[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - May 29, 2016
gmoke
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun May 29 11:20:25 PDT 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
----------------------------------------------------------
*******************************************
******
------
Index
------
******
Full event information follows the Index and notices of my latest writings.
————————
Tuesday, May 31
————————
12pm Exploring Corporate Structures and Governance Models for the Open-Source Community
1pm Preparing Health Systems for an Aging Global Population Symposium
5:30pm Earth Night 2016
6pm Boston’s Business and Non-Profit CEOs Get Konnected!
6pm Energy Technology and Policy Discussion Event: Energy and Big-Data
—————————
Wednesday, June 1
—————————
8am Cannabinoids: Curse or Cure?
9am Kendall Square Convergence 2016
5:15pm Caf̩ Nights @ District Hall: How to Plan a Social Impact Hackathon
5:30pm Batsuits, Bike Frames and Boogie Boards: New Materials built from the Atom Up
6:30pm Things I Think About: Fibers, Gangs, Bait & Meat
7pm The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics
————————
Thursday, June 2
————————
5:30pm EnergyBar!
6pm Environment District Policy Panel with Congresswoman Katherine Clark
6pm Radical Redesign of Health Care and Its Implications for Policy: A Lecture by Don Berwick, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010-2011)
6pm Invitation to Green Cambridge Annual Meeting
7pm The Impact of Invasive Lionfish on Bermuda’s Marine Ecosystem
7pm Catalyst Conversations: Things, Theories, and Creatures
————————
Saturday, June 4
————————
9am National Day of Civic Hacking: Boston 2016
9:30am Humanitarian Technology Festival
11am 2016 Cambridge Arts River Festival
7pm Playing For The Planet: World Music Against Climate Change
————————
Monday, June 6
————————
6pm MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Startup SpotlightExperience What's Next in Tech
————————
Tuesday, June 7
————————
8am Boston TechBreakfast featuring awesome tech demos
9am Women in STEM Summit
4:30pm Future Mobility Workshop
6pm LIGHT: POLLUTION, PREVENTION, INNOVATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
7pm Education and Equality
----------------------------------------------------------
*******************************************
My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com
The Ecology of Freedom
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-ecology-of-freedom.html
City Agriculture _ May 23, 2016
http://cityag.blogspot.com/2016/05/city-agriculture-may-23-2016.html
----------------------------------------------------------
********************************************
————————
Tuesday, May 31
————————
Exploring Corporate Structures and Governance Models for the Open-Source Community
Tuesday, May 31
12:00 pm
Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, Room 3018 (third floor), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP required to attend in person at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheons/2016/05/Ritvo_Hessekiel#RSVP
Event will be live webcast at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheons/2016/05/Ritvo_Hessekiel at 12:00 pm.
featuring Dalia Topelson Ritvo and Kira Hessekiel
Organizations that develop open source software are often inherently fragmented and loosely-networked, which can make governance and decision-making a challenge. In addition, as the open source community grows and becomes more global, so too has the need to establish strong governance models and corporate structures that allow an organization to achieve its mission, and foster a sustainable community both creatively and financially. In order to do this, it is helpful for open source organizations to understand the corporate structures and governance models available to them so they may evaluate the pros and cons of different approaches to institutional management and financial structure. In this session, we plan to discuss the various corporate structures and governance models available to open source organizations, including a discussion on when it is appropriate for an open source organization to seek tax exempt status.
About Dalia
Dalia Topelson Ritvo is the Assistant Director of Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. She is also a Lecturer on Law at HLS, where she co-teaches Counseling and Legal Strategies in the Digitial Age. Dalia has concentrated her legal practice on privacy, consumer protection, intellectual property and media law, particularly in the areas of technology, media and digital content. Prior to joining Harvard Law School, Dalia worked as in-house counsel at Amazon.com. From 2004-2009, Dalia worked as an associate in the New York law offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and DLA Piper LLP, focusing on intellectually property and technology issues. Dalia received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Emory University in 1999 and her JD and LLM in International Law from Duke University School of Law in 2004.
About Kira
Kira is a Project Coordinator of Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. Prior to joining the Clinic, Kira spent a year teaching English as a second language to high school students near Rouen, France. She also spent time as member of AARP Massachusetts advocacy and outreach teams.
—————————
Preparing Health Systems for an Aging Global Population Symposium
WHEN Tue., May 31, 2016, 1 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, WCC 2019 Milstein West A, Harvard Law School, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Global Health Institute
SPEAKER(S) Lisa F. Berkman, director, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
Len Fishman, director, Gerontology Institute, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, UMass Boston
David C. Grabowski, professor of health policy, Harvard Medical School
Ashish K. Jha, faculty director, Harvard Global Health Institute
Vincent Mor, Florence Pirce Grant University Professor and professor of health services, policy and practice, Brown University School of Public Health
Susan Reinhard, senior vice president and director, AARP Public Policy Institute; chief strategist, Center to Champion Nursing in America
Kenji Shibuya, professor and chair, Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
TICKET WEB LINK https://fs6.formsite.com/harvardhigh/form132/index.html
TICKET INFO Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO abby_campbell at harvard.edu
DETAILS The symposium is devoted to an examination of aging and health systems, including changing demographics and policy implications, and models for care design and health care delivery for the aging world.
