[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - February 28, 2016
George Mokray
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Feb 28 11:19:40 PST 2016
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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Index
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Full event information follows the Index and notices of my latest writings.
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Monday, February 29
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12pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS)
12pm Clean Power Plan Model Rules: Pathways for Implementation
12:15pm Responsible Innovation and Public Values in the Dutch Shale Gas Controversy
12:30pm Voices in Leadership: Gina McCarthy, Administrator, US EPA
1pm Environmental Impacts of Electricity: a Life-Cycle Perspective
2pm The Problem Of Our Law: Political Theology and the Theological-Political Problem in Leo Strauss and Giorgio Agamben
3pm Diane Rehm Cambridge Conversation
4pm Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness
4:45pm A Decisive Step Forward: Assessment of the Paris climate change agreement and implications
5pm The Isis Bandwagon: Why Domestic Terror Groups Pledge Loyalty to Isis
7pm The American Slave Coast
7pm Merchants of Doubt - Movie Screening
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Tuesday, March 1
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8am Boston TechBreakfast: March 2016
11am Motion Planning for Real World Robots
11:45am To Grow an Arm: Regeneration and Biomaterials Go Hand in Hand
12pm The Disintermediated Campaign
12pm The Future of Floating Forests in a Changing World
12pm The Big Reverse of the Web: Are Our Policies and Standards Ready?
12:30pm The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age
3:15pm The 2016 Leonie Gordon Lecture: Working With Three Nobel Laureates: Sam Beckett, Seamus Heaney, and Dario Fo
4:30pm Knight Science Journalism Seminar with Rosalind Picard
4:30pm MIT Water Club Lecture Series: Water-Innovation Opportunities - Local Innovation with Global Impact, from the Executive Director of NEWIN
5:45pm Talk the Walk, a conversation with Swiss explorer Sarah Marquis
6pm Destroying Images: Current Iconoclasm in Context
6pm e4Dev Weekly Speaker Series: Minigrids in India: Current Trends and Challenges
6pm BASG March 1: Carbon Realities
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Wednesday, March 2
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8:30am Vanguard Series: E+, Key Secrets to Success with Net Positive Development Part 1: Residential
12pm Zone Extremes in the Arctic, and Their Impact on Surface Climate
12pm Narrative and the Making of US National Security
3:30pm The Action Agenda: A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Climate Change
4pm Learning to Make Choices in the Era of Big Data
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture 1 of 6: "Romancing Slavery" with Toni Morrison
4pm The Living Bridge: Creating a Benchmark for Smart, Sustainable, User-Centered Transportation Infrastructure
4pm Cultural Heritage in Crisis: Digital Solutions for a Modern World
4:10pm Book Talk: Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America
4:15pm Children's Lead Levels and Black White Test Score Gaps
4:30pm xTalks presents: The Art of Insights: Gerald Jay Sussman on How to Think About Circuits, as a Language
6:30pm Sound – The Healing Musician Healing the Musician
6:30pm Food + Tech Mystery Series: Gabe Blanchett, Grove
7pm Student Report Back: Field Experience Trip in the United Arab Emirates on Sustainable Energy
7pm Restoring Nature's Relationships at Home, a talk by Doug Tallamy, author of "Bringing Nature Home"
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Thursday, March 3
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9am Speak Out for Housing, Homelessness Prevention, and Solutions
12pm An Entrepreneurial Approach to Environmental Education: Opportunities and Challenges to Engage Future Business Leaders
12:30pm Innovation ecosystems and their role in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and health
3:30pm Water and Climate Change: Adaptation, Uncertainty, Decision Scaling and the Implications for China
4pm Can Russia Really Pivot to Asia?
4pm BU Research on a Sustainable Energy Future
4:10pm The Path to Denmark: How Do Societies Develop Control of Corruption?
4:30pm Knight Science Journalism Craft Night with Virginia Hughes
5pm Cambridge Food & Ag Grad School Mixer
5:30pm 2016 Colleges of the Fenway Climate Change Teach-In
5:30pm EnergyBar!
5:45pm Socially Responsible Investing Panel
6pm Goldsmith Awards in Political Journalism with Keynote by Walter Isaacson
6pm SCIENCE with/in/sight: 2016 Koch Institute Image Awards
7pm Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion
7pm Civic Ecology: Healing and Growing in Community
7:30pm “Plays with Words," Featuring Comedian Aparna Nancherla and ImprovBoston
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Friday, March 4
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8am 2016 MIT Energy Conference: Big Meets Small: A New Era Emerges
9am 2016 Goldsmith Seminar on Investigative Reporting
11am Programming Genomes to Expand Life's Functional Repertoire
12pm Urban water system and green infrastructure: a data-driven approach
5pm Emotional Intelligence Hackathon
4pm Compton Lecture by Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director
5:30pm Askwith Forum – New American Mosaic: Diversity and The Innovation Economy
6pm Film screening: The Brooklyn Farmer
7pm Broken Mirrors: A Reading & Conversation with Elias Khoury and Jocelyne Cesari
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Saturday, March 5
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8am The Fletcher Conference on Managing Political Risk
9am Civic Ecology Service Day with Marianne Krasny
9am 2016 Social Enterprise Conference
10am Materials with Magical Properties
7pm TEDxHarvardCollegeSalon: Mind Over Matter
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Sunday, March 6
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9am Tufts Energy Conference: Geopolitics of Energy
1:30pm Growing Plants from Seed
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Monday, March 7
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11:30am Privacy in a Data-Driven World
12pm A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
12pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Gerard Roe, UW
12pm Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
12:15pm Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
4:30pm The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
5pm Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
5:30pm Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
6pm Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
6:30pm Food + Tech Mystery Series
7pm Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
7pm Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
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Tuesday, March 8
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
8:30am Local Specialty Crop & Local Food Trade Shows
9am MAPC Winter Council Meeting
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger" with Toni Morrison
4:30pm Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
4:45pm Batteries: Current and Future
6pm Measuring Social Impact
6pm Mass Innovation Nights #84
6pm A Climate of Change
6:30pm "Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
6:30pm Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
7pm BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
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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
Energy Model of Boston
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/24/1490905/-Energy-Model-of-Boston
The Information by James Gleick
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-information-by-james-gleick.html
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Monday, February 29
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS): Surface Climate Change and Stratospheric Ozone: Connections from Pole to Pole
Monday, February 29
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus), Cambridge
Speaker: Susan Solomon, MIT
is internationally recognized as a leader in atmospheric science, particularly for her insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone "hole". She and her colleagues have made important contributions to understanding chemistry/climate coupling, including leading research on the irreversibility of global warming linked to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, and on the influence of the ozone hole on the climate of the southern hemisphere. Her current focus is on issues relating to both atmospheric chemistry and climate change.
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research concerning atmospheric science, and climate. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz at mit.edu), John Agard (jvagard at mit.edu), and Dan Rothernberg (darothen at mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Marianna Linz
617-253-2127
mlinz at mit.edu
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Clean Power Plan Model Rules: Pathways for Implementation
Monday, February 29
12:00PM TO 1:30PM
Harvard Kennedy School, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Kate Konschnik, Lecturer on Law and Director, Environmental Policy Initiative, Harvard Law School
This series is presented by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy/Consortium for Energy Policy Research at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. Lunch will be provided.
HKS Energy Policy Seminar Series
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/seminar.html
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
louisa_lund at hks.harvard.edu
(617) 495-8693
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Responsible Innovation and Public Values in the Dutch Shale Gas Controversy
Monday, February 29
12:15PM TO 2:00PM
Harvard, HUCE Seminar Room, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts at hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Behnam Taebi, Harvard, HKS Belfer Center
The Harvard STS Circle is co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
Contact Name: Shana Rabinowich
Shana_Rabinowich at hks.harvard.edu
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Voices in Leadership: Gina McCarthy, Administrator, US EPA
Monday, February 29
12:30PM TO 1:30PM
Webinar at https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/voices/events/mccarthy/
Gina McCarthy is the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Appointed by President Obama in 2009 as Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, Gina McCarthy has been a leading advocate for common-sense strategies to protect public health and the environment. Previously, McCarthy served as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. During her career, which spans over 30 years, she has worked at both the state and local levels on critical environmental issues and helped coordinate policies on economic growth, energy, transportation and the environment. McCarthy received a Bachelor of Arts in Social Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a joint Master of Science in Environmental Health Engineering and Planning and Policy from Tufts University.
Have a leadership question for the speaker? Send them ahead of time to @VoicesHSPH using #VoicesHSPH, or by email to voices at hsph.harvard.edu, for consideration to be asked during the webcast.
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-02-29-173000-2016-02-29-183000/voices-leadership-series#sthash.W8s75Jis.dpuf
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Environmental Impacts of Electricity: a Life-Cycle Perspective
Monday, February 29
1:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Edgar Hertwich, Professor and Director of Industrial Ecology, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
As some renewable energy projects face increasing environmental opposition, do we underestimate the potential downside of clean energy? In particular, is variable renewable power really any good if it may not be available when we want it? A new report of the International Resource Panel provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts of various power technologies.
Building on lifecycle inventories from this work, Edgar Hertwich and his team have developed comparative assessments of electricity scenarios for Europe. The work shows that transmission grid extensions can address the challenge of matching wind energy to demand while energy storage is needed for photovoltaics.
Reception to follow.
Web site: http://mitei.mit.edu/calendar/environmental-impact-electricity-life-cycle-perspective-seminar-featuring-edgar-hertwich
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
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The Problem Of Our Law: Political Theology and the Theological-Political Problem in Leo Strauss and Giorgio Agamben
Monday, February 29
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Boston University, Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies, Room Second Floor Library
Speaker(s): Jeffrey Bernstein
Law and politics are closely related in the thought of Leo Strauss and Giorgio Agamben, though in other respects these two thinkers are polar opposites. Strauss rejects political theology and aspires to understand the deep connection of law and the good society. In contrast, Agamben's Pauline political theology seeks to interrupt the efficacy of law. By juxtaposing these thinkers, Jeffrey Bernstein explores the question of law in religious and political registers manifest in contemporary society.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/jewishstudies/calendar/events/?eid=178254
Contact organization: Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies
Phone : 617-353-8096
Contact name: Theresa Cooney
Contact email: ewcjs at bu.edu
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=179410@17.calendar.bu.edu
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Diane Rehm Cambridge Conversation
Monday, February 29
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Swanee Hunt's Home, 168 Brattle Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/diane-rehm-cambridge-conversation-tickets-21488541807
You're invited to join Swanee Hunt at her home for a reception and Cambridge Conversation with National Public Radio host Diane Rehm. In her deeply personal new book, "On My Own, Diane speaks out about the drawn-out death (from Parkinsons) of her husband of fifty-four years, John, and of her struggle to reconstruct her life without him. Diane is a national treasure renowned for her syndicated program, The Diane Rehm Show. We won't be able to listen much longer as shes announced she'll retire at the end of this year. So don't miss this opportunity!
About the Featured Speaker: Diane Rehm, host of the national program The Diane Rehm Show on WAMU, with a weekly audience of 2.4 million has interviewed presidents, supreme court justices, heads of state, journalists, artists, politicians, and celebrities for over thirty-five years. Despite never having gone to college, she has created one of the most admired shows on NPR, been repeatedly listed as one of Washingtonian Magazines Most Powerful Women, and been awarded both a Peabody and a National Humanities Medal. Now, after the death of her husband John, she has added a new chapter to her legacy: as an activist and one of the most prominent supporters of the movement for the Right to Die.
About the Book: On My Own is a powerful and deeply personal account of how one says goodbye to a spouse of fifty-four years and of the life that remains, and the new life that is possible, after that partner is gone. Suffering from Parkinsons disease, John's painful and unnecessarily extended death he begged to be helped to die, culminated in his taking matters into his own hands by simply refusing to take food, water, and medication. His inability to control his decline in his last days meant that Diane missed his final moments, arriving twenty minutes too late. She writes of her anger that John wasn't allowed to go in a more peaceful manner, on his own timeline, with his loved ones at his side. Right to Die laws have been passed in Oregon, Washington, and Vermont; the governor of California signed a physician assisted-suicide bill last month, in October 2015; sympathetic figures like Brittany Maynard have made headlines with their public decisions to end their own lives. The movement for death with dignity is growing, and Diane, with the brave determination that has characterized her whole life, has joined the crusade. A searing portrait of marriage and bereavement, On My Own illuminates how a beloved NPR host came to be such a compelling and humane spokesperson for this critical human right.
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Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness
Monday, February 29
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building E62-450, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steve Levitt (University of Chicago)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microeconomic Applications
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal at mit.edu)
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A Decisive Step Forward: Assessment of the Paris climate change agreement and implications
Monday, February 29
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Janos Pasztor, UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change
While considering the overall context in which the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change took place in Paris, Janos Pasztor, Senior Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, will look at the main outcomes and their implications on the overarching goal of keeping average global warming well below 2 degrees C, while moving toward increased resilience to climate change. Pasztor, who at the time of the Paris Conference was directly assisting the UN Secretary-General in all his climate-change-related activities, will also address the role of the UN Secretary-General in the preparations and the final negotiations.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
Web site: http://mitei.mit.edu/calendar/decisive-step-forward-assessment-paris-climate-change-agreement-and-implications
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The Isis Bandwagon: Why Domestic Terror Groups Pledge Loyalty to Isis
Monday, February 29
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
BU, 121 Bay State Road, Boston
Speaker(s): Joel Day, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Security Studies & Global Studies University of Massachusetts Lowell
Over 40 domestic insurgencies around the world have pledged support for ISIS, but what does a pledge of allegiance mean for these groups? Does a pledge of support change the way local affiliates engage in terrorism? Do targets, tactics, and lethal outcomes change? These puzzles are addressed through new quantitative evidence, with findings suggesting that organizational support for the Islamic State is far more about social "imagination" than about traditional, material military alliances.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/cura
Contact organization: CURA
Phone : 353-5241
Contact name: Arlene Brennan
Contact email: arleneb at bu.edu
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=181593@17.calendar.bu.edu
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The American Slave Coast
Monday, February 29
7:00pm
Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge
Ned and Constance Sublette, authors
The American Slave Coast offers a provocative vision of US history from earliest colonial times through emancipation that presents even the most familiar events and figures in a revealing new light.
