstorming
7pm Dronological- The Art and Science of Unmanned Systems
7pm MIT Energy Week - Flagship Expo
7pm Urban Greening for Urban Birds
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Tuesday, September 23
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12pm Miriam Elder, Foreign Editor, BuzzFeed
12pm Periodic behavior in the extratropical atmospheric circulation.
12:30pm Digital Badges for Global Health Delivery Skills
2:30pm Organizational Barriers to Technology Adoption: Evidence from Soccer-Ball Producers in Pakistan
4pm The Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness
4:30pm DIGITAL LEARNING: IMPROVING ACCESS TO LEARNING AND HOLISTIC EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
6pm Science for All Seasons Public Lecture: Accelerating the engineering of life for human health applications
6pm Getting to Net Zero
7pm MIT Energy Week - Community Expo
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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
Design for Limited Attention Spans: 9 Minutes for Energy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/10/1328850/-Design-for-Limited-Attention-Spans-9-Minutes-for-Energy
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Monday, September 15
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Archemy: Combining Art and Science
Monday, September 15
10 - 5pm
Tufts, Aidekman Arts Center, Slater Concourse, 40 Talbot Avenue, Somerville
Dan Jay. Opening of an exhibit about the art of chemical reactions.
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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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TEMPO: The future of space-based air pollution observations
Monday, September 15
12pm-1pm
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Peter Zoogman, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) geostationary satellite instrument to be launched in 2018 represents a transformative development for observing air pollution…
MASS 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 Law School, Pound Hall 200, Cambridge
David Lazer, Northeastern, Political Science
STS Circle at Harvard
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Meet the Loeb Fellows: Agitating Community
WHEN Mon., Sep. 15, 2014, 12:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Graduate School of Design, Room 112, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Andrew Howard, Team Better Block, Dallas, Tex.; Shahira Fahmy, architect, Cairo; Kolu Zigbi, food systems and urban agriculture funder, New York
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO syoung at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE This is part of a series of three days of presentations introducing the new Loeb Fellows at the GSD.
LINK http://blogs.gsd.harvard.edu/loeb-fellows/new-loebs-annual-speed-dating-events/
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Vaccinating Children: Public Trust and Health
WHEN Mon., Sep. 15, 2014, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Leadership Studio at Harvard School of Public Health
SPEAKER(S) Philip Hilts, Barry Bloom, Seth Mnookin, Jane Kim, Richard Malley
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO theforum at hsph.harvard.edu
NOTE While the majority of Americans vaccinate their children, there are many parents who selectively choose the vaccines to be given or who decline vaccinations
altogether. This Forum event, held a few days after the September 10 airing of the NOVA film Vaccines: Calling the Shots, will examine the drivers of public perceptions of vaccinations, the threats that vaccine-preventable illnesses pose, and the steps to be taken to restore trust in one of public health’s greatest weapons against infectious diseases.
E-mail questions for the expert participants any time before or during the live webcast totheforum at hsph.harvard.edu. Or Tweet them to @ForumHSPH using #vaccinestrust.
Part of: Policy Controversies.
Presented in Partnership with Tangled Bank Studios, a film production company of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and in Collaboration with NOVA, PRI’s The World & WGBH
LINK http://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/events/vaccinating-children/
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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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U.S.-Russia Nuclear Security Cooperation: The Road Ahead
WHEN Mon., Sep. 15, 2014, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, 124 Mt Auburn St, Suite 160, Room 105, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Environmental Sciences, Law, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Managing the Atom
SPEAKER(S) Leon Ratz, fellow, National Nuclear Security Administration
CONTACT INFO joshua_anderson at hks.harvard.edu, 617.495.4219
NOTE After two decades of nuclear security cooperation, why are the United States and Russia still working together to confront nuclear security challenges? This presentation will focus on the principles that guide current cooperation, as well as opportunities and challenges facing the future of the bilateral nuclear security relationship. This talk is a part of a series of occasional "Nonproliferation Practitioner Seminars" sponsored by the Project on Managing the Atom.
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6420/usrussia_nuclear_security_cooperation.html
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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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Planets and Life Series: Planetary Changes from Deep Time to the 4th Kind
Monday, September 15
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 2-105, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker: Andrew Knoll, Harvard / David Grinspoon, Planetary Science Institute
Kick-Off Event: Planetary Changes From Deep Time to the 4th Kind
How did life on earth evolve and what do mass extinctions of the past teach us about the future?
Evolution on a Dynamic Planet, Andrew H. Knoll (Harvard)
Planetary Changes of the 4th Kind: The Search for Intelligent Life on Earth, David H. Grinspoon (Planetary Science Institute)
Reception to follow
Planets and Life: Human and Planetary Perspectives
Weekly lecture and discussion series exploring the co-evolution of the earth's natural systems and life
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2014/planets-life
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) Lectures
For more information, contact:
Vlada Stamenkovic
rinsan at mit.edu
Editorial Comment: Planets and Life: Human and Planetary Perspectives is a full MIT course open to the public.
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Hacking for Transformative Development
Monday, September 15
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
MassChallenge, 21 Drydock Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hacking-for-transformative-development-tickets-12989599241
How might technology transform real estate development?
Can it be harnessed to promote collaboration, provide greater social good, or accelerate transformative change?
MassDevelopment, in partnership with OpportunitySpace, is hosting its first session of Hacking for Transformative Development to address these key questions. It is our hope that this is pilot brainstorming session will lead to continued collaboration and sharing of technology tools to help real estate stakeholders, including governments, to reimagine their role within sustainable development ecosystems.
Invitees include representatives from:
Civic Tech
Government
Private Development
Site Selection Consultants
Think Tanks
Philanthropy
Community
Refreshments provided.
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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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Building biological networks with BEL open source language
Monday, September 15, 2014
6:00 PM
hack / reduce, 275 3rd Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Big-Data-Analytics-Discovery-Visualization/events/203306992/
One major challenge in fully utilizing the vast public databases of biomedical literature is representing biological relationships in a standardized, computable format. The Biological Expression Language (BEL) [http://openBEL.org] is an emerging standard to capture and compile causal relationships while maintaining relevant contextual information as metadata. This presentation will provide an overview of the Biological Expression Language (BEL) format and how it has been applied in combination with the Cytoscape visualization software to construct a large array of biological networks. We will also highlight unique features of BEL that distinguish it from other prominent languages commonly utilized for network building.
The second part of the presentation will highlight the series of biological networks available as part of the ongoing Network Verification Challenge (NVC), a collaborative online project aimed at crowd-sourcing the improvement of biological network models for use by the global scientific community. We will review the foundation of language architecture using specific examples derived from the NVC project, as well as highlight the large array of visualization styles possible for language representation within networks. This tutorial will familiarize users with language semantics and demonstrate its broad applicability to scientific knowledge representation within the analytics community.
Speaker Bios
R. Brett Fields – Associate Scientist at Selventa
Brett has been a team member at Selventa since June 2012, during which time he served an instrumental role in constructing the series of human biological networks being reviewed during the Network Verification Challenge. Brett received his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biochemistry from The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA and received a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Cellular Biology from The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA.
