[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - November 2, 2014
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Nov 2 11:59:55 PST 2014
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke at world.std.com
What I Do and Why I Do It: The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html
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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index
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Monday, November 3
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9am Energy Management Seminar
12pm MASS Seminar - Jonathan Reid (Bristol)
12pm How important is energy storage for decarbonization?
12:15pm Emerging “Global Health” Institutions in Africa: Technologies and Significations
1pm Investigating Normal: Art, Design, and Adaptive Technologies
1pm Clean Energy and Sustainable Affordable Housing Symposium and Expo
4pm How Do Patents Affect Follow-on Innovation? Evidence from the Human Genome
4:30pm Planets and Life Series: Past & Future Fights of the Homo Sapiens, Environmental Dynamics of Human Evolution
6pm Unique Biometric ID: Creating a Large Scale Digital Ecosystem Using the Aadhaar Experience
6pm Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Lecture - What Constitutes Excellence in Islamic Geometric Design? Historical and Contemporary Best Practice
7pm "Obsessive Political Correctness:" A talk by playwright Eve Ensler
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Tuesday, November 4
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8am Boston TechBreakfast: PencilBlue, Epoque, Attopedia, CloudStock, ProtonMail
10am Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Lecture - WORKSHOP - A Practical Introduction to Islamic Geometric Design Workshop
12pm Anatomy of a Man-Made Disaster: Thirty Years Later, Remembering the Bhopal Gas Tragedy
12:30pm Paul Farmer on Leadership in Public Health for the Poor
12:30pm Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek across the Pacific
2:50pm Internet of Things: Evolution and Convergence of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
5pm Ecological Alchemy: Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Science and the Environmental Movement
5:30pm e4Dev Speaker Series: Scaling alternative household fuel production in East Africa
6pm Étienne Balibar on "Violence, Civility, and Politics Revisited”
6pm BASG: The Sharing Economy
6:30pm "The Library of Alexandria: Rebirth and Revolution”
7pm Reading/Signing -Steven Pinker and Susan Pinker
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Wednesday, November 5
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3:30pm Engaged Investment & Climate Change
4pm Radcliffe Institute Fellow's Presentation Series: Programmable DNA Compartments as Artificial Cells on a Chip
4pm Wearable Robotics for a Sustainable Ageing
4pm Atmospheric Evolution on the Early Earth
5:15pm Feeding Moloch: The Sacrifice of Children on the Altar of Capitalism
5:30pm Developing Health Innovation Beyond Traditional Borders
5:30pm Askwith Forum: Claude Steele - Stereotype Threat
5:30pm Starr Forum: The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall
5:30pm Boston Under Water: Climate Change in Our City
6pm Slow Money Entrepreneur Showcase
6:30pm Ebola: Mutation, Markets, and the Military
7pm PTSD Awareness & Veteran's Day Event
7pm Fracking: How cheap energy is reshaping America's environment
7pm Film Screening: Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
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Thursday, November 6
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Crowds & Climate: From Ideas to Action
8:30am Earthwatch Summit 2014 Break-Out Sessions
12pm Sustainable Development and Global Health: An overdue partnership?
12:15pm The Consequences of Terrorist Fragmentation
4pm Games, Networks, and People
4pm Trumpeter/Composer Wallace Roney
4pm Post-Election Roundup with William Galston & William Kristol
5pm Book release for "Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets: Transmedia Organizing and the Immigrant Rights Movement”
5pm "Catastrophic Risks: The Downsides of Advancing Technology”
6pm Beautiful and Deadly: The Arts of War
6pm How Did You Do It, Mr. Piano?
6pm MIT/YPE Panel Discussion - Careers and Trends in the Energy Sector
6pm Excellent Swiss Design Panel
6pm Innovation and New Products in the Food & Beverage Industry
6:30pm Green Cambridge
6:30pm Big Data for Global Commodity & Energy Markets
7pm Tracing the origin and transmission of the 2014 Ebola outbreak by virus deep sequencing from 78 patients
7:30pm HEET’s Help for Houses of Worship Workshops
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Friday, November 7
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12pm Spiritual and Sustainable: Religion Responds to Climate Change
3pm Fall Lecture Series: Commercializing New Technology in Water Treatment
5pm Digital materiality and the Intelligence of the Technodigital Object
6pm Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and John Mugane: Exploring Race and Community in the Digital World Workshop Series
6pm Toxic Hot Seat
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Saturday, November 8
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8am Earthwatch Summit 2014 - Citizens for Science Exposition
9am A Foreign Policy for All: Re-Thinking U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century
9am Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard University
Harvard xDesign Conference
10am Historython
10am Aaron Swartz Hackathon
10:30am Bridge Design Day
12pm New Global Movements for Real Democracy
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Sunday, November 9
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3pm Demo session for Music Hack Day Boston 2014
6pm Green Pedal Film Festival (featuring Wild & Scenic Film Festival films)
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Monday, November 10
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12pm An organic mega flow battery for utility-scale electrical energy storage
4pm Seymour E. & Ruth B. Harris Lecture: Partisan Media and Democracy: Historical Lessons from US Newspapers
4:30pm Planets and Life - Human and Planetary Perspectives
7pm A Weather Report from an Exoplanet: Clouds and Rain in a Place 40 Light Years Away
10pm Amanda Palmer 'The Art of Asking' Book Tour Kickoff
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Tuesday, November 11
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12:30pm The Backstory to the Islamic State, Assad and U.S. Policy—A Reporter's First Hand View
6pm Financing the Future Mixer: Networking, Cocktails and Conversation
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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
Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/26/1339429/-Restoring-Ecosystems-to-Reverse-Global-Warming
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Monday, November 3
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Energy Management Seminar
November 3
9am-4pm
Andover Newton Theological School, 210 Herrick Road, Newton Centre
RSVP contact Colby May at colby at consultlit.com
COST: $50 per person, or $75 total for multiple representatives of any one institution.
GreenFaith in collaboration with Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light is hosting an Energy Management Seminar for those involved in managing large religious facilities and their energy systems. Learn about efficiency rebates and incentives and advanced conservation and efficiency strategies. Network with others to share challenges, ideas and solutions!
For Facility Managers, Sustainability Directors, CFO's and everyone involved in energy management.
SPEAKERS:
Jerry Lawson, Director, US EPA ENERGY STAR for CONGREGATIONS
NGrid and NStar representatives on incentives and rebates for religious facilities in MA
Colby May Certified Energy Manager – Founder of LIT Consultants
Rev. Fletcher Harper – Executive Director, GreenFaith
TOPICS:
Incentives, Grants & Rebate
Financing efficiency retrofit projects
Advanced HVAC & HVAC Control Practices
Advanced Lighting
Building Envelop
Benchmarking Tools
Smart Meters & More
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MASS Seminar - Jonathan Reid (Bristol)
Monday, November 3
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Jonathan Reid, Bristol
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) is a student-run weekly seminar series within PAOC. Seminar topics include all research concerning the atmosphere and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars usually take place on Monday from 12-1pm followed by a lunch with graduate students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, post-docs, and students are arranged. The seminar series is run by graduate students and is intended mainly for students to interact with individuals outside the department, but faculty and post docs certainly participate.
Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/calendars/mass
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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How important is energy storage for decarbonization?
Monday, November 3
12pm-1:30pm
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
David Keith, Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics (SEAS); Professor of Public Policy (HKS)
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Emerging “Global Health” Institutions in Africa: Technologies and Significations
Monday, November 3
12:15PM - 2:00PM
Harvard, Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Richard Rottenburg (University of Halle, Anthropology
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
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-11-03-171500-2014-11-03-190000/sts-circle-harvard#sthash.2az0T2Nf.dpuf
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Investigating Normal: Art, Design, and Adaptive Technologies
Monday, November 3
1:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building 32-144, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Sara Hendren
6.811: Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology Lecture Series
This public lecture is part of the class 6.811 Principles & Practice of Assistive Technology. PPAT is a 12-unit, interdisciplinary, project-based course in which small teams of students work closely with a person with a disability in the Cambridge area to develop a practical product or solution that helps them live more independently. The course also includes lectures on principles of successful AT design, perspectives from people with disabilities and AT makers and users, design processes and human factors, and social, economic, and ethical perspectives on disability.
Exoskeletons, robotic limbs, all-terrain wheelchairs: "assistive technologies" usually refer to prosthetics and medical aids --- tools, devices, and other gear that either restore or augment the functioning of body parts. Historically, these have been designed for people with diagnosable disabilities. In this lecture, Sara Hendren examines functional and cultural tools that investigate the "normal" body and mind --- high-tech, low-tech, digital or analog --- and how these technologies assist with visible and invisible needs, externalize hidden dynamics, and create capacities far beyond or outside ordinary functionality.
Sara Hendren is an artist, design researcher, and assistant professor of design at Olin College of Engineering. She writes and lectures on adaptive and assistive technologies, prosthetics, inclusive design, and related ideas, and she has just launched the Adaptation + Ability design lab at Olin. Her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad and is held in the permanent collection at MOMA (NYC), and her writing and design work have appeared in the Boston Globe, The Atlantic Tech, FastCo Design, and on National Public Radio (US), among others. She runs the Abler web site (www.ablersite.org).
Web site: http://courses.csail.mit.edu/PPAT
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Assistive Technology Club
For more information, contact: William Li
assistivetech-contact at mit.edu
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Clean Energy and Sustainable Affordable Housing Symposium and Expo
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Monday, November 3
1:00 PM to 5:30 PM (EST)
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/clean-energy-and-sustainable-affordable-housing-symposium-and-expo-tickets-13289488217
Please join the City of Boston, MassHousing, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for a symposium to share ideas, ask questions, get answers, and hear the latest info on energy efficiency, clean and renewable energy and water conservation for affordable housing properties in Massachusetts. Plus, clean energy and water conservation vendors will be demonstrating their new technologies.
Welcome and Kickoff:
Aaron Gornstein, Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development
Energy and Water in Massachusetts' Multifamily Buildings:
WegoWise has the richest dataset of multifamily energy and water use in the Commonwealth. Come hear about what they're learning.
Energy and Water Management:
Best Practices from the Field, Case Studies, Panel Discussion. Bring your questions!
Closing Remarks:
Alicia Barton, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Networking and Technology Expo:
New Technologies and Vendors for Multifamily Properties
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How Do Patents Affect Follow-on Innovation? Evidence from the Human Genome - joint with IO
Monday, November 3
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Heidi Williams (MIT)
Web site: http://economics.mit.edu/files/10090
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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Planets and Life Series: Past & Future Fights of the Homo Sapiens, Environmental Dynamics of Human Evolution
Monday, November 3
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 2-105, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker: Richard Potts (Smithsonian)
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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Unique Biometric ID: Creating a Large Scale Digital Ecosystem Using the Aadhaar Experience
WHEN Mon., Nov. 3, 2014, 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS S010, Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Information Technology, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S) Nandan Nilekani, former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India; co-founder of Infosys; author of "Imagining India"
CONTACT INFO sainit at fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/sai-annual-mahindra-lecture/
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Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Lecture - What Constitutes Excellence in Islamic Geometric Design? Historical and Contemporary Best Practice
Monday, November 3
6:00p–7:30p
MIT, Building 3-133, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Eric Broug, Author and educator, UK
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/lecturescurrent.htm
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
For more information, contact: Jose Luis Arguello
253-1400
akpiarch at mit.edu
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"Obsessive Political Correctness:" A talk by playwright Eve Ensler
Monday, November 3
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
C. Walsh Theatre, S55 Temple Street, Suffolk University, Boston
RSVP at http://www.fordhallforum.org/programs/opc
Eve Ensler, playwright and activist, will talk about her newest work, “Obsessive Political Correctness,” with Joyce Kulhawik, arts and entertainment critic. The pair will then take questions from the audience.
Ensler created “The Vagina Monologues” and works worldwide to prevent violence against women through art. More info:
http://www.fordhallforum.org/programs/opc
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Tuesday, November 4
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Boston TechBreakfast: PencilBlue, Epoque, Attopedia, CloudStock, ProtonMail
Tuesday, November 4
8:00 AM
Microsoft Technology Center (4th Floor Longfellow), 1 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155723062/
Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.
And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)
Agenda for Boston TechBreakfast:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
PencilBlue - Blake Callens
Epoque - Adam Butler
Attopedia - Dheera Venkatraman
CloudStock - Ann Calvin
ProtonMail - Andy Yen
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words
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Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Lecture - WORKSHOP - A Practical Introduction to Islamic Geometric Design Workshop
Tuesday, November 4
10:00a–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-117, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Eric Broug, Author and educator, UK
Using only a pencil, a straight edge, and a pair of compasses, learn how to make patterns using the same techniques used by craftsmen for centuries. Learn how they used polygonal grids to design and scale their compositions. We will be making two patterns: one from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, another from the Al-Mustansariyya madrasa in Baghdad.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/akpia/www/lecturescurrent.htm
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, Aga Khan Program Documentation Center
For more information, contact: Jose Luis Arguello
253-1400
akpiarch at mit.edu
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Anatomy of a Man-Made Disaster: Thirty Years Later, Remembering the Bhopal Gas Tragedy
WHEN Tue., Nov. 4, 2014, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South S030, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Exhibitions, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S) Pablo Bartholomew, photojournalist
DETAILS In December 1984, a gas leak at the Union Carbide Factory, now owned by Dow Chemicals, caused the death of thousands of inhabitants of Bhopal and incapacitated the living who have yet to be fully compensated. Photographer Pablo Bartholomew, then aged 29, who arrived at the scene recounts his experiences of what it was like covering the disaster and its aftermath.