Authors Ned and Constance Sublette tell the brutal story of how the slavery industry made the reproductive labor of the people it referred to as breeding women essential to the young country's expansion. Captive African Americans in the slave nation were not only laborers, but merchandise and collateral all at once. In a land without silver, gold, or trustworthy paper money, their children and their children's children into perpetuity were used as human savings accounts that functioned as the basis of money and credit in a market premised on the continual expansion of slavery. Slaveowners collected interest in the form of newborns, who had a cash value at birth and whose mothers had no legal right to say no to forced mating.
This gripping narrative is driven by the power struggle between the elites of Virginia, the slave-raising mother of slavery, and South Carolina, the massive importer of Africans a conflict that was central to American politics from the making of the Constitution through the debacle of the Confederacy.
Virginia slaveowners won a major victory when Thomas Jefferson's 1808 prohibition of the African slave trade protected the domestic slave markets for slave-breeding. The interstate slave trade exploded in Mississippi during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, drove the US expansion into Texas, and powered attempts to take over Cuba and other parts of Latin America, until a disaffected South Carolina spearheaded the drive to secession and war, forcing the Virginians to secede or lose their slave-breeding industry.
Filled with surprising facts, fascinating incidents, and startling portraits of the people who made, endured, and resisted the slave-breeding industry, The American Slave Coast culminates in the revolutionary Emancipation Proclamation, which at last decommissioned the capitalized womb and armed the African Americans to fight for their freedom.
Ned Sublette is the author of Cuba and Its Music, The World that Made New Orleans, and The Year Before the Flood. Constance Sublette has published, as Constance Ash, three novels and edited the anthology Not of Woman Born.
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Merchants of Doubt - Movie Screening
Monday, February 29
7:00 pm
Druker Auditorium, Newton Free Library, 330 Homer Street, Newton Centre
Are you confused by conflicting reports that are presented by the media on environmental issues? Join us for a screening of Merchants of Doubt, based on the celebrated book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, that reveals the truth behind the secretive and charismatic pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities. They only succeed in spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats from climate change to toxic chemicals.
Advance registration requested but not required.
To register go to http://conta.cc/1TvuvtZ
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Tuesday, March 1
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Boston TechBreakfast: March 2016
Tuesday, March 1
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
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!
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words Boston TechBreakfast
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Motion Planning for Real World Robots
Tuesday, March 1
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-G449 Patil/Kiva, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Kris Hauser , Duke University
Abstract: Motion planning – the problem of computing physical actions to complete a specified task – is a fundamental problem in robotics, and has inspired some of the most rigorous and beautiful theoretical results in robotics research. But as robots proliferate in real-world applications like household service, driverless cars, warehouse automation, minimally-invasive surgery, search-and-rescue, and unmanned aerial vehicles, we are beginning to see the classical theory falter in light of the new reality of modern robotics practice. Today’s robots must handle large amounts of noisy sensor data, uncertainty, underspecified models, nonlinear and hysteretic dynamic effects, exotic objective functions and constraints, and real-time demands. This talk will present recent efforts to bring motion planners to bear on real robots, along four general directions 1) improving planning algorithm performance, 2) broadening the scope of problems that can be addressed by planners, 3) incorporating richer, higher fidelity models into planning, and 4) improved workflows for integrating planners into robot systems. This research is applied to a variety of systems, including ladder climbing in the DARPA Robotics Challenge, the Duke rock-climbing robot project, semiautonomous mobile manipulators, and object manipulation in the Amazon Picking Challenge.
Bio: Kris Hauser is an Associate Professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University with a joint appointment in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Department. He received his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2008, bachelor's degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 2003, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. He then joined the faculty at Indiana University from 2009-2014, where he started the Intelligent Motion Lab, and began his current position at Duke in 2014. He is a recipient of a Stanford Graduate Fellowship, Siebel Scholar Fellowship, Best Paper Award at IEEE Humanoids 2015, and an NSF CAREER award.
Research interests include robot motion planning and control, semiautonomous robots, and integrating perception and planning, as well as applications to intelligent vehicles, robotic manipulation, robot-assisted medicine, and legged locomotion.
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To Grow an Arm: Regeneration and Biomaterials Go Hand in Hand
Tuesday, March 1
11:45am to 12:45pm
Harvard, Geological Museum 102, Haller Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Buddy Ratner, University of Washington
Amputation of a digit or limb due to trauma or chronic disease impacts quality of life, both physically and psychologically. Unlike other vertebrate species such as zebra fish and urodele amphibians, the ability for mammals such as humans and mice to regenerate lost limbs or digits is nearly non-existent, with extensive scarring being the typical healing response.
We start with the knowledge that every fetus and many amphibians can readily generate or regenerate limbs. The complexity of the process overwhelms our present developmental biology and certainly our technology. But, programmed in living systems is the ability to grow complete, functional limbs with skin, bone, tendons, vasculature, innervation, etc. A critical difference between healing in most vertebrates and healing in amphibians is scar. In amphibians, an amputated limb will lead to the formation of a blastema, in contrast to the scar outcome in mammals. The blastema “directs” the regrowth of the new limb. Within the blastema, macrophages are found to be present and active.
We have invented a precision-porous biomaterial that directs macrophages to the M2 (pro-healing) polarization and has been shown to lead to scar-free, vascularized, regenerative healing in skin, bone, sclera, heart stroma and vaginal wall. The biomaterial is now being used in humans. We can use this material to direct resident macrophages to regenerate digits and limbs – the ability to do this regeneration is programmed into the macrophages – let them do the work! Important elements are (1) avoid scar, (2) keep the limb healing site wet (regeneration, even with the fetus, occurs under water) and (3) potentially deliver locally (at the correct times) key growth factors.
Topics in Bioengineering
Contact: Rebekah Stiles
Email: rstiles at seas.harvard.edu
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The Disintermediated Campaign
Tuesday, March 1
12:00-1:00pm
Harvard, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Nancy Gibbs is the editor of TIME. She is the co-author, along with TIME’s Michael Duffy, of two best-selling presidential histories: The President’s Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity and The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House. She joined TIME in 1985 as a part-time fact checker in the International section. She became a writer in 1988 and has written more than 100 cover stories, including the black-bordered special issue on the September 11 attacks, which won a National Magazine Award in 2002. The Chicago Tribune named her one of the ten best magazine writers in the country in 2003; her articles are included in the Princeton Anthology of Writing, Best American Crime Writing 2004, Best American Political Writing 2005 and TIME: 85 years of Great Writing. She has been a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, and a guest essayist on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
More at http://shorensteincenter.org/speaker-series-nancy-gibbs/
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The Future of Floating Forests in a Changing World
Tuesday, March 1
12:00pm to 1:05pm
Harvard, 22 Divinity Avenue, Seminar Room, Cambridge
Jarrett Byrnes, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
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The Big Reverse of the Web: Are Our Policies and Standards Ready?
Tuesday, March 1
12:00 pm
Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, Room B010, Singer Classroom (lower level), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheons/2016/03/Buytaert#RSVP
Event will be live webcast at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheons/2016/03/Buytaert at 12:00 pm.
with Open Source developer, Dries Buytaert
We're on the cusp of the next wave of the web, where information will come to people, versus people seeking it out. This "big reverse" of the web poses all sorts of issues: ranging from policy, to personal privacy, to standardization across devices. Join creator of Drupal and co-founder and CTO of Acquia Dries Buytaert as he discusses what it will take to navigate a web that doesn't look or feel anything like what we know today.
About Dries
Dries Buytaert is an Open Source developer, technology executive, academic, and hobbyist photographer with two wonderful kids. He was born and raised in Antwerp (Belgium), but moved to the Boston in 2010.
Dries is the founder and project lead of Drupal, an Open Source platform for building websites. Drupal is used by 2% of the world's websites. He is also co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Acquia, a venture-backed technology company. They provide the technology platform that helps many large organizations build and operate their digital experiences.
He's a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum and holds a PhD in computer science and engineering from Ghent University and a Licentiate Computer Science (MsC) from the University of Antwerp.
Friends describe him as a "workaholic". While that may be true, he believes it's worth it as both Drupal and Acquia share a desire to enable hundreds of thousands of dreamers and doers to craft the digital world. Scaling Drupal and Acquia is the harder, less traveled path, but also the one with the biggest impact. He lives to help build the world he wants to exist in.
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The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age
Tuesday, March 1
12:30 - 2 PM
Harvard, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Organization/Sponsor: Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
Speaker(s): Adam Segal, Marice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies and director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations, Moderated by Andrew Gordon, Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History, Harvard University
Cost: Free and open to the public
More info: http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/event/adam-segal-council-foreign-relations-a-hacked-world-order
Contact organization: Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d118256216
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The 2016 Leonie Gordon Lecture: Working With Three Nobel Laureates: Sam Beckett, Seamus Heaney, and Dario Fo
WHEN Tue., Mar. 1, 2016, 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, 34 Concord Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Theater
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement
SPEAKER(S) Robert Scanlan, president and artistic director, The Poets' Theatre
COST Free and open to the public; reservation required
TICKET WEB LINK https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bSLRZ6Nded_Weau5Zn0C18GX-ULxII-nmeJYNvUk2e4/viewform
CONTACT INFO 617.495.4072
DETAILS Bob Scanlan is a theatre director who has taught at Harvard since 1989, most recently as Professor of the Practice of Theatre in the English Department. While Director of the Drama Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1977-89), he translated and directed Dario Fo's We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay in conjunction with Fo's first North American tour, working extensively with him and his wife and collaborator, Franca Rame, during that visit. Scanlan also knew and met regularly with Samuel Beckett during the 1980s and eventually produced or directed all of Beckett's works for the stage. He and Seamus Heaney collaborated on several Poets' Theatre programs in subsequent years.
Scanlan was Literary Director of the American Repertory Theatre under Robert Brustein, and Director of the Dramaturgy and Playwriting Programs at the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard. He now heads the newly revived Poets' Theatre of Cambridge, and is currently directing Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo in a new translation by himself and the Italian poet, Walter Valeri.
LINK http://hilr.dce.harvard.edu/news-and-events/working-three-nobel-laureates-sam-beckett-seamus-heaney-and-dario-fo
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Knight Science Journalism Seminar with Rosalind Picard
Tuesday, March 1
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Rosalind Picard is credited with starting the branch of computer science known as affective computing, a field which explores the emotional relationships between human beings and the interface of technology with such human behaviors. The field has led to research and development in such areas as emotion recognition by robots and wearable computers. Her work has also led new directions in autism research, such as developing devices that could help people better recognize emotional nuances. She is the founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at MIT’s Media Lab and co-director of the Media Lab’s Advancing Wellbeing Initiative. She has co-founded two businesses: Empatica, Inc. creating wearable sensors and analytics to improve health, and Affectiva, Inc. delivering technology to help measure and communicate emotion.
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MIT Water Club Lecture Series: Water-Innovation Opportunities - Local Innovation with Global Impact, from the Executive Director of NEWIN
Tuesday, March 01
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building 3-333, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker(s): Marcus Gay, NEWIN
This Water Club lecture will discuss how water innovation can be defined and measured at every stage right from technology development to market engagement. Marcus will also talk about case-studies of companies which originated from the New England region over the last few decades. Snacks will be provided at the lecture. Check www.mitwater.org for additional details.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Water Club
Contact: waterclub-officers at mit.edu
Web site: http://mitwater.org/events/2016/3/1/marcus-gay-water-innovation-opportunities-local-innovation-with-global-impact-from-the-executive-director-of-newin
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Talk the Walk, a conversation with Swiss explorer Sarah Marquis
Tuesday, March 1
5:45 pm to 8:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/talk-the-walk-a-conversation-with-swiss-explorer-sarah-marquis-tickets-21355637286
Sarah Marquis, the Swiss adventurer and writer, was nominated as Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic in 2014, and named European Adventurer in 2013. She walked solo 10,000 miles from Siberia to Australia, and then wrote a book about it, Wild by Nature, which was released in the US on February 9th. She has been profiled in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic, and has been walking around the globe– almost non-stop– for the past 23 years. See other talks she’s given here.
Sarah will be interviewed in front of a live audience about her adventures and accomplishments by Heidi Legg, the journalist behind the popular Boston newsletter TheEditorial.com.
SARAH MARQUIS
She enjoyed a wild childhood in the countryside, climbing trees and watching birds for hours at a time. When she was a child, she burned with an intense curiosity. This inner thrill for discovery would shape her, make her flexible but strong. She emerged from childhood ready for the next step.
With no pocket money, Sarah started the thankless task of slug hunting in the family vegetable garden at the age of seven. She earned one franc for every 100 slugs. No matter the weather, she worked and saved to have the eight francs she needed for a copy of her dream magazine, National Geographic.
When she was eight years old she took off with her dog to spend the night in a cave and didn’t tell anyone where she was going. Her taste for traveling brought her to Australia, but it was in New Zealand that she encountered the full experience of walking. It was here that she made her decision: she would walk to fulfill her desire for discovery, and her need to try to understand Life. She spent time in Patagonia, where kilometer after kilometer she explored the land. She stayed in Moorea (French Polynesia) where she was attracted to the beauty of the islands and their inhabitants. She explored Canada by canoe and in 2000 she crossed the United States by foot, from the Canadian border to the Mexican border: it was 4,260 kilometers in four months and six days on a path full of obstacles. It was the famous PCT. At that point she thought she had reached the limit of her abilities. But then the Australian bush beckoned her once again (over the years she has returned regularly to rejuvenate). From up in the snowy mountains of Switzerland, she thought up a wild plan: to cross the Australian deserts alone and on foot…
“The fire that had always burned inside me would become my passion, my job, my life.”
HEIDI LEGG is the Founder of TheEditorial.com where she interviews visionaries and thinkers around her in Boston and Cambridge, USA. She weaves together these big thinkers in their fields, using a singular long-format interview, much like The Paris Review for writers.
She then brings these visionaries together for live events to discuss ideas around disruption, change, realities and utopias. Heidi’s work has been published in TheAtlantic.com, The Boston Globe’s BetaBoston.com, Thehuffingtonpost.com and theKnightsbridge-Village.com.
More at http://www.swissnexboston.org/event/talk-the-walk-2/#sthash.AbhX3iNq.dpuf
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Destroying Images: Current Iconoclasm in Context
Tuesday, March 1
6 - 7 PM
Harvard Museum of Natural History, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
The destruction of iconic images and monuments—iconoclasm—carried out today by extremists representing a wide range of political and religious views, makes many recoil in horror. This response, however, is in part derived from the fact that our Western cultures have themselves been fiercely iconoclastic. James Simpson will discuss the six classic phases of iconoclasm in European history and highlight the role that museums have played in protecting objects from major iconoclastic events. From this history, he will put current iconoclasm into perspective.