Jennifer S. Park, Ph.D – Associate Director of Research at Selventa
Jennifer has been a scientist at Selventa since 2008, during which time she built numerous molecular models for a variety of inflammatory diseases, cancer and metabolic diseases. She was the scientific lead for building the tissue repair and angiogenesis networks that will be reviewed during the Network Verification Challenge, and was heavily involved with construction of the other NVC networks. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and received a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, CA.
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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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HILT (Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching) Annual Conference 2014
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 8 a.m.
WHERE Wasserstein Hall, Harvard University
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Education, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching
COST Free; registration lottery
TICKET WEB LINK https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5bFiNCBeK9gAVgN
CONTACT INFO hilt at harvard.edu
NOTE Sessions will address three general topics, consistent across the three years of the HILT conference: institutional adaptation, instructional practice, and learning science. The day will be bookended by facilitated panels on institutional adaptation, the first a faculty panel and the second with individuals in relatively new senior leadership roles. Instructional practice will be designed as interactive breakout sessions, with examples shown by those who have recently experimented with new practices and orienting what they’ve learned toward practical know-how.
The science of learning session will be geared toward early insights from recent studies – compelling progress reports from the field.
LINK http://hilt.harvard.edu/conference
This event will be webcast.
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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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MIT D-Lab Open Hour!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building N-51-3rd floor, 275 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Student and staff guides
MIT D-Lab offers tours of its space, workshop, available prototypes, and small exhibits. D-Lab uses technology, design and educational resources to pursue the eradication of poverty worldwide. Over the past 12 years, D-Lab has evolved to include 18 courses, fieldwork projects, partners, research, programs and K-12 outreach.
Web site: d-lab.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
This event occurs on Tuesdays through December 9, 2014.
Sponsor(s): D-Lab
For more information, contact: Nancy Adams
nadamsx at mit.edu
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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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Meet the Loeb Fellows: Resiliency for the 21st Century
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Graduate School of Design, Room 124 Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Loeb Fellowship at the GSD
SPEAKER(S) Scott Campbell, environmentalist, Colorado Springs; Thaddeus Pawlowski, urban designer, New York; Maria Jaakkola, landscape architect, Helsinki
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO syoung at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE This is the second in a three part series introducing the Loeb Fellows to the Harvard Community
LINK http://blogs.gsd.harvard.edu/loeb-fellows/new-loebs-annual-speed-dating-events/
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Agricultural Productivity and Structural Transformation. Evidence from Brazil
Tuesday, September 16
2:45p–4:00p
Harvard Hall 104, Harvard Yard
Speaker: Paula Bustos (CREI)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Seminar
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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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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1st Public Forum: Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop
September 16
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP by email to rsvp at architects.org with "Beacon Yards Sept 16” as the subject
The BSA is hosting two public forums in conjunction with the Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop, a professional initiative focused on the urban design issues raised by the prospective redesign of the Allston/Cambridge interchange in Beacon Yards. The professional workshop is organized by Tim Love AIA, principal, Utile, and BSA president-elect. This first public forum will provide an overview of the workshop objectives. The second, on September 18, will present workshop results. For more information about the events contact BSA Civic Design Director Gretchen Schneider AIA.
Renée Loth, editor of ArchitectureBoston magazine and Boston Globe columnist, will moderate the discussion. Panelists include: Paul McMorrow, Associate editor at Commonwealth Magazine and Boston Globe columnist; Matthew Urbanski, Principal at Michael Van Valkenberg Associaties; and Gary Hilderbrand FASLA, Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard GSD and Principal of Reed Hilderbrand Associates.
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Superficial Surfaces
WHEN Tue., Sep. 16, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Martin Rein-Cano
COST Free and open to the public
NOTE Founded in Berlin in 1996 by Martin Rein-Cano, Topotek1 works with landscape at the intersection of architecture, urban design, music, and art. To illustrate aspects and strategies of the firm’s philosophy and approach, which often involves a recontextualization of design features and scenography, Rein- Cano’s lecture will examine one of the firm’s large-scale projects, the urban ambiance for Superkilen, in Copenhagen. Topotek1 has received the Deutscher Städtebaupreis (2002), Deutscher Architekturpreis (2003), and honors from the Chamber of German Landscape Architects (BDLA), among others. A master plan for the Danish city of Høje Taatstrup, the urban design of Port Jeune in Mulhouse, and Lorsch Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are among its current projects.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/martin-rein-cano-superficial-surfaces.html
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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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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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A Covenant sans Sword
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: VIJAY SHANKAR, Vice Admiral of Indian Armed Forces
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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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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"Natural Tuning: Towards A Proof of Concept"
Wednesday, September 17
3:30 pm
BU, 3 Cummington Mall, Room 595, Boston
Speaker: Sergei Dubovsky, NYU
Contact: W. Somers
wsomers at bu.edu
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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
Dr. Mark Lawrence is a scientific director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), leading the research cluster SIWA, Sustainable Interactions with the Atmosphere. SIWA focuses on the impacts and mitigation of short-lived, climate-forcing pollutants (SLCPs), particularly in the face of global urbanization, and on the potential impacts, uncertainties and risks of “climate engineering”. Dr. Lawrence received his Ph.D. in 1996 in Earth and Atmospheric Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, (USA). His Ph.D. research was mainly conducted at the Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Mainz.
Geoengineering: Science and Governance
Contact: Lisa Matthews
lisa_matthews at harvard.edu
p. 617-495-8883
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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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Tree Mob™ – Building with Bamboo
Tuesday, September 17
6:00pm
Meet at the bamboo grove at the Walter Street side of the Arnold Arboretum at Accession 369-80*MASS(Phyllostachys bambusoides), Jamaica Plain
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are studying the mechanical properties of bamboo, with a view towards developing structural bamboo products, analogous to wood products such as plywood, oriented strand board, and glue-laminated wood. Bamboo is renewable, is widespread in countries with rapidly developing economies (such as China, India and Brazil), and grows remarkably quickly.Lorna Gibson, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, will discuss how bamboo grows, what its interior structure looks like, and how it can be used in structural bamboo products. Meet at the bamboo grove at the Walter Street side of the Arboretum at Accession 369-80*MASS(Phyllostachys bambusoides) at 6:00pm on Wednesday, September 17.
Parking Options: Park at the Weld Hill Building. Walk up the drive to the dirt access road. Take the dirt road out to Walter Street. Cross Walter Street to enter the Arboretum at the Walter Street Gate. Turn left up the dirt road to the bamboos. Or park on Bussey Street. Enter the Arboretum through the Bussey Street Gate. Turn left and follow the dirt road uphill to the bamboos.
Public Transportation: Take the T to Forest Hills. Enter the Arboretum through the Washington Street Gate. Follow Blackwell Footpath and cross to enter the Arboretum at the South Street Gate. Walk to Hemlock Hill Road and turn left. Before the Bussey Street Gate, turn right and walk uphill on the dirt road. Or from Forest Hills, take the #39 bus to Faulkner Hospital Stop. Enter the Arboretum at the Centre Street Gate, turn right on the paved road and branch off to the right on Conifer Path. Follow Conifer Path to the bamboos.