LINK http://globalhealth.harvard.edu/event/preparing-health-systems-aging-global-population-symposium?delta=0
—————————
Earth Night 2016
Tuesday, May 31
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
The Boston College Club,100 Federal Street 36th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-night-2016-tickets-22583691429
Cost: $35 – $100
Join us to celebrate 20 years of Earth Night! Enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres and spectacular views of Boston from high above the city at our biggest bash of the year. Bringing friends, allies and the environmental community together, Earth Night will feature music, merriment and ways to make a difference for the Massachusetts environment. Tickets start at $35 and sponsorships at $500. Tickets available at the door as long as you have a photo ID!
——————————
Boston’s Business and Non-Profit CEOs Get Konnected!
Tuesday, May 31
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 600 Atlantic Avenue #100, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bostons-business-and-non-profit-ceos-get-konnected-tickets-25323963657
Cost: $15
Many of Boston’s top CEOs, including Harvard Pilgrim’s Eric Shultz, KPMG’s Darren Donovan, Tufts Health Plan’s Tom Croswell, Mass Labor Secretary Ron Walker, Care.com Co-Founder Donna Levin, Roxbury Technology’s Beth Williams, Deshpande Foundation’s Raj Melville, WGBH’s Liz Cheng, Willis Towers Watsons’ Patricia O’ Connor, Holland Knight’s Steven Wright, and Gilbane’s Ryan Hutchins are among the C-Suite executives who have teamed up with Get Konnected!, Boston’s premier inclusive business networking event, to provide an evening of mentoring and coaching.
“Mentoring and sponsorship are powerful elements for helping to advance both business and careers, particularly for women and people of color.” said Colette Phillips, President and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, and Founder of Get Konnected!
For registering, please visit: http://www.getkonnected.com/gkevents or call 617357577 to April.
——————————
Energy Technology and Policy Discussion Event: Energy and Big-Data
Tuesday, May 31
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
MIT Stata Center, 32 Vassar Street, Room 32-123, Cambridge
The information technology is changing the energy sector dramatically, both in the new and renewable energy sector (such as wind, solar, storage etc.) and the traditional energy sector (such as utility, oil and gas). Data sciences are not only helping solve the many challenges that energy technologies such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and demand response are facing, but also penetrating into the traditional energy operations and optimizations. This event is designed to address the following questions:
How do we characterize big data in the energy sector?
How does it differ from big data in other industries?
How is big data and information technology transforming the energy sector (upstream, mid-stream, downstream)?
What are the new opportunities for entrepreneurs in the energy sector?
Panelists:
1. Dr. Richard Tabors (Co-Director of the Utility of the Future Project at the MIT Energy Initiative, CTO of NewGrid)
2. Richard Ward (Sr. Expert, McKinsey & Co.)
3. Ms. Mengrong Cheng (CEO, China State Grid North America)
4. Mr. Tilak Subrahmanian (VP of Energy Efficiency, Eversource)
Moderator: Mr. Joshua Paradise (GE Current / former EnerNoc)
—————————
Wednesday, June 1
—————————
Cannabinoids: Curse or Cure?
Wednesday, June 1
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
MassBio, 300 Technology Square 8th Floor, Cambridge
Years of government-funded research in synthetic cannabinoids shaped a path to robust commercial drug development programs with a pipeline of formal clinical trials tested on promising candidates. The role of cannabinoids in human health remains hotly debated and controversial: it could take years to determine if any significant breakthroughs are on the way, and the recent failure of the major Sativex Phase 3 clinical trials feeds the skeptics. Additionally, existing drug scheduling and abuse potential as well as other safety concerns make the development of cannabinoids no less challenging and problematic than opioids.
Concurrent with academic and pharma R&D, a growing recreational use of marijuana and legal access to the cannabis materials for masses of users (both healthy and sick) and medical practitioners keeps generating the data and medical claims that are hard to ignore.
Can these two worlds be bridged? Are there important lessons to learn and adopt? And most importantly, is there a better way for patients to benefit? Bring your questions and join the conversation!