Lecture. Free and open to the public.
Free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.
Organization/Sponsor: Co-sponsored by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and Harvard; Semitic Museum
Speaker(s): James Simpson, chair, Department of English and Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English, Harvard University
Cost: Free and open to the public
Contact Info: 617.496.1027
More info: https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/destroying-images
Contact organization: Co-sponsored by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and Harvard; Semitic Museum
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117989858
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e4Dev Weekly Speaker Series: Minigrids in India: Current Trends and Challenges
Tuesday, March 1
6pm-7pm
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UrtWpgNgwShFozoLVv_-2ISJMhjopDgC3P7TCgmomxk/viewform
Huda Jaffer, Lead Designer, SELCO Foundation
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BASG March 1: Carbon Realities
Tuesday, March 1
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Cambridge Innovation Center, Venture Cafe - 5th Floor, One Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/basg-march-1-carbon-realities-tickets-21393782379
Cost: $10 - $12
Carbon plays a major role in causing climate change and, one could say, is underpriced. For now, anyway. Few, if any of us, are paying for the hidden costs of climate change that are resulting from carbon emissions. We are dedicating March 1st to talking about how we can be more effective in accounting for the impact of carbon emissions on our world and our futures and are excited to have several incredible speakers and contributors join us in this discussion.
Johanna Jobin, Director, Global EHS & Sustainability at Biogen, will share Biogen’s journey to carbon neutrality and talk about how companies are valuing carbon and taking it into account in their business strategies. No small feat for the largest MA company, this achievement follows an impressive multi-year effort to reduce energy intensity, invest in environmental projects and engage their suppliers. Before Biogen, Johanna was Head of Corporate Responsibility & Community Affairs of MilliporeSigma. She received her Master of Environmental Management degree, with a certificate in Energy and Environment, from Duke and is an ISO 14001 trained auditor. Johanna is also active with NAEM, USGBC, AIM, WPI, MSEP, the City of Cambridge Climate Protection Action Committee, and “e” inc.
State Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, will bring his passion and mission to have Massachusetts lead the country by putting a price on carbon with bill S.1747, An Act combating climate change, which he introduced last year along with 46 Senators and Representatives. This website offers background. Mike represents nine MA communities and has just accepted a new appointment as Chair of the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight, a special Senate body charged with examining the performance of Executive branch programs and agencies. Mike favors increasing the prices of fossil fuels to pay for the health and environmental harm they cause. Working with a growing circle of voters, environmentalists and business leaders, Mike has put the issue on the state’s political agenda.
Joe Lassiter, Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, will address the intersection of innovation and environmental regulation, particularly as it relates to climate and carbon. Joe has extensive experience studying and teaching how high-potential ventures attack the problem of financing and bringing to market innovations that develop clean, secure and carbon-neutral supplies of reliable, low-cost energy. Joe’s long career at HBS includes several distinguished appointments and many years of teaching undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from across the University and its affiliated hospitals about how to turn high potential ventures into high-performance businesses.
We are also grateful to Eric Grunebaum and Jamie Salo for setting the stage for our discussion. Eric advises startups and facilities owners on clean energy and efficiency projects. As a senior member of environmental accounting firm Trucost, Jamie works with businesses and investors to measure and value their environmental performance.
Please join us, our guests, and our co-hosts Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Roundtable for what will be yet another very cool evening. -- Carol, Holly, Tilly.
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Wednesday, March 2
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Vanguard Series: E+, Key Secrets to Success with Net Positive Development Part 1: Residential
Wednesday, March 2
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
50 Milk Street, 14th Floor, "Dali" Conf Room, Boston
RSVP at http://usgbcma.org/civicrm/event/register?id=969&reset=1
Cost: $50-$65
Join John Dalzell, Senior Architect at the Boston Redevelopment Authority for Part 1 of his two part E+ Series on the city's energy positive affordable energy development. Below is a brief introduction on the E+ program. We look forward to having a deep level discussion on net-positive building development.
In Boston, we are taking our green building and renewable energy efforts to the next frontier by creating ultra-efficient buildings that generate surplus clean energy. We are demonstrating that energy positive green homes and buildings can be constructed sustainably and cost-effectively, while enhancing the livability and vitality of Boston’s neighborhoods now and into the future.
Boston, a national leader in green building, is promoting the next generation of high performance deep green buildings. The E+ Green Building Program will demonstrate the feasibility of regenerative multi-unit residential buildings and bring energy and environmentally positive homes to Boston’s neighborhoods.These proposal submissions show us that regenerative buildings are achievable and not beholden to a particular esthetic.
We are deeply appreciative of the time, expertise, and effort each team has put in their proposal. As evidenced by their vision, creativity and ingenuity, each and every team is a leader in green building design, engineering, and sustainable development.
The initiative continues Boston’s efforts to promote sustainable development and green buildings throughout the City. With the support of NSTAR Electric and National Grid and in partnership with the US Green Building Council, the USGBC Massachusetts Chapter, the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Architectural College, this initiative is challenging leading architects, engineers, developers, and builders to respond to global climate change and envision a truly sustainable future. Source: City of Boston.
Email: info at usgbcma.org
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Zone Extremes in the Arctic, and Their Impact on Surface Climate
Wednesday, March 2
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Lorenzo Polvani (Columbia)
Sack Lunch Seminars (SLS) is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include climate, geophysical fluid dynamics, biogeochemistry, paleo-oceanography/climatology and physical oceanography.
Web site: http://bit.ly/1RQpuuO
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Darius Collazo
617-253-2127
dcollazo at mit.edu
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Narrative and the Making of US National Security
Wednesday, March 2
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Ron Krebs (University of Minnesota)
SSP Wednesday Seminar Series
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/seminars/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Elina Hamilton
617- 253-7529
elinah at mit.edu
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The Action Agenda: A Collaborative Approach to Addressing Climate Change
Wednesday, March 2
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Janos Pasztor, Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Climate Change
At the recent UN climate talks in Paris, non-state actors and governments were asked to accelerate partnerships and increase climate action on the ground. The goal: to launch a virtuous cycle of climate action, where demonstration of action on the ground encourages negotiators to make more ambitious pledges, which, in turn, generate even more action. This presentation will highlight the UN's climate action agenda, from its origins to its emergence at COP21 to its potential future.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Climate CoLab, MIT Sloan School of Management
Contact: Mark Dwortzan (dwortzan at mit.edu)
Web site: http://globalchange.mit.edu/news-events/news/news_id/530
More info: 617-324-1494
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Learning to Make Choices in the Era of Big Data
WHEN Wed., Mar. 2, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Shivani Agarwal, 2015-2016 William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Fellow, Radcliffe Institute; assistant professor and a Ramanujan Fellow, Indian Institute of Science (India); associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences and of the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences; co-director of the Indo-US Joint Center for Advanced Research in Machine Learning, Game Theory and Optimization
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at radcliffe.harvard.edu
DETAILS In this lecture, Agarwal will speak about her research studying computational models that can be used to understand how people make choices in the face of increasingly vast amounts of data. Through her analysis, Agarwal hopes to bring together techniques from machine learning, statistics, social choice theory, psychology, and economics to construct compact models of choice and ranking behavior that incorporate key features of human decision-making.
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2016-shivani-agarwal-fellow-presentation
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2016 Norton Lecture 1 of 6: "Romancing Slavery"
WHEN Wed., Mar. 2, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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The Living Bridge: Creating a Benchmark for Smart, Sustainable, User-Centered Transportation Infrastructure
Wednesday, March 2
4pm
MIT, Building 1-131, 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Prof Erin Bell, University of New Hampshire
Imagine a bridge crossing over a tidal estuary, a local landmark that deeply resonates with an entire community; a bridge that is a living laboratory for researchers, engineers, future engineers and the general public. This bridge is instrumented with sensors that capture structural performance, traffic patterns, environmental conditions, the behavior of innovative bridge design elements and enable and promote community engagement. The information collected with these sensors is shared with researchers, bridge designers and the bridge owner, but also, where appropriate, with K-12 classrooms and the public.
Aesthetic lighting and social media is used to communicate relevant information from the bridge and environmental sensors, such as weather, tides and traffic to the local community. The bridge sensor network, information communication system and aesthetic lighting are powered by a locally available renewable energy resource, tidal energy. This bridge has the capability to advance all aspects of community engagement with infrastructure, clean energy innovation in tidal energy conversion, energy storage, structural and environmental impact and social perception of our engineered environment. This "smart bridge"?? provides a platform for continued innovation of sensor, communication and energy technologies. This is the vision behind the Living Bridge project.
Pierce Lab Seminar Series: Mechanics and Infrastructure
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Cultural Heritage in Crisis: Digital Solutions for a Modern World
Wednesday, March 2
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
BU, School of Theology, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Room 625
Speaker(s): Benjamin Altschuler
Using digital technology to preserve archaeological artifacts and cultural legacy, Ben and his team have been called "The New Monuments Men" by Newsweek and at least 3,000 other articles to date.
Part of Study Group On the Religion and Myth in the Ancient World Series
Sponsored by the Boston University Center for the Humanities and the Department of Classical Studies
More info: http://www.bu.edu/classics/events-news/religion-and-myth/
Contact organization: Department of Classical Studies and the BU Center for Humanities
Phone : 6173532427
Contact name: Meghan Kelly
Contact email: classics at bu.edu
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=181271@17.calendar.bu.edu
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Book Talk: Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America
WHEN Wed., Mar. 2, 2016, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Ash Center Fellow Hollie Russon Gilman will discuss her new book, Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America (Brookings, 2016);Moderating the discussion will be Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship and HKS Academic Dean Archon Fung. Respondents include HKS Assistant Professor of Public Policy Quinton Mayne and Nigel Jacob, Co-Chair, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston.
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO maisie_obrien at hks.harvard.edu
DETAILS Join us for a conversation with Ash Center Fellow Hollie Russon Gilman as she discusses her new book, Democracy Reinvented: Participatory Budgeting and Civic Innovation in America (Brookings, 2016). Moderating the discussion will be Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship and HKS Academic Dean Archon Fung. Respondents include HKS Assistant Professor of Public Policy Quinton Mayne and Nigel Jacob, Co-Chair, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston.
Democracy Reinvented is the first comprehensive academic treatment of participatory budgeting in the United States, situating it within a broader trend of civic technology and innovation. This global phenomenon, which has been called “revolutionary civics in action” by the New York Times, started in Brazil in 1989 but came to America only in 2009. Participatory budgeting empowers citizens to identify community needs, work with elected officials to craft budget proposals, and vote on how to spend public funds.
Democracy Reinvented places participatory budgeting within the larger discussion of the health of U.S. democracy and focuses on the enabling political and institutional conditions. Author and former White House policy adviser Hollie Russon Gilman presents theoretical insights, in-depth case studies, and interviews to offer a compelling alternative to the current citizen disaffection and mistrust of government. She offers policy recommendations on how to tap online tools and other technological and civic innovations to promote more inclusive governance.
While most literature tends to focus on institutional changes without solutions, this book suggests practical ways to empower citizens to become change agents. Democracy Reinvented also includes a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that come with using digital tools to re-engage citizens in governance.
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/event/book-talk-democracy-reinvented-participatory-budgeting-and-civic-innovation-america?delta=0
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Children's Lead Levels and Black White Test Score Gaps
Wednesday, March 2
4:15PM TO 5:30PM
Harvard, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Anna Aizer, Brown University, and Janet Currie, Princeton University
For more information, contact Professor Stavins (617-495-1820), Professor Weitzman (617-495-5133), or the course assistant, Jason Chapman (617-496-8054).
Seminar in Environmental Economics and Policy
https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/5340
Contact Name: Bryan J. Galcik
bryan_galcik at hks.harvard.edu
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xTalks presents: The Art of Insights: Gerald Jay Sussman on How to Think About Circuits, as a Language
Wednesday, March 2
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building 26-168, 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Gerald Jay Sussman
Circuits are like mathematics or computer programming. Prof Sussman believes we teach all of these incorrectly. We teach them as exercises in skill acquisition, like how to hit a baseball. But that is not the essence of the matter.
In fact, these subjects are linguistic in nature. In each case there are "utterances" that are primitive, or compound, or abstract. In order to effectively use language we must understand what the primitive utterances refer to, how the compounds are formed. How the "meaning" of the compounds is constructed from the meanings of the parts. And how the compounds are abstracted so that they can be used as primitives.
Sussman will defend this claim, using numerous illustrative examples. He will show problems he has encountered in teaching circuits in the traditional style and he will show how it is possible to think about them in a more effective manner.
Gerald Jay Sussman is the Panasonic (formerly Matsushita) Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT.
Hosted by Vice President of Digital Learning Sanjay Sarma
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): xTalks: Digital Discourses, Office of Digital Learning
Contact: Molly Ruggles (xtalks-info at mit.edu)
Web site: http://odl.mit.edu/news-and-events/events/art-insights-gerald-jay-sussman-how-think-about-circuits-language
More info: 617-324-9185
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Sound – The Healing Musician Healing the Musician
Wednesday, March 2
6:30pm
Le Laboratoire, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com/#!programs/c1tl
Steven D Rauch, MD AND Lisa M Wong, MD
ArtScience @Le Lab is a free, biweekly evening seminar series organized for the general public in the magical "Honeycomb" of Le Lab Cambridge and Café ArtScience. Artists, designers, scientists, chefs, engineers, perfumers -- and more -- talk about creativity and culture at the edges of art, science and design. Ticketed cocktail receptions at the adjoint Café ArtScience are arranged for select seminars.
Lectures take place on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM (doors at 6:00 PM) at Le Laboratoire Cambridge unless otherwise noted.
Seating is limited, reservations encouraged. Contact Ankica Koldzic at programs at lelabcambridge.com.
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Food + Tech Mystery Series: Gabe Blanchett, Grove
Wednesday, March 2
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Floor 16, Einstein Conference, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10 - $30
Buy individual tickets or get a deal and buy tickets for all four events for just $30 (that's one free event!)
Gabe Blanchett, Grove
Gabe and his former roommate started an aquaponic indoor garden company from an MIT dorm in 2013. They have received millions in seed funding and their Kickstarter was over-subscribed at 412%. They are now shipping their product around the world.
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Student Report Back: Field Experience Trip in the United Arab Emirates on Sustainable Energy
Wednesday, March 2
7 PM
Harvard, Nye A, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
Organization/Sponsor: Middle East Initiative
Speaker(s): Students share insights and experiences from the January-term Field Experience on sustainable energy in the United Arab Emirates.