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/anatomy-of-a-man-made-disaster-thirty-years-later-remembering-the-bhopal-gas-tragedy/
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Paul Farmer on Leadership in Public Health for the Poor
WHEN Tue., Nov. 4, 2014, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Webcast at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/voices/events/farmer/
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Voices in Leadership at HSPH
SPEAKER(S) Paul Farmer, Kolokotrones University Professor and chair, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; chief, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; chief strategist and co-founder, Partners In Health
COST Webcast is open to the public to view at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/voices/events/farmer/
CONTACT INFO voices at hsph.harvard.edu
LINK http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/voices/events/farmer/
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Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty's Trek across the Pacific
WHEN Tue., Nov. 4, 2014, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), 2nd Floor, CGIS Knafel, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S) Christine Yano, Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, and professor of anthropology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa; 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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Internet of Things: Evolution and Convergence of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Tuesday, November 4
2:50 pm - 4:00 pm
Tufts, Halligan 102, 161 College Avenue Medford
Speaker: Artyom Astafurov
Abstract: The potential of IoT to change our world can be compared to that of the Internet, and, later, smartphones. Imagine a universe in which your home security system won’t just tell you that you forgot to lock your door, it will lock it for you; vehicle emissions are monitored in real time and heart patients can check their vitals on a phone. As many of us are trying to experiment with connected devices, we find ourselves writing embedded code for microcontrollers, experimenting with electrical engineering and sensors, writing applications to control devices and visualize data, writing cloud services to store and communicate with the universe of things and apps connected to them. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science are converging to provide one knowledge platform for all of it. We'll discuss where development tools and platforms are moving to make IoT possible and how simple it became to bootstrap your IoT project with virtually one language! JavaScript (or ECMAScript for that matter...).
Bio: Artyom Astafurov, engineer and entrepreneur, is a Managing Partner at DataArt, a custom software development company, where he is in charge of the Internet of Things initiatives. He is also a Co-Founder of DeviceHive, open-source platform for connected devices. Artyom holds a MSc degree in Computer Science and has over a decade of engineering and software development experience. He is interested in any combination of hardware and software that flies, connects, controls, or makes our lives better.
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Ecological Alchemy: Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Science and the Environmental Movement
WHEN Tue., Nov. 4, 2014, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
SPONSOR Center for the Study of World Religions
CONTACT Lexi Gewertz, 617.495.4476
DETAILS Dan McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, will offer this lecture in the CSWR Junior Fellowship Series "Religion and Nature.”
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e4Dev Speaker Series: Scaling alternative household fuel production in East Africa
Tuesday, November 4
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building E19-603, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Dan Sweeney, MIT's D-Lab
Origins of MIT's D-Lab come from Fuel from the Fields, an effort aimed at introducing technology to enable smallholder farmers to produce fuel alternatives to conventional wood fuels from their farm waste and in doing so earn additional income. With communities around the world utilizing D-Lab's effective approach, current efforts are focused on scaling alternative fuel production and establishing processed briquette fuels as a formal industry. This talk will share the story of D-Lab's partnerships with fuel enterprises in East Africa, and current research on the engineering and social science of fuel production, use and adoption in East Africa and beyond.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): e4Dev, MIT Energy Initiative
For more information, contact: Lily Mwalenga
e4dev-request at mit.edu
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Étienne Balibar on "Violence, Civility, and Politics Revisited"
WHEN Tue., Nov. 4, 2014, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Room 105, Emerson Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Sponsored by the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard's Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Seminar on Violence and Non-Violence
SPEAKER(S) Étienne Balibar, Distinguished Professor of French & Italian and Comparative Literature at the University of California Irvine
COST Free and open to the public; seating is limited
CONTACT INFO 617.495.0738; humcentr at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS
November 4, Lecture 1: “Are There Criteria of Extreme Violence?”
November 5, Lecture 2: “Objective and Subjective Cruelty: A Relevant Distinction in the Globalized World?”
LINK http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/étienne-balibar-violence-civility-and-politics-revisited
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BASG: The Sharing Economy
Tuesday, November 4
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
The Venture Cafe, Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway, 5th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/basg-the-sharing-economy-november-4-2014-tickets-13533768867
Cost: $10 -$12
In partnership with Northbound Ventures, BASG presents: The Sharing Economy
It’s hot, it’s very cool, and it is decidedly disruptive. And it’s creating quite the controversy. The Sharing Economy holds great promise and faces great challenges.
Come meet, hear, and engage with:
Emily Stapleton, General Manager, Alta Bicycle Share, Inc. (Operator of Hubway Bicycle System)
Emily will focus on shared transportation and public/private partnerships. Hubway bike share system is a collaboration between the municipalities of Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline. She also has experience in public sector transit at Transport for London and public sector logistics, as a consultant to the US Department of Defense. Emily received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her undergraduate degree in psychology from Harvard College.
Molly Cohen, Law Fellow in Nonprofit Law, Office of the General Counsel at New York University
Molly Cohen and Corey Zehngebot wrote a terrific article in the Boston Bar Journal (April, 2014) entitled, “What’s Old Becomes New: Regulating the Sharing Economy.” Molly is a student at the Harvard Law School and a Law Fellow at NYU. She has been helping municipalities regulate the shared economy companies with a sense for balancing the safety and welfare of the public with the potential for economic development opportunities. Molly has examined the legal issues raised by the sharing economy along with the plea for the legal community to be proactive rather than reactive given the tremendous environmental, social and economic benefits of this activity. Molly will talk about whether the serious legal and regulatory issues created by the sharing economy’s rapid emergence might best be addressed by embracing concurrent regulatory innovation.
Katie Shultz, Lead Host & Community Manager, Impact Hub Boston
Impact Hub Boston is a coworking space and community for folks working on social entrepreneurship and for social good in Boston and beyond. Previously, Katie worked at a variety of non-profits - including a watershed protection group in Alabama and with conservation agriculture projects in South Sudan - and most recently carried her passion for sustainability to the People's Climate March in NYC. Katie will discuss coworking, at Impact Hub Boston and beyond, which takes the "Sharing Economy" to new Office Space - and offers equal opportunities for groans, laughter, and broad-based connections.
Mike Brown, Co-founder, GearCommons
GearCommons is a Boston-based startup for peer-to-peer sharing of outdoor gear. Mike is a MassChallenge Alumnus, a winner of the Tufts University $100k Business Plan Competition, a successful crowdfunder on Kickstarter, and is an avid ice climber. He is an engineer with his Masters Degree in Engineering Management from Tufts University. Mike will tell us about GearCommons.
Time is short and we all need to learn a boatload, fast. One of BASG’s explicit goals is that we learn as much as we can from each other, where the very diversity of the group is one of our most valuable assets. Come join the discussion, or hang out and listen. Meet those folks working hard to do what you’re trying to do and your paths have not yet crossed. We have a great time and really want to meet you!
Our format for the evening begins with informal networking followed by quick introductions all round before several lightening-speed presentations from knowledgeable folks. Using a modified IGNITE-style format, our speakers share their experiences and then we open the discussion to the group.
We’ll end the discussion with time left for more networking and sharing info on other local events. Hope to see you there!
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"The Library of Alexandria: Rebirth and Revolution"
Tuesday, November 4
6:30p
MIT, Building, 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
with Dr. Ismail Serageldin
The MIT Egyptian Student Association (ESA) is delighted to invite you to a special lecture at MIT titled "The Library of Alexandria: Rebirth and Revolution," followed by a discussion session with the Founding Director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) Dr. Ismail Serageldin.
Web site: https://www.facebook.com/events/729718097081641/
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Egyptian Student Association
For more information, contact: Mohamed Siam
clubegypt-board at mit.edu
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Reading/Signing with Steven Pinker and Susan Pinker
Tuesday, November 4
7:00pm
The Harvard Coop, 1400 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
We are delighted to welcome Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Steven Pinker The Sense of Style and his sister - Susan Pinker The Village Effect, a developmental psychologist from Montreal. They will be reading and signing their new books in a rare duo
reading.
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Wednesday, November 5
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Engaged Investment & Climate Change
Wednesday, November 5
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Harvard Business School, Hawes 101, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/engaged-investment-climate-change-tickets-13885514949
How can investors help shape an effective response to the challenge of climate change? Some have argued that one potentially powerful lever is for institutions such as Harvard to divest from fossil fuel companies, while others have argued that a policy of direct engagement is likely to be more effective. We invite you to join this lively discussion among faculty and experts in the field, and decide for yourself!
Introduction by Joshua Coval, HBS Professor of Business Administration, Finance Unit
Panel discussion moderated by Rebecca Henderson, Harvard University Professor and Co-chair of the Business & Environment Initiative
Panelists:
Chris Davis – Director of Investor Programs at Ceres
Chris directs the Investor Program at Ceres, which promotes and supports sustainable investment policies, practices and strategies for institutional investors. He is chief of staff of the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), which currently has over 100 members with combined assets of over $11 trillion.
Bob Massie – Founder, Global Reporting Initiative
In May 2014, Bob called on Harvard University to divest its endowment from fossil fuel corporations in an op-ed for The Harvard Crimson. During his career he has led ground-breaking sustainability organizations, serving as the president of Ceres, the initiator of the Investor Network on Climate Risk, the co-founder and first chair of the Global Reporting Initiative, and as former president of the New Economy Coalition.
Timothy Smith – Director of ESG Shareholder Engagement at Walden Asset Management
Tim leads Walden Asset Management’s ongoing shareholder engagement program to promote greater corporate leadership on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Prior to joining Walden in 2000, Tim served as executive director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) for 24 years.
Robert Zevin – Founder of Zevin Asset Management
Robert has been a leader in socially responsible investing since 1967. He founded Zevin Asset Management and has served as CIO, portfolio manager, President and Chairman. He started what is now Walden Asset Management in 1975, and was a principal architect of the first Calvert Social Investment Fund in 1982. Robert was a leader in the movement to divest from apartheid South Africa.
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Radcliffe Institute Fellow's Presentation Series: Programmable DNA Compartments as Artificial Cells on a Chip
WHEN Wed., Nov. 5, 2014, 4 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) RoyBar-Ziv, Radcliffe Institute Elizabeth S. and Richard M. Cashin Fellow and Weizmann Institute of Science
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-roy-bar-ziv-fellow-presentation
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Wearable Robotics for a Sustainable Ageing
Wednesday, November 5
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 209, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Nicola Vitiello
Abstract: Ageing population affects society welfare sustainability. The ageing of the population is one of the most critical challenges current industrialized societies will have to face in the next years, and threatens the sustainability of our social welfare. In 40 years from now, nearly 35% of the European population will be older than 60, hence the urgency to provide solutions enabling our ageing society to remain active, creative, productive, and – above all – independent. Among many diseases, gait disorders and upper-limb impairment are common and often devastating companions of ageing, leading to reductions in quality of life and increased mortality.
In the next years, ageing-related upper- and lower-limb impairment and disability will lead to a tremendous increase of the number of people needing assistance in their fundamental activities of daily living. In this scenario, people will become increasingly reliant on technology to meet their own needs to live active, fulfilling, and independent lives. Wearable robotics can be an enabling technology for establishing a sustainable welfare.
This presentation will introduce the results achieved by the team of wearable robotics of the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in the last years. In particular, the following devices will be presented: the NEUROExos elbow powered exoskeleton, the hand exoskeleton HANDEXOS, the sensorized foot insoles, and the pelvis orthosis developed within the framework of the CYBERLEGs project.
Speaker Bio:
Nicola Vitiello received the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering (cum laude) from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2006, and from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, in 2007. He also received the Ph.D. degree in biorobotics from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy, in 2010. He is currently an Assistant Professor with The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. He is the author or co-author of 30 ISI/Scopus papers and 30 peer-review conference proceedings papers. He has served as the Scientific Secretary of the EU FP7 CA-RoboCom project, and he is currently the Project manager of the EU FP7 CYBERLEGs Project. His main research interests include the development of wearable robotic devices for human motion assistance and rehabilitation and of robotic platforms for neuroscientific investigations.
Applied Mechanics Colloquia
Contact: LaShanda Banks
Email: lbanks at seas.harvard.edu
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Atmospheric Evolution on the Early Earth
Wednesday, November 5
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: David Catling - University of Washington
I will discuss how the composition of the atmosphere varied in the Precambrian, which is important for understanding the co-evolution of life and climate. I will present some new data suggesting that the mass of nitrogen (N2) in the early atmosphere changed with time in a surprising, non-monotonic manner, which would have affected various aspects of the Earth system, e.g., climate through pressure broadening of the greenhouse effect. Another great change concerns oxygen levels. I will present a general model for how O2 levels increased, ultimately leading to the environment that allowed complex life to evolve. Finally, I will note how Earth???s atmospheric history might help in considering the potential for life on Earth-like exoplanets.
Refreshments precede the talk in the Ida Green Lounge (54-923).
All are welcome.
EAPS Department Lecture Series
Weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, meteorology, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science.
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2014/DLS_Catling
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) Lectures
For more information, contact: Jen Fentress
617-253-2127
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Feeding Moloch: The Sacrifice of Children on the Altar of Capitalism
WHEN Wed., Nov. 5, 2014, 5:15 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theater, Memorial Hall, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Religion
SPONSOR Harvard Divinity School
CONTACT Alison Batty
DETAILS The 2014 Ingersoll Lecture on Immortality – "Feeding Moloch: The Sacrifice of Children on the Altar of Capitalism" – will be delivered by Russell Banks, a recipient of Guggenheim and NEA grants and a St. Lawrence Prize for fiction.
Admission is free. Tickets Required. Limit of 2 per person. Tickets valid until 5:00PM. Available by phone and internet for a fee, in person at the Smith Center Box Office, by calling 617-496-2222 or reserve on line at www.boxoffice.harvard.edu starting Thursday, October 23rd.
For those unable to attend, this event will be live streamed through hds.harvard.edu
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Developing Health Innovation Beyond Traditional Borders
Wednesday, November 5
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building E62-233, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum
Dr. Richards-Kortum's research group is developing miniature imaging systems to enable better screening for oral, esophageal, and cervical cancer and their precursors at the point-of-care. More recently, her group has worked to develop novel, low-cost sensors to detect infectious diseases at the point-of-care, including cryptosporidium, malaria, and Tuberculosis.
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Tata Center for Technology and Design
For more information, contact: Gail Monahan
(617) 253-1341
gmonahan at mit.edu
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Askwith Forum: Claude Steele - Stereotype Threat
WHEN Wed., Nov. 5, 2014, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Forum, Lecture, Question & Answer Session
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT Alumni, AskWith Forum
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Jodie Smith-Bennett
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums at gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-495-8059
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
RSVP REQUIRED No
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
DETAILS Stereotype Threat: How It Affects Us and What We Can Do About It
Speaker: Claude Steele, executive vice chancellor and provost, University of California - Berkeley;
author of Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do.