We will begin our moderated discussion with an overview by our featured speaker:
Alexandros Makriyannis, PhD, George D. Behrakis Chair in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Director of the Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
“Cannabis and the Endocannabinoid System: Horizons for New Therapies”
Although the role of cannabis in health and medical uses dates several millennia, the biochemical system through which cannabis produces its effects has been discovered only recently. Since then, over the past three decades there has been an intense effort seeking to understand the manner with which cannabis, as well as synthetic cannabinoids related to its active ingredients work. This also opens the doors for the development of novel therapeutic drugs.
Speakers:
Mihir Kamdar, MD, Director, Cancer Pain Clinics, Massachusetts General Hospital
Lisa Jenkins, PhD, VP, Regulatory Strategy and Content Development, Virtual Regulatory Solutions, Inc.
Mark Tawa, MS, Director of Formulations, Alkermes
Jordan Tishler, MD, Physician in Chief, Inhale MD
Moderator: Mike Palfreyman, PhD, President, Palfreyman BioPharm Advisors, Inc.
Live-stream this Forum
More at https://www.massbio.org/events/cannabinoids-curse-or-cure-1284
———————————
Kendall Square Convergence 2016
Wednesday, June 1
9:00a–7:00p
MIT, Building 76-156, 500 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Susan Hockfield, Phil Sharp, Rick Young, and many others
Kendall Square Convergence 2016 is a full-day showcase of life science innovations coming out of Cambridge’s Kendall Square. What Silicon Valley is to bytes and chips, Kendall Square is to genes and cells: a crossroad where leading research university and hospital academics, healthcare financiers, biotechs and pharma companies converge to spur the next generation of health care solutions. At Kendall Square Convergence 2016, leading academics and biotech luminaries such as Susan Hockfield, Bob Langer, Terry McGuire, and Phil Sharp will share their latest breakthroughs, views of Kendall Square’s impact on patients' lives, and their insights on the emergence of Kendall Square as a center for scientific and commercial discovery.
Web site: http://ksc2016.eventbrite.com
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Tickets: Registration Required
Sponsor(s): Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
For more information, contact: Wendy Brown
617-324-2169
webrown at mit.edu
———————————
Caf̩ Nights @ District Hall: How to Plan a Social Impact Hackathon
June 1
5:15 pm - 6:15 pm
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.districthallboston.org/cafe-nights/
Join Code for Boston to learn how to plan a social impact hackathon at our June Caf̩ Night! Part of the national Code for America Brigade network, Code for Boston is a volunteer group of developers, designers, data geeks, and citizen activists who use creative technology to solve civic and social problems. Each year, they run multiple social impact hackathons (plus dozens of weekly hack nights) to find problems in their communities and work towards sustainable solutions. Learn how to plan a social impact hackathon for your own community – including why hackathons can be an effective method for social change, which community problems are a good fit for a hackathon, tips on publicizing and attracting an engaged audience, managing event logistics (especially on a limited budget), and how to work towards solutions that are “with, not for”!”
More information at http://www.vencaf.org/calendar
———————————
Batsuits, Bike Frames and Boogie Boards: New Materials built from the Atom Up
Wednesday, June 1
5:30p
Northeastern, 105 Shillman Hall, 115 Forsyth Street, Boston
Kate Ziemer
——————————
Things I Think About: Fibers, Gangs, Bait & Meat
Wednesday, June 1
6:30pm
Honeycomb, Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
Kit Parker
More at http://www.lelaboratoirecambridge.com/#!programs/c1tl
——————————
The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics
Wednesday, June 1
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes Princeton University professor and acclaimed historian SEAN WILENTZ for a discussion of his latest book, The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics—a look at how the commanding role party politics has played in America’s enduring struggle against economic inequality.
About The Politicians and the Egalitarians
“There are two keys to unlocking the secrets of American politics and American political history.” So begins The Politicians & the Egalitarians, Princeton historian Sean Wilentz’s bold new work of history.
First, America is built on an egalitarian tradition. At the nation’s founding, Americans believed that extremes of wealth and want would destroy their revolutionary experiment in republican government. Ever since, that idea has shaped national political conflict and scored major egalitarian victories—from the Civil War and Progressive eras to the New Deal and the Great Society—along the way.
Second, partisanship is a permanent fixture in America, and America is the better for it. Every major egalitarian victory in United States history has resulted neither from abandonment of partisan politics nor from social movement protests but from a convergence of protest and politics, and then sharp struggles led by principled and effective party politicians. There is little to be gained from the dream of a post-partisan world.
With these two insights Sean Wilentz offers a crystal-clear portrait of American history, told through politicians and egalitarians including Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, and W. E. B. Du Bois—a portrait that runs counter to current political and historical thinking. As he did with his acclaimed The Rise of American Democracy, Wilentz once again completely transforms our understanding of this nation’s political and moral character.
————————
Thursday, June 2
————————
EnergyBar!