Cost: Free and open to the public
More info: http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6917/student_report_back.html
Contact organization: Middle East Initiative
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d118287587
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Restoring Nature's Relationships at Home, a talk by Doug Tallamy, author of "Bringing Nature Home"
Wednesday, March 2
7:00 to 8:30pm
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
A free lecture by Doug Tallamy on Mar 2 at 7:00pm, presented by Grow Native Mass at the Cambridge Public Library
If we are to make our residential landscapes truly living ecosystems once again, we need to understand the specialized relationships that make plants and animals interdependent. Who better to take us on an in-depth journey into this fascinating and complex world than Doug Tallamy? He will give us detailed examples of these co-evolutionary relationships, showing us how they determine the stability and complexity of local food webs— providing birds with insects and berries, dispersing bloodroot seeds, pollinating goldenrod, and much more. This knowledge equips us to knowingly select plants and to construct landscapes that restore nature’s relationships at home.
Doug Tallamy is a Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Biology at the University of Delaware. His groundbreaking book, Bringing Nature Home, was published in 2007 and continues to have national impact; it was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. In 2014, he co-authored The Living Landscape with Rick Darke. Doug’s conservation work and science-based advocacy for native plants has earned him numerous awards.
Free and open to the public
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Thursday, March 3
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Speak Out for Housing, Homelessness Prevention, and Solutions
Thursday, March 3
9am - 3pm
Great Hall, Massachusetts State House, Boston
Please join the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for our annual Legislative Action Day
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless has been working for over thirty years as a key voice in the public policy and social services arenas for families, youth, and adults in Massachusetts who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness. Each year, the Coalition holds a Legislative Action Day at the State House to engage our members and allies in educating state legislators about the needs of the Commonwealth's residents who are experiencing homelessness, housing crises, and poverty.
This year, we are mobilizing our members and supporters to advocate on a number of priorities, including efforts to expand eligibility for the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention programs to include elders, people with disabilities, unaccompanied youth, and others; fund housing and support services for unaccompanied youth who are experiencing homelessness; ensure that families with children no longer have to first stay in places not meant for human habitation before qualifying for Emergency Assistance shelter; and expand funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP). We also are working to move forward several bills that would improve quality of life for people living in poverty and those experiencing homelessness, including legislation to create a Homeless Bill of Rights and to improve benefits under the state's Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program (EAEDC).
As part of Legislative Action Day, the Coalition will host a series of speakers who will share their call to action and personal testimonies on the importance of increasing access to housing, shelter, homelessness prevention resources, and support services. Legislative speakers will include Representative James O?Day (West Boylston), the event sponsor and lead sponsor of House Bill 529, An Act Relative to Assisting Elders and People with Disabilities in the Commonwealth; State Senator Harriette Chandler (Worcester), Senate Majority Leader and member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth; Senator Linda Dorcena Forry (Boston), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing; Representative Marjorie Decker (Cambridge), Member, Joint Committees on Ways and Means and Housing; Representative Kevin Honan (Allston), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing; Senator Jamie Eldridge (Acton), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, State Representative William Smitty Pignatelli (Lenox), lead sponsor of House Bill 1129, An Act Providing a Homeless Bill of Rights; and State Representative Denise Provost (Somerville), lead sponsor of House Bill 119, An Act to End Child Homelessness.
Most importantly, there will be time in the afternoon to meet with State Representatives, Senators, and their staff to advocate for improved access to affordable housing, services, and programs for youth, families, and individual adults who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts.
We hope you will be able to raise your voice and join us for this exciting day!
For more information and to register for this free event, please go to
http://www.mahomeless.org/advocacy/item/legislative-action-day-2016 or
contact Kelly at kelly at mahomeless.org or 781-595-7570 x17.
Editorial Comment: Utah is on track to eliminate all homelessness in that state by simply providing housing for their homeless population. This is an obvious solution that our political leaders have not adopted as widely or as quickly as they should. I've read that their are at least 6 empty houses for every single homeless person in this country. What is the problem? People do not demand solutions. You can remedy that by telling your legislators to do what needs to be done and stop homelessness NOW!
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An Entrepreneurial Approach to Environmental Education: Opportunities and Challenges to Engage Future Business Leaders
Thursday, March 3
12pm
Tufts, Rabb room, Lincoln Filene Center, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Most talks will be streamed lived at Bit.ly/TuftsLunchLearn
Vikki Rodgers
At Babson College we educate entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value everywhere. Our science curriculum has the unique opportunity to ignore the typical disciplinary boundaries and instead create an entrepreneurial mindset by fostering scientific discovery and investigation relevant to business applications. Solving environmental problems often requires working in interdisciplinary teams. In this talk Dr. Vikki Rogers will discuss the approach she takes in engaging business students in learning environmental science and ecological impact. She will provide examples of small group projects in the areas of Environmental Technology, Economic Botany, Ecotourism & Conservation, and Ecological Management.
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Innovation ecosystems and their role in fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and health
Thursday, March 3
12:30–1:30 pm
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, FXB G-12, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join Dr. Ramon Sanchez for this Director's Lecture Series installment.
What does the future of sustainability and human health look like?
This spring, the Center for Health and the Global Environment will be hosting a Director's Lecture Series showcasing how its latest research is re-envisioning health and sustainability. This series will offer deep insight into many of the research programs and initiatives at the Center which are tackling some of the biggest sustainability challenges of the 21st century.
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/innovation-ecosystems-and-their-role-fostering-sustainable-entrepreneurship-and-health#sthash.CHzXnrzL.dpuf
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Water and Climate Change: Adaptation, Uncertainty, Decision Scaling and the Implications for China
Thursday, March 3
3:30pm to 4:45pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Casey Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
http://chinaproject.harvard.edu/Brown160304
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Can Russia Really Pivot to Asia?
Thursday, March 3
4:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building E40-496, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Yoshi Takeda and Elizabeth Wishnick
Focus on Russia Lecture Series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Harlene Miller
617-258-6531
harlenem at mit.edu
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BU Research on a Sustainable Energy Future
Thursday, March 3
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
BU Questrom School of Business, 595 Commonwealth Avenue Rooms 426 and 428, Boston
RSVP at http://www.bu.edu/research/research-on-tap-bu-research-on-a-sustainable-energy-future/
As demonstrated by the recent Paris Climate Conference, global energy systems face a massive challenge in shifting away from unsustainable carbon-emitting fuels to sustainable sources, while serving the energy and development needs of a planet whose population will reach ten billion before the end of the century. This challenge calls for contributions from disciplines that span the full range of BU’s capabilities in research and policy analysis. At this event, faculty members engaged in a wide range of research related to sustainable energy systems and policies will discuss their current and future work.
Hosted by Peter Fox-Penner, Professor of the Practice, Questrom School of Business
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The Path to Denmark: How Do Societies Develop Control of Corruption?
WHEN Thu., Mar. 3, 2016, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, professor of democracy studies, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany
DETAILS Part of the Comparative Democracy Seminar Series.
The author of "The Quest for Good Governance" (Cambridge University Press 2015) and leader of the EU-funded 10 million euro framework research project ANTICORRP, Alina Mungiu-Pippidi takes up the challenge from where renowned authors Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson had left it in “Why Nations Fail.” If the difference in economic performance is accounted for by governance, what explains why so few countries engage on the path of open and inclusive government versus one limiting access and spoiling its subjects? She argues that corruption has historically started by being the norm before becoming the exception, and that in over eighty electoral democracies of the present world the spoiling of public resources by ruling elites is still the rule of the game and a major collective action problem. Understanding the historical development of corruption control if the main target of her book.
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/event/path-denmark-how-do-societies-develop-control-corruption
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Knight Science Journalism Craft Night with Virginia Hughes
Thursday, March 3
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Virginia Hughes is the science editor at BuzzFeed News. Before joining BuzzFeed, Virginia was an independent journalist specializing in genetics, neuroscience, and biotechnology. Her blog, Only Human, was published by National Geographic, and her writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Slate. Virginia was once the community manager of ScienceBlogs and interned for Discover Magazine, Seed Magazine and NPR’s science desk.
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Cambridge Food & Ag Grad School Mixer
Thursday, March 3
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Brick & Mortar, 567 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/cambridge-food-ag-grad-school-mixer-tickets-22243167914
We (Harvard and MIT students) are excited to announce the first of a series of monthly grad school mixers for people interested in the Food and Agriculture space. The mixers will take place on the 1st Thursday of every month from now until May. The Food & Agriculture clubs of the following school are confirmed participants: Harvard Business School Harvard Law School Harvard Kennedy School MIT Tufts To kick-off our inaugural mixer, we will providing food! Please feel free to invite other graduate schools, and professionals who may be working in the industry.
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2016 Colleges of the Fenway Climate Change Teach-In
Thursday, March 3
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science, 179 Longwood Avenue, White Hall, 3rd Floor Auditorium, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-colleges-of-the-fenway-climate-change-teach-in-tickets-22223800987
Please join us for this year's Colleges of the Fenway Climate Change Teach-In. You'll have the opportunity to network, grab some food, and engage with our faculty presenters. Our presenters are: Michael Berger - The Science of Climate Change Ellen Faszewski - Climate Change and Public Health Ilyas Bhatti - Water Shortages and Resilience Hossein Noorian - The Economics of Climate Change
Questions? Email Lana Dvorkin Camiel, lana.dvorkincamiel at mcphs.edu
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EnergyBar!
Thursday, March 3
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Greentown Labs, 28 Dane Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/energybar-tickets-21458378588
EnergyBar is a monthly event devoted to helping people in clean technology meet and discuss innovations in energy technology. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and ‘friends of cleantech,’ are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and expand our growing regional clean technology community.
Our attendees typically span a variety of disciplines within energy, efficiency, and renewables. If you're looking for a job in cleantech or energy, trying to expand your network, or perhaps thinking about starting your own energy-related company this is the event for you. Expect to have conversations about issues facing advanced and renewable energy technologies and ways to solve our most pressing energy problems.
Light appetizers and drinks will be served starting at 5:30 pm. Suggested dress is shop floor casual. Hope to see you there!
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Socially Responsible Investing Panel
Thursday, March 3
5:45 PM to 7:30 PM (EST) - Add to Calendar
101 Federal Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/socially-responsible-investing-panel-tickets-21147923007
Please join NEWIEE and the Commonwealth Financial Group for a Socially Responsible Investment Panel at Commonwealth Financial’s office at 101 Federal Street (8th floor) on Thursday, March 3. Registration/networking begins at 5:45, the panel will run from 6-7 followed by networking. The event is free, but please RVSP through Eventbrite, because space is limited.
This event aims to educate attendees about the exciting arena of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). In today’s investment world, we often get caught up in traditional approaches, but one of the fastest growing areas in the investing world today is the SRI Space. Key highlights will include:
Defining the importance of SRI;
Educating attendees on SRI, including details on associated fees; and
Dispelling the myth that SRI requires investors to sacrifice returns.
The a panelists will be Ben Hamblen, Director of Firm Development at Commonwealth Financial Group and Paul Hilton, a Partner at Trillium Asset Management; both specialize in SRI.
Wine and appetizers will be served thanks to our host Commonwealth Financial Group. Please join us for networking before and after the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Logistics: Note that there are two elevator banks in the building, so make sure to use the one labeled "101" to get the 8th floor. Commonwealth Financial Group is two blocks from South Station and Downtown Crossing and there is parking beneath the building.
NEWIEE may on occasion take photographs and/or video of event attendees for use in print materials or by electronic methods. Your attendance at any NEWIEE event grants permission for NEWIEE to use these photographs and/or video in its marketing and public relations efforts.
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Goldsmith Awards in Political Journalism with Keynote by Walter Isaacson
WHEN Thu., Mar. 3, 2016, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Award Ceremonies, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Walter Isaacson, former chairman of CNN, former editor of TIME, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, and author of bestselling books on Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS The annual Goldsmith Investigative Reporting Prize honors journalism that promotes more effective and ethical conduct of government, the making of public policy, or the practice of politics. The finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting are: The Associated Press, The Guardian US, InsideClimate News, The New York Times, Tampa Bay Times and The Washington Post, for stories that covered topics such as police shootings, slave labor in the seafood industry, and Exxon’s role in manufacturing doubt about climate change.
Walter Isaacson, former chairman of CNN, former editor of TIME, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, and author of bestselling books on Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin, will receive the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism and deliver the keynote address.
This event will also be webcast.
LINK http://shorensteincenter.org/goldsmith-awards-2016/
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SCIENCE with/in/sight: 2016 Koch Institute Image Awards
Thursday, March 3
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, 500 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/science-withinsight-2016-koch-institute-image-awards-registration-21037517782
MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research cordially invites you to the opening of the 2016 Image Awards exhibition. Our new images celebrate the spirit of MIT, the power of collaboration, and the Koch Institute's fifth anniversary as a community of life scientists and engineers under one roof. From cancer cells to circuit boards, these towering, colorful canvases will awe and inspire, encouraging viewers to look a little closer, think a little bigger, and explore the world in new ways. Join biologists, chemists, and engineers for networking, lightning presentations, and more, as they illuminate the night with their bright ideas.
Reception at 6:00 p.m., Presentations at 7:00 p.m., Coffee and dessert follow.
Event parking will be available free of charge in MIT's Stata Center garage (map) from 5:30-9:00 p.m.
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Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion
Thursday, March 3
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes SUSAN JACOBY, author of eleven previous books, for a discussion of her latest work, Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion.
About Strange Gods
In a groundbreaking historical work that addresses religious conversion in the West from an uncompromisingly secular perspective, Susan Jacoby challenges the conventional narrative of conversion as a purely spiritual journey. From the transformation on the road to Damascus of the Jew Saul into the Christian evangelist Paul to a twenty-first-century “religious marketplace” in which half of Americans have changed faiths at least once, nothing has been more important in the struggle for reason than the right to believe in the God of one’s choice or to reject belief in God altogether.
Focusing on the long, tense convergence of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—each claiming possession of absolute truth—Jacoby examines conversions within a social and economic framework that includes theocratic coercion (unto torture and death) and the more friendly persuasion of political advantage, economic opportunism, and interreligious marriage. Moving through time, continents, and cultures—the triumph of Christianity over paganism in late antiquity, the Spanish Inquisition, John Calvin’s dour theocracy, Southern plantations where African slaves had to accept their masters’ religion—the narrative is punctuated by portraits of individual converts embodying the sacred and profane. The cast includes Augustine of Hippo; John Donne; the German Jew Edith Stein, whose conversion to Catholicism did not save her from Auschwitz; boxing champion Muhammad Ali; and former President George W. Bush. The story also encompasses conversions to rigid secular ideologies, notably Stalinist Communism, with their own truth claims.