Discussant: Pamela Mason, M.A.T.’70, Ed.D.’75, lecturer on education; faculty director, Language and Literacy Program, HGSE
Introduction: James E. Ryan, dean and Charles William Eliot Professor of Education, HGSE
Claude Steele, internationally renowned social scientist and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, University of California - Berkeley, will discuss his theory of stereotype threat, which has been the focus of much of his research and writing throughout his academic career. The theory examines how people from different groups, being threatened by different stereotypes, can have quite different experiences in the same situation. It has also been used to understand group differences in performance ranging from the intellectual to the athletic. Steele's book, "Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and what we Can Do," published in 2010, was based on this research and lays out a plan to mitigate the negative effects of “stereotype threat.”
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Starr Forum: The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall
Wednesday, November 5
5:30p–7:00p
MIT Building E15-070, Bartos Theater, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Mary Sarotte, Noam Chomsky
Book talk with the author Mary Sarotte on her recent book "The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall" and discussion on 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Introduction and some commentary by Noam Chomsky
More about the Book
(http://www.amazon.com/The-Collapse-Accidental-Opening-Berlin/dp/0465064949)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum at mit.edu
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Boston Under Water: Climate Change in Our City
Wednesday, November 5
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM (EST)
Good Life, 28 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-under-water-climate-change-in-our-city-tickets-13290615589
Cost: $15.00
Join Ceres, The Nature Conservancy, and The Trust for Public Land for a young professionals happy hour and discussion of the impacts of climate change on Boston's landscape. Brian Swett, Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space for the City of Boston, will discuss the City's efforts in addressing the potential impact of rising sea levels, particularly through green infrastructure and clean energy planning. Ceres, The Nature Conservancy, and The Trust for Public Land will be on hand to answer questions on how our organizations are working to make Boston a climate-smart city. We look forward to sharing information about how you can become more engaged with our organizations.
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Slow Money Entrepreneur Showcase
Wednesday, November 5
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, 14th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/entrepreneur-showcase-tickets-13463121559
Cost: $22.09
Join us on November 5, 2014 for the Slow Money Boston Entrepreneur Showcase!
We will be bringing together investors, sustainable food entrepreneurs and leaders working together to rebuild our local food system. Learn about investment opportunities and how you can participate in rebuilding local economies based on the principles of soil fertility, sense of place, care of the commons and economic, cultural and biological diversity.
Presenting entrepreneurs include:
Life Force Juice
Hundred Mile Market
Cabbige
Spoiler Alert
Al FreshCo
Wellspring Greenhouse
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Ebola: Mutation, Markets, and the Military
Wednesday, November 5
6:30-8:00
Cabot ASEAN Auditorium, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, 170 Packard Avenue, Medford
with the Global Health Group, Africana Club, and UN Club
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PTSD Awareness & Veteran's Day Event
Wednesday, November 5
7:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 2-105, 2 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker: Ayal Beer
Come hear from Ayal Beer honor Veteran's Day in American and also examine some differences between mental health services and issues that arise in Israel vs. America. He will explore the follow questions:
How is Israeli society impacted psychologically from wars? How do soldiers cope afterwards? What resources are available to them in the army to deal with PTSD and suicide? Why is the Israeli army's statistics for such things better than other countries around the world? Why are these issues important to non-veterans as well? What research/resources are available in Israel that is unique/better than in other places?
Light refreshments will be served.
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Active Minds, MIT Students for Israel, Hillel (MIT), MISTI MIT-Israel Program, The David Project
For more information, contact:
Shoshana Gibbor
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Fracking: How cheap energy is reshaping America's environment
WHEN Wed., November 5, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Armenise Amphitheater, 200 Longwood Avenue, Harvard Medical School, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
DETAILS Science in the News (SITN) is a graduate student organization at Harvard University. We host interactive lectures on various science topics in the spring and fall. This lecture is a part of our fall lecture series, which are on Harvard’s Longwood campus. It consists of several PhD students presenting current research on a particular topic. Our seminars are open to audience members of any age, though a high school level of science education would be beneficial.
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/seminar-series/
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Film Screening: Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 4-370, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
A Film Screening of Anita (2013)
Followed by Panel Discussion featuring:
Dr. Evelynn Hammonds, Professor of the History of Science and African and African American Studies at Harvard University, Former Dean of Harvard College, and
Leena Akhtar, Doctoral Candidate, History of Science, Harvard University
About Anita (2013)
"Anita Hill's graphic testimony was a turning point for gender equality in the U.S. and ignited a political firestorm about sexual misconduct and power in the workplace that resonates still today. She has become an American icon, empowering millions of women and men around the world to stand up for equality and justice.
Against a backdrop of sex, politics, and race, ANITA reveals the intimate story of a woman who spoke truth to power. Directed by Academy Award??-winning filmmaker Freida Mock, the film is both a celebration of Anita Hill's legacy and a rare glimpse into her private life with friends and family, many of whom were by her side that fateful day 22 years ago. Anita Hill courageously speaks openly and intimately for the first time about her experiences that led her to testify before the Senate and the obstacles she faced in simply telling the truth. She also candidly discusses what happened to her life and work in the 22 years since.”
Gender, Health, and Marginalization
An event series hosted in conjunction with the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies' Fall 2014 course Gender, Health, and Marginalization taught by the GCWS faculty team Norma Meras Swenson, Chris Bobel, and Silvia Dominguez.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/gcws/news+events/GenderHealthMarginalization.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies
For more information, contact: Lana Cook
617-324-2085
lanacook at mit.edu
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Thursday, November 6
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Crowds & Climate: From Ideas to Action
Thursday, November 6 & Friday, November 7, 2014
MIT, Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Conference fee: $100 (student scholarships available)
RSVP at https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1619563
The day-and-a-half program focuses on how new technology-enabled, crowd-based approaches can help in developing creative new ideas and taking meaningful action on climate change. In this year's event, we'll roll up our sleeves and work to figure out how to implement an innovative set of proposals to address climate change.
Plenary panels will feature world-class leaders and researchers who have successfully studied and fostered transformational change in the business sector, the policy domain, and in the work of reshaping social attitudes and behavior.
Following each panel, breakout sessions will feature the 2014 winners from contests run on the Climate CoLab, an online platform where a global community of over 20,000 works to develop creative approaches for tackling climate change. In these breakouts, attendees will engage with the authors of winning proposals and experts to explore how their ideas can effectively move forward in the world.
You'll leave the event inspired, with connections and a program of actions you, and others, can take to make progress in the global response to climate change.
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Earthwatch Summit 2014 Break-Out Sessions
Friday, November 7
8:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/earthwatch-summit-2014-break-out-sessions-tickets-12835432123
The Eartwatch Summit 2014, "Scientists Unite" Event will feature several exciting presentations by Earthwatch Scientists.
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Sustainable Development and Global Health: An overdue partnership?
Thursday, November 6
12:00PM
Harvard Global Health Institute, 104 Mt. Auburn Street, 3rd floor, Cambridge
An Informal Conversation with William Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development, Harvard Kennedy School
This event is open to a small number of invited guests, so we kindly request that you respond by Monday, November 3 to Emily Robinson (emily_robinson at harvard.edu), Senior Project Coordinator at the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Sponsored by the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University, in partnership with the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Contact Name: Emily Robinson
emily_robinson at harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-11-06-170000/sustainable-development-and-global-health-overdue-partnership#sthash.UsOyRunX.dpuf
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The Consequences of Terrorist Fragmentation
WHEN Thu., Nov. 6, 2014, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR International Security Program
SPEAKER(S) Evan Perkoski, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch at harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6472/consequences_of_terrorist_fragmentation.html
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Games, Networks, and People
Thursday, November 6
4:00pm to 5:15pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin G115, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Michael Kearns, University of Pennsylvania
Beginning with the introduction of graphical games and related models, there is now a rich body of algorithmic connections between probabilistic inference, game theory and microeconomics. Strategic analogues of belief propagation and other inference techniques have been developed for the computation of Nash, correlated and market equilibria, and have played a significant role in the evolution of algorithmic game theory over the past decade.
There are also important points of departure between probabilistic and strategic graphical models — perhaps most notably that in the latter, vertices are not random variables, but self-interested humans or organizations. It is thus natural to wonder how social network structures might influence equilibrium outcomes such as social welfare or the relative wealth and power of individuals. One logical path that such questions lead to is human-subject experiments on strategic interaction in social networks.
Speaker Bio: Michael Kearns is Professor and National Center Chair in the Computer and Information Science department at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include topics in machine learning, algorithmic game theory, social networks, and computational finance. Prior to joining the Penn faculty, he spent a decade at AT&T/Bell Labs, where he was head of AI Research. He is co-director of Penn’s Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences (warrencenter.upenn.edu), and founder of Penn’s Networked and Social Systems Engineering (NETS) undergraduate program (www.nets.upenn.edu). Kearns consults extensively in technology and finance, and is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Computer Science Colloquium Series
Contact: Gioia Sweetland
Phone: 617-495-2919
Email: gioia at seas.harvard.edu
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Trumpeter/Composer Wallace Roney
WHEN Thu., Nov. 6, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Arts @ 29 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Music
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Learning From Performers Program
SPEAKER(S) Wallace Roney and Professor Ingrid Monson, Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS One of the most in-demand trumpeters on the professional circuit, Wallace Roney holds the distinction of being the only trumpet player the legendary Miles Davis ever personally mentored. Their association peaked in 1991 when Roney was chosen by Davis to share the stage at his historic performance in Montreux, Switzerland. He will discuss his career and creative process during a conversation moderated by Ingrid Monson, Quincy Jones Professor of African American Music.
LINK http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/lfp/details.php?ID=45118
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Post-Election Roundup with William Galston & William Kristol
WHEN Thu., Nov. 6, 2014, 4 – 7:45 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Tsai Auditiorium, S010, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on Constitutional Government
Center for American Political Studies
SPEAKER(S) William Galston, Brookings Institution
William Kristol, The Weekly Standard
Moderated by Harvey Mansfield
COST Free; RSVP required to caps at gov.harvard.edu
DETAILS Join us on Thursday, Nov. 6 for an analysis of the mid-term elections with Bill Kristol and William Galston, moderated by Harvey Mansfield, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Program on Constitutional Government. Bill Kristol and William Galston will be meeting on this occasion for the twelfth time in their much anticipated biennial debate, offering the perspectives of two political philosophers who are participants and shrewd observers, both of them experts gifted with what might be called partisan objectivity.
LINK caps.gov.harvard.edu
Editorial Comment: Interesting that the “liberal” Harvard would have an election talk with two from the Right, Kristol and Mansfield, to one from the Left, Galston. And the one from the Left is from the, at best, middle of the road Brookings Institution.
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Book release for "Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets: Transmedia Organizing and the Immigrant Rights Movement"
Thursday, November 6
5:00pm
MIT Media Lab, Room 633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
A presentation by Sasha Costanza-Chock, Assistant Professor of Civic Media in the Comparative Media Studies/Writing Department at MIT, on his new book Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets!. The book -- about media, community organizing, and immigrant rights -- reveals that the revolution will be tweeted, but tweets alone will not the revolution make.
The talk will be followed by book signing and reception.
In the book, Costanza-Chock traces a broader social movement media ecology, and finds that social media enhances, rather than replaces, face-to-face organizing. He argues that social movements engage in transmedia organizing: despite the current spotlight on digital media, social movement media work is often cross-platform, participatory, and linked to action. Immigrant rights organizers leverage social media creatively, alongside a range of tools from posters and street theater to Spanish-language radio, print, and television.
In his talk, Costanza-Chock will draw on extensive interviews, workshops, and media organizing projects to describe the evolution of transmedia organizing in the immigrant rights movement between 2006 and 2012. Key threads include the mass protests against the anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner Bill; coverage of police brutality against peaceful protesters; and the implications of professionalized transmedia organizing for community accountability.
The book is published by the MIT Press, with a full-text preprint available online under a Creative Commons license: http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/out-shadows-streets
Free and open to the public.
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"Catastrophic Risks: The Downsides of Advancing Technology"
Thursday, November 6
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Harvard, Jefferson Hall, Room 250, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge
with Martin Rees, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University; Astronomer Royal; President, Royal Society (2005-2010).
With Panelists: Sven Beckert, Laird Bell Professor of History; George Daley, Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School; Jennifer Hochschild, Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government; Daniel Schrag, Director, Harvard University Center for the Environment. Moderated by: Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies
Threats from the collective 'footprint' of 9 billion people seeking food, resources and energy are widely discussed. But less well studied is the potential vulnerability of our globally-linked society to the unintended consequences of powerful technologies - not only nuclear, but (even more) biotech, advanced AI, geoengineering and so forth. These are advancing fast, and bring with them great hopes, but also great fears. They will present new threats more diverse and more intractable than nuclear weapons have done. More expertise is needed to assess which long-term threats are credible, versus which will stay science fiction, and to explore how to enhance resilience against the more credible ones. We need to formulate guidelines that achieve optimal balance between precautionary policies, and the benign exploitation of new technologies.
Martin Rees is a Fellow of Trinity College and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. He holds the honorary title of Astronomer Royal and is also Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and at Leicester University. In 1973, he became a fellow of King’s College and Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at Cambridge and served for ten years as director of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. From 1992 to 2003 he was a Royal Society Research Professor, and then from 2004 to 2012, Master of Trinity College. In 2005 he was appointed to the House of Lords and was President of the Royal Society for the period 2005-2010. He is the author or co-author of more than 500 research papers, mainly on astrophysics and cosmology, as well as eight books (six for general readership), and numerous magazine and newspaper articles on scientificand general subjects. His main research areas are in high energy astrophysics, cosmic structure formation, and general cosmological questions. Among his many honors are the Faraday Prize (2004), the Order of Merit (2007), and the Templeton Prize (2011).