Thursday, June 2
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Greentown Labs, 28 Dane Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/energybar-tickets-21458381597
EnergyBar is Greentown Labs' monthly networking 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. In general, 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. Parking is incredibly limited at Greentown Labs and we encourage attendees to consider taking advantage of public transportation.
Hope to see you there!
———————————
Environment District Policy Panel with Congresswoman Katherine Clark
Thursday, June 2
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)
Tufts University, Interfaith Center, 58 Winthrop Street, Medford
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/environment-district-policy-panel-with-congresswoman-katherine-clark-tickets-25486789674
Please join us for our next district policy panel focused on the environment and mitigating climate change.
Through research, education, technology and innovation – Massachusetts is poised to continue to drive policy, our economy and be a national and global leader in combating climate change.
Hosted by Tufts University and moderated by Congresswoman Katherine Clark, a panel of experts will discuss their work and ways we can all do our part to protect the environment.
For more information, please contact: lauren.pardi at mail.house.gov or (617) 354-0292.
———————————
Radical Redesign of Health Care and Its Implications for Policy: A Lecture by Don Berwick, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010-2011)
WHEN Thu., June 2, 2016, 6 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Milstein East ABC, Wasserstein Hall, Harvard Law School, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Opening Lecture and Reception hosted by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, cosponsored by the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, the Boston University School of Law, and the Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School, with support from the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund.
SPEAKER(S) Don Berwick, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010-2011)
Introduction by Martha Minow, Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor, Harvard Law School
Moderator: I. Glenn Cohen, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Petrie-Flom Center, Harvard Law School
COST Free, but registration required.
TICKET WEB LINK http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ec7qkrhzf3210329&llr=jb84h4cab
DETAILS Don Berwick is one of the United States’ leading advocates for high-quality healthcare. From July 2010 to December 2011, he served as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For 22 years prior to that, he was the founding CEO – and now President Emeritus and Senior Fellow – of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare around the world. A pediatrician by background, he has also served on the faculties of the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Berwick sees tremendous unrealized potential in American medicine. Despite our outstanding knowledge base, expert practitioners, and world-class equipment, too many Americans do not have access to safe, high-quality care. Dr. Berwick presents a vision of how, through continual improvement, innovations in healthcare delivery, stronger leadership, and smarter policy, America can forge a system that satisfies our patients, achieves better outcomes, respects our limited resources, and honors our moral imperative to care for the disadvantaged.
LINK http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/don-berwick-aslme-lecture
————————————
Invitation to Green Cambridge Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 2
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Cambridge Cohousing, 175 Richdale Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/Nzk0MA==
Green Cambridge cordially invites you to our 2016 Annual Meeting to celebrate the accomplishments of Green Cambridge and Cambridge community members in our work to protect the environment and create a more sustainable city.
Please join us for a special awards ceremony for retiring Cambridge City Manager Rich Rossi and his staff at 7pm.
Formal program starts at 6:30 with a brief year in review presentation followed by board and officer elections and our awards presentation. Light appetizers and beverages will be served. There may be live music.
Please RSVP so we can plan ahead. Thank you!
————————————
The Impact of Invasive Lionfish on Bermuda’s Marine Ecosystem
Thursday, June 2
7pm
NE Aquarium, Simons IMAX Theatre, I Central Wharf, Boston
RSVP at http://support.neaq.org/site/Calendar?id=106430&view=Detail
Corey Eddy, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Lionfish have become the poster animal for invasive species, and they fit the definition perfectly; they were introduced by humans to the Atlantic Ocean, where they do not belong and could potentially cause significant environmental harm, possibly decimating entire ecosystems. Naturally found in the Indo-Pacific, they were first reported off the Florida coast in the 1980s, and in less than 30 years spread throughout the entire northwestern Atlantic.
Join us to hear from a local researcher about his study of their potential impact on Bermuda’s coral reef ecosystem. You’ll learn how their biology and ecology make them an incredibly successful predator and why we are so concerned with this invasion.
———————————
Catalyst Conversations: Things, Theories, and Creatures
Thursday, June 2
7:00PM
MIT, Building E15, Bartos Theater (Lower Atrium Level), 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.catalystconversations.org/upcoming-events/
Catalyst Conversations is pleased to present “Things, Theories and Creatures”, a conversation between artist Andrew Yang and biologist Naomi Pierce.
For artist/biologist Andrew Yang and Harvard biologist and butterfly curator Naomi Pierce, both scientific and aesthetic curiosities drive their respective research and art-making. Join them for a fascinating and enlightening discussion as they explore many of their overlapping interests, among them - animal perception, mutualism and natural history collections. As a harbinger of summer, their conversation alerts us to our place among all the other species on the planet.