Finally, Jacoby offers a powerful case for religious choice as a product of the secular Enlightenment. In a forthright and unsettling conclusion linking the present with the most violent parts of the West’s religious past, she reminds us that in the absence of Enlightenment values, radical Islamists are persecuting Christians, many other Muslims, and atheists in ways that recall the worst of the Middle Ages.
More at http://www.harvard.com/event/susan_jacoby/
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Civic Ecology: Healing and Growing in Community
Thursday, March 3
7:00PM TO 8:30PM
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arbor Way, Boston
Fee $10 - Details and Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu
Community gardening and forestry, participatory watershed restoration…in communities around the world there is a growing phenomenon. People are coming together to rebuild and restore local environments affected by crisis, disaster, or neglect. In New Orleans after Katrina, in New York after Sandy, in Soweto after apartheid, and in any number of postindustrial, depopulated cities, people work together to restore nature, renew communities, and to heal themselves. Marianne Krasny will share stories of this emerging grassroots environmental stewardship, arguing that humans’ innate love of nature and attachment to place compels them to restore nature and places that are threatened, destroyed, or lost. She’ll also report examples of nature and community exerting a healing and restorative power on their stewards and of the measurable effects of civic ecology on individuals and communities.
Presented jointly by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Massachusetts Audubon's Boston Nature Center, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Contact Name: arbweb at arnarb.harvard.edu
617-384-5277
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-04-000000-2016-03-04-013000/civic-ecology-healing-and-growing-community#sthash.QCuh9oKL.dpuf
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“Plays with Words," Featuring Comedian Aparna Nancherla and ImprovBoston
WHEN Thu., Mar. 3, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Comedy, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S) Moderator Robin Young, cohost, Here & Now, WBUR and National Public Radio
Aparna Nancherla, stand-up comedian
Glenda Carpio, professor of English and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Performers from ImprovBoston
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at radcliffe.harvard.edu
DETAILS Languages constantly evolve and reflect cultural practices. They are a fluid reflection of the passage of time, influenced by many factors, including age, class, and gender. “Plays with Words” provides an opportunity to examine and enjoy the role of gender within the comedic landscape.
"Plays with Words" is part of the conference "Ways with Words: Exploring Language and Gender"—an exploration of the state of language in today's society as it relates to, mirrors, and affects perceptions of gender. The program begins on the evening of March 3 and continues with a full day of presentations and discussions on March 4.
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2016-ways-with-words-conference
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Friday, March 4
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2016 MIT Energy Conference: Big Meets Small: A New Era Emerges
Friday, March 4, 8am - 7:00pm
Saturday, March 5, 8am - 7:00pm
Cambridge Mariott, 50 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://mitenergyconference.org/ec/2016/registration
Cost: $50 - $440
More changes have occurred in the global energy sector in the past decade than in the 100 years prior. This year’s MIT Energy Conference main theme is centered on the interconnection between activities, technologies, and geographies, discussing the idea that small, distributed impacts can generate big, long-lasting solutions. “Big Meets Small" is about taking a more holistic approach: understanding the disruption that is happening across the energy value chain and how infrastructure developments, technology improvements, and market changes, both big and small, have a place in the puzzle.
In particular, the Conference will discuss the promise of distributed technologies at scale, new market structures shifting the power dynamics between large and small energy players, new financing models enabling unprecedented levels of involvement in energy investment, and local policies seeking to halt the global impacts of climate change.
In its 11th edition, the MIT Energy Conference invites you to join in the conversation at the systems-level: we will bring together leaders and visionaries from industry, government, the scientific community, and the private sector that are looking at today’s complex interactions, which are redefining the future of energy worldwide.
Please join us for what is sure to be an exceptional and thought-provoking two days.
We hope to see you there!
2016 MITEC Organizing Team
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2016 Goldsmith Seminar on Investigative Reporting
WHEN Fri., Mar. 4, 2016, 9 – 10:30 a.m.
WHERE Harvard, Nye Conference Center, Taubman Building, 5th Floor, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Award Ceremonies, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Shorensten Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
SPEAKER(S) Investigative reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Guardian, and other publications.
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS A panel discussion with the winners and finalists of the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, whose stories include topics such as police shootings, slave labor in the seafood industry, and Exxon’s role in manufacturing doubt about climate change. Learn about the making of their stories, which have made an impact on U.S. public policy.
Panelists:
Neela Banerjee, senior reporter, InsideClimate News
Kimberly Kindy, national investigative reporter, The Washington Post
Michael LaForgia, reporter, investigations team, Tampa Bay Times
Robin McDowell, reporter, former Myanmar correspondent, The Associated Press
Jessica Greenberg-Silver, reporter, business section, The New York Times
Jon Swaine, senior reporter, Guardian US
Thomas Patterson, Shorenstein Center interim director, moderator
LINK http://shorensteincenter.org/goldsmith-seminar-2016/
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Programming Genomes to Expand Life's Functional Repertoire
Friday, March 4
11am
MIT, Building 9-057, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Farren Isaacs, Yale University
Professor Isaacs studies ways to construct new genetic codes and reprogrammable cells that serve as factories for cheical, drug and biofuel production.
Telecast from Georgia Institute of Technology
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Urban water system and green infrastructure: a data-driven approach
Friday, March 4
12:00-1:00 PM
MIT, Building 54-517, Green Building (the tallest building on campus), Cambridge
Speaker: Sang Cho and Yannis Orfanos, Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure
In this presentation Sang Cho and Yannis Orfanos will present the Zofnass Information Tool on the Urban Water System of Chelsea MA. The scope of the tool is to provide information about the urban water system and the sustainable intervention opportunities that address climatic risks and contribute to the sustainability of our cities. Developing non-expert awareness can facilitate the creation of collaborative platforms for different stakeholders involved in cities to work in unison.
More at http://mitwater.org/events/2016/2/18/urban-water-system-and-green-infrastructure-a-data-driven-approach
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Emotional Intelligence Hackathon
March 4 - March 6
5:00pm - 2:00pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emotion-lab-16-emotion-hack-your-tech-tickets-19479487672
Cost: $25
Emotions are critical to human behavior but are mostly missing from the digital world. What if devices, apps and technology could sense human emotions and adapt to them?
Join Affectiva for an exciting weekend-long hackathon during which participants will create emotion-aware technology. You will get to use Affectiva’s emotion-sensing SDKs for iOS, Android and Windows. We’ll provide a selection of interesting devices, and together we will design the future of emotion technology.
Form Teams:
The organizers of the hackathon will help participants to form small teams (of around 5 people). These teams will work together to create an emotionally aware solution. You do not need to have a pre-existing team to attend, we will help you join a team. The more diversity we have on a team the more skills and ideas will be brought to the solution.
Selection of devices that we will provide include (but are not limited to):
BB-8 Robot by Sphero
Nest thermostat
Philips Hue programmable light bulbs
Flora Boards
Raspberry Pi
Arduino boards and shields
What to Bring:
Laptop
Mobile devices
Most importantly your ideas!
What you Get:
Food and drinks
IoT Devices to try
A help desk to support getting your ideas off the ground
Use of Affectiva’s emotion-recognition SDK
A hackpad to write about your project
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Compton Lecture by Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director
Friday, March 4, 2016
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building W16, Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Christine Lagarde
MIT welcomes Madame Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, for the spring 2016 Karl Taylor Compton Lecture on Friday, March 4, 2016. Lecture title to be announced.
Web site: http://compton.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
Cost: n/a
Tickets: n/a
Sponsor(s): Institute Events, Office of the President
For more information, contact: Institute Events
617-253-4795
info-events at mit.edu
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Askwith Forum – New American Mosaic: Diversity and The Innovation Economy
WHEN Fri., Mar. 4, 2016, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Diversity & Equity, Forum, Lecture, Question & Answer Session
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT Alumni, AskWith Forum
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Roger Falcon
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums at gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
RSVP REQUIRED No
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
DETAILS Speaker: Alejandra Y. Castillo, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Department of Commerce
By 2044, the U.S. Census Bureau anticipates that minority populations will become the majority groups in America. What does this mean? What are the opportunities and challenges for democracy? How do we define a New America? Undoubtedly, these are all questions that present significant public policy challenges in education, health, workforce readiness, as well as economic and business participation. The success of America’s minority populations, the mosaic of our democracy, will directly determine whether or not the United States continues to be globally competitive in an ever-changing economic and technological landscape.
Today more than ever, educators are uniquely positioned to serve as important catalysts of change. What role will they play in designing the vehicle to develop and sharpen critical thinking, support new democratic systems, and create innovative technologies that are able to advance policies and programs designed to ensure that all Americans are active participants in the economic engine that fuels the nation? The economic nexus between entrepreneurs and educators is a symbiotic relation. Castillo will provide education leaders with a call to action designed to boldly lead us into a healthy economic future by embracing the new demographic horizon with groundbreaking action and urgency.
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Film screening: The Brooklyn Farmer
Friday, March 4
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-the-brooklyn-farmer-tickets-18136325237
Cost: $8 - $12
The film follows head farmer Ben Flanner, CEO Gwen Schantz, communications director Anastasia Plakias, farm manager Michael Meier, and beekeeper Chase Emmons as their growing operation expands from Long Island City, Queens, to a second roof in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The team confronts the realities inherent in operating the worlds largest rooftop farm in one of the worlds biggest cities. This screening is part of the BSA Space Film Series covering a variety of design topics. Complimentary refreshments and popcorn will be served.
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Broken Mirrors: A Reading & Conversation with Elias Khoury and Jocelyne Cesari
Wednesday, March 2
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
BU, Photonics Center, 8 St. Mary's Street, Room 9th Floor, Colloquium Room, Boston
Speaker(s): Elias Khoury
Join us for a reading and conversation with Elias Khoury. Khoury will read from and discuss his latest novel, Broken Mirrors (Archipelago Books, January, 2016), in the context of the ongoing revolutionary process in the Middle East and its impact on Europe.
Elias Khoury, born in Beirut, is the author of thirteen novels, four volumes of literary criticism, and three plays. He was awarded the Palestine Prize for Gate of the Sun, which was named Best Book of the Year by Le Monde Diplomatique, The Christian Science Monitor, and The San Francisco Chronicle, and a Notable Book by The New York Times. Khourys Yalo, White Masks, Little Mountain, The Journey of Little Gandhi, and City Gates are also available in English. Khoury is a Global Distinguished Professor of Middle Eastern and Arabic Studies at New York University. As Though She Were Sleeping received Frances inaugural Arabic Novel Prize.
The conversation will be moderated by Jocelyne Cesari, Professor of Religion and Politics at the University of Birmingham, UK, Senior research fellow at Georgetown Universitys Berkley Center on Religion, Peace and World Affairs.
Co-sponsored by Middle East and North African Studies, the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, and the literary journal AGNI. Free and open to the public. Reception and book-signing to follow.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/european/news/calendar/?eid=178782
Contact organization: Center for the Study of Europe
Phone : 617-358-0919
Contact name: Elizabeth Amrien
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=180593@17.calendar.bu.edu
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Saturday, March 5
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The Fletcher Conference on Managing Political Risk
Saturday, March 5
8:00am - 5:30pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://secure.touchnet.net/C21525_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=308
Cost: $20 - $90
The 2016 Fletcher Conference on Managing Political Risk Group will bring together business professionals, academics, and graduate students focused on international relations and business to consider the risks and opportunities that companies, investors, and organizations face today.
In today's volatile political and economic landscape, risk mitigation tools are essential for globally focused firms. Effective business strategy relies on a nuanced understanding of how factors such as governmental policy and regulations, elections and coups, protests and violent conflict, bribery and corruption, local politics and stakeholder sentiment, as well as broad geopolitical and market shifts pose risks to an enterprise.
Political risk analysis and management lies at the intersection of economics, politics, security, conflict resolution, law, energy, business and finance. The Fletcher School, the nation's first graduate institute of international affairs, specializes in each of these fields and is thus the ideal platform for a discussion on managing political risk.
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Civic Ecology Service Day with Marianne Krasny
Saturday, March 5
9am - 12pm
Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan
Register here: https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1494&DayPlannerDate=3/5/2016 or call 617-983-8500.
Civic ecology brings communities together to strengthen bonds while supporting local ecosystems. Come to the Boston Nature Center for a civic ecology volunteer morning. Volunteers will help with the removal of invasive plants, preparing the sanctuary’s bird boxes for spring, and improving the Nature Nook. Work together to support this unique wildlife sanctuary while learning about an urban ecosystem. This is the culminating event of the visit from Dr. Marianne E. Krasny of Cornell University. Free
Presented jointly by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy
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2016 Social Enterprise Conference, hosted by the students of HBS & HKS
Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 5:00 PM (EST)
Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-social-enterprise-conference-tickets-19791474834
Cost: $80.12 - $159.24
The Social Enterprise Conference brings together top leaders, practitioners, and students passionate about social enterprise.
This year the conference’s content will focus on the untold truths of Social Enterprise and challenge participants to dare to take the steps necessary to make a difference.
We hope to see you for a weekend of inspiration and action at the 17th Annual Social Enterprise Conference!
Please reach out to info at socialenterpriseconference.org with any questions.
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Materials with Magical Properties
Saturday, March 5
10:00 -11:00 a.m.
MIT, Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/calendar/sci_on_saturday.html
Science on Saturday is a free, 60-minute presentation with fun demonstrations in which students can volunteer. Each Saturday morning program is open to all elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as their parents and teachers. Hands-on activity booths will be available to students after the show.
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TEDxHarvardCollegeSalon: Mind Over Matter
Saturday, March 5
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Harvard Mineralogical & Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxharvardcollegesalon-mind-over-matter-tickets-22140853890
Cost: $5 - $10
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Sunday, March 6
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Tufts Energy Conference: Geopolitics of Energy
Sunday, March 6
9am until 7pm
The Fletcher School at Tufts University, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
RSVP at https://secure.touchnet.net/C21525_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=297&SINGLESTORE=true
Cost: $14.99 - $34.99
Panels on
Energy, Environment, and Security in the Arctic
Biofuels: Balancing Food Security and Clean Energy Goals
The Geopolitics of Renewable Energy
What’s Next for Conventional Energy?