Science and Democracy Lecture
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/lectures/
Contact Name: Shana Rabinowich
shana_rabinowich at hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-11-06-220000-2014-11-07-000000/science-and-democracy-lecture#sthash.5RhCu4nN.dpuf
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Beautiful and Deadly: The Arts of War
WHEN Thu., Nov. 6, 2014, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
SPEAKER(S) Steven LeBlanc, curator, Arts of War: Artistry in Weapons across Cultures, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hmsc at hmsc.harvard.edu
DETAILS In societies around the globe, the practice of war has historically gone hand-in-hand with a passion for beautifying the objects used to wage it. Which weapons are people most likely to decorate? How do cultures differ in the techniques and degree to which they embellish war objects? Why are some weapons transformed almost beyond recognition into dramatic cultural icons? Drawing on examples from the Peabody Museum’s extraordinary collections featured in the new exhibition, Arts of War: Artistry in Weapons across Cultures, Steven LeBlanc will explore the penchant for turning weapons into works of art.
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How Did You Do It, Mr. Piano?
WHEN Thu., Nov. 6, 2014, 6 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, GSD, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S) Renzo Piano
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS The Harvard Art Museums building, which opens November 16th, consolidates three museums in a single volume capped by an art study center and state-of-the-art conservation laboratory. Architect Renzo Piano will speak about the project, followed by a conversation moderated by historian and critic Kenneth Frampton, Ware Professor of Architecture at Columbia University, with Mr. Piano and Thomas W. Lentz
, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director.
Renzo Piano, a laureate of the Pritzker Prize and many other distinctions, founded Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1981 following a partnership with architect Richard Rogers and engineer Peter Rice; early experimental practice; and work in the offices of Franco Albini, Louis Kahn, and others. RPBW (Genoa, Paris, and New York) is internationally recognized and lauded for its public spaces, excellence in engineering, and sensitivity to existing structures, as well as for architectural design.
For accessibilty accomondations please contact the events office two weeks in advance at (617)-496-2414 or events at gsd.harvard.edu.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/renzo-piano-how-did-you-do-it-mr-piano.html
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MIT/YPE Panel Discussion - Careers and Trends in the Energy Sector
Thursday, November 6
6:00p–8:00p
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Seaport District, Boston
The MIT Joules and Young Professionals in Energy will be co-hosting a discussion to explore careers and trends in the energy sector. The discussion will feature a panel of speakers from start-ups like Ambri, publicly traded wind firm Enel, policy experts and energy consultants. Come join the conversation, add your voice to the discussion and get engaged with Boston???s thriving energy ecosystem.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
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Excellent Swiss Design Panel
Thursday, November 6
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Tower Auditorium, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/excellent-swiss-design-design-panel-tickets-12711092219
EXCELLENT SWISS DESIGN features selections from the Design Prize Switzerland, a biennial award that for twelve years has recognized advancements in the areas of communication, fashion, furniture, interior, product, and textile design. This exhibition showcases innovative projects, from laser-engraved textiles to a faucet that reduces water consumption by 90% to a running shoe that re-imagines impact through a hollow-core sole. Celebrating ingenuity and sustainability, this exhibition pioneers a new vision for contemporary design.
Design Panel - November 6th, 2014 | 6-8PM
swissnex Boston, Design Preis Schweiz, and MassArt are bringing together Swiss and American industrial, graphic, and furniture designers for a panel discussion exploring the viewpoints and experiences of these international design entrepreneuers. Panelists will discuss product and project design across various markets and the potential benefits of opening up international collaborations and multi-cultural design exchange. How can designers benefit from each other’s history, practice, and industrial bases? Topics include explorations of unique materials, approaches to sustainability, and challenges that face the field of design today. Moderated by MassArt Professor of Graphic Design Elizabeth Resnick.
Featuring:
Thilo Alex Brunner, industrial designer
Ludovic Bailand, graphic designer
Sam Aquillano, Executive Director, Design Museum Boston
Thomas Wuthrich, furniture designer
Elizabeth Resnick, MassArt Professor, Graphic Design - Moderator
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Innovation and New Products in the Food & Beverage Industry
MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association
Thursday, November 6
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
The Food Loft, 535 Albany Street, Top floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovation-and-new-products-in-the-food-beverage-industry-tickets-13392038949
The MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association is proud to sponsor this event with the Greater Boston Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association, the premier global advocate for product development and management professionals.
Description: Join the Greater Boston PDMA on November 6 for an evening to hear a panel discussion that explores the hottest trends in the food and beverage industry. Local executives will discuss innovation and their experiences with introducing new products in the rapidly changing food and beverage space. We'll hear from a wide variety of companies - from startups to larger, more established firms. Register now for this fun event and join in conversation with other product development, product management and innovation professionals in the Boston area.
The set of speakers as well as exciting local start-ups providing free samples of their products beforehand is still being finalized. In the meantime, please visit the PDMA website here for an updated list of speakers and start-ups providing free samples of their products.
Please note: The number of attendees may end up being limited given space constraints, in which case we'll offer spots according to date of registration and confirmation of attendance. Please check for an email before the event with further details for your confirmation
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Green Cambridge
Thursday, November 6
6:30pm
Eastern Bank Community Room, Harvard Square, 1 Brattle Square, Cambridge
We will joined by Neighborhood Solar, a 20% group discount program on solar PV systems through SunBug Solar.
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Big Data for Global Commodity & Energy Markets
Thursday, November 6
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
MIT, Building E62-276, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-data-for-global-commodity-energy-markets-registration-13647495025
Cost: 0 - $10
Join Dr. Albert Hofeldt, Managing Director, Platform Services, Genscape for a presentation on the delivery of market intelligence across the commodity and energy spectrum.
Speaker Bio: Albert Hofeldt, Managing Director, is responsible for the Genscape Platform Technology Strategy & Services and leads a global team of highly seasoned technology architects and data scientists accountable for the design, planning, execution and evolution of the Genscape Product Platform, including the integration of proprietary field data acquisition systems, analytics and data publication systems. Genscape is undergoing an end-to-end technology evolution to further empower customers with strategic value-added software services and building/offering those capabilities with hybrid (on-prem & cloud) solutions including big-data and ‘on-demand’ flexible compute. Operating the world’s largest private network of in-the-field monitors, Genscape recently added satellite reconnaissance, artificial intelligence, and maritime freight tracking to its data acquisition capabilities. Genscape delivers market intelligence across the commodity and energy spectrum: Power, Oil, Natural Gas, Petrochemical and NGL, Agriculture, Biofuels, and Maritime Freight.
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Tracing the origin and transmission of the 2014 Ebola outbreak by virus deep sequencing from 78 patients
Thursday, November 6
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building E51-325, Tang Center, corner of Wadsworth and Amherst Streets, Cambridge
Speaker: Rachel Sealfon
The current Ebola outbreak is unprecedented in its size, rate of growth, and risk to West Africa and the world. The number of infections is following an exponential growth curve, with the CDC now projecting approximately 1.4 million cases by mid-January. Within the three countries which currently have active transmission (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea), there are 20 million people at risk of a disease with a 70% mortality rate. In order to help understand the origin, transmission and evolution of Ebola virus, by late August, the Sabeti lab and collaborators had sequenced, publicly released, and published analysis on Ebola virus genomes from 78 patients in Sierra Leone. These comprise more than 70% of the patients in Sierra Leone diagnosed over the first three weeks of the outbreak there. In this work, we elucidate the relationship of the 2014 outbreak strain to previous outbreaks, identify likely transmission links, and demonstrate that multiple changes became fixed in the virus' genome early in the course of the outbreak. The work has implications for diagnostics, surveillance, and therapeutics.
Rachel Sealfon is a graduate student in EECS at MIT. She is from Brooklyn, New York. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University and received her master's degree in computer science from MIT. She received the 2008 Computing Research Association Outstanding Female Undergraduate Award and NSF and NDSEG fellowships.
IEEE/ACM Joint Seminar Series
Exploring the edge of computing technology.
Web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/sealfon.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): ACM & IEEE/CS
For more information, contact: Dorothy Curtis
dcurtis at csail.mit.edu
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HEET’s Help for Houses of Worship Workshops
Thursday, November 6
7:30 pm
Greater Love Tabernacle,101 Nightingale Street, Dorchester Center, Boston
Organizations interested in participating in the Help for HOWs program should RSVP at
http://www.heetma.org/help-for-houses-of-worship/workshops-help-for-houses-of-worship/
to attend one of these informational sessions
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Friday, November 7
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Spiritual and Sustainable: Religion Responds to Climate Change
WHEN Fri., Nov. 7, 2014, 12 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Environmental Sciences, Religion, Special Events, Sustainability
CONTACT Leslie MacPherson Artinian
DETAILS "Spiritual and Sustainable: Religion Responds to Climate Change" is an interfaith conference focused on addressing the issues and challenges of maintaining a sustainable planet. Focusing on ways to engage, this conference will respond to the overlapping moral issues of climate change, sustainability, social justice, and mindfulness through the lenses of many of the world's religious traditions.
Dan McKanan, Ralph Waldo Emerson Unitarian Universalist Association Senior Lecturer in Divinity, will moderate.
The conference will include a sustainable lunch, panel discussion, tabling session, and a reception.
Admission is free, but seating is limited and pre-registration is required at
http://hds.harvard.edu/faculty-research/conferences-and-seminars/spiritual-and-sustainable
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Fall Lecture Series: Commercializing New Technology in Water Treatment
Friday, November 7
3:00p–4:30p
MIT, Building 4-231, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), or 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Nicholas Dyner, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Marketing, LG Nano-H2O
In 3-years, NanoH2O went from commercialization to acquisition. During that period, the company successfully installed its sea water nano-composite reverse osmosis membranes in over 300 desalination plants in over 40 countries. By end of the 2013, NanoH2O produced over 80 million gallons per day of drinking water. Nick Dyner, SVP of Sales and Marketing will discuss the learnings and mistakes, as well as the industry misconceptions, about the challenges of bringing new water treatment technology to market. Come to this MIT Water Club lecture series to learn about NanoH2O's story of success.
Web site: http://waterclub.scripts.mit.edu/wp/events/event/fall-lecture-series-commercializing-new-technology-in-water-treatment/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Water Club, Graduate Student Council
For more information, contact: Leonardo D. Banchik
waterclub-officers at mit.edu
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Digital materiality and the Intelligence of the Technodigital Object
Friday, November 7
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Betti Marenko, Contextual Studies Leader, University of the Arts, London
Architecture Lecture Series | Design and Computation Lecture Series
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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Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and John Mugane: Exploring Race and Community in the Digital World Workshop Series
WHEN Fri., Nov. 7, 2014, 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Emerson Hall 108, Harvard Yard, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Education, Humanities, Information Technology, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
SPEAKER(S) Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, director of Social Engagement Initiative and Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African American Studies, Harvard University, and John Mugane, director of the African Language Program and professor of the practice, Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO cdmartin at post.harvard.edu
LINK http://raceandtechnology.wordpress.com/workshops/
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Toxic Hot Seat
Friday, November 7
6:00pm-8:30pm
The John D. O’Bryant African American Institute Northeastern University, 40 Leon Street, West Village, Boston
Are the chemicals in your couch toxic?
Toxic Hot Seat, an HBO documentary, brings to light the deadly consequences of well-intentioned safety regulations. CineSource Magazine describes Toxic Hot Seat as, “environmental filmmaking at its pinnacle-revealing, horrifying, infuriating, compelling, and hopeful.”
Panel discussion will follow the film. Light refreshments will be served.
Toxic Hot Seat follows a courageous group of firefighters and mothers, journalists and scientists, politicians and activists as they fight to expose the dangers posed by toxic flame retardants in the furniture in our homes and the deceptive campaign waged by the chemical industry to stall efforts to eliminate unnecessary exposure to these harmful chemicals. Check out the Toxic Hot Seat film preview.
Decades worth of scientific research shows that tens of thousands of unregulated toxic chemicals, like flame retardants, are linked to health problems including cancer, hormone-disruption and harm to the developing brain. Flame retardants began entering peoples’ homes in the early 1970’s hidden in couches, carpeting, baby seats, and many other commonplace products. The chemical industry ran an extremely successful campaign, convincing people of the connection between flame retardants and fire safety. Contrary to this campaign, scientific studies have shown that flame retardants are not actually successful at preventing fires and instead, create a toxic soup inside of burning buildings. Due to this onsite exposure to toxic chemicals and gasses, fire fighters have an increased cancer risk compared to the normal population.
Regrettably, we are all affected by this lack of regulation. Recent toxicological studies demonstrate that flame-retardants do a better job at causing birth defects and cancers than protecting us from fires. To protect the health of American families and first responders we must convey to elected officials that chemicals should be proven safe before ending up in our homes and building materials.
RSVP: Amanda Sebert
617-338-8131 x 202.
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Saturday, November 8
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Earthwatch Summit 2014 - Citizens for Science Exposition
Saturday, November 8
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (EST)
Harvard University Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earthwatch-summit-2014-citizens-for-science-exposition-tickets-13011199849
Cost: $0.00 - $22.09
Register by October 10, 2014
Come meet, interact with, and learn from some of the world's best and brightest scientific minds on cutting edge issues surrounding the Earth we all live on. At this free event you will have the unique opportunity to hear from a host of tremendous speakers and hear their latest research and how it impacts the environment, wildlife, and our community.
Some of the highlights of the day will include:
Opening Session: Rallying Call for Citizen Science with Opening Address Speaker
Dr. William Moomaw, Chief Science Officer, Earthwatch Institute
Morning Address on Harnessing the Power of Citizens for Science
Dr. J. Nichols, Marine Biologist and author of Blue Mind
Afternoon Address on Harnessing the Power of Citizen Science II
Dr. Richard Primack, Boston University biologist and author of Walden Warming
Six Earthwatch Scientist Presentations and Q & A with Moderator
Dr. Meg Lowman, Chief of Science & Sustainability at the California Academy of Science
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A Foreign Policy for All: Re-Thinking U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century
Saturday, November 8
9:00am - 5:00pm
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://masspeaceaction.org/learn/foreign-policy-for-all
Cost: free-$35
A One Day Conference
Confirmed Speakers
Noam Chomsky, MIT Institute Professor, author, Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order
Bill Fletcher, former president, Trans Africa Forum; ; author, They’re Bankrupting Us! And 20 other Myths about Unions
Phyllis Bennis, director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies
Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe columnist; author, The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War
Judith Leblanc, Field Director, Peace Action; former co-chair, UFPJ; member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma
After over a decade of costly military engagements in overseas wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States still maintains an interventionist, military-first foreign policy. Weary of this unsustainable status quo, growing numbers of Americans are engaging in a wide-ranging debate about the values and goals of U.S. foreign policy, the necessary levels of military spending, and the appropriate role for the U.S. in the world in the 21st century. As a result, there is now a unique window of opportunity for deep and critical reflection over the key priorities of U.S. foreign policy going forward.