This program is free and open all
About the Speakers
Andrew Yang is a transdisciplinary artist and scholar interweaving across the natural, cultural, and bio-historical. His projects have been exhibited from Oklahoma to Yokohama, Chicago to Kassel, including recent work for the14th Istanbul Biennial (2015) and an upcoming solo show at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. His writing and research appear in journals spanning biology, art, and philosophy, including Biological Theory, Gastronomica, Leonardo, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Philosophy of Science and part of the recent anthology City Creatures: Animal Encounters in Chicago Urban Wilderness (UChicago Press). He was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in 2015 and an invited speaker and seminar-leader on aesthetics at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) Anthropocene Campus event in 2016. He holds a PhD in Biology and MFA in Visual Arts and is currently an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as a research associate at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Naomi E. Pierce is the Hessel Professor of Biology in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and Curator of Lepidoptera in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Research in her laboratory focuses on the ecology and evolution of species interactions. This has ranged from field studies measuring the costs and benefits of symbioses between ants and other organisms, to genetic analyses of biochemical signaling pathways underlying interactions between plants, pathogens and insects. She has received prizes such as a Fulbright Fellowship and a MacArthur award, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows.
For more information, contact: Deborah Davidson
deborah at catalystconversations.org
————————
Saturday, June 4
————————
National Day of Civic Hacking: Boston 2016
Saturday, June 4, 2016 at 9:00 AM - Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 5:00 PM (EDT)
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-day-of-civic-hacking-boston-2016-tickets-25113045796
Please join Code for Boston for a weekend of unconference discussions and civic hacking at our fourth annual National Day of Civic Hacking event on June 4-5. Taking place over two days, this year’s event will feature a CommonCamp unconference on Saturday, and a technology-focused HackLab on Sunday.
For Saturday’s CommonCamp, Code for Boston is once again collaborating with MassIT, the IT department for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on a CityCamp-style unconference event to kick start a dialogue about some of the critical issues that face our Commonwealth, bringing together government employees, technologists, and community members for a series of facilitated sessions in the areas of transportation, environmental & energy concerns, the opioid crisis, youth employment & workforce development, and more. No coding skills are required at CommonCamp.
For Sunday’s HackLab, we’ll invite local technologists to join us for a relaxed day of technological exploration and civic hacking. At HackLab, participants can follow up on ideas from Saturday’s CommonCamp, work on National Day of Civic Hacking challenges from Code for America, hack on open-source projects from government and community organizations, and redeploy Code for Boston apps with new partners.
Participants can register for the events on Saturday, Sunday, or both. We can't wait to see you all for a couple days of collaboration, discussion, and civic hacking!
Should I come to CommonCamp?
Yes! CityCamp events like CommonCamp are all about inclusion, multiple viewpoints, and collaboration – technology skills are not required. At CommonCamp, we’ll be inviting citizens, civic leaders, elected officials, government employees, entrepreneurs, technologists, and more to come together to share perspectives and insights about state and local civic issues, and to create formal problem statements and actionable steps that we can then pursue together after the event.
The goals of CityCamp events are to:
Bring together local government officials, municipal employees, experts, programmers, designers, citizens, and journalists to share perspectives and insights about Massachusetts government
Create and maintain patterns for using the Web to facilitate local government transparency and effective local governance
Foster communities of practice and advocacy on the role of the Web, mobile communication, online information, and open data in cities
Create outcomes that participants will act upon after the event is over
What will we be doing at CommonCamp?
CommonCamp is a civic unconference, which means we’ll be having a series of participant-led conversations, facilitated by Code for Boston and MassIT staff. Our focus will be on the following topic areas:
Environmental / Energy
Opioids
Transportation
Youth Workforce & Employment
Housing
Municipal Operations
Open Data & Government Transparency
If you are interested in leading a session in one of these topic areas, please head over to this form and tell us about it.
All that talking sounds great, but I want to hack!
Awesome! Sunday’s HackLab sounds like it’s the place for you. HackLab will be a great chance to get your code on in an informal and relaxed setting. You’ll be able to see what we’ve been up to at Code for Boston and redeploy some of our code, work with local government partners on some of their open source projects, hack on some national challenges from Code for America, and even start working on problem statements from CommonCamp. And of course, we’d love it if you came for both days of the event!
Schedule
The final schedule is TBD. Keep an eye here for details!
A logistical note…
All CityCamp events, including CommonCamp, are on the record by default. Participants should be made aware that they may be quoted, photographed, videotaped and otherwise recorded. Exceptions must be agreed to by all parties present in a conversation in order for the conversation to be off the record.
I have other questions, ideas, or partnership opportunities for National Day of Civic Hacking!
Awesome! Here's how we can hook up:
If you would like to lead an unconference session at CommonCamp, connect with us using this form.
If you are a government or community group and would like to submit an open-source project for work at HackLab, tell us about it here.