Prospects for a Global Natural Gas Market
Challenges and Opportunities: China’s 20% Non-Fossil Fuel Target
The Return of Iranian Supply and the Future of OPEC
And a free energy showcase
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Growing Plants from Seed
Sunday, March 6
1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Lecture Hall, Cambridge
Plants grown from seed have greater genetic diversity, are better adapted to their environment, and are less expensive to produce. In this class you will learn when and how to collect seeds in the wild; how to collect, clean, and store them; and how to sow and tend for them. Emphasis will be placed on species that can be grown easily and without fancy equipment or large investments of time.
Instructor: Dan Jaffe, Propagator and Stock Bed Grower, New England Wild Flower Society
For more information, or to register, visit http://www.newenglandwild.org/.
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Monday, March 7
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Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Monday, March 7
11:30am to 1:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Roxana Geambasu, Columbia University
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world.Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it,users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions,and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agendato develop new transparency tools that increase society's oversight over how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight,a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content,or adjust prices. Second, we describe Fair Test, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Speaker Bio: Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cyber security from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship,a 2014 "Brilliant 10'' Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award,an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D.Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
Center for Research on Computation and Society
Contact: Carol Harlow
Email: harlow at seas.harvard.edu
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A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
Monday, March 7
12:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Webinar at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
RSVP at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
Speaker(s): Fady Saad, Strategy, Research, and Business Development Director, Vecna Technologies; MIT SDM alumnus
Any evaluation of the life cycle of established companies will reveal the importance of taking a holistic approach to fundamental business challenges such as product development, customer acquisition, financial growth, and employee and leadership recruitment. Making progress on all fronts simultaneously is critical for companies at all stages of development, but it is especially important for startups.
In this webinar, SDM alumnus Fady Saad, director of strategy, research, and business development at Vecna Technologies will:
explain why mature companies can afford delays in responding to a broad set of internal and external issues while startups cannot;
reveal how early business and policy decisions can help and/or hurt a startup during subsequent phases of its life cycle; and
explore how an understanding of these business dynamics can impact the formation and growth of companies in both the short and long term.
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us!
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT System Design & Management
Contact: Lois Slavin (sdm at mit.edu)
Web site: https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
More info: 617-253-0812
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Gerard Roe, UW
Monday, March 7
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Gerard Roe (UW)
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research concerning atmospheric science, and climate. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz at mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard at mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Marianna Linz
617-253-2127
mlinz at mit.edu
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Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
Monday, March 7
12:00PM TO 1:30PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Mathew Morey, Christensen Associates Energy Consulting, LLC.
This series is presented by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy/Consortium for Energy Policy Research at the Kennedy School of Government. Lunch will be provided.
HKS Energy Policy Seminar Series
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/seminar.html
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund at hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-170000-2016-03-07-183000/hks-energy-policy-seminar-series#sthash.5D5EKiSG.dpuf
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Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
Monday, March 7
12:15PM TO 2:00PM
Harvard, HUCE Seminar Room, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts at hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Shreeharsh Kelkar, MIT
The STS Circle at Harvard is a group of doctoral students and recent PhDs who are interested in creating a space for interdisciplinary conversations about contemporary issues in science and technology that are relevant to people in fields such as anthropology, history of science, sociology, STS, law, government, public policy, and the natural sciences. We want to engage not only those who are working on intersections of science, politics, and public policy, but also those in the natural sciences, engineering, and architecture who have serious interest in exploring these areas together with social scientists and humanists.
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
Contact Name: Shana Rabinowich
Shana_Rabinowich at hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-171500-2016-03-07-190000/sts-circle-harvard#sthash.d9GmfvOG.dpuf
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The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
Monday, March 7
4:30 - 6 PM
Harvard Law School, Austin West 111, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Ignatieff, Edward E. Murrow Professor of Practice, Kennedy School of Government
Free and open to the public
Organization/Sponsor: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact Info: Donna Hicks, Chair dhicks at wcfia.harvard.edu
Contact organization: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact email: dhicks at wcfia.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d118284721
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Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
Monday, March 7
5:00-6:45 PM
Harvard, CGIS Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Panelists: Ed Boyden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard Medical School)
Rebecca Lemov (Harvard University)
Alvaro Pascual-Leone (Harvard Medical School)
Seung-Schik Yoo (Harvard Medical School)
Moderator: Kerry Ressler (Harvard Medical School)
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Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Monday, March 7
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/perspectives-on-rating-funds-on-sustainability-performance-tickets-22138340372
BASIC, Morningstar, & Sustainalytics present....Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Tools are becoming increasingly available for investors to better understand the sustainability performance of the funds and portfolios in which they invest.
Please join Jon Hale, director of manager research at Morningstar, and Diederik Timmer, executive vice president at Sustainalytics, as they share their views on the changing market dynamics due to the availability of broad sustainability fund ratings by Morningstar. In response to questions from the investment community and BASIC members, Jon and Diederik will discuss the new tools available for asset owners, advisors and their clients, and what this means for fund managers.
Jon Hale, Ph.D., CFA, is director of manager research, North America, for Morningstar. He leads approximately 60 manager research analysts based in North America and oversees the teams operations, thought leadership, and manager research coverage across equity, fixed-income, multi-asset, and alternative asset classes. In addition, Jon heads up Morningstars ESG research initiative. Before assuming this role in 2014, Jon led the consulting team for the Investment Advisory unit of Morningstar Associates, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., and he managed the ESG Managers portfolios for Pax World as part of Morningstars Investment Management group.
Diederik Timmeris the executive vice president of institutional relations at Sustainalytics. Over the past seven years Diederik has helped build Sustainalytics into the largest independent provider of ESG research and analysis for the global investment community. He acts as an advisor to senior executives, portfolio managers, and risk professionals on developing and implementing responsible investment strategies. Diederik directly manages the Institutional Relations team that scored 1st, 2nd and 3rd position in the 2012 and 2013 Thomson Reuters Extel and SRI-connect IRRI Survey for best client services person in ESG research. In 2013, Diederik transferred from Amsterdam to New York City. The move is in a response to the growing momentum of responsible investment/ESG in North America and reflects Sustainalytics' increased focus on client service and sales in this market. Thank you to our sponsors: District Hall:District Hall is Bostons home for innovation:adedicated gatheringspace for Bostons innovation community.Our mission? To create impact for Boston-area entrepreneurs through our spaces and programs.
Sustainalytics:A global leader in sustainability research & analysis, serving investors & financial institutions with responsible investment solutions.
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Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Monday, March 7
6:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building E15-001, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Curation: Agencies + Urgencies
ACT's Spring 2016 lecture series Curation: Agencies + Urgencies addresses the contexts and forces shaping the practice of curation today. Bringing together a cast of influential curators, critics, and educators operating across institutional boundaries and political scales- from the book to the biennial- these lectures consider the curator- as diplomat, as researcher, as (para-)artist, as speculator, as provocateur, as censor- and the varying roles and forms curation itself: What defines spaces of curation today? What are the politics pressurizing the practice? What role does the emerging discipline of curatorial studies play in the institutionalization of art? What are the limits and possibilities of curation as a mode of publicity?
In many ways, these are timely questions for an evolving artistic research program such as ACT. Indeed, ACT is in the midst of its own curatorial moment: The program is currently reconceiving the accessibility and presentation of its archive, experimenting with new forms of publication, and developing lines of pedagogy and research that naturally overlap with the basic associative impulse of curatorial praxis- that is, the drive to find new forms and spaces of relief, to form new associations and ecologies of works, people, venues, and sites.
Web site: http://act.mit.edu/projects-and-events/lectures-series/2016-spring/fa
ll-2016-about-series/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, Department of Architecture, Arts at MIT, School of Architecture and Planning, Council for the Arts at MIT (CAMIT)
For more information, contact:
Marion Cunningham
617-253-5229
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Food + Tech Mystery Series
Wednesday, March 7
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Floor 16, Einstein Conference, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10 - $30
Buy individual tickets or get a deal and buy tickets for all four events for just $30 (that's one free event!)
On price-optimization software that has helped 60 farmers almost 10% more of post-harvest revenue in the last two years.
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Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
Monday, March 7
7pm
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
Guest scientists David Keith and Steven Barrett
David is a Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and a Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School. His group works on climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He also helps lead Carbon Engineering, a company working on air capture of CO2.
Steven is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. His group works on the environmental impacts of aviation including atmospheric modeling and propulsion.
Science by the Pint is a monthly science cafe free and open to the public, run by the Harvard non-profit outreach group Science In The News (SITN). Read more here: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
Monday, March 7
7-9pm
Tavern in the Square, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
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Tuesday, March 8
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Local Specialty Crop & Local Food Trade Shows
Tuesday, March 8
8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Buyers & Attendees – Register at http://sbnmass.formstack.com/forms/2016_lfts_buyer_application
Cost: $20-$30
*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Editorial Comment: Although not intended for individual consumers, consumers interested in the local food network might want to attend.
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) is offering our 5th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2016 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.
This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.
Local Specialty Crop Trade Show
Exhibitors will include New England based farmers, produce distributors and local specialty crop producers (products made with 50% or more specialty crops also qualify). Please view the USDA definition of specialty crops here. This Trade Show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Exhibition booths are free for specialty crop farmers and other specialty crop producers.
Local Food Trade Show
This trade show is open to all non-specialty crop food producers including meat and dairy farms, fisheries, baked goods and other added value producers. Exhibition booths are $125.00.
The Specialty Crop Trade Show is made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MassGrown).
Due to the expansion of our program, we are offer two trade shows, taking place the same time and in the same location. Each trade show will feature different types of exhibitors.
Who should attend?
Any wholesale buyers, who are interested in purchasing Massachusetts or New England-produced food items. These buyers can be supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, schools, food processors in search of ingredients, distributors, or anyone else interested in local purchasing options.*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Maddie Phadke 617-395-0250
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MAPC Winter Council Meeting
Tuesday March 8
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM EST
Marriott Courtyard Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ec8jk9fxc139c784&oseq=&c=b77caa50-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4&ch=b78312f0-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4
This meeting is headlined by a panel of the newest mayors and managers in the MAPC region coming together to highlight regional challenges and speak about notable issues in their communities. The panel will take questions from attendees.
Speakers
City Manager of Chelsea: Tom Ambrosino
Mayor of Revere: Brian Arrigo
Mayor of Medford: Stephanie Muccini Burke
Mayor of Weymouth: Robert Hedlund
Mayor of Gloucester: Sefatia Romeo Theken
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2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger"
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
Tuesday, March 8
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Kevin Esvelt will pioneer a “Sculpting Evolution” research program at MIT’s Media Lab starting in fall 2016. Currently, he works at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, where he co-developed the CRISPR/Cas9 system for targeted genome editing and described how we might use RNA-guided gene drives to spread genomic alterations through wild populations. Kevin’s current interests include building safeguards for the responsible development of gene drives, exploring methods of stably altering the composition of microbial communities, and researching new tools and strategies for evolutionary engineering.
Marc Lipstich is a professor at Harvard University’s Department of Epidemiology with a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease. He is director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and associate director of the Interdiscplinary Concentratration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program. His research concerns the effect of naturally acquired host immunity, vaccine-induced immunity and other public health interventions on the population biology of pathogens and the consequences of changing pathogen populations for human health, such as the use of antimicrobial agents and the response of microbes to such exposures.
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Batteries: Current and Future
Tuesday, March 8
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Yi Cui, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Increasing demand for batteries with applications in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and the grid present opportunities and challenges for rechargeable batteries. This lecture will analyze the nature of energy storage and the existing technology, and present promising future batteries, which can have significantly higher energy density, lower cost, better safety, and longer life. Novel battery chemistries and materials are key for a revolutionary change.
Reception to follow.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
Web site: mitei.mit.edu
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Measuring Social Impact
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Harvard innovation lab, 125 Western Avenue, Lobby Area, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/measuring-social-impact-tickets-21568965356
The question of how to measure social impact is an elusive one. For the past 12 years Root Cause and its founder, Andrew Wolk, have been asking that question. In this workshop you will learn about that journey and includes: The different motivations for measuring social impact in nonprofit, government, and for profit entities The foundation for a solid performance measurement system for social impact Where to start if you want to begin measuring social impact
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Mass Innovation Nights #84
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
We are looking forward to our second annual Civic Tech event on TUESDAY (yes note not our usual day) March 8th! Microsoft is our sponsor and #MIN84 will be held at District Hall. Check out our website (http://bit.ly/MIN84) fir 11 innovative products showcasing and offering solutions to continuously improve government infrastructure and enhance the lives of citizens. See you there!
Website: http://mass.innovationnights.com/
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A Climate of Change
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-climate-of-change-boston-tickets-20261738405
Cost: $5 – $15
These four short films examine the effects on the fishing industry associated with climate change, including warming waters, lack of biodiversity, and ocean acidification. Across New England and the nation, fishermen and scientists are observing notable shifts in the ecosystem and dramatic changes on the water. This Island Institute screening will help introduce shellfish aquaculture as an example of economic diversification for fishing communities and will prove to be excellent opportunities for relationship building and dialogue exchange on climate change.
This event is presented in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, and we will be joined by CLF's Executive Vice President Sean Mahoney.
Program Overview
7 – 8:30 p.m.: Climate of Change film event at Somerville Theatre
Part I: Warming Waters in the Gulf of Maine (6 min)
Part II: Ocean Acidification in Alaska (9 min)
Part III: Collapse and Adaptation in Apalachicola, FL (9 min)
Part IV: The Future of Aquaculture (10 min)
8 - 8:30 p.m.: Facilitated Q&A
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"Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Women in Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events at gsd.harvard.edu
DETAILS On March 8, 2016, Women in Design, a Harvard Graduate School of Design student group, will celebrate its third-annual International Women’s Day. Dedicated to empowering women designers, we propose an open dialogue on what it means to be a creative woman developing, challenging, and innovating her craft in the 21st century. In exploring conventional and potential modes of practice, we aim to cultivate radical alternatives to the dominant roles and methods of our fields. As we reflect on strides the design fields have made toward achieving gender equity, we see International Women’s Day 2016 as a catalytic platform to investigate how radical practice can re-situate—and revolutionize—our work.