In this one-day conference to be held immediately after the midterm election, we will both critique current foreign policy approaches that exacerbate global insecurity, and attempt to outline a more positive vision of U.S. global engagement. This vision is one that meets the actual security needs of people around the world, and is consistent with the principles of peace and justice for all. We will also explore the actions needed to make the changes we seek. The discussion will respond to a draft paper, prepared by a working group and to be published approximately October 1. Read a summary of the Foreign Policy for All project: http://masspeaceaction.org/learn/foreign-policy-for-all
Conference fee: $35 at the door, $10 for students and low income; free to MIT students. Fee includes morning coffee and lunch. Register at http://masspeaceaction.org/learn/foreign-policy-for-all or mail check to Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Info: 617 354 2169
Host: MIT Technology and Culture Forum
Co-Sponsors: Massachusetts Peace Action, American Friends Service Committee, MIT Western Hemisphere Association
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Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard University
Social Innovation Collaborative
Saturday, November 8
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)
Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/igniting-innovation-summit-on-social-entrepreneurship-at-harvard-university-tickets-12406908397
Cost: $22.09 - $37.92
The Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship is the largest undergraduate-run conference on social innovation in the United States. The Summit unites students, academics, and leaders in the field who are passionate about developing innovative solutions to today's most pressing problems. Over the past four years, the Summit has grown from a small-scale initiative of Harvard students to a nationally recognized forum for social change.
See more information at our website: ignitinginnovationsummit.com
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Harvard xDesign Conference
WHEN Sat., Nov. 8, 2014
WHERE Harvard Business School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Business, Conferences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Student Groups at Harvard Business School, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Harvard College
SPEAKER(S) 20+ speakers from Airbnb, Evernote, Spotify, IDEO, Everlane, Casper and many more exciting names in product design, media and consulting
COST $30
TICKET WEB LINK harvardxdesign.com
LINK harvardxdesign.com
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Historython
Saturday, November 8
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
LearnLaunch, 31 St James Avenue #920, Boston
Historython is back! Got a great story to tell and looking for the right tool?
Hstry, makers of the history timeline creation tool, is bringing together history enthusiasts around the world to test their skills and win some prizes for the best timelines at Historython. On Saturday, November 8, 10am-5pmET, those located in Boston are invited to join us at the LearnLaunch Campus in the Back Bay. Lunch and lightning talks are on us!
For those history buffs not located in Boston, you can still participate! Just join us virtually for a short introduction webinar at the start, receive your code to begin, and submit your timeline through Hstry by the deadline to get your chance at a prize! We’ll be available online for any questions and will stream the lightning talks in Boston live.
Website: http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Historython-Meetup/events/213172092/
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Aaron Swartz Hackathon
Saturday, November 8
10:00am – 6pm
Center for Civic Media, MIT Media Lab, Building E15, Room 345, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
November 8th, the MIT Center for Civic Media will again be hosting the Aaron Swartz hackathon in partnership with national AaronSwartz Day. Are you a civic-minded, passionate person with an interest in Open Government, Open Data or Net Neutrality? Do you have a project you’ve started, but need some help moving it forward? Or maybe you are searching for a way to get involved with a group already working in these fields. Even if you have no idea where to start, this is the place for you. We are looking for artists, journalists, coders, data crunchers, and any and all enthusiasts who are looking for projects to work on, people to work with, or curiosities about any of the topics Aaron was so passionate about.
To submit a project, please fill out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1z5iP0MGn2dRXZp_Ma635Td0HZR_JIgLcT3dX1Xx6jyQ/
This year’s project areas include:
Open Data
Net Neutrality
Software/Security
Civic Technology
Internet Standards (RSS etc.)
Aaron‘s writings
Hacking Text Collections
Parsing/Hacking/Drafting Internet Policy Documents
We will also screen Brian Knappenberger’s documentary on AaronSwartz “The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz” from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Contact: Ali Hashmi (a_hashmi[at]media[dot]mit[dot]edu)
Adrienne Debigare (Adrienne.Debigare[at]globe[dot]com)
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Bridge Design Day
Saturday, November 8
10:30 am to 12:30 pm
BSA Space 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.architects.org/programs-and-events/family-design-day-its-novembridge-boston-bridges
Cost: $8
Learn about the many bridge types we have spanning our city's waterways, and then design and build your own bridge for our Fort Point neighborhood. This Family Program is designed for parents and children ages 5 – 13 years old, a maximum ratio of one adult per three children will be required.
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New Global Movements for Real Democracy
Saturday, November 8
12pm to 1pm
Northeastern University, 310 Renaissance Park, Boston
Marina Sitrin
Author, lawyer, and activist Marina Sitrin has been a direct participant in a number of movements, from the Zapatistas and the Popular Assemblies in Argentina to Occupy, and she will be sharing her reflections on a host of recent social movements and emerging practices of direct democracy.
Sitrin is the author of numerous books, including Everyday Revolutions: Horizontalism and Autonomy in Argentina (2012, Zed Books) and They Can?t
Represent US: Reinventing Democracy From Greece to Occupy (2014, Verso).
Contact Kevin Geyer at geyer.k at husky.neu.edu for further information
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Sunday, November 9
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Demo session for Music Hack Day Boston 2014
Music Hack Day
Sunday, November 9
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EST)
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive #1, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/demo-session-for-music-hack-day-boston-2014-tickets-13732810205
The goal of Music Hack Day is to explore and build the next generation of music applications. It's a full weekend of hacking in which participants will conceptualize, create and present their hacks in 24hrs. Anything goes as long as it's music related. For more details visit our Hacker League page.
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Green Pedal Film Festival (featuring Wild & Scenic Film Festival films)
Boston Cyclists Union
Sunday, November 9
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EST)
Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-pedal-film-festival-featuring-wild-scenic-film-festival-films-tickets-13708349041
Cost: $11.54
A fall evening of several short films on rad environmental innovations, a talk from film maker Lucas Brunelle, and a raffle!
The festival features Wild & Scenic Film Festival films from 2013 and 2014, and some of Brunelle's most recent shorts.
Also on display will be the biggest convergence of the Greater Boston area's work tricycles, including the Bibliocycle, the Coffee Trike, AlFreshCo, Boostrap Compost, Metro MetroPedal Power and more! Talk to these innovators one on one and hear about the trials and tribulations of starting a bicycle-based business.
Tickets are $10 via Eventbrite, and the price helps fund the Bike Union's mission for safer and better bikeways in Boston.
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Monday, November 10
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An organic mega flow battery for utility-scale electrical energy storage
Monday, November 10
12pm-1:30pm
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Michael Aziz, Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor of Materials and Energy Technologies, Harvard SEAS
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Seymour E. & Ruth B. Harris Lecture: Partisan Media and Democracy: Historical Lessons from US Newspapers
WHEN Mon., Nov. 10, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Science Center D Lecture Hall, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR FAS Department of Economics
SPEAKER(S) Matthew Gentzkow, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
CONTACT INFO eunverz at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS A reception will follow the lecture in the Hansen-Mason Room, Littauer Center 3rd floor from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k40863
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Planets and Life - Human and Planetary Perspectives
Monday, November 10
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 2-105, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
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
This MIT lecture series and course option will consist of diverse MIT, Harvard, and international experts giving lectures and participating in two panel discussions to explore the crucial processes for complex surface life and the links between human evolution and environmental changes.
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A Weather Report from an Exoplanet: Clouds and Rain in a Place 40 Light Years Away
Monday, November 10
7pm – 8pm
The Burren in Davis Square
Dr Dimitar Sasselov
SITN’s Science by the Pint is a chance to interact directly with research scientists. The featured scientists will give a brief intro to her work, and take a few questions before mingling from table to table with other member of her group to chat with you.
Contact http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Amanda Palmer 'The Art of Asking' Book Tour Kickoff
Monday, November 10, 2014
10:00 PM
Somewhere in Harvard Square + Porter Square Books, Cambridge
It’s here! the official Art of Asking book release party and tour kick-off!
10:PM- gather in Harvard Square with Amanda Palmer. then parade to Porter Square Books.
11:30- interviews, performances at Porter Square Books.
12:00- book sales and book-signings commence!
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Tuesday, November 11
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The Backstory to the Islamic State, Assad and U.S. Policy—A Reporter's First Hand View
WHEN Tue., Nov. 11, 2014, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Room 102, 38 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The CMES Middle East Forum
SPEAKER(S) Reese Erlich, investigative journalist, author, and Peabody Award winner
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO elizabethflanagan at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS This event is off the record. The use of recording devices is strictly prohibited.
LINK http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3750
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Financing the Future Mixer: Networking, Cocktails and Conversation
Tuesday, November 11
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Vlora Restaurant, 545 Boylston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/financing-the-future-mixer-networking-cocktails-and-conversation-tickets-13978137987
Sustain for the Future and the Babson Energy and Environmental Club have teamed up to bring you an evening of Networking, Cocktails and Conversation with Sustainable Thought Leader, John Chaimanis. Mr. Chaimanis will be sharing his wisdom, work and enlightening you on:
"Financing the Future: A Look at Sustainable Project Development"
This event is free and open to the public.
*Must be at least 21 years of age to attend. Valid ID required.
Mr. Chaimanis is a Managing Director of Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure and Lecturer at Babson College. At Kendall Investments, Mr. Chaimanis focuses on all aspects of business including deal sourcing, financial structuring and asset management. Prior to Kendall, Mr. Chaimanis worked with a subsidiary of Edison International in California where he developed and acquired over $500 million of energy projects, installing 250MW of renewable energy assets. Mr. Chaimanis is published and has lectured to universities on the topic of energy markets and renewables. Prior to his career in energy he founded a charter school. Mr. Chaimanis holds an M.B.A. from Babson College, and a B.S. in Finance from Villanova University. He has earned certification from the US SIF for Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI).
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, November 12
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CMEI Dialogue: Global Education's Troubling Questions: What Are the Benefits, and for Whom?
WHEN Wed., Nov. 12, 2014, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Larsen Hall, Room G-08, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Ethics, Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Civic and Moral Education Initiative
SPEAKER(S) Manish Jain, co-founder at Swaraj University and co-founder at Shikshantar: The Peoples' Institute for Rethinking Education and Development - Udaipur, Rajasthan
Adebayo Akomolafe, coordinator at International Alliance for Localization, co-founder at Koru conversations and lecturer at Covenant University - Atan Ota, Ogun, Nigeria
Sanford Unger, president emeritus of Goucher College in Maryland; distinguished scholar in residence at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; journalist and author
Kara Godwin, visiting scholar, Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
DETAILS Global education and internationalization are being touted as the essential elements of progress in the 21st-century. Yet this raises serious questions: whom is global education and internationalization meant to benefit; and for what social, economic, or political purposes?
This dialogue will try to tackle the power, politics, and pedagogy of global education in a rapidly changing time.
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Fostering the Next Bill Nye - How Hard Could it Be?
Wednesday, November 12
3:30p–4:30p
MIT, Building 56-154, Access Via 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Elizabeth Choe & George Zaidan
There is an increasing popularity and power of the hosted video medium - what is the place of informal web series and shows in life-long learning and more formal educational experiences for both users and creators, and how can we capitalize on this format to engage and entertain in addition to educating? Elizabeth Choe and George Zaidan will their attempt to answer this question through an analysis of the inaugural year of MIT+K12 Videos??? original, student-written and hosted web series, Science Out Loud. Their presentation will trace the successes and failures of the program, the accompanying challenges associated with presenting science as a narrative (and teaching others to do so!), and lessons learned that could inform the way we think about equipping STEM-inclined students to become inspiring advocates for their fields.
xTalks: Digital Discourses
xTalks provides a forum to facilitate awareness, deep understanding and transference of educational innovations at MIT and elsewhere. We hope to foster a community of educators, researchers, and technologists engaged in developing and supporting effective learning experiences through online learning environments and other digital technologies.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): OEIT- Office of Educational Innovation and Technology
For more information, contact: Molly Ruggles
617-324-9185
ruggles at mit.edu
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Who Builds a Skyscraper without Drawing Blueprints?
Wednesday, November 12
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Leslie Lamport
Abstract: Architects draw detailed plans before construction begins. Software engineers don't. Can this be why buildings seldom collapse and
programs often crash? A blueprint for software is called a specification. TLA+ specifications have been described as exhaustively testable pseudo-code. High-level TLA+ specifications can catch design errors that are now found only by examining the rubble after a system has collapsed.
Biography: Dr. Lamport received a doctorate in mathematics from Brandeis University, with a dissertation on singularities in analytic partial differential equations. This, together with a complete lack of education in computer science, prepared him for a career as a computer scientist at Massachusetts Computer Associates, SRI, Digital, and Compaq. He claims that it is through no fault of his that of those four corporations, only the one that was supposed to be non-profit still exists. He joined Microsoft in 2001, but that company has not yet succumbed.
Dr. Lamport's initial research in concurrent algorithms made him well-known as the author of LaTeX, a document formatting system for
the ever-diminishing class of people who write formulas instead of drawing pictures.
Dertouzos Distinguished Lecture
Web site: https://calendar.csail.mit.edu/events/136986
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): CSAIL
For more information, contact: Laura Moses
617-253-0145
lmoses at csail.mit.edu
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“Dams, Water Quality, and Infant Mortality: Evidence from South Africa”
Wednesday, November 12
4:10 pm
Harvard, Littauer Building, Room L-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Elizabeth Walker, Harvard University
The supporting seminar paper will be available soon to view and download by clicking on Seminar Papers on the left prior to the seminar at http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k105744
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Edtech Pitch Night
Wednesday, November 12
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Microsoft New England R&D Center, 1 Memorial Drive Suite 100, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edtech-pitch-night-tickets-13679103567
LearnLaunch Institute and YEP-Boston are excited to co-host an Edtech Pitch Night! Six early stage edtech startups will have the chance to pitch their products to a live audience. A panel of judges will offer the companies feedback and vote on the best pitch. The audience will also get to participate by voting for a crowd favorite. There will be plenty of time to mingle with the edtech community as well as the companies that are pitching.