If you are interested in making a financial contribution, donating a meal, or other forms of sponsorship: Contact kristen at codeforboston.org or becky at codeforboston.org
If you have a general question not covered here: Contact hello at codeforboston.org
About National Day of Civic Hacking
National Day of Civic Hacking is a nationwide day of action where developers, government employees, designers, journalists, data scientists, non-profit employees, UX designers, and residents who care about their communities come together to host civic tech events leveraging their skills to help their community. This annual event provides citizens an opportunity to do what is most quintessentially American: roll up our sleeves, get involved and work together to improve our society.
About Code for Boston
Part of the Code for America Brigade network, Code for Boston is a volunteer group of developers, designers, data geeks, and citizen activists who use creative technology to solve civic and social problems in the Greater Boston area.
Part mission-driven non-profit, part technology meetup, part advocacy group, part social club, we provide a way for citizens to give back to their communities by building civic applications, opening public data sources, and generally helping to leverage technology for use in the public sphere.
————————————
Humanitarian Technology Festival
Saturday, June 4
9:30 AM - Sunday, June 5, 2016 at 6:00 PM (EDT)
Berkman Center for Internet and Society, 23 Everett Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/humanitarian-technology-festival-tickets-22926226962
Cost: $20
Ever wanted to know about, or work on, disaster and humanitarian response technology from a people-first perspective? Join us for Aspiration's second #HumTechFest on June 4th and 5th at the Berkman Center in Cambridge, MA for a participatory and community-driven convening designed for field practitioners, media makers and storytellers, technology developers, information security practitioners, members of affected populations, researchers, and everyone in between. We'll run from 9:30a to 6p both days. Sliding scale is absolutely available -- please reach out if interested.
Agenda and Sessions
The agenda is co-developed with participants, facilitators, and partners in the time leading up and during the event.
We'll strive to build capacity for humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts through technology and community. This is similar but separate to the Humanitarian Technology Conference taking place later that week.
Topic areas likely to be on the agenda include...
Existing Response Technology Projects
Situational Awareness
Responsible Data Lifecycles
Easier After-Action Reports
Self-Care for Organizers
Participant-Led Sessions: More than half of the agenda will be built by participants before and during the event, covering topics, tools, themes and issues proposed by those present.
Learning by Making: Hands-on workshops for sharing essential technology skills.
More, more more! Tell us what other hands-on tech skills you would like to learn, and we'll try to find facilitators to get you there.
Let us know what should be on the agenda and how we can make this event more relevant and valuable for you!
————————————
2016 Cambridge Arts River Festival
Saturday June 4
11 AM - 6 PM
East Cambridge waterfront along Cambridge Parkway between Edwin H. Land Boulevard and the Lechmere Canal, Cambridge
More at https://www.cambridgema.gov/arts/Programs/riverfestival
————————————
Playing For The Planet: World Music Against Climate Change
Saturday, June 4
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT)
Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St #2, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/playing-for-the-planet-world-music-against-climate-change-tickets-24716971126
Cost: $15 – $20
On Saturday, June 4, the thirteenth “Playing For The Planet” benefit concert will showcase master musicians from three different musical traditions in a rare evening of pan-cultural singing and instrumental music, with all proceeds going to benefit the environmental advocacy group 350MA.org. The performers include middle-Eastern and Eastern-European perspectives from master violinist Beth Bahia Cohen, the enthralling Carnatic (South Indian) vocal music of Aparna Balaji, and exquisite re-imagings of world folk song from Voci Angelica Trio. For information, please call 781-396-0734, or visit the event website at www.warrensenders.com.
————————
Monday, June 6
————————
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Startup SpotlightExperience What's Next in Tech
Monday, June 6
6pm - 9pm
Microsoft NERD Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://mitefcamb.z2systems.com/np/clients/mitefcamb/eventRegistration.jsp?event=653&%20%20
Cost: $35 - $95
On June 6, 2016, from 6:00-9:00PM, the Startup Spotlight will bring together 350+ innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, corporate business development and business professionals for a unique, interactive and delicious networking event at the Microsoft NERD center in Cambridge.
Attendees are encouraged to network and make their way through each exhibitor table so that they can vote for their favorites in three categories:
Company I want to have a beer with
Most likely to develop a cult following
————————
Tuesday, June 7
————————
Boston TechBreakfast featuring awesome tech demos
Tuesday, June 7
8:00 am - 10:00 am
Microsoft NERD, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at http://bit.ly/1NngZSx
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. This edition at Microsoft NERD – Cambridge, MA features demos from 4 awesome tech companies Find out more and RSVP at http://bit.ly/1NngZSx
Phone: 4104290092
Website: http://bit.ly/1NnfCm
————————————
Women in STEM Summit
Tuesday, June 7
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM (EDT)
Wentworth Institute of Technology (Watson Auditorium), 550 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-in-stem-summit-tickets-25214826224
Please join Treasurer Deb Goldberg and Dr. Zorica Pantić at Wentworth Institute of Technology for a Women in STEM Summit on Tuesday, June 7, from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
The purpose of this exciting event is to bring professionals, policymakers, and advocates together to identify the challenges that women and girls face when entering and advancing in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Come hear Treasurer Deb Goldberg and Wentworth Institute of Technology President Dr. Zorica Pantić make the case for the need to break down barriers and build a pipeline for women to participate in our state's innovation economy.