Women in Design continues to challenge how women, as well as other underrepresented groups in the design disciplines, can work for equity across representation, compensation, and valuation. To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we have invited pioneering women practitioners across the design disciplines to engage and share their backgrounds, experiences, and philosophies of radical practice—the what, how, and why (or why not). In this spirit, we invite you to join us in questioning and speculating how, both individually and collectively, we can radically transform the design field.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/radical-practice-hosted-by-women-in-design-with-julia-king-susan.html
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Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
Tuesday, March 8
6:30 PM - 8:45 PM
MassChallenge, 23 Dry Dock Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/next-gen-mobility-driving-the-future-tickets-21735130360
Attention Boston startup community investors, founders, journalists, and app developers: MassChallenge and Honda Silicon Valley Labare team up to host an event featuring early-stage companies with cool mobility tech. Join us to meet and mingle with others in the local startup scene. Meet innovators building tech for next generation vehicles. Check out the innovator showcase, and get inside tips from our panel on bringing your ideas to market. Leaders from Honda Silicon Valley Lab will also be on hand to talk about how Honda supports tech innovators.
Event Agenda:
6:30-7:00: Networking & Appetizers, Innovator Showcase
7:00-7:20: Introducing Honda Xcelerator & Honda Developer Studio
7:20-7:30: MassChallenge Info Session
7:30-8:10: Panel: Getting your tech into next-gen vehicles.
8:10-8:15: Closing Remarks
8:15-8:45: Networking
Food and drinks will be provided
Participating Startups: To be announced.
About Honda Silicon Valley Lab
Honda Silicon Valley Lab (HSVL) is an open innovation lab serving as the catalyst to accelerate Hondas global research and development. We partner with talented entrepreneurs, tech companies and app developers to create cutting edge products and services for a superior customer experience. Honda Silicon Valley Lab is home to two programs: Honda Xcelerator and Honda Developer Studio. Honda Developer Studio makes it easier for app developers to bring new ideas to cars through the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms. The goal of the Developer Studio is to help developers refine their ideas by encouraging them to consider automotive grade engineering principles, as well as driver safety and privacy top Honda priorities. Beyond apps, Honda Xcelerator offers funding, engineering support and resources to mobility innovators to help them rapidly develop prototypes for game-changing technologies. It also provides entrepreneurs with access to Honda engineers, a work space in our Silicon Valley facility, and a pathway to commercialization across Hondas diverse portfolio of products and services.
Learn more at http://hondasvl.com
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BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
Tuesday, March 8
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WGBH, 1 Guest Street, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bostontalks-investigates-election-update-tickets-22175245757
Cost: $10
Investigates: Election Update, Where do we Stand?
The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be the most contentious in recent memory.
WGBH News Executive Producer Aaron Schachter leads a discussion, featuring WGBH News Political Reporter Adam Reilly and others, about the election and what it means locally and nationally. About WGBH's BostonTalks: Investigates event series WGBH journalists investigate stories that matter to our region. Now, youre invited to join the conversation at our BostonTalks: Investigates series, featuring in-depth panel discussions with major players, followed by a reception.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, March 9
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Building an Educational Justice Movement: Organizing against the School to Prison Pipeline
Wednesday, March 9
12 PM
Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
A Q+A will follow the lecture.
Organization/Sponsor: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Speaker(s): Mark Warren, associate professor of public policy and public affairs, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Cost: Free & open to the public
Contact Info: hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
More info: http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events-lectures/events/march-9-2016-1200pm/spring-colloquium-mark-warren
Contact organization: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Contact email: hutchevents at fas.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117886474
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Labor Markets and Poverty in Village Economies
Wednesday, March 9
2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Oriana Bandiera (LSE)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Seminar
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal at mit.edu)
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Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-G882, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Roxana Geambasu , Columbia University
Abstract
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world. Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it, users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions, and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agenda to develop new transparency tools that increase users' visibility into how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight, a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content, or adjust prices. Second, we describe FairTest, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Bio
Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cybersecurity from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship, a 2014 "Brilliant 10" Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award, an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D. Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
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Cohesion without cooperation: a top-down perspective on community ecology
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MIT, Parsons, Building 48-316, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Tikhonov, Harvard
Microbial Systems Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: Kathryn Kauffman (k6logc at mit.edu)
Web site: https://microbialsystems.wordpress.com
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2016 Norton Lecture Three: The Color Fetish
WHEN Wed., Mar. 9, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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GEEKS AND GREEKS: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT MIT HACKS
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steve Altes and Andy Fish
The Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor present an evening with Steve Altes and Andy Fish, creators of the MIT-themed humorous graphic novel, Geeks and Greeks, a story of student life at MIT, told through the prism of high-tech hacks. Altes, a 1984 MIT grad (TPP 86) whose career has spanned engineering and entertainment, based his story on many actual events and hacks. The evening will feature humorous stories from Altes's thirty-year odyssey to get this story told as well as behind-the-scenes looks at pitching a story to Hollywood, crowdfunding, and the graphic novel creation process.
Sponsored by the Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Contact: Barbara Delabarre (barbarad at MIT.EDU)
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/geeks-and-greeks-the-making-of-an-epic-graphic-novel-about-mit-hacks-steve-altes-84-and-andy-fish/
More info: (617) 452-3187
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Starr Forum: Cyber Security
Wednesday, March 9
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): James Mulvenon, Joel F Brenner
Seminar lecture/panel discussion touching on military-to-military relations and perceptions as well as real and potential cyber conflict.
Speakers include:
James Mulvenon (Vice President of Intelligence at Defense Group Inc.)
Dr. Mulvenon is an expert on the Chinese military and Chinese cyber issues, and has published widely on Chinese military affairs, party-army relations, C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, and reconnaissance), and nuclear weapons doctrine and organizations
Joel F Brenner, Ph.D., J.D. (CIS Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow)
Brenner specializes in cyber and physical security, data protection and privacy, intelligence law, the administration of classified information and facilities, and the regulation of sensitive cross-border transactions.
Please contact us at starrforum at mit.edu if you need accessibility accommodations
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: starrforum at mit.edu
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/
More info: 617-253-8306
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Boston New Technology March 2016 Product Showcase #BNT63
Wednesday, March 9
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Foley Hoag, 155 Seaport Blvd, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/228897036/
Foley Hoag is in the Seaport West building (entrance on B Street). Please bring identification and check in at our desk in the lobby. Then, take an elevator to the 13th floor. Enter the glass doors and walk down the hall to your right.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community!
Please click here to share/tweet our event with your network.
Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A.
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Fashion Meets Function: Using Soft Materials in Wearable Robots
Wednesday, March 9
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Honeycomb, Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
Conor Walsh, Core Faculty member, Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
All lectures will take place at Le Laboratoire Cambridge from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Please contact Ankica Koldzic at programs at lelabcambridge.com.
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The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
Wednesday, March 9
7:00pm
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Coolidge Corner, Brookline
Alfie Kohn
Somehow a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children—what they’re like and how they should be raised—has congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs, not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them.
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Judaism and the Environment: Foundational Texts
Wednesdays, March 9, 16, and 30
7pm - 8:30pm
Synagogue Council Office, 1320 Centre Street, #306, Newton Center
RSVP to jewishclimateaction at gmail.com
Cost: $54 for all three lectures, $18 per lecture
Rabbi Judith Kummer, Executive Director of the Jewish Chaplaincy Council of MA
The environment is a Jewish issue, who knew?
We may think of the environmental movement as a product of 20th and 21st century American sensibilities. However, Judaism has teaching dating back to Biblical times that encourage gratitude for and preservation of our natural environment. Please join others to study Biblical and Rabbinic texts and discuss the Jewish environmental principles derived from them.
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Thursday, March 10
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Communicating Science
Thursday, March 10
12pm
Tufts, Rabb room, Lincoln Filene Center, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Most talks will be streamed lived at Bit.ly/TuftsLunchLearn
Erin Allweiss
Science and environmental issues are in the news every day, yet only a small fraction of the global audience consuming news is comprised of scientists. So how do professional communicators tell science-based stories? And how can we use public relations (PR) and communications to impact public opinion on climate change and other key environmental policies? Erin Allweiss ’05 will discuss the role and importance of science-based PR.
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Merging Building Science with Health Science: The Impact of Buildings on Health, Comfort and Productivity
Thursday, March 10
12:30–1:30 pm
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, FXB G-12, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join Dr. Joseph Allen and Dr. Memo Cedeno for this Director's Lecture Series installment.
What does the future of sustainability and human health look like?
This spring, the Center for Health and the Global Environment will be hosting a Director's Lecture Series showcasing how its latest research is re-envisioning health and sustainability. This series will offer deep insight into many of the research programs and initiatives at the Center which are tackling some of the biggest sustainability challenges of the 21st century.
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/merging-building-science-health-science-impact-buildings-health-comfort-and-productivity#sthash.8RZ8xnfT.dpuf
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How Did Salafism Become an Ideology?
Thursday, March 10
5 - 6:30 PM
Harvard, CMES, Room 102, 38 Kirkland St, Cambridge
Henri Lauzière's research interests lie at the intersection of Islamic intellectual history and the modern political history of the Arab world, including North Africa. His recent book, The "Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century," was published in 2016 by Columbia University Press.
Unless otherwise noted in the event description, CMES events are open to the public (no registration required), and off the record. Please note that events may be filmed and photographed by CMES for record-keeping and for use on the CMES website and publications.
Organization/Sponsor: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Speaker(s): Henri Lauzière, assistant professor, Department of History, Northwestern University
More info: http://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/event/how-did-salafism-become-ideology
Contact organization: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117882835
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A Conversation with Guy Maddin
Thursday, March 10
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MIT, Building 56-14, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Guy Maddin and his partners are communing with the spirits of long-lost movies. In a conversation with William Uricchio, Maddin will discuss why we should bother digging up filmic and narrative memories from oblivion, how we can take advantage of the Internet to involve new publics, and how the act of doing so might help to create a new web-based art form.
Maddin is an installation artist, writer and filmmaker, the director of eleven feature-length movies, including The Forbidden Room (2015) and My Winnipeg (2007).
In the winter of 2015/16 he and Evan Johnson will launch their major internet interactive work, Seances, which will enable anyone online to "hold seances with" movies fashioned out of fragments of long-lost films.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Andrew Whitacre (cmsw at mit.edu)
Web site: http://cmsw.mit.edu/event/conversation-with-guy-maddin/
More info: 617-324-0490
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3/11: Five Years After the Triple Disaster in Northeastern Japan
Thursday, March 10
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Panelists Richard Samuels (MIT, Political Science), Tatsujiro Suzuki (Former Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission of the Cabinet Office), Kenneth Oye (MIT, Political Science & ESD), Miho Mazereeuw (MIT, Architecture) and Akinobu Murakami (University of Tsukuba) will speak on the current state of Northeastern Japan five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. STARR Forum.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Japan Program, Center for International Studies
Contact: Christine Pilcavage (csp18 at mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_031016-FiveYearsDisasterJapan.html
More info: 258-8208
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Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It
Thursday, March 10
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
This event is free; no tickets are required.
Harvard Book Store welcomes senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity WENDELL POTTER and executive director of the organization Issue One NICK PENNIMAN for a discussion of their book Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.
About Nation on the Take
American democracy has become coin operated. Special interest groups increasingly control every level of government. The necessity of raising huge sums of campaign cash has completely changed the character of politics and policy making, determining what elected representatives stand for and how they spend their time. The marriage of great wealth and intense political influence has rendered our country unable to address our most pressing problems, from runaway government spending to climate change to the wealth gap. It also defines our daily lives: from the cars we drive to the air we breathe to the debt we owe.
In this powerful work of reportage, Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman, two vigilant watchdogs, expose legalized corruption and link it to the kitchen-table issues citizens face every day. Inciting our outrage, the authors then inspire us by introducing us to the army of reformers laying the groundwork for change, ready to be called into action. The battle plan for reform presented is practical, realistic, and concrete. No one-except some lobbyists and major political donors-likes business as usual, and this book intends to help forge a new army of reformers who are compelled by a patriotic duty to fight for a better democracy.
An impassioned, infuriating, yet ultimately hopeful call to arms, Nation on the Take lays bare the reach of moneyed interests and charts a way forward, toward the recovery of America's original promise.
Praise
"There could be no more important or timely book than Nation on the Take. Potter and Penniman make a compelling case that moneyed interests have seized control of the levers of power in ways we haven’t seen since the Gilded Age. This is a stirring guide for how we can work together to reclaim our democracy and reunify our country." —Doris Kearns Goodwin
"Nation on the Take is a timely and inspired book about a uniquely American problem. But Penniman and Potter don’t merely draw our attention to the ways money dominates politics--they expertly show how the crisis connects with our daily lives and offer a path forward that includes people from all walks of life and all political persuasions." —Arianna Huffington
More at http://www.harvard.com/event/wendell_potter_nick_penniman/
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Friday, March 11
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Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections
Friday, March 11
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Northeastern University School of Law, 416 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/accessing-democracy-how-law-shapes-and-influences-our-elections-tickets-22172715188
Join us on March 11, 2016, for our annual symposium. The title of this year's symposium is "Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections." We'll be discussing topics related to election law, such as redistricting and how this process is used to shape the electorate, voter identification laws and their effect on voter access, and the increasing role of money in politics following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. We are also planning to discuss the ongoing litigation efforts surrounding these topics and how the law surrounding our political system may look in the future.
Breakfast & Registration: 8:30 9:30 am
Welcome & Introduction:9:30 10:00 am
An Introduction to Redistricting and The Supreme Court:10:00 10:30 am
Redistricting Within the Realm of Election Law:10:30 11:15 am
Keynote Address:11:30 am 12:15 pm
The Influence of Wealth and Lobbying on Elections:1:20 2:30 pm T
he Impact of Voter Access and Voter Identification Laws on the Electorate:2:40 3:30 pm
The Use of Litigation to Influence Campaign Finance and Voter Access:3:45 4:30 pm
Closing Remarks:4:40 5:00 pm
Reception: 5:00 6:30 pm
*Titles are subject to change.
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Efficient and market-based thermal energy storage of renewable energy
Friday, March 11
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): David Baldwin, SunLight Power, Inc.
To penetrate the electric power market more than the 10-15% range, all renewable power generation sources require storage to match temporal supply with demand. In addition, as for nearly all high-power generation sources today, the issue of the competing demands for fresh water makes their cooling-water requirements a paramount issue. SLPI has developed a new approach to high temperature thermal energy storage, utilizing latent heat principles in common NaCl, vapor heat transport, a cooling-water-free Brayton-cycle turbine, and a modular approach that can be flexibly applied to customer needs - all at attractive cost. The primary power source can be Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), for which the SLPI system is described, or wind/PV, which are discussed in less detail.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg (rivenberg at psfc.mit.edu)
More info: 253-8101
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Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) - status and potential science studies
Friday, March 11
12:00PM TO 1:00PM
Harvard, 100F Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Kelly Chance, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Atmospheric Sciences Seminar
https://www.seas.harvard.edu/calendar/event/86106
Contact Name: Chris Miller
cmiller at fas.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-11-170000-2016-03-11-180000/atmospheric-sciences-seminar#sthash.Gen6vTii.dpuf
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Sourcewater!