Contact: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130-3500
617.524.1718
fax: 617.524.1418
email: arbweb at arnarb.harvard.edu
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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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Worldmap: A Spatial Infrastructure to Support Teaching and Research (BROWN BAG TALK)
Thursday, September 18
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-202, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Ben Lewis
The WorldMap platform http://worldmap.harvard.edu is the largest open source collaborative mapping system in the world, with over 13,000 map layers contributed by thousands of users from Harvard and around the world. Researchers may upload large spatial datasets to the system, create data-driven visualizations, edit data, and control access. Users may keep their data private, share it in groups, or publish to the world.
The user base is interdisciplinary, including scholars from the humanities, social sciences, sciences, public health, design, planning, etc. All are able to access, view, and use one another’s data, either online, via map services, or by downloading.
Current work is underway to create and maintain a global registry of map services and take us a step closer to one-stop-access for public geospatial data. Another project is working on tools to support the visualization of spatial datasets with over a billion features. Current collaborations are underway with groups inside Harvard, such as Dataverse, HarvardX, and various departments, and with groups outside Harvard, such as Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. Major additional contributors to the underlying source code include the WorldBank, the U.S. State Department, and the United Nations.
The source code for the WorldMap platform is available on GitHub https://github.com/cga-harvard/cga-worldmap.
Ben Lewis is system architect and project manager for WorldMap…
MIT Libraries Information Science Brown Bag Talks
Information Science Brown Bag talks, hosted by the Program on Information Science, consists of regular discussions and brainstorming sessions on all aspects of information science and uses of information science and technology to assess and solve institutional, social and research problems. These are informal talks. Discussions are often inspired by real-world problems being faced by the lead discussant.
Web site: http://informatics.mit.edu/event/worldmap-spatial-infrastructure-support-teaching-and-research-brown-bag-talk
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Libraries
For more information, contact: Shapiro, Randi
6173244988
shapiror at mit.edu
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Meet the Loeb Fellows: Community Power and Leadership
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18, 2014, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Graduate School of Design, Room 124, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Marc Norman, real estate and commuity developer, Syracuse, N.Y.; Jamie Blosser, architect, Santa Fe, N.M.; LaShawn Hoffman, community development, Atlanta; Gisli Marteinn Baldursson, activist and commentator, Reykjavik, Iceland
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO syoung at gsd.harvard.edu
NOTE This is the third in a three part series introducing the Loeb Fellows to the Harvard community.
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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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A Conversation with Peter Thiel
WHEN Thu., Sep. 18, 2014, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Business School, Burden Hall, Soldiers Field Road, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Rock Center for Entrepreneurship
SPEAKER(S) Professor Bill Sahlman will interview Peter Thiel about his new book, "Zero to One," to explore the complexities of intensive innovation.
Afterwards, the HBS Entrepreneurship Club will host a book signing in Burden Lobby. Copies of his new book will be available to purchase.
COST Free and open to the public
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rock-center-for-entrepreneurship-a-conversation-with-peter-thiel-tickets-12602872531
CONTACT INFO vreeves at hbs.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.eventbrite.com/e/earthos-conversations-series-topic-4-people-tickets-12918986035
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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2nd Public Forum: Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop
September 18
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
TBD
RSVP by emailing rsvp at architects.org with "Beacon Yards Sept 18” as the subject
The BSA is hosting two public forums in conjunction with the Beacon Yards Urban Design Workshop, a professional initiative focused on the urban design issues raised by the prospective redesign of the Allston/Cambridge interchange in Beacon Yards. The professional workshop is organized by Tim Love AIA, principal, Utile, and BSA president-elect. The first public forum provided an overview of workshop objectives. This second public forum will present workshop results. For more information about the events contact BSA Civic Design Director Gretchen Schneider AIA.
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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 Keleman
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 Beggars of Xi'An: China's Urban Undercaste
WHEN Fri., Sep. 19, 2014, 12:15 – 1:45 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, S153, 1st Floor, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Co-sponsored by the Harvard University Asia Center, the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and Regional Studies — East Asia
SPEAKER(S) Adam K. Mitchell, graduate student, Harvard University
NOTE An exhibit of Adam Mitchell's photographs of the Beggars of Xi'an will be on display in the Asian Centers' Lounge, 1st Floor, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St., beginning September 18, 2014
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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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The Role of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Addressing the World’s Energy Challenges
Friday, September 19
3:00 PM
BU, Room 205, 8 St. Mary’s Street, Boston
Refreshments served at 2:45 PM
James Dickerson, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Abstract: The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States provides state-of-the-art capabilities for the fabrication and study of nanoscale materials, with an emphasis on atomic-level tailoring to achieve desired properties and functions. The CFN is a science-based user facility, simultaneously developing strong scientific programs while offering broad access to its capabilities and collaboration through an active user program. The overarching scientific theme of the CFN is the development and understanding of nanoscale materials that address the Nations’ challenges in energy security, consistent with the Department of Energy mission. The CFN is one of five Nanoscale Science Research Centers (NSRCs) funded by the Office of Science of the United States Department of Energy. The CFN supports Brookhaven’s goal of leadership in the development of advanced materials and processes for selected energy applications.
In my presentation, I will highlight the role that the CFN, through its scientific staff and this scientific user community, is playing in addressing the world’s energy challenges. I will focus on several trajectories of research that are being executed at CFN, including work on photovoltaics, novel nanostructured materials for catalysis, soft and biological materials, and our state-of-the-art electron microscopy and proximal probe microscopy facilities.
Biography: James H. Dickerson II completed his undergraduate education at Amherst College in 1994, receiving a BA in physics. He earned his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2002, working with Emilio Mendez. He held a postdoctoral research scientist position at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center of Columbia University from 2002 until 2004, working with Irving Herman. From 2004 through 2011, he was an Assistant Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt University. In 2011, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Physics and Associate Professor of Chemistry. In July 2013, he joined the Department of Physics at Brown University. Since June 2012, he has been the Assistant Director for the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
He serves on the Editorial Board of Materials Letters and has served as the Chair of the Committee on Minorities of the American Physical Society. His honors include a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and a W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship.
Dickerson investigates emerging techniques for the assembly and deposition of colloidal nanocrystalline materials into thin films and heterostructures, employing dc and/or ac electric fields to transport and to deposit nanomaterials onto conducting and semiconducting substrates. His research interests also involve the fundamental correlation among the size, the arrangement of atoms, and the optical and magnetic properties that are exhibited within nanocrystalline materials, particularly rare earth sesquioxide and rare earth chalcogenide nanocrystals. This involves the fabrication, electron microscopic characterization, and the physical (optical and magnetic) characterization of a variety of nanomaterials, focusing on lanthanide-based nanocrystals and transition metal oxide nanomaterials. Dickerson was the co-editor of Electrophoretic Deposition of Nanomaterials (Springer Books), the first comprehensive reference book on the subject.