The event will also feature a breakout discussion session moderated by Dr. Yvonne Spicer (Vice President of Advocacy & Educational Partnerships at the Museum of Science's National Center for Technological Literacy), allowing attendees to share best practices and proven strategies for advancing women in the industry. Recommendations gathered at the summit will help inform future STEM programming offered through the Massachusetts State Treasury's Office of Economic Empowerment.
A complimentary breakfast will be served promptly at 9:00 a.m.
For questions or assistance, please contact empowerment at tre.state.ma.us.
————————————
Future Mobility Workshop
Tuesday, June 7
4:30pm
MIT Stata Center, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.de/e/future-mobility-workshop-tickets-24381050378
Future Mobility matters. Not only because it will make vehicles safer and more comfortable, but also because our cities and the environment need the change.
We want to bring students with diverse backgrounds together and exchange ideas to increase our understanding how the future mobility could look like.
We will have 4 meetings
1.5h Kick-off-Meeting @ 7th June, Tuesday, 04h30 pm
4h Workshop @ 18th June, Saturday, 09h30 am
4h Workshop @ 25th June, Saturday, 09h30 am
1.5h Wrap-up-Meeting @ 28th June, Tuesday, 04h30 pm
And a three step agenda
Trend Research
Scenario Building
Business Modelling
+++ Goal: Publish workshop results as PDF online!
————————————
LIGHT: POLLUTION, PREVENTION, INNOVATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Tuesday, June 7
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Cambridge Innovation Center, Venture Cafe, 5th Floor, One Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/light-pollution-prevention-innovation-and-public-health-tickets-25220739912
Cost: $10 -$12
ABOUT THIS EVENT
Our June event has many inspirations, is a long time coming, and we cannot wait to wrap our arms around the enormous topic of LIGHT. This is a conversation for anyone interested in the effects of light pollution on wildlife and ecosystems, the impacts of artificial light on public health, the trend of dark skies laws passed by local municipalities, and what lighting industry leaders see in the future for smarter, more efficient illumination in our lives.
The evening will start with a screening of the award-winning documentary The City Dark (2011), by director/producer Ian Cheney. After moving to light-polluted New York City from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks, “Do we need the dark?” The film is a story of light pollution and the disappearing stars. The film asks viewers to stop and ponder what light, darkness and the stars mean to us, spiritually, physically, intellectually, socially and economically.
We will continue our reflection with the help of two extraordinary subject matter experts, Dr. Eva Shernhammer, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Jennifer Dolin, Manager of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, OSRAM SYLVANIA, who will share their insights from the respective fields of health and industry.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Dr. Eva Schernhammer, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Eva Schernhammer is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Harvard Medical School) and Epidemiology (Harvard School of Public Health). In addition, she holds adjunct faculty positions at the Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, and the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Vienna Medical School, Austria (her native home town). She is based at the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Harvard Medical School, home of several famous cohort studies including the Physicians’ Health Study and the Nurses’ Health Study.
Shernhammer's primary research interest is the relation of circadian rhythms and markers of the circadian system (e.g., melatonin) to cancer risk. Her major scientific contributions have highlighted the effects of light at night on cancer risk through the melatonin pathway. This work has led to the establishment of a new classification of shift work as a probable human carcinogen by WHO in 2007.
Schernhammer holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Vienna Medical School, a Doctor of Public Health degree (epidemiology) from the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as a Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of Vienna. She completed her medical training in Vienna and practiced for several years in hematology/oncology before becoming interested in cancer prevention.
Jennifer Dolin, Manager of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, OSRAM SYLVANIA
Jennifer Dolin has been with OSRAM SYLVANIA since 2004, where she is the manager of sustainability and environmental affairs. She oversees environmental sustainability issues including lamp and ballast recycling, greenhouse gas emissions reporting, and OSRAM SYLVANIA’s Global Care corporate responsibility initiatives. With over 25 years of experience developing public and private environmental policy, her areas of expertise include lamp recycling programs, green building methods and solutions to combat climate change.
Ms. Dolin spent 10 years with the United States Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, first as an early member of the ENERGY STAR® labeling team and then as the creator and manager of the SmartWay program for the Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ).
Ms. Dolin holds a masters degree from Tufts University in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.