Friday, March 11
12-1 PM
MIT, Building 3-333, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://goo.gl/forms/7TnUFYJUdz
Sourcewater- an online marketplace which enables energy companies to minimize their single-largest operating cost, water management; ensure a reliable mission-critical supply chain; and reduce the environmental and community impacts of energy production through market-based incentives.
Joshua Adler is the founding CEO of Sourcewater, the water exchange for the energy ecosystem, which he conceived while was a Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Energy Ventures program. Mr. Adler is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and world-class communicator who has founded energy, real estate, medical technology, and internet companies and was the Chief Speech Writer to the US Treasury Department. Mr. Adler’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Economist. He holds degrees from Yale University and MIT.
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Climate Solutions Summit
Friday, March 11
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-solutions-summit-registration-19556223190
Cost: $0 - $300
With the White House and U.S. Department of Energy's recent announcement of the Clean Energy Investment Initiative, and specifically the Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, Confluence is providing an afternoon convening dedicated to building climate solutions through public-private partnerships at our 6th Annual Practitioners Gathering in Cambridge, MA on Friday, March 11, 2016 at The Charles Hotel. The Climate Summit will convene philanthropists, family offices, foundation grantmaking staff, impact investment professionals and public agencies in a series of discussions that will explore the landscape for investment in climate solutions post-COP 21 Paris.
A keynote and plenary themed around The Role of Private Finance in Building Climate Solutions,will be followed by two small session tracks with multiple workshop choices. Track One will focus on catalyzing mission-oriented investment in collaboration with U.S. Department Of Energy's Clean Energy Impact Investment Center and will engage invited participants in strategic discussion. Track Two is offered to the general assembly in workshops related to The Role of Subnational Governments in Climate Financing; Resilience; Energy Access; and the Role of Philanthropy in Financing Climate Solutions.
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Environmental History: The Chinese Experience"
Friday, March 11
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Peter C. Perdue, Yale University
Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural History
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History Office
Contact: Margo Collett (history-info at mit.edu)
Web site: https://history.mit.edu/lectures-and-seminars/seminar-environmental-and-agricultural-history
More info: 253-4965
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MIT Water Night 2016
Friday, March 11
5pm-7pm
MIT, Building 50, 142 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
The MIT Water Night is our annual flagship research showcase that aims to provide a friendly and exciting venue for individuals and research groups at MIT to present their latest achievements and work in water-related fields. It is the perfect opportunity to network with water researchers and professionals around refreshments.
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Architecture Lecture: Orit Halpern, Apocalyptic Hope: Infrastructure, Speculation, and "Smartness"
Friday, March 11
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Orit Halpern
Part of the Spring 2016 Architecture and Computation Group Lecture Series.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
Contact: Irina Chernyakova (ich at mit.edu)
More info: 617-324-4416
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Saturday, March 12
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4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference
Saturday, March 12
7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Northeastern University, Curry Student Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-massachusetts-urban-farming-conference-tickets-19937468505
Cost: $50
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference is designed to advance urban farming issues ranging from farming techniques and business models to climate change adaptation and food security. Network with Massachusetts' diverse, multi-sector stakeholders in this dynamic event that looks at current issues, emerging practices and programs, and markets that can contribute to Massachusetts' urban farming sector.
For more information, contact Rose Arruda at MDAR; Rose.Arruda at state.ma.us
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2016 Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival!
Saturday, March 12
10am-2pm
The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Avenue, Somerville
On March 12th, we celebrate Somerville’s annual Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival! Community members of all ages are invited to the Community Growing Center at 22 Vinal Avenue between 10am and 2pm to watch and learn for free as sap from local sugar maple trees is boiled down into pure maple syrup over a warm fire. Attendees can expect syrup-tasting, kids’ activities, demonstrations, and more! Waffles, hot drinks, and Maple Syrup Project T-shirts and posters will be on sale! Please join us at this unique outdoor festival as we celebrate the dawn of spring and our local urban resources. Use #mmmsyrup to follow the maple syrup news or to post about the event!
For more information about The Maple Syrup Boil Down 2016, the education series, or syrup production contact Sarah Lindsay ~ sarah at groundworksomerville.org ~ or call 617-628-9988.
More at http://www.groundworksomerville.org/event/2016-maple-syrup-boil-down-festival/
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Sunday, March 13
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Local Environmental Action 2016
Sunday, March 13
9am - 5:30pm
Northeastern University, Curry Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.localenvironmentalaction.org
Cost: $40 - $60
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Monday, March 14
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Effects of Copyrights on Science: Evidence from the WWII Book Replication Program
Monday, March 14
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E52-432, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Petra Moser, NYU, Stern School of Business
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal at mit.edu)
Web site: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2542879
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Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros
Monday, March 14
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
50 Milk Street, 17th floor, "Milky Way" conference room, Boston
RSVP at http://usgbcma.org/civicrm/event/register?id=1013&reset=1
Cost: $0 - $25
Want to connect with one of the core legislators on the future of renewable energy and green buildings? Then you won't want to miss this event! We will be hosting an evening with Senator Benjamin Downing, the Senate chair of the committee overseeing clean energy and green building policy. He will be discussing his role and impact on the legislation, and bringing green jobs to the Commonwealth.
We are also joined by Betsy Glynn from the Center for Sustainable Energy, Steve Cowel from E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), and Peter Shattuck from Acadia Center.
Topics of discussion will include:
Strategies to transform residential or commercial (or both) building stock.
How to bring jobs to Massachusetts through a "green transformation."
Legislation that preserves Massachusetts's #1 national rank in energy efficiency.
Balancing public utilities, legislators and the public as we move forward with energy policy.
Q&A session will follow.
PANELISTS:
Senator Benjamin B. Downing
Senator Benjamin B. Downing, hailing from Pittsfield, MA, is in his fifth term in the Massachusetts Senate. The Senator serves as the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, which is tasked with reviewing all matters concerning renewable and non-renewable energy sources. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Providence College in 2003. In May 2008 he received a M.A. from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environment Policy & Planning.
Betsy Glynn, EEAC
Elizabeth (Betsy) Glynn works to identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to advance energy efficiency and renewable and clean energy generation to contribute to a more sustainable future.
The Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) was created with the Green Communities Act of 2008, a comprehensive energy reform law. EEAC members guide the development of state- and nation-leading energy efficiency plans by the Commonwealth’s investor-owned gas and electric utilities and energy providers. The Council’s priorities are to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of these plans.
Glynn is the Northeast Regional Manager at the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE). Based in Boston, she serves as the organization’s regional lead as well as the primary relationship manager for CSE’s northeast clients and strategic partners.
Steve Cowell, E2
Under Steve Cowell’s leadership, CSG designed and implemented conservation and renewable energy programs for utilities, state agencies, and other groups throughout the U.S., providing services to more than 3.2 million businesses and households. Steve successfully advocated for energy efficiency as a least-cost power supply option. He helped to create and build the residential energy efficiency industry through sound public policy, legislation, and establishment of trade ally networks as well as the delivery of cost-effective programs.
Steve is a graduate of Brown University and has been honored with several major industry awards.
Peter Shattuck, Acadia Center
Peter's work at Acadia Center focuses on cleaning up the energy supply across all sectors of the economy. Driving market-based emissions reductions is at the core of this work, using cap and trade policies such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Acadia Center has tracked since the program’s early development in the 2000s and which Acadia Center is now promoting beyond the region. Peter also leads parallel efforts to price carbon emissions in the transportation, building, and industrial sectors, and to provide incentives to boost clean energy supply in the electric and thermal sectors. As Massachusetts Director, Peter oversees Acadia Center’s work on grid modernization, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewables in the Commonwealth. Peter received a B.A. in History from Yale, and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Trinity College, Dublin, where he focused on the impact of carbon markets on development in Mexico.
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Tuesday, March 15
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An Overview of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
Tuesday, March 15
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
BU, Trustee Lounge 1 Silber Way, 9th Floor, Boston
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment and have the potential to radically improve U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and environmental well-being. The agency funds technology-focused, applied research and development aimed at creating real-world solutions to important problems in energy creation, distribution, and use. This presentation is an opportunity to learn about ARPA-E, its programs and projects, and how it solicits and manages research awards to advance potentially disruptive energy technologies.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/research/news-events/featured-events-2/arpa-e/
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=178930@17.calendar.bu.edu
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Steven Barrett, MIT
Tuesday, March 15
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building 54-517, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steven Barrett (MIT)
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar Series [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. 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 Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm unless otherwise noted (term-time only). Talks are generally followed by a lunch with graduate students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, postdocs, 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 postdocs certainly participate. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz at mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard at mit.edu). mass at mit.edu reaches the list.
https://eapsweb.mit.edu/mit-atmospheric-science-seminar-mass-steven-barrett-mit
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
Contact: Marianna Linz (mlinz at mit.edu)
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
More info: 617-253-2127
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Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Islamic Militancy"
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Prof. Bernard A. Haykel
It has become axiomatic in the media and even in academic writings to associate Saudi Arabia with terrorism and militancy. The formal interpretation of Islam in the Kingdom - commonly known as Salafism or Wahhabism - is often the credo of many Sunni militants. And the Kingdom has since the 1960s promoted the spread of Salafism throughout the world through various forms of missionary activity. It therefore appears that a correlation must exist between Riyadh's efforts and Islamic militancy. This lecture will explore this relationship and show that while there is certainly an elective affinity between Salafism and militancy - for reasons primarily to do with the nature of religious authority - the Saudi government's role in fostering this relationship is neither obvious nor established.
Bernard A. Haykel is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
The Bustani Middle East Seminar is organized under the auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies, which conducts research on contemporary international issues and provides an opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange views. Each year the Bustani Seminar invites scholars, journalists, consultants, and other experts from the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to MIT to present recent research findings on contemporary politics, society and culture, and economic and technological development in the Middle East.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Radius/T&C
Contact: Dain Goding (dain at mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/
More info: 617-252-1888
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Understanding the Impact of War and Displacement in Cities: an Information Approach for Urban Settings
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Karen Jacobsen, Acting Director, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
A session of the Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: Phiona Lovett (phiona at mit.edu)
More info: 253-3848
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CSR & Sustainability: From the Margins to the Mainstream Book Launch
Tuesday, March 15
6:30 PM
Impact Hub Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Sustainability-Meetup/events/225650708/
Cost: $15
Michael Hopkins will be launching in Boston what will become the definitive reference on Corporate Social Responsibility!
Covering almost every key topic, it looks at how CSR has gone from the margins to the mainstream. Reflecting on over 30 years in the field, as an academic and practitioner, Michael will look at the future of CSR and sustainability, the lessons learned, and he will offer advice to practitioners and newcomers to CSR.
CSR and Sustainability - From the Margins to the Mainstream is a one-stop reference book for professionals and students of CSR and includes contributions from experts in the application of CSR which translates well-established theories into practical tools.
Refreshments will be served
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Opportunity
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This Summer there will be a special issue of the journal Socialism and Democracy (http://sdonline.org/) on Energy Transition, with an emphasis on renewable energy, including wind, solar, and biomass.
We are looking for reviewers of one or more articles. We are also seeking people who could send us reviews of relevant books, for this issue.
Weimin Tchen
weimintchen at gmail.com
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Solarize Somerville is a go!
Hello neighbors--
On this cold winter day, I'm delighted to share the sunny news that Somerville MA has been chosen by the MassCEC (Clean Energy Center) to be a Solarize Mass community! You can see the announcement here:
http://www.masscec.com/about-masscec/news/state-energy-officials-announce-five-new-communities-participate-solar-program
State energy officials today announced the selection of the first five communities to participate in Solarize Mass for 2016. The new municipalities participating in the community-based solar energy group-buying program that lowers overall costs of installing solar electric systems include Somerville and Natick, as well as Shelburne, Colrain and Conway, which have joined as a trio of partner communities....
You can learn more about the MassCEC and the SolarizeMass program at: www.solarizemass.com .
As the announcement has just been made, we don't have a lot of additional information at this time. But this selection means that we can now work with the city and the state to help residents of Somerville to decide if solar is a suitable option for them and their homes or businesses. We'll be developing and sharing educational materials, we'll have events to help people learn more and get questions answered, and we will help people to understand the processes associated with generating local, artisanal electrons.
Officially I'm the "Solar Coach" for Somerville. I am a point of contact to help people with basic solar PV issues and incentives. I'm working with folks from the city who will manage the overall project. This is a joint effort by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, with director Oliver Sellers-Garcia, and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development with Russell Koty.
As a Coach, I am a volunteer organizer and am not authorized to speak as a spokesperson on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or MassCEC. My job is to help people to understand the program once it's in place, and to answer questions that my neighbors may have as they consider the options. Things outside of my wheelhouse will be directed to the folks who can answer them.
You can contact me here with questions, or soon we'll have some information resources with more details. If you might want to volunteer to be on the outreach team. let me know.
Mary Mangan
Solar Coach Volunteer
somervillesolarcoach at gmail.com
[vendors should not contact me, I'm not supposed to have contact with them prior to the proposal process]
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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!
Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch. No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.
For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home
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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images
Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera? With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more comfortable and less expensive to heat. However, at $200 or so, the cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.
HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer Cambridge residents free thermal scans.
Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras. They will scan every building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or buildings or on a private way). Building owners can view thermal images of their property and an analysis online. The information is password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.
Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.
The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.
Go to Sagewell.com. Type in your address at the bottom where it says "Find your home or building" and press return. Then click on "Here" to request the report.
That's it. When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to do about it.
With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money, not to mention comfort).
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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to Cambridge residents.
During the assessment, the energy specialist will:
Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on your energy bills. You might as well use the service.
Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729. A Next Step Living Representative will call to schedule your assessment.
HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the services and rebates possible.
(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home Energy Assessment. We won’t keep the data or sell it.)
(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)
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Resource
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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org
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Free Monthly Energy Analysis
CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.
https://www.carbonsalon.com/
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Boston Food System
"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."
The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.
Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.
It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs
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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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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
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/
Cambridge Civic Journal: http://www.rwinters.com
Cambridge Happenings: http://cambridgehappenings.org
Cambridge Community Calendar: https://www.cctvcambridge.org/calendar
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list