Agenda
6:00-7:00 pm: Networking
7:00-8:00 pm: Pitches
8:00-9:00 pm: Announcement of Winner/Networking with Pitch Companies
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Years of Living Dangerously - Film Screening
Wednesday, November 12
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender Street, Cambridge
Thanks to board member Susan Ringler, Green Cambridge has acquired a copy of Season 1 of Years of Living Dangerously. The series takes A-list actors into front line communities affected by climate change. A series not to be missed, we will be hosting a screening of the first two episodes at the
Following the episodes we will have a conversation lead by Brian Helmuth, Northeastern University Professor and expert in ecological forecasting, sustainability, and environmental policy on climate effects and concerns for the Northeast region.
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Back to the Past: Putin's Russia
WHEN Wed., Nov. 12, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE First Parish in Cambridge, 3 Church Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Cambridge Forum
SPEAKER(S) Masha Gessen, journalist
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO director at cambridgeforum.org, 617.495.2727
DETAILS Gessen discusses Vladimir Putin's rise to power and its devastating impact on the nascent democratic government of Russia.
LINK www.cambridgeforum.org
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More than a Messenger: The secret life of RNA
WHEN Wed, November 12, 7pm – 10pm
WHERE Armenise Amphitheater, 200 Longwood Avenue, Harvard Medical School, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
DETAILS Science in the News (SITN) is a graduate student organization at Harvard University. We host interactive lectures on various science topics in the spring and fall. This lecture is a part of our fall lecture series, which are on Harvard’s Longwood campus. It consists of several PhD students presenting current research on a particular topic. Our seminars are open to audience members of any age, though a high school level of science education would be beneficial.
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/seminar-series/
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Thursday, November 13
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Follies and Fiascoes: Why Does U.S. Foreign Policy Keep Failing?
WHEN Thu., Nov. 13, 2014, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR International Security Program
SPEAKER(S) Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs; faculty chair, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch at harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6475/follies_and_fiascoes.html
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Modeling and Optimization of Electricity Markets
November 13, 2014
2:50 pm - 4:00 pm
Tufts, Halligan 102, 161 College Avenue Medford
Speaker: Michael C. Ferris, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Abstract: We outline a number of models that are used within Electricity Markets for the design and operation of an interacting physical and economic system. We show how optimization and equilibrium concepts can be deployed within an extended mathematical programming framework. Examples that address issues of load shedding, demand response, bidding, storage market power and risk will be given. The interplay between complementarity and optimization will be highlighted, along with some references to Cournot and Stackleberg.
Bio: Michael C. Ferris is Professor of Computer Sciences and leads the Optimization Group within the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, England in 1989.
Dr. Ferris' research is concerned with algorithmic and interface development for large scale problems in mathematical programming, including links to the GAMS and AMPL modeling languages, and general purpose software such as PATH, NLPEC and EMP. He has worked on several applications of both optimization and complementarity, including cancer treatment plan development, radiation therapy, video-on-demand data delivery, economic and traffic equilibria, structural and mechanical engineering.
Ferris is a SIAM fellow, an INFORMS fellow, received the Beale-Orchard-Hays prize from the Mathematical Programming Society and is a past recipient of a NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He serves on the editorial boards of Mathematical Programming, SIAM Journal on Optimization, Transactions of Mathematical Software, and Optimization Methods and Software.
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What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa?
Thursday, November 13
4:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Various
What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa? is a workshop on topics of technology, innovation, and science and Africa. The workshop is from November 13-15, 2014 including lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions. Please see the event website for more information.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/sts/news/special.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): SHASS Dean's Office, HASTS
For more information, contact: Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn at mit.edu
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From Arab "Spring" to Arab "Chaos": Can Gulf States Stabilize the Arab World?
WHEN Thu., Nov. 13, 2014, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Room 102, 38 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Center for Middle Eastern Studies Director's Series
SPEAKER(S) Amine Jaoui, fellow, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO elizabethflanagan at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS This event is off the record. The use of recording devices is strictly prohibited.
LINK http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/3720
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Stalin:Geopolitics, Power, Ideas
Thursday, November 13
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 4-237, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Professor Kotkin, Princeton University
Stephen Kotkin is the John P. Birkelund '52 Professor in History and International Affairs at Princeton University and Vice Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School.
In his forthcoming political biography of Stalin, historian Stephen Kotkin presents a man of contradictions. Here was a man inclined to despotism yet utterly charming, a pragmatic ideologue yet someone who made egregious strategic blunders, a leader who obsessed over slights yet was a precocious geostrategic thinker. Kotkin analyzes Stalin's famous paranoia to show how it was fundamentally political and closely tracks the Bolshevik revolution's structural paranoia, the predicament of a Communist regime in an overwhelmingly capitalist world, surrounded and penetrated by enemies. All of this naturally has far-reaching implications for understanding Putin's Russian today.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MISTI MIT-Russia Program, Security Studies Program
For more information, contact: Emma Kaminskaya
324-2793
ekaminsk at mit.edu
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Urban Films: Rome Open City
Thursday, November 13
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 3-133, 3 Massachusetts Ave (Rear), Cambridge
ROME OPEN CITY (1945): A harrowing drama about the Nazi occupation of Rome and the brave few who struggled against it, ROME OPEN CITY is a shockingly authentic experience, conceived and directed amid the ruin of World War II, with immediacy in every frame. Marking a watershed moment in Italian cinema, this galvanic work garnered awards around the globe and left the beginnings of a new film movement in its wake. Directed by Roberto Rossellini. 100 minutes.
Urban Planning Film Series
An occasional 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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Boston Quantified Self Show&Tell
Tuesday, January 13
6:00 PM
Microsoft NERD New England Research & Development Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Price: $7.00 per person
Please come join us on Tuesday, January 13th for another fun night of self-tracking presentations, sharing ideas, and showing tools. If you are self-tracking in any way -- health stats, biofeedback, life-logging, mood monitoring, biometrics, athletics, etc. -- come and share your methods, results and insights.
We're happy to hosted by our friends at Microsoft. Be sure to RSVP early to grab your spot! Come to meet new people, check out new hands-on gadgets and tools, enjoy healthy food, and learn from personal stories.
QS Boston is dedicated to hosting events that are safe and comfortable for everyone. All QS Boston events will follow the QS Boston Code of Conduct. Questions/feedback can be sent to Maggie (maggie.delano at gmail.com).
6:00 - 7:00 pm DEMO HOUR & SOCIAL TIME
Are you a toolmaker? Come demo your self-tracking gadget, app, project or idea that you're working on and share with others in our "science fair for adults." If you are making something useful for self-trackers – software, hardware, web services, or data standards – please demo it in this workshop portion of the Show&Tell. Want to participate in Demo Hour? Please let us know when you RSVP or contact Vincent at vmcphillip at gmail dot com for a spot.
7:00 - 8:00 pm IGNITE SHOW&TELLS
If you'd like to talk about your personal self-tracking story, please let us know in your RSVP or contact Maggie at maggie.delano at gmail dot com, so you can discuss your topic. In your talk, you should answer the three prime questions: What did you do? How did you do it? What did you learn?
If you've never been to a meetup before, you can get a sense of what the talks are like from watching videos of previous QS talks.
Don't know what Ignite means? Click here for more info and here for tips on how to deliver a fantastic quick-fire presentation.
8:00 - 9:00 pm MORE SOCIAL TIME & NETWORKING
Talk to the speakers, chat with new and old friends, ask other people what they're tracking, and generally hang out and have a great time.
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Humanitarian Happy Hour
Thursday, November 13
6:30 p.m.
The Field in Central Square (http://www.thefieldpub.com/)
Note: The bar is cash only
Appetizers will be provided.
Co-sponsored by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Tufts Humanitarian Action Society
Contact: Lauren Seelbach, MIT Humanitarian Response Lab
seelbach at mit.edu
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Lessons From The Cuban Energy Revolution
Thursday, November 13
7:00pm - 8:30pm
First Church in Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
Mario Alberto Arrasta Avila
What can we learn from Cuba? When nearly 70% of Cuba’s oil supply stopped in 1989 after the USSR collapsed, transportation, electricity, and food production were jeopardized. Cuba responded by shifting to widespread use of renewables and permaculture-based agriculture systems, making the country a world leader in sustainable development.
Join us in welcoming Cuba’s leading Energy Efficiency and Renewables educator, Mario Alberto Arrastía Avila. Mario is responsible for the development and delivery of energy education at all levels in Cuba, and is a passionate and engaging speaker.
Come along to hear about Cuba’s “Energy Revolution” and what Massachusetts can learn from it.
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How to Manage Corporate Sustainability
Thursday, November 13
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
Microsoft New England R&D Center, 1 Memorial Drive #1, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-manage-corporate-sustainability-tickets-13620125161?aff=eac2
Join Young Professionals in Energy and Harvard University Professor Richard Goode for a conversation about corporate sustainability. What is corporate sustainability? How to report on sustainability effectively and why is it important? How to classify GHG emissions and how to measure them? What are the best practices out there: which companies do it right? How to prepare for future climate change regulations? What can we do as employees to make an impact?
Rich Goode is a senior manager in Ernst & Young LLP's United States climate change and sustainability services practice with experience in implementing sustainability programs at large organizations as well as expertise in carbon accounting. Rich teaches sustainability courses at Harvard and Tufts Universities.
Following the talk and Q&A session, we will head to Abigail's Restaurant at 291 Third Street in Cambridge for drinks, socializing, and networking.
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Community Shared Solar and Virtual Net Metering
Thursday, November 13
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist; 3 Church Street, Harvard Square
Community Solar provides access to solar power for those who cannot install a photovoltaic system on their rooftop. By virtual net metering, energy produced in one location can be credited to a ratepayer in another place. This concept, currently available to the nearly 80% of Massachusetts customers who would like to go solar, but cannot, represents an opportunity to greatly expand renewable energy in our electric system.
Development of community solar is growing, but recent proposed legislation (Bill 4185) threatened to limit its use by restricting its application and benefits. With solar energy beginning to gain a visible foothold, as well as fostering job growth, should we turn away from successful policy now?
Malcolm Bliss, Regional Outreach Manager at Next Step Living, will introduce us to community solar and provide thoughts on how we can support its potential at the November Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum.
BASEA Forum - Boston Area Solar Energy Association
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Friday, November 14
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What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa?
Friday, November 14
8:00a–6:00p
MIT, E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Various
What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa? is a workshop on topics of technology, innovation, and science and Africa. The workshop is from November 13-15, 2014 including lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions. Please see the event website for more information.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/sts/news/special.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): SHASS Dean's Office, HASTS
For more information, contact: Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn at mit.edu
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Energy Business Bootcamp
Friday, November 14
9:00a–5:00p
The Sloan Energy Club is pleased to be hosting the third annual Energy Business Bootcamp. This day long seminar is a standout opportunity for those interested in cutting edge energy solutions to learn from industry practitioners and academics about the current state of various energy and climate issues.
Web site: http://sloanenergyclub.org
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club, Sloan Energy Club
For more information, contact: Sloan Energy Club
imassey at sloan.mit.edu
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Crises in Cities: What Next?
Friday, November 14
12:30 PM
Harvard Kennedy School, Room 275, Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
A practitioners' panel on multi-agency emergency and crisis response, featuring:
Samantha Phillips, Director for Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia
Steven Sarao, Criminal Justice Program Fellow, NYPD Special Projects Unit
Thaddeus Pawlowski, Urban Designer, NYC City Planning
Moderated by Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Faculty Co-Director, Program on Crisis Leadership, and George F. Baker Jr. Professor of Public Management, Harvard Kennedy School
**Lunch will be provided prior to the panel discussion, at 12:00 PM, in the Taubman Rotunda**
Space is limited. Please RSVP to jayme_johnson at hks15.harvard.edu
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The Role of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Addressing the World’s Energy Challenges
Friday, November 14
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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Beyond the Yoda Head: Making 3D Printing Meaningful
Friday, November 14
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Matt Ratto, University of Toronto
Architecture Lecture | Design and Computation Lecture Series
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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Hack Urban Food
Friday, November 14
5:00 PM - Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 9:00 PM
General Assembly/WeWork, 51 Melcher Street, Fort Point, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hack-urban-food-tickets-12298664637
Cost: $32.64
Hack Urban Food with Branchfood!
Calling all entrepreneurs, developers, food system experts, designers, chefs, farmers and the food enthused!
Branchfood will be hosting a city-wide food hackathon on November 14th and 15th. Join us to develop products and technologies that transform institutional food, restaurant operations and urban farming. You'll get to hear from industry experts and work alongside stellar teams to create solutions to some of the most pressing food system challenges. Top prize of $5,000 from our friends at Breville goes to the winning team with many other giveaways, food and surprises to come! Get your tickets now - there are only a handful available! Check out our website for more details.
contact http://www.branchfood.com
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Saturday, November 15
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What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa?
Saturday, November 15
8:30a–12:00p
MIT, E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Various
What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean From Africa? is a workshop on topics of technology, innovation, and science and Africa. The workshop is from November 13-15, 2014 including lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions. Please see the event website for more information.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/sts/news/special.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): SHASS Dean's Office, HASTS
For more information, contact: Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn at mit.edu
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SPARK Entrepreneurship Conference by Harvard Business School
WHEN Sat., Nov. 15, 2014, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Business School - various
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Classes/Workshops, Conferences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HBS Entrepreneurship Club
COST $25 - $35
TICKET WEB LINK www.hbseconference.com
CONTACT INFO wlin at mba2016.hbs.edu
DETAILS The HBS Entrepreneurship Club presents the annual SPARK Conference. Join us on November 15th for a no-panels, interactive day of practical advice, meaningful content, and networking within HBS and with surrounding schools / the Boston startup community. Conference topics will include ideation, building a team, from paper to prototype, raising money, jump-starting Field 3, and joining a startup. Tickets are selling out, so buy yours today!