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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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The Role of Arts in Social Change
WHEN Fri., Sep. 19, 2014, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Plimpton Room, Barker Center 113, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard South Asia Institute, Arts and Social Justice Program, and Mahindra Center for the Humanities
SPEAKER(S) Nandita Das, actor, director, and ddvocate of social issues; Cara Moyer-Duncan, assistant professor, Africana Studies, Institute for Liberal Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies, Emerson College; moderated by Mukti Khaire, associate professor of business administration, Harvard Business School
COST Free and open to the public
NOTE Nandita Das will speak on her work that addresses social issues in the South Asia context, with particular focus on gender issues. Cara Moyer-Duncan was a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town’s Centre for African Studies while completing field research. Her work is on culture, art, and social change, with a particular focus on Africa.
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/the-role-of-art-and-film-in-social-change/
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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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Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders
Friday, September 19, 2014
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
This event includes a book signing
This event is free; no tickets are required.
Harvard Book Store welcomes James Beard Award–winning author ROWAN JACOBSEN for a discussion of his latest book, Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders.
In his classic A Geography of Oysters, Rowan Jacobsen forever changed the way America talks about its best bivalve. Now he does the same for our favorite fruit, showing us that there is indeed life beyond Red Delicious—and even Honeycrisp. While supermarkets limit their offerings to a few waxy options, apple trees with lives spanning human generations are producing characterful varieties—and now they are in the midst of a rediscovery. From heirlooms to new designer breeds, a delicious diversity of apples is out there for the eating.
Apples have strong personalities, ranging from crabby to wholesome. The Black Oxford apple is actually purple, and looks like a plum. The Knobbed Russet looks like the love child of a toad and a potato. (But don’t be fooled by its looks.) The D’Arcy Spice leaves a hint of allspice on the tongue. Cut Hidden Rose open and its inner secret is revealed.
With more than 150 art-quality color photographs, Apples of Uncommon Character shows us the fruit in all its glory. Jacobsen collected specimens both common and rare from all over North America, selecting 120 to feature, including the best varieties for eating, baking, and hard-cider making. Each is accompanied by a photograph, history, lore, and a list of characteristics. The book also includes 20 recipes, savory and sweet, resources for buying and growing, and a guide to the best apple festivals. It’s a must-have for every foodie.
Contact: (617) 661-1515
info at harvard.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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Cambridge Discovery Day Historical Tours
Saturday, September 20
9:30am - 7pm
Enjoy a variety of free historical tours and events on Cambridge Discovery Day Saturday, Sept 20, from 9:30am–7pm. For tour descriptions, view the list below or visit http://www2.cambridgema.gov/Historic/walks.html, choose some tours and meet guides at the starting locations. All tours and events will take place rain or shine! For more information, contact Cambridge Historical Commission at 617-349-4683 (weekdays) or Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site at 617-876-4491 (weekends).
A Pearl of a Street (9:30-11am)
Meet at Pearl Street entrance of Central Square Branch Library, 45 Pearl Street, Cambridge
Explore the neighborhood of upper Pearl Street and discover Mr. Valentine’s workers’ cottages, the rowhouses built by Mr. Squires and the site of an old soap factory. Led by Kit Rawlins, Cambridge Historical Commission. Questions? 617-349-4683 or krawlins at cambridgema.gov
Free Tours of The Longfellow House - Washington’s Headquarters
(10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm)
Meet in the Visitor’s Center, Longfellow House, 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge
In the winter of 1775-1776, this was the headquarters of General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the newly formed Continental Army. From here, Washington directed the Siege of Boston and began to train and discipline the militias gathered in Cambridge. He entertained notable visitors, including Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold. From 1837-1882, the house was a warm and welcoming place, the home of the poet, scholar and professor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his family. It was a favorite gathering place for philosophers and artists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Julia Ward Howe, James Russell Lowell and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Readings from poems, letters and diaries enliven the tours. Led by National Park Service Rangers. Questions? 617-876-4491
Stories of The Port: Between Kendall and Central (10-11:30am)
Meet at Jill Brown-Rhone Park, 900 Main Street, junction of Columbia and Main streets and Massachusetts Avenue
Explore this neighborhood rich in ethnic and cultural diversity, public art and political history through the stories told by lifelong residents, immigrants and activists. See the mural on Portland Street celebrating Area 4; discover Clement Morgan and the park that bears his name; and delve into controversial projects, including urban renewal and the Inner Belt. The tour will end at Toscanini’s for coffee, ice cream and conversation. Led by Sarah Boyer, Oral Historian, Cambridge Historical Commission. Questions? 617-349-6171 or sboyer at cambridgema.gov
“Have You Milked The Cows Today?” (11:30am–12:30pm)
Meet on brick apron to right of the Massachusetts Avenue door of First Parish Unitarian Church, Zero Church Street. Look for the bright red rug! For Children Ages 4-12. (Must be accompanied by a responsible adult).
Mistress Elizabeth, an 18th century living history character from Charlestown-Beyond-the-Neck, is the widow of Captain Elias de la Rue and a sometime schoolteacher and lives in the summer of 1773. Mistress Elizabeth will teach attendees how to write their name with a quill pen, card and spin wool, and read the abecedarium from a hornbook. Join us in singing songs and dancing country dances, too! Materials will be provided. Questions? 781-646-3013 or ihsdlrue at gmail.com
The Longfellow House Presents the Dead Writers Showcase (12-3pm)
Meet in the garden at Longfellow House-Washington’s HQ National Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street
Join this modern literary salon featuring living history performers portraying 19th Century American writers. Drop in at any time to chat informally with the authors, who will offer brief readings from their works throughout the afternoon. You may meet Richard Henry Dana Jr. (Daniel Berger-Jones), Margaret Fuller (Jessa Piaia), Nathaniel Hawthorn (Rob Velella), Julia Ward Howe (Libby Franck), Washington Irving (John Dennis Anderson), Harriet Beecher Stowe (Susan Lenoe) and Henry David Thoreau (Richard Smith). [Writers attending may change.] Questions? Call 617-876-4491
Streets & Squares of Cambridge: A Walk In Mount Auburn Cemetery (1-2:30pm)
Meet at front gate of Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street
Have you ever wondered for whom the streets and squares of Cambridge are named? This tour will introduce you to the honored namesakes, including Zachariah Porter, Joseph Buckingham, Jared Sparks, Morrill Wyman, John Appleton, the Rindge family and many others. Their ideas and contributions — from the Porterhouse steak to the founding of Mount Auburn Hospital — helped create our culture and our city. Led by Carol Harper, volunteer docent. Questions? 617-607-1980 or friendsofmountauburn.org or www.mountauburn.org
Agents of Change: Polity & Politics in Cambridge Churches (1-2:30pm)
Meet at the information kiosk, Harvard Square.
Diversity of religious and political affiliations have been issues in Cambridge since Harvard’s first president became a Baptist and was asked to resign. Visit historic church sites; learn about the impact on New England of England’s Civil War of 1640 (the other civil war: Roundheads vs Royalists); and discuss how issues between Cambridge and Boston clergy foreshadowed and influenced events leading up to the Revolution. Sing a tune from the Bay Psalm Book at the site where it was published, join in a rousing political song or two at the Blue Anchor Tavern site, and listen to poetry by colonial writers. Handout included. Your guide, Mistress Elizabeth, is an 18th Century living history character from Charlestown-Beyond-the-Neck. The widow of Captain Elias de la Rue and a sometime schoolteacher, Mistress Elizabeth lives in the summer of 1773, just six months before the Boston Tea Party and a little less than two years before events at Lexington and Concord. Questions? 781-646-3013 or ihsdlrue at gmail.com
Fresh Pond Places: A History Walkabout (1-3pm)
Meet at Ranger Station (door under the clock tower facing pond), 250 Fresh Pond Parkway
A walk from the Water Treatment Plant to Black’s Nook passes through thousands of years of history, from Fresh Pond’s glacial past, through the days of private land ownership, to the booming international ice trade of the 19th century. Learn about the role of the railroad, view areas where ice houses stood, and discover the origins of place names. Program will be inside it it’s raining. Registration REQUIRED by Sept. 13. Wear comfy shoes! Led by Chief Ranger Jean Rogers Black’s Nook. Questions? jrogers at cambridgema.gov
The Old Burying Ground: Epitaphs, Elegies & Encomiums (3-4:15pm)
Meet at the Old Burying Ground gate next to Christ Church, Zero Garden Street
Examine the work of early colonial carvers; discuss the stones and the information they convey about important figures in the Cambridge community; and study how institutionalized colonial slavery affected burial sites, stones and commemorative texts in the years just prior to the American Revolution. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. No touching or rubbing of stones is permitted in the grounds; photography and drawing are fine! Handout included. Led by Mistress Elizabeth. Questions? 781-646-3013 orihsdlrue at gmail.com.
The Women of Tory Row (3-4:30pm)
Meet at the Tory Row marker, corner of Brattle and Mason streets
In the 1760s, the estates along the King’s Highway to Watertown formed Cambridge’s richest and most elegant neighborhood. The American Revolution turned that world upside-down. This tour explores the lives of the women who managed households along modern Brattle Street, from the tumult in 1774 that drove away the neighborhood’s leading families, through the early republic. The women to be discussed include widows both wealthy and impoverished, wives who went into exile both happily and reluctantly, a formerly enslaved housekeeper and a German noblewoman captured with her husband at Saratoga. Led by J. L. Bell, historian. Questions? www.boston1775.net
The Writers of Cambridge Cemetery (5:30-7pm)
Meet at Cambridge Cemetery, 76 Coolidge Avenue, outside the cemetery office.
Not all of our famous writers are interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery. Join this twilight stroll through Cambridge Cemetery and visit the final resting places of some of the 19th Century’s most important literary figures, including William Dean Howells and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Led by Rob Velella, literary historian. The cemetery is a short walk from the 71/73 bus stop at Mount Auburn St. and Coolidge Ave. Parking is available at the cemetery. Questions? http://americanliteraryblog.blogspot.com
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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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MASS Seminar
Monday, September 22
12pm-1pm
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
John Dwyer, MIT
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Webinar: Where's the Money? Migrating to a Global Digital Money Ecosystem
Monday, September 22
12:00p–1:00p
Webinar
RSVP at http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_092214/migrating-to-global-digital-money-ecosystem.html
Speaker: Irving Wladawsky-Berger, Ph.D., Visiting Lecturer, Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division, MIT
The evolution to a digital money ecosystem involves much more than converting cash, checks, and credit cards from physical to digital objects.
In this webinar, Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger will begin with a brief history of the evolution to a digital money ecosystem, then offer insights into its incessantly changing components and challenges. Attendees will hear the latest thinking on:
global payment infrastructures;
management of personal identities and financial data;
international financial flows among institutions (and between institutions and individuals);
government regulatory regimes; and
issues related to security, privacy, and more.
He will also discuss major opportunities across all industries and nonprofit sectors???as well as challenges.
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us.
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.
Web site: http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_092214/migrating-to-global-digital-money-ecosystem.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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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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Shonen Knife: Panel discussion with band members
Monday, September 22, 2014
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building 4-231, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
MIT Global Studies and Languages and MIT/Harvard Cool Japan ("Yabai Japan") present:
Panel discussion with members of SHONEN KNIFE, legendary Japanese punk band
Presentations followed by Q and A
Band members will discuss their two-decade history in the music industry, their breakthrough success in the US, and their experience performing globally, now on tour to promote their new album "Overdrive." More band info: http://www.shonenknife.net
Discussion will be moderated by Prof. Ian Condry (GSL & CMS/W) and will be followed with a reception and meet-and-greet with the musicians.
Free and open to the public.
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): MIT Global Studies and Languages, MIT/Harvard Cool Japan
For more information, contact: Lisa Hickler
617-452-2676
lhickler at mit.edu
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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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20 Questions with William Deresiewicz on "Excellent Sheep”
WHEN Mon., Sep. 22, 2014, 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Paine Hall, Music Building, behind Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard
SPEAKER(S) William Deresiewicz on his new book "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life"
Moderator: Homi K. Bhabha
Questioners: Amanda Claybaugh, Nathaniel Donahue, Fawwaz Habbal, Rakesh Khurana, Camille Owens, Diana Sorensen
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO humcentr at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/william-deresiewicz-excellent-sheep
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Brainstorming
Monday, September 22, 2014
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Fidelity Investments, Center for Applied Technology, 245 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Design-Thinking-Meetup/events/206816682/
"If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas. Most of them will be wrong, and what you have to learn is which ones to throw away." - Linus Pauling
Join us for an exploration into Ideation through radical collaboration, encouraging wild ideas and reframing a problem space.
There will be food and drink. Please bring a photo ID to get in to the ThinkSpace.
Boston Design Thinking Meetup
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Dronological- The Art and Science of Unmanned Systems
Monday, September 22, 2014
7:00p
MIT, Building E15-070, Bartos Theater, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Marko Peljhan
Art, Culture and Technology Program Lecture
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact: Anne Simunovic
617-253-4412
annesim at mit.edu
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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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Periodic behavior in the extratropical atmospheric circulation.
Monday, September 23
12pm-1pm
MIT, Building 54-517 (the tallest building on campus)
Dave Thompson
MASS Seminar
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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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Organizational Barriers to Technology Adoption: Evidence from Soccer-Ball Producers in Pakistan
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: David Atkin (UCLA)
Web site: http://economics.mit.edu/files/9882
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Organizational Economics
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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The Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness
Tuesday, September 23
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium,
Speaker: Dr. Christof Koch, Allen Institute for Brain Science
Dr. Christof Koch is the Chief Scientific Officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, where he is leading a ten year, high through-put effort of several hundred scientists building brain observatories to catalogue, map, analyze and understand the cerebral cortex in humans and mice. He loves books, dogs, climbing, biking and long-distance running.