LINK www.hbseconference.com
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Grooversity Festival
Saturday, November 15
1:00-6:30 pm
East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street, Somerville
Free and open to all, with live streaming; prizes available for on site and online attendees. For information: 917-719-0127, www.grooversity.com/festival.
"World drumming for entertainment, education and social change" ... the Grooversity motto and the incentive behind what has now become the annual Grooversity Festival, presented by and for the Somerville community, yet open to everyone worldwide, to anyone who wants and needs to get their positive groove on.
Master groover Marcus Santos spearheads this festival, which this year features performances by Ben Paulding & master Ashanti drummer Emmanuel Attah Poku, Bloco AfroBrazil, Sheboom, and World Percussion Ensembles from the Somerville Public Schools.
The afternoon will also be offering workshops given by master drummers Bas Janssen, Gino Figliola, Marcus Santos, Saturday With Sticks: Fabrizio Cavallaro, and Sergio Bellotti. In other words, East Somerville will be the rhythmical place to be, either physically or virtually.
Background information: Grooversity's founder Marcus Santos, hand drummer originally from Brazil, has developed an innovative and creative drumming system, geared for both education and entertainment purposes. His techniques promote community outreach and social change by targeting diversity awareness. Within the past ten years, his fun, interactive, and inclusive percussive vision has spread worldwide, creating a network of people of all ages from different ethnic backgrounds. Visit www.grooversity.com to discover Santos' world and all it has to offer in appreciating diversity, supporting civil rights, encouraging self-esteem, and last but not least, having a great time!
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Monday, November 17
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MASS Seminar - Jun-Eung Lee (Brown
Monday, November 17
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Jun-Eung Lee
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) is a student-run weekly seminar series within PAOC. Seminar topics include all research concerning the atmosphere and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars usually take place on Monday from 12-1pm followed by a lunch with graduate students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, post-docs, and students are arranged. The seminar series is run by graduate students and is intended mainly for students to interact with individuals outside the department, but faculty and post docs certainly participate.
Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/calendars/mass
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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Financing wind energy deployment in China through the Clean Development Mechanism: Additionality and incentives for technological change
Monday, November 17
12pm-1:30pm
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Gabe Chan, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group
Joern Huenteler, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group
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"insel4D: Dynamic Simulation of Cities"
Monday, November 17
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Ursula Eicker, Professor, HFT Stuttgart Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology
Architecture Lecture Series / Building Technology Lecture Series
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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Access to Toilets and Women's Rights
WHEN Mon., Nov. 17, 2014, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South, S354, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Health Sciences, Humanities, Law, Religion, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S) Sharmila Murthy, assistant professor of Law, Suffolk University
Ramnath Subbaraman, PUKAR; research fellow in medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/access-to-toilets-and-womens-rights/
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Planets and Life Series: Welcome to the Anthropocene, Climate Change and Hurricanes
Monday, November 17
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building 2-105, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker: Kerry Emanuel (MIT)
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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Tuesday, November 18
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Jeffrey Goldberg, National Correspondent, The Atlantic.
Tuesday, November 18
12 p.m.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
More information at http://shorensteincenter.org/jeffrey-goldberg/
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FAA Deputy Administrator to Speak about NextGen's Impact on Transportation and the Economy
Tuesday, November 18
12:00pm
Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center, 55 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP to Ellen Bell, director of Strategic Initiatives for Research and Innovation, at ellen.bell at dot.gov
Webinar https://volpe-events.webex.com/mw0401l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=volpe-events
Michael G. Whitaker, Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
Michael G. Whitaker, deputy administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will discuss how the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is crucial to enable growth and change in aviation. He will also examine how NextGen will make the U.S. more competitive in the global economy and the impact of aviation on U.S. regional economies.
Michael G. Whitaker is the Deputy Administrator for FAA. Whitaker is responsible for helping to ensure the safe and efficient operations of the largest aerospace system in the world. This includes more than 50,000 daily operations as well as enforcing safety standards for all equipment and aerospace professionals within the aviation industry.
Whitaker also serves as the Chief NextGen Officer and is responsible for the development and implementation of FAA's NextGen. NextGen is an air traffic control modernization program that is shifting from ground-based radar to state-of-the-art satellite technology.
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Urban Agriculture in Boston
Tuesday, November 18
12–1 pm
Harvard Law School, Hauser 102, Cambridge
Boston is a leader in the urban agriculture movement. Come hear from four panelists that have been very involved in the process of bringing urban agriculture to Boston and helping to reduce the barriers urban farmers face. The panelists are Edith Murnane, from the City of Boston’s Office of Food Initiatives, which has helped lead Boston’s urban agriculture initiative; Alli Condra, from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, which helped create a document guiding farmers through city and state approval and permitting processes; Chris LaPointe, from the Trust for Public Land, which received permit approval to create the first urban farm in Boston under the new zoning code; and Alex Gellar, from Fathom, which created an app that helps urban farmers find land within Boston.
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/urban-agriculture-boston#sthash.UTPw7E9b.dpuf
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"The Roots of Technological Controvery: Genetically Modified Crops in Africa.”
Tuesday, November 18
4:30pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Calestous Juma, Harvard
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"Anthropology in Warzones"
Tuesday, November 18
4:30 to 6:00pm
Northeastern University, 310 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
Montgomery McFate of the U.S. Naval War College
The series consists of two talks presenting contrasting viewpoints on the relationship between anthropological/social science research and war, particularly regarding the issue of research ethics. It would be great to have lots of peace activists to ask critical questions and give your point of view!
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e4Dev Speaker Series: Revolution of the kitchen--social processes of adoption of improved and removal of traditional cookstoves
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
5:30p–6:30p
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Yiting Wang-Researcher, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Yiting Wang recently finished her Master of Environmental Science at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (Yale F&ES). She is currently a researcher with the Green Markets Lab at Yale F&ES. Her research focuses on the intersection of climate, energy and development. She traces how these issues have been increasingly approached through market-based mechanisms such as carbon finance and how actors access the market and the wealth it generates based on her fieldwork in Kenya and Uganda. From her research in the Indian Himalaya, she also examines household energy transition from a gender lens and reveals how social processes are driving technological change.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative, e4Dev
For more information, contact: Lily Mwalenga
e4dev-request at mit.edu
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Protecting the Ash Tree: Wabanaki Diplomacy and Sustainability Science in Maine
Tuesday, November 18
6:00PM
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Darren Ranco, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of Native American Research, University of Maine
Brown ash trees sustain the ancestral basket-making traditions of the Wabanaki people of Maine and play a key role in their creation myths. These trees are now threatened by the emerald ash borer, a beetle that has already killed millions of ash trees in the eastern United States. Wabanaki tribes and basket makers have joined forces with foresters, university researchers, and landowners to develop and deploy actions aimed at preventing an invasion by this insect. Anthropologist Darren Ranco discusses how the stakeholders in this interdisciplinary effort are using sustainability science and drawing from Wabanaki forms of diplomacy to influence state and federal responses to the emerald ash borer and prevent the demise of the ash trees central to Wabanaki culture.
Lecture. Free and open to the public.
Presented jointly with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
The Legacy of Penobscot Canoes: A View from the River, an exhibition in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, will remain open until 9:00 pm following the lecture.
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2014-11-18-230000/protecting-ash-tree-wabanaki-diplomacy-and-sustainability-science-maine#sthash.dsXFG7f8.dpuf
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Food of the Future, Future of Food
Tuesday, November 18
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 136 Irving Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-of-the-future-future-of-food-tickets-14071695821
Italy will host the 2015 World Exposition in Milan under the main theme “Feeding the planet. Energy for life.” The event represents an opportunity to share strategies and problem solving styles with regards to food security and sustainable access to nutrition as well as to showcase industrial innovation in this field. The Greater Boston Area, with its prestigious universities and state-of-the-art research centers, is a favorite place for reviewing the most recent applications that could be employed in the agro-food sector, always taking into consideration a sustainable context. The aim of this symposium is to connect cutting age technologies developed within many different disciplines with food and nutrition perspectives.
Challenges and Perspective for an Inclusive and Sustainable Access to Food
Fabio Marazzi
If nine hundred million people suffer from malnutrition while an equal number suffer the effects of overeating and a poorly-disciplined diet, it is clear that the theme of safe, healthy eating is a truly global issue that directly or indirectly involves most of the earth’s population. To provide responses to t these increasingly pressing themes, EXPO 2015 wants to be the occasion to represent excellence in the methods, techniques and rules of food production, in strategies for achieving energy savings in food production and int he rational use of renewable energy resources and the conservation of natural resources.
Living Materials for Food Safety
Fiorenzo Omenetto
The use of biomaterials for technological applications has been introduced over the past few years. Among these, silk is finding new applications as a useful biocompatible, edible material platform with utility in high technology applications. WE will overview ho purified silkworm silk can be reassembled, among other things, in a multitude of high quality, micro- and nanostructure optical and illustrate the implication of a new class of “living materials” that can affect our daily lives, from the way we administer drugs, to the way we consume food.
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Cryptocurrencies: The Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Tuesday, November 18
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/cryptocurrencies-the-challenges-and-opportunities-ahead-tickets-13885518961
Everyday a new article arises on the subject of cryptocurrencies - be it on Bitcoins, or on any of the other digital currencies currently being traded globally. But, what exactly is a cryptocurrency - a currency, a commodity, or another asset class? And, what does one stand to gain from this new system? Is the cryptocurrency trend a boom about to go bust, or is it technology that offers more? How can this system become mainstream? What legal framework and regulations will be necessary to facilitate the use of cryptocurrencies? These and many other questions will be the focus of the second event of our Future of Money series.
A panel of both Swiss and American industry experts will discuss the underpinnings of cryptocurrencies and examine key questions about the future of this innovation. This event will be a unique opportunity to understand the workings of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A and networking reception.
Program
6 PM: Doors Open
6:30 PM: Welcome Address by Dr. Felix Moesner, CEO/Consul swissnex Boston
6:40 PM: Panel Discussion with Q&A
8:00 PM: Reception
8:30 PM: Doors Close
Panelists
Moderator
Euny Hong, Author, Birth of Korean Cool
Panelists
Christian Decker, Distributed Computing Group, ETH Zürich
Gil Luria, Managing Director and Equity Research at Wedbush Securities
Chrisopher Odom, CTO and Co-founder at Monetas
Kyle Powers, Co-founder of Liberty Teller
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Creating Public Doubt about Scientific Facts
Tuesday, November 18
6:30 PM
Belmont Media Center, 9 Lexington Street, Belmont MA
Naomi Oreskes, PhD, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University
Author of Merchants of Doubt (with Erik M. Conway) and The Collapse of Western Civilization (w/Erik M. Conway). Over decades, a few well-known scientists have represented various corporate interests in campaigns to mislead the public about threats to health and environment. Dr. Oreskes discusses the disinformation campaigns about tobacco and cancer, CFCs and the ozone hole, coal and acid rain, and now climate change. She describes the structure of those disinformation efforts and how the public can combat the "manufacture of doubt," which is the subject of her best-selling book (with Erik Conway).
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What will the Power Grid Look Like 50 Years From Now?
Tuesday, November 18
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Constant Contact, 3rd Floor, The Great Room, 1601 Trapelo Road, Waltham
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-will-the-power-grid-look-like-50-years-from-now-tickets-13927410259
Cost: $25 general public, $10 students
The power grid of the fossil era was functional. It did its job very well over many decades, and did such that we nearly could forget about the power system being there. A few national power providers and even fewer grid operators managed it and electricity came from our home and business electrical sockets.
Renewables led into a new era, which brought power closer to the people. Energy became more democratic. Many more individuals, companies, municipalities, cities and such produce, consume, store, trade, and manage energy now, much like users generate content on the internet we see distributed user generated energy.
With this shift in energy generation and storage the roles and activities of individuals and existing providers is changing. Is the existing grid infrastructure representative of the new era of a smart and renewable power systems? Can the infrastructure of past industrial times with all its connotations of yesterday, poor working conditions, magnetic fields, danger, top-down, dirty energy etc. become sexy, exciting, desirable messengers of a better renewable future?
How are we moving forward thinking about the security of our grid? Are SCADA systems protected both from hackers and electromagnetic attack? Are we still vulnerable to EMP attack? Will solar flares be of concern to the existing or new grid? What ever happened to Tesla's wireless energy transmission? Is that concept being looked into for the future since we have had the advent of many wireless communications, why not transmit the energy and do away with the grid?
What are the key problems for the grid as it stands to move forward? Regulation/de-regulation - is it a policy thing? Is distributed generation hacking away at the large scale centralized energy generation of old? Join in the discussion of where the grid is and is going and learn what opportunity exists in the market to move our power grid forward in the next 50 years!
Some resources to review for this session:
The Future Electric Grid (PDF, 4MB)
Critical National Infrastructures Report (PDF, 7MB)
Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid (PDF, 0.8MB)
Tesla and Wireless Energy - The power that could have been (HTML)
Panel:
Matt DaPrato, Senior Research Analyst, IHS Emerging Energy Research and IHS CERA
Matthew DaPrato advises clients, including governments, financial institutions, utilities, wind developers, turbine manufacturers and component suppliers, through research advisory services, consulting projects, and in-person presentations. He is Senior Research Analyst on the Americas Wind team covering North and South American Wind Energy Markets and working as part of the IHS CERA North America Power team covering transmission.
He co-authored “US Wind O&M Strategies: 2012-2025” analyzing the competitive landscape, projected costs, and market size and opportunity for established and new entrants throughout wind value chain. He has also co-authored a first-of-its-kind transmission market study, “US High Voltage Markets and Strategies: 2010-2020” that analyzed state, regional, and federal legislative and regulatory policy as well as the competitive market positioning of transmission developing utilities, IPPs, and developers. Matthew graduated with a B.S. from Boston College and a M.S. in Economic Development from Northeastern University.
Roger Faulkner, VP R&D at Alevo, Inc.