Brains, Minds & Machines Seminar Series
(This seminar series was formerly known as "Brains & Machines Seminar Series.")This seminar series is organized by the Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM) which is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), under a Science and Technology Centers (STCs): Integrative Partnerships award, Grant No. CCF-1231216.Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Web site: http://cbmm.mit.edu/events/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and open to the public
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Center for Brains, Minds and Machines (CBMM)
For more information, contact: Kathleen D Sullivan
kdsulliv at mit.edu
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DIGITAL LEARNING: IMPROVING ACCESS TO LEARNING AND HOLISTIC EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
Tuesday, September 23
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 4-231, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Sanjay Sarma, Jonathan Haber, Justin Reich
Digital learning holds great promise for enhancing a student???s learning experience and contributing to an ongoing evolution in pedagogical methods and curriculum development. The
ability to rapidly update and customize curriculum, engage students in stimulating individual and collaborative exercises, and monitor their progress at high time resolution are some of the potential advantages that digital technology provides.
Through this panel discussion, we intend to explore recent progress and innovations with respect to the use of digital learning for the following objectives:
Reduction in achievement gap between high and low income student populations;
Training and cultivation of social and emotional understanding;
Exploration and fostering of ethics and values
Web site: http://thecenter.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values
For more information, contact: Heather Goldman
617-254-6030
info at thecenter.mit.edu
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Science for All Seasons Public Lecture: Accelerating the engineering of life for human health applications
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
Cambridge Main Library, Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Christina Halfpenny, Luke Falk, Ralph DiNola
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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Upcoming Events
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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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The IDF's Doctrine and Force Structure: The Effects of the Gaza War
Wednesday, September 24
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: SHAI FELDMAN, Brandeis University
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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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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The ARC and the Covenants: Assessing the Ability of U.S. States to Service Debt, Pension, and Retiree Health Care Costs in a World of Finite Resources
WHEN Thu., Sep. 25, 2014, 11:45 a.m. – 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) Michael Cembalest, chairman, Market and Investment Strategy at JP Morgan
COST Free; RSVP to mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
NOTE Lunch will be served.
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Aviation's carbon neutral growth goals – how do we get there from here?
Thursday, 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”
Thursday, 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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The New Physics of Radiant Heat
Thursday, September 25
4:00 pm
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Refreshments @ 3:30 pm in 4-349 (Pappalardo Community Room)
Steven Johnson, MIT
"Do not all fix'd Bodies, when heated beyond a certain degree, emit Light and shine; and is not this Emission perform'd by the vibrating motions of their parts?" -- Sir Isaac Newton, The Third Book of Opticks, part I (1704).
Everyone knows that when an object gets hot enough, it glows. The quantitative mathematical theory of thermal radiation is over a century old, with the solution to the "ultraviolet catastrophe" of black-body radiation playing an important role in the origin of quantum mechanics. Well before Planck's law, Kirchhoff quantified the observation that a good absorber (a nearly black surface) is a good emitter, by presenting what is now known as "Kirchhoff's law" (of thermal radiation, not of circuits): the emissivity of a surface (the fraction of black-body radiation that it emits) is equal to its absorptivity (the fraction of incident light that it absorbs) at any given frequency. This statement, which can be derived from detailed balance in thermodynamics or alternatively from the fluctuation-dissipation theorem combined with electromagnetic reciprocity, has taken on a new significance in the design of synthetic thermal emitters. For applications from spectroscopy to thermophotovoltaics, many researchers are exploiting photonic crystals, surface-plasmon resonances, and other optical effects in wavelength-scale media in order to design nano-patterned surfaces that radiate a tailored spectrum, for example to radiate primarily in a narrow frequency range. At first glance, Kirchhoff's law also seems to impose a fundamental limitation on radiated power: since you can never absorb more than 100% of incident light, you can never emit more than a black body. It turns out that this is not the case, however. By the 1950's, it was realized that "near-field" heat transfer, between two surfaces separated on the wavelength scale or less, could exceed the black-body limit, but the problem proved surprisingly challenging to study: theoretical predictions were only possible for flat surfaces until developments (at MIT and elsewhere) in the last few years, when an explosion of new developments has appeared in the literature. There has also been new work on thermal radiation from strongly nonlinear media, and we have recently shown that these can even exceed the black-body limit. In this talk, we start with basic thermodynamics and work our way to these modern twists on the old notion of radiant heat.
More at: http://web.mit.edu/physics/events/colloquia.html#sthash.gfQizcVr.dpuf
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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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Solar Impulse and the Swiss-American Aerospace Connections
Thursday, September 25
5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Novartis Auditorium, 220-250 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
5:30 PM Registration
5:30 – 7 PM Reception & Networking
7 – 8:30 PM Presentation and Panel Discussion
RSVP via email boston_events at amcham.ch required by September 22, 2014
Free Admission
Join us for a discussion with Olivier de Weck, , Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Executive Director, Production in the innovation Economy, MIT, on the Solar Impulse and the Swiss American Aerospace Connection. The event, composed of a presentation and a panel discussion moderated by Wolfgang Klietmann, M.D., Harvard Medical School, is organized by the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce and swissnex Boston. I
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The Library Beyond the Book
WHEN Thu., Sep. 25, 2014, 6 p.m.
WHERE Robinson Hall, Basement Conference Room
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Presented by the Charles Warren Center Workshop on Multimedia History and Literature: New Directions in Scholarly Design
SPEAKER(S) Jeffrey Schnapp and Matthew Battles, MetaLAB, Harvard University
CONTACT INFO lkennedy at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/fsprogramschedule.html
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Seeking Investments That Are Profitable and Green
Thursday, September 25
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Le Meridien Cambridge, 20 Sidney Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Sustainable-Responsible-Investors-Forum/events/204459682/
Not all investors have the ability to take on potentially higher risk involved with diving into the vanguard of the green movement, but many are seeking companies that are making a profit while showing concern for social and environmental issues.
Sustainable Responsible Investors Forum: http://www.meetup.com/Sustainable-Responsible-Investors-Forum/
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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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European Short Film Festival at MIT
Friday, September 26
7:00p–10:00p
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 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, MIT Global Studies and Languages
For more information, contact: Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio at mit.edu
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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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European Short Film Festival at MIT
Sunday, September 28
7:00p–10:00p
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 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, MIT Global Studies and Languages
For more information, contact: Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio at mit.edu
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Monday, September 29
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Open House: Office of Digital Learning
Monday, September 29
11:00a–1:00p
MIT, Building 10-105, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Join us for an open house where you can meet the ODL team; learn about MITx Residential, MITx on edX, OpenCourseware, media production, and research on digital learning; experiment with digital tools and simulations; and find out how to get involved. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to visit our information tables and indulge in pizza and snacks. Tell us about your ideas to use the MITx platform and win prizes.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Office of Digital Learning
For more information, contact: Sarah Jane Vaughan
svaughan at mit.edu
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MASS Seminar - Kerry Emanuel
Monday, September 29
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Kerry Emanuel
Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/mass-seminar-kerry-emanuel
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Atmospheric Science Seminars
For more information, contact: MASS organizing committee
mass at mit.edu
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Ecological implications of whole plant physiology from leaf to root
Monday September 29
12:10 pm
Weld Hill Lecture Hall, Arnold Arboretum, 1300 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
Jessica Savage, Arnold Arboretum Putnam Fellow
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard Universitym 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130-3500
phone: 617.524.1718
fax: 617.524.1418
email: arbweb at arnarb.harvard.edu
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Science/Fiction: Dramatic Arts as a Medium for Translating Science
Monday, September 29
12:15 pm to 2:00 pm
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Benjamin Morris, MIT, Catalyst Collaborative
STS Circle at Harvard
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Do Energy Efficiency Investments Deliver? Evidence from the Weatherization Assistance Program
Monday, September 29, 2014
2:30p–4:00p
MIT, Building E62-450, 00 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Meredith Fowlie (University of California, Berkeley)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop
For more information, contact: economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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Negative Home Equity and Mobility: Evidence from the Netherlands
Monday, September 29
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Daan Struyven (MIT)
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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SMART Mandate: Computing, Capital, and the Future of Urban LIfe
Monday, September 29, 2014
4:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Reception at 3:30 PM.
Speaker: Orit Halpern / Yuri Takhteyev
STS Colloquium
Web site: web.mit.edu/sts
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): HASTS, SHASS Dean's Office
For more information, contact: Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn at mit.edu
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Planets and Life Series: The Keys to Habitability, Light to Life
Monday, September 29
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 2-105, , 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker: Paul Falkowski (Rutgers University)
Planets and Life: Human and Planetary Perspectives
Weekly lecture and discussion series exploring the co-evolution of the earth's natural systems and life
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2014/planets-life
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) Lectures
For more information, contact: Vlada Stamenkovic
rinsan at mit.edu
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Do Fixed Patent Terms Distort Innovation? Evidence from Cancer Clinical Trials
Monday, September 29
5:30p–7:00p
Harvard, Littauer-M15, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Heidi Williams (MIT)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Applied Theory Workshop (Joint MIT/Harvard)
For more information, contact:
economics calendar
econ-cal at mit.edu
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The Entwinement of Housing and Well-Being
WHEN Mon., Sep. 29, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Jonathan F.P. Rose
COST Free and open to the public
NOTE Jonathan F.P. Rose’s business, public policy, and not-for-profit work focuses on creating a more environmentally, socially, and economically resilient world. The Jonathan Rose Companies, founded in 1989, is a multidisciplinary real estate development, planning, and investment firm that has successfully completed more than $1.5 billion of work. The firm’s work touches many aspects of community health; working with cities and not-for-profits to build not only housing, but also civic, cultural, educational, and infrastructure open space. A thought leader in the Smart Growth, national infrastructure, green building, and affordable housing movements, Mr. Rose will give the 15th Annual John T. Dunlop Lecture, sponsored by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and the National Housing Endowment.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/jonathan-f-p-rose-the-entwinement-of-housing-and-well-being.html
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Tuesday, September 30
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Amy Walter, National Editor, The Cook Political Report.
Tuesday, September 30
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
More information at http://shorensteincenter.org/amy-walter/
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Local Action - National and Global Impact
Tuesday, September 30
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Nixon Peabody, 100 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at https://secure.nrdconline.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=5CF3AE8FD48CB89581EF53D4984267F1.app321b?df_id=2840&2840.donation=form1
Cost: $25
Geoff Chapin, Founder & CEO, Next Step Living™
Beginning in 2008 as a small startup, Next Step Living has grown to become the leading provider of whole-home energy solutions. It is moving the dial on innovation in the region and across the nation.
Gary Cohen, President & Executive Director, Health Care Without Harm
Health Care Without Harm works locally & globally not only to prepare for the health impacts related to climate change, but to lead society in addressing them.
Brian Swett, Chief, Environment & Energy at City of Boston
Boston, ranked #1city in the country in energy efficiency, is leading the way with innovative programs on climate & energy.
“Think globally, act locally” may seem like a cliché in the face of the overwhelming challenge of climate change. But the speakers on this E2 panel are proving otherwise. Their actions at the local level are having national and even global impact.
Please join E2 and our distinguished panel to learn how local programs have morphed into major initiatives that are changing the landscape on climate and energy.
Lunch will be available
All registered attendees will be sent confirmation and directions
the week prior to the event. Contact yli at nrdc.org if you have questions.
About the Speakers:
Geoff Chapin founded Next Step Living in 2008 after years as a teacher and strategy consultant largely focused on nonprofits and community development. In 2014, he was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in New England and the company was named No. 84 on the Inc. 500 list of fast-growing companies. Prior to Next Step Living, Geoff was a senior manager with the Bridgespan Group, a strategic consulting firm for public entities and nonprofits, where his clients included the Energy Foundation, the city of San Francisco, the Portland Public School District and the Packard Foundation. Earlier, he led teams at Bain & Company in the New York and San Francisco offices, advising clients in multiple industries including consumer products, telecom and online businesses. A board member of PRIME, a nonprofit that encourages Program-Related Investments in the energy sector, Geoff began his career as a teacher at his alma mater, Roxbury Latin School in Boston. Geoff graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in political economics; he went on to earn an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and an M.B.A from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Gary Cohen has been a pioneer in the environmental health movement for thirty years. Cohen is Co-Founder and President of Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. He was also instrumental in bringing together the NGOs and hospital systems that formed the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. All three were created to transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable and serve as anchor institutions to support environmental health in their communities. Cohen is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which has been working for over 25 years to heal people affected by the Bhopal gas tragedy and to fight for environmental cleanup in Bhopal. He is also on the Boards of the American Sustainable Business Council, Health Leads and Coming Clean. Cohen has received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and an Environmental Merit Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2013, he was awarded the Champion of Change Award for Climate Change and Public Health by the White House.
Brian Swett is Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space for the City of Boston. His Cabinet is comprised of the Inspectional Services Department, the Environment Department, the Parks and Recreational Department, and Boston’s Recycling Program. Mr. Swett serves as the Mayor’s appointee to the boards of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA), Boston Groundwater Trust, Boston Harbor Islands Alliance, and the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. Mr. Swett also represents the City on the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, the State’s Global Warming Solutions Act’s Implementation Advisory Committee and the State’s Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. Over the last year, Mr. Swett led a variety of major policy and program initiatives including developing and passing a rental inspection ordinance and a building energy disclosure ordinance, launching Greenovate Boston, a sustainability education and outreach initiative, and kicking off Climate Ready Boston, a set of climate preparedness initiatives focused on Boston’s built and natural environment. Mr. Swett is currently leading efforts to update the City’s Climate Action Plan, which is due by the end of 2014.