It seems obvious to me that powering our economy with non-dispatchable renewable energy requires robust continental scale transmission capacity (a supergrid), and that we will never be politically able to build that capacity unless it is put underground. Some form of electricity pipeline that can carry > 10 GW per line is absolutely required if we are to have a renewable energy future. My particular design to answer this need is the elpipe, which is a mashup of a pipeline, a powerline, and a train. The train-like features of an elpipe allow all splices to made in a cleanroom environment at one end of the line, with advanced automated inspection tools applied to every splice; this is a great advance over fabrication methods requiring field fabrication of splices. Elpipes can also be repaired rapidly, as is essential for such an important infrastructure. The transmission we are building today is short-sighted in that it will not fit into a future supergrid and will become stranded investments due to incompatible voltage and also somewhat due to inflexible AC/DC converter designs. I have no doubt that elpipes or something functionally equivalent to elpipes will dominate power transmission in 50 years, enabling many different innovations with remote generation and energy storage schemes; either that, or we must have a breakthrough in cheap, acceptable nuclear fusion energy.
Tom Ollila, Demand Management Programs, Reading Municipal Light Department and North Shore InnoVentures Cleantech Business Development Director
Michael Ahern, Director of Power Systems Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Michael "Mike" Ahern is the Director of Power Systems at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He is responsible for growing and developing energy related programs delivered through WPI’s Corporate and Professional Education Division. Mike helps WPI support the educational needs of both corporate partners and individual students. Further, Mike improves the quality of the student experience by working with faculty to update the curriculum and share best practices in course delivery, both online and classroom.
Mike has expertise in energy efficiency and renewable power. He has conducted IEEE Power and Energy Society Webinars on Green Energy and co-presented “A Systems View of Renewable Power” at the IEEE Energy Tech 2013 conference. He has also given several guest lectures on energy topics at Yale University and to the alumni of both MIT and RPI.
Mike brings over 35 years of professional experience in electric utility operations. At Northeast Utilities, he rose through increasing responsible positions in: Generation Engineering; Asset Management; Distribution Engineering; and Transmission Operations to become Vice President of Services from 2005 to 2012. He served on NU’s Executive Committees on: Corporate Ethics and Controls; Safety and Health; and Cybersecurity. Following his retirement from NU in 2012, he joined WPI in his current capacity.
Mike earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was selected as a member of Tau Beta Pi (the National Engineering Honor Society). He later earned both Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a registered professional engineer in Connecticut and held a Transmission System Operator certification from the North American Electric Reliability Council.
Moderator:
Brian Hult, Associate Scientist, Cabot Corporation
While at studying in Graduate School at Northeastern U., Brian pursued research in nanomaterials for PEM fuel cells and Li-ion batteries and graduated with a MS in Chemistry and MS in Technology Entrepreneurship. Brian has worked as a lab director at an environmental analytical firm, spearheaded bioanalytical research at a pharma CRO, and now is Associate Scientist at Cabot Corporation in Billerica, MA, where he has developed inkjet dispersions and novel reinforcing particles for rubber used in the tire industry. Brian's 16 year career in chemistry has led him to his current niche in new product R&D and innovation. Brian interests include the high-performance automotive, energy, and all things nano.
Agenda:
6:30-7:00pm Check-in, Light Refreshments & Networking
7:00-7:45pm Q&A Session with Moderator
7:45-8:30pm Open Audience Q&A Session
8:30pm Wrap-up & Networking
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Wednesday, November 19
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THE NUCLEAR DEADLINE The Iranian Negotiations: Possible Outcomes and Implications
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building 24-213
RSVP to weinmann at mit.edu
Speaker: R.Scott Kemp
You are invited to a round-table discussion led by Professor R. Scott Kemp of the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering. Under the shadow of the November 24th deadline, Professor Kemp will lead the discussion on current nuclear negotiations with Iran, and their possible outcomes and implications for international nonproliferation efforts, disarmament and nuclear security.
Kemp's research combines physics, engineering and the history of science to draw more clearly the limits and policy options for achieving international security under technical constraints. He is an expert on enrichment technology and has previous experience as the State Department's science advisor in the Office of the Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control.
Lunch will be provided. Please email to reserve a spot.
Web site: radius.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Tickets: RSVP: weinmann at mit.edu
Sponsor(s): The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, MIT Global Zero
For more information, contact: Patricia-Maria Weinmann
617-253-0108
weinmann at mit.edu
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The Organization of Violence and Rebel Behavior
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: BARBARA F. WALTER, UC San Diego
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
253-7529
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Exploring Global Prosperity: Legatum Prosperity Index
Wednesday, November 19
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/exploring-global-prosperity-legatum-prosperity-index-registration-13859348685
What does it mean for a nation to be prosperous? Is it all about GDP? If national success is about more than just wealth, how can you accurately measure it over time? This event will explore the data and findings from the new 2014 Global Prosperity Index, the definitive measure of global progress.
Presented by: Nathan Gamester, Programme Director, Prosperity Index.
About the Prosperity Index: Now in its eighth year, the Index assesses 142 countries, representing more than 96% of the world’s population and 99% of the world’s GDP. Using rigorous research and in‐depth analysis, the Index ranks countries based on their performance in eight sub‐indices—Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, Education, Personal Freedom, Health, Safety & Security and Social Capital. The launch of the 2014 Legatum Prosperity Index™ will be marked with a presentation of findings, a panel discussion and evening reception.
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Designing the Food System of the Future
Wednesday, November 19
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Boston University School of Management, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/branchfood/events/215412932/
How will we sustainably feed 10 billion people and how will investment and innovation help get us there?
Join Boston University’s School of Management, Feeding 10 Billion, The Food Loft, and Branchfood for an evening of lively discussion and a glimpse into the future of food and agriculture!
The evening is intended to inspire new collaborations and connections in the food and agriculture space. We’re bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, consumer experts and startup gurus to discuss the food system of the future. We'll hear multiple perspectives where opportunities exist to innovate, invest, and disrupt to create a better food system; one that not only feeds people, but also regenerates the environment and contributes to the health of individuals and communities.
Moderator
Kristen McCormack // Assistant Dean, Sector Initiatives // BU School of Management
Panelists
Aaron Niederhelman // Managing Director //Entrepreneur Agrarian Fund
Kate Demase // General Manager // Whole Foods Market
Paul Matteucci // Operating Partner // US Venture Partners and Founder of Feeding 10 Billion
Founding Team // The Food Loft
Schedule
6:00pm – 6:15pm Registration
6:15pm – 8:00pm Big idea presentations and panel discussion
8:00pm – 9:00pm Reception and networking
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Music Brings the Civil Rights Movement to Harvard Square
Wednesday, November 19
7pm
3 Church Street in Harvard Square @ 7p
Fifty years ago the Civil Rights Movement, which was culminating nationally with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, came to Harvard Square in music. Club 47, predecessor to the current Club Passim, booked African American artists active in the Southern Civil Rights Movement.
What did these performers experience in Harvard Square? How did their music resonate in Cambridge?
A panel including Betsy Siggins, who booked acts at Club 47 and Jack Landron, who performed as Jackie Washington, discusses the music that brought the Civil Right Movement home to Harvard Square.
More information at http://www.cambridgeforum.org/
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The Physics of Evolution: Equations shed new light on nature's mysteries
WHEN Wed, November 19, 7pm – 10pm
WHERE Armenise Amphitheater, 200 Longwood Avenue, Harvard Medical School, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
CONTACT INFO sitnboston at gmail.com
DETAILS Science in the News (SITN) is a graduate student organization at Harvard University. We host interactive lectures on various science topics in the spring and fall. This lecture is a part of our fall lecture series, which are on Harvard’s Longwood campus. It consists of several PhD students presenting current research on a particular topic. Our seminars are open to audience members of any age, though a high school level of science education would be beneficial.
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/seminar-series/
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Thursday, November 20
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"Softening War? Sociocultural Knowledge, Military Strategy, and the Experience of Human Terrain Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan"
Thursday, November 20
3:00 to 4:30pm
Northeastern University, 310 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
Paul Joseph, Tufts University
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The Birth of a Nation
Dick Lehr (author, The Birth of a Nation)
Thursday, November 20
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
C. Walsh Theatre, Suffolk University, 55 Temple Street, Boston,
For more information, call the Ford Hall Forum at 617-557-2007 or visit www.fordhallforum.org
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Design as Survival, Resistance, and Transformative Action
WHEN Thu., Nov. 20, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Design
DETAILS The design practices that inspire social collaboration, participation, and coauthorship continue the avant-garde tradition of challenging outmoded thinking and perception while proposing and testing the visions of a beneficent social imagination. In this symposium, three artist-designers whose work critically reactivates this tradition will present and discuss their agenda, ideas, and projects. The panel will explore methodological approaches and concepts such as critical design, discursive design, interrogative design, and transformative design, currently being investigated in the Art, Design, and the Public Domain program at Harvard GSD. With Lucy Orta, Joep van Lieshout, and Rikke Luther; moderated by Krzysztof Wodiczko, Professor in Residence of Art, Design, and the Public Domain.
Supported by the Rouse Visiting Artist Fund.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/panel-discussion-design-as-survival-resistance-and.html
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Friday, November 21
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New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable Presents:
Gas Supply & Electricity Rates; and The Future of Demand Response
Friday, November 21
9 am to 12:30 pm
Foley Hoag LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/1121-roundtable-gas-electricity-prices-demand-response-registration-13512511285
Cost: $35-65
If you aren't able to attend in person, register at http://signup.clickstreamtv.com/event/raab/events/143 to live-stream the Roundtable or to watch it later on-demand.
Panel I: Gas Supply & Electricity Rates in New England
For our first panel, we return to the timely and contentious topic of
Gas Supply & Electricity Rates in New England in light of important breaking developments, including:
The recent announcement by Spectra and Northeast Utilities of their proposed gas pipeline expansion project that would likely compete with the Kinder Morgan proposal;
MA DOER's undertaking of a low gas demand analysis (conducted by Synapse Energy Economics);
The soon-to-be-released Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative's electric and gas infrastructure study (conducted by Levitan & Associates); and
MA DPU's recent approval of a 37% electricity rate increase for National Grid basic service customers (due in no small part to the anticipated increase in electricity generation costs this coming winter due to constrained gas supplies-with a similar increase in NU's basic service rates likely to follow).
To discuss these recent developments and analyses, and their implications for gas supply and electricity prices in New England, we have put together a stellar panel, including:
Mark Sylvia, Undersecretary for Energy, MA EEA
James Daly, VP Energy Supply, Northeast Utilities
Peter Shattuck, Director Market Initiatives, ENE
Richard Levitan, President, Levitan & Associates, Inc.
Panel II: The Future of Demand Response in New England
Our second panel focuses on The Future of Demand Response in New England. This is also a timely topic, given the very recent Court of Appeals decision denying the FERC's petition for rehearing of an earlier court decision that calls into question FERC's jurisdiction over demand response in wholesale energy markets. If the court's earlier decision holds (i.e., either FERC doesn't appeal to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court decides not to hear the case, or the Supreme Court sides with the Court of Appeals), this could also potentially spread to capacity markets and would likely effect ISO New England's plan to fully integrate demand response into the entire wholesale market by 2017. Moreover, this could result in pushing demand response down from federally-regulated wholesale markets to state-regulated retail markets. At the same time, the deployment of advanced metering infrastructure, the possibility of dynamic retail pricing, and the rapid development of intelligent devices could inspire new paradigms for price-responsive demand response.
To discuss these latest developments, trends, and potential fixes, we have put together a panel of leading thinkers and practitioners on demand response:
Scott Hempling, Attorney at Law, LLC
Henry Yoshimura, Director, Demand Resource Strategy, ISO New England
David Brewster, President and Co-Founder, EnerNOC
Paul Centolella, Principal, Centolella & Associates
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The Road Ahead: Forum of Future Cities
Friday, November 21
9:00a–4:30p
MIT, Building E-14, Media Lab 6th Floor, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Self-driving vehicles. Drivers on demand. Data-driven infrastructure. Vehicles that respond to passengers and to the environment. A sea change is happening in transportation, and mobility of the (near) future will be radically different than today - greener, more comfortable and more efficient. Innovations are rolling out of laboratories, businesses and city halls on four, two, (or zero) wheels at an accelerating pace, exploring the future of urban mobility.
The spotlight is focused on transportation technology and design - the machines that move people - yet there are a host of unanswered questions as transitions are made. This year, California began issuing drivers licenses to self-driving cars, but insurance companies still can't find who is at fault when something goes wrong. Cities are debating whether ride sharing systems should be banned from their streets, while taxi companies organize strikes around the world to protest citizen-driver services like Lyft and Uber. Policy and innovation must go hand in hand for innovations to take hold.
The Road Ahead is not just about emerging technologies - it will be a forum on all dimensions of future urban mobility, bringing leading theorists, dreamers, and practitioners into conversation and debate.
Web site: http://senseable.mit.edu/roadahead
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): SENSEable City Lab, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Jessica Ngo
617-324-4474
ngo_jess at mit.edu
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Cultural Survival Bazaar
Friday, November 21
12:00 PM - Sunday, November 23, 2014 at 6:00 PM
Cambridge College, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultural-survival-bazaar-tickets-13907332205
A Festival of Native Arts & Cultures from Around the World.
We feature Native artisans and performers, fairly traded products benefiting the livelihoods of artisans, projects in their communities, and fair trade. Shop unique art, jewelry, clothing, crafts, decor, tribal rugs, & much more. Enjoy "world" musicperformances, meet our guest artisans, travel the world in one place.
Cultural Survival offers several free admission events this holiday season. Each event provides you with direct access to thousands of items, handmade by Indigenous artisans from around the world.
Every item has a deeper story from the projects it supports, to the artisans who made them. Learn about our work in partnership with communities around the world. Together we work to defend Indigenous rights, lands, languages, and cultures.
For details visit our website at http://bazaar.cs.org
Promo Video: http://youtu.be/xRKch6HeFTM
For more information, contact Dave Favreau at 617-441-5400 x21 or dave at cs.org
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Alternative Fuels Vehicles Adoption
Friday, November 21
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 3-333, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Tim Echols, Georgia Public Service Commissioner
Tim Echols, Georgia's elected Public Service Commissioner, will discuss and share data on the adoption of various alternative fuels vehicles, and the impact of utility PEV rates and EPA mandates on people's energy habits and adoption rates.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact: MIT Energy Club
energyclub at mit.edu
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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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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://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