About the Organizers:
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) is a national community of business people who believe in protecting the environment while building economic prosperity. Working with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), E2 serves as a champion on the economic side of good environmental policy by taking a reasoned, economically sound approach to environmental issues. E2 works at both the state and national levels through its bipartisan efforts. Please visit our website at: www.e2.org.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is the nation’s most effective environmental action organization. Founded in 1970,NRDC uses law, science and the support of more than 1.3 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. For more information visit: www.nrdc.org.
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NymRights: Protecting Identity in the Digital Age
Tuesday, September 30
12:30 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/aestetix#RSVP
Event will be webcast live at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2014/09/aestetix at 12:30 pm.
with aestetix, founder of NymRights
Do you have a name? More than one? Does it matter to you who knows it? As digital systems become more integrated into our lives, these questions are becoming very important. We're in the midst of a literal identity crisis where your identity is quickly becoming, rather than something you define, a social construct that is granted to you. This talk will explore the philosophy of names and identity, the digital systems we've created over the past decades, and the challenges that arise when the systems come into conflict with individual safety and freedom. We'll take a look at the current state of name-related policy within both companies and government, and introduce ongoing efforts to make sure your identity is not just a number in a computer.
About aestetix
After being suspended twice by Google Plus during the nymrights fiasco of 2011, aestetix helped created NymRights, focused on empowerment and education of digital identity. He's spoken on this topic at events in Germany, New York City, San Francisco, including hacker conferences, digital rights events, and even a few universities. He's also been involved in the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), an Obama strategy to try to solve identity related challenges in areas like medicine and social security.
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Food after Fukushima: Scientific Citizenship and Risk in Japan
WHEN Tue., Sep. 30, 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) Nicolas Sternsdorff Cisterna, postdoctoral fellow, WCFIA Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University; 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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"The maps inside your head."
Tuesday, September 30
1pm – 2pm
Harvard University, Northwest Building 243, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Vijay Balasubramanian, University of Pennsylvania
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The Neurobiology of Human Altruism
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
5pm
Harvard, 275 William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Professor Ernst Fehr
Human altruism shaped our evolutionary history and pervades social and political life. There are, however, enormous individual differences in altruism. Some people are almost completely selfish, while others display strong altruism, and the factors behind this heterogeneity are only poorly understood. We examine the neuroanatomical basis of these differences with voxel-based morphometry and show that gray matter (GM) volume in the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is strongly associated with both individuals’ altruism and the individual-specific conditions under which this brain region is recruited during altruistic decision making. Thus, individual differences in GM volume in TPJ not only translate into individual differences in the general propensity to behave altruistically, but they also create a link between brain structure and brain function by indicating the conditions under which individuals are likely to recruit this region when they face a conflict between altruistic and selfish acts. In a final step we show that human altruism indeed depends causally on the functional integrity of TPJ. If we down-regulate TPJ with tanscranial magnetic stimulation individuals become less altruistic in the sense that they donate less money to charities that help other humans. This reduction in altruism occurs despite the fact that individuals evaluate the charities as equally deserving as a control group that receives placebo stimulation. Thus, a distorted TPJ still enables proper judgment of deservingness but nevertheless reduces the willingness to act altruistically.
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"Capitalist Democracy and its Prospects"
Tuesday, September 30
6PM
1199SEIU Union Hall, 150 Mt Vernon Street, 2nd Floor, Dorcheste
All proceeds to benefit Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
RSVP at http://bit.ly/chomskylecture
Cost: $10 - to whatever you wish to donate
A Lecture by Noam Chomsky
We all know that the movement for working-class power currently faces some of the greatest obstacles in its history. The entrenched corporate interests that have long dominated our workplaces have expanded their sphere of influence to encompass our communities and our entire political system. In the wake of Citizens United, ordinary people have fewer and fewer chances to make real change through the democratic process. As we have seen, when working people's voices are silenced in American politics, the result is the perpetuation and deepening of inequality.
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice has long been at the center of the significant conversations that shape our movement, and the conversation about the encroaching role of corporate power in our democracy is no exception. This fall, we invite you to participate in fostering this dialogue by supporting an important event featuring one of the leading global experts on political theory.
This lecture will provide a forum to engage workers, community allies, students, and people of faith in one of the most critical discussions of the contemporary moment. The event also offers an ideal opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to workers' rights by contributing to advance the ongoing work of our coalition. We hope you will attend and join us as a sponsor.
Please see the attached form for more information about ticket prices and levels of sponsorship - every donation helps to ensure that we can continue to educate, agitate, and organize toward greater democracy in our workplaces, our communities, and our nation.
To purchase tickets online, go to http://bit.ly/chomskylecture
For more information, call Gillian Mason at (617) 470-7409 or email Gillian at massjwj.net.
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Natural Gas Forum
Tuesday, September 30
6-8PM
St James Church, 1991 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Event Details: Natural gas leaks from old pipes under our communities cost taxpayers millions of dollars annually, are public health hazards, and are contributing to the climate crisis. Come out and learn more at an engaging event featuring community experts including Joel Wool from Clean Water Action, Bob Ackley community volunteer who maps leaking pipes, and Ashka Naik from HEET who will detail our local methane mapping project, Squeaky Leak, in Cambridge and Somerville.
Contact http://www.heetma.org/event-view/methane-forum/
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Preserving Forests in New England – Insights from Japan and Europe
Tuesday, September 30
7:00PM TO 8:30PM
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Boston
RSVP at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1376&DayPlannerDate=9/30/2014
Cost: $10; Students: email to register for free.
With Robert A. Askins, PhD, Professor of Biology, Connecticut College
The biological diversity of New England’s deciduous forests is threatened by habitat fragmentation, increasing homogeneity of the vegetation, and the loss of top predators. The future of deciduous forests will be shaped by climate change and the introduction of insects and pathogens that decimate particular species of trees. Robert Askins will speak of the major threats to our local forests and new insights for their protection from studies of remarkably similar forests in East Asia and Europe.
http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu
Contact Name: Pam Thompson
pam_thompson at harvard.edu
617.384.5277
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Green tech Entrepreneur Forum & Brainstorming.
Tuesday, September 30
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Eastern Bank, 647 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Green-Tech-and-Energy/events/204889552/
The Agenda is:
We will introduce ourselves and tell about our interest, expertise or work (1st hr)
You can give a ~3 to 5 minute elevator speach about your startup if you would like. (We will divide the 1st hour by # of people.)
What stage is your ideas or startup? What is your goal?
Tell what personnel or additional expertise, funding, etc. you are seeking,
Discussion and Brainstorming on (2nd hr)
ideas for viable moneymaking startups,
methods of collaboration, networking, forming teams & partnerships etc.
marketing, media, social media, ideas that have worked well for publicity
Agencies, websites, companies that assist startups
Boston Greenfest & Gov't opportunities.
What would ou like to see in future meetups?
Seminars - We will have seminars by Sustainable Energy engineers and other tech experts as often as possible.
The bank is near the center of Central Sq., where Prospect and Mass Ave cross, - there is a Starbucks on the Northeast corner of the intersection. Next to Starbucks is a Flower shop, and next to that is Eastern Bank. You can see the conference room thru the window, so just wave to us and we will let you in.
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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