Professionally, Ms. Dolin is a LEED® Accredited Professional, Lighting Certified, co-vice chair of the ASHRAE/IESNA/USGBC Green Buildings Standards Project Committee 189.1 and chair of the Indoor Environmental Quality working group, former chair of the Greenbuild Exhibitor Advisory Working Group, a founding board member of the North Shore Transportation Management Association, a member of the TFM Green Building Advisory Board, and a member of the UL Environment 106 standard committee for luminaires.
——————————
Education and Equality
Tuesday, June 7
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store and Boston Review welcome Harvard professor and the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics DANIELLE ALLEN for a discussion of her book Education and Equality.
About Education and Equality
American education as we know it today—guaranteed by the state to serve every child in the country—is still less than a hundred years old. It’s no wonder we haven’t agreed yet as to exactly what role education should play in our society. In these Tanner Lectures, Danielle Allen brings us much closer, examining the ideological impasse between vocational and humanistic approaches that has plagued educational discourse, offering a compelling proposal to finally resolve the dispute.
Allen argues that education plays a crucial role in the cultivation of political and social equality and economic fairness, but that we have lost sight of exactly what that role is and should be. Drawing on thinkers such as John Rawls and Hannah Arendt, she sketches out a humanistic baseline that re-links education to equality, showing how doing so can help us reframe policy questions. From there, she turns to civic education, showing that we must reorient education’s trajectory toward readying students for lives as democratic citizens. Deepened by commentaries from leading thinkers Tommie Shelby, Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Michael Rebell, and Quiara Alegría Hudes that touch on issues ranging from globalization to law to linguistic empowerment, this book offers a critical clarification of just how important education is to democratic life, as well as a stirring defense of the humanities.
More at http://www.harvard.com/event/danielle_allen/
*****************
----------------------
Upcoming Events
----------------------
*****************
——————————
Wednesday, June 8
——————————
Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
Wednesday, June 8
6:00 PM (Doors at 5:30)
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.harvard.com/event/mary_roach1/
Cost: $5
Harvard Book Store welcomes bestselling author MARY ROACH and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist DEBORAH BLUM for a discussion of Roach's latest book, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War—an exploration of the science of keeping human beings intact, awake, sane, uninfected, and uninfested in the bizarre and extreme circumstances of war.
About Grunt
Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries—panic, exhaustion, heat, noise—and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper. She visits a repurposed movie studio where amputee actors help prepare Marine Corps medics for the shock and gore of combat wounds. At Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, in east Africa, we learn how diarrhea can be a threat to national security. Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs an archival sample of a World War II stink bomb, and stays up all night with the crew tending the missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee. She answers questions not found in any other book on the military: Why is DARPA interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? Why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks? Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never see our nation’s defenders in the same way again.
——————————
Speaker Series: Spotlight on Climate Change, Dr. Cameron Wake, UNH
Wednesday, June 8
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM (EDT)
Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, 400 Harvard Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speaker-series-spotlight-on-climate-change-dr-cameron-wake-unh-tickets-25554684750
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, with wide-ranging environmental and social impact across the globe. In the first installment of DWC’s new Speaker Series, Dr. Cameron Wake, Climatologist at the University of New Hampshire, will present on current environmental science research and discuss the importance of non-scientific communities rallying around the issues of climate change and sustainability.
Though the connection between dance and climate change may not be immediately apparent, at Dance for World Community we believe that everyone – including artists – has a role to play in changing the world for the better. Addressing climate change will require great innovation and creativity, not only in science and technology but also in all other sectors. Artists are uniquely innovative and creative and have enormous potential to be impactful change agents. Our goal is to bring the dance network together around a critical issue and to use our collective potential for impact to better our planet and our communities.
Please join us as we learn together and raise awareness about the current state of climate change research and explore how dancers can make a difference!
———————————
Mass Innovation Nights 87
Wednesday, June 8
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Bullhorn, Inc, 100 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mass-innovation-nights-87-tickets-25598161791
We are eagerly anticipating #MIN87 at the awesome new Bullhorn headquarters -- prepare to be impressed. On June 8th, yes we are back to our usual Wednesday night, ten new products will showcase their innovative products. You can vote for your favorite to present onstage here!
Mass Innovation Nights is a monthly product launch and networking event featuring local startups at various locations throughout Boston.
—————————
Technology + Fashion: Projects for Tomorrow and Today
Wednesday, June 8
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.mfa.org/programs/lecture/technology-fashion-projects-for-tomorrow-and-today
Cost: $10 - $12
Sputniko!, artist, designer, assistant professor at MIT Media Lab
Katia Vega, Nan Zhao, Cindy Kao, Xin Liu, and Viirg Kan, members of the techstyle ML group at the MIT Media Lab
Media Lab tech style group presentation at Boston's MFA
Immerse yourself in the gorgeous LED-lit, haptic feedback-enabled, and digitally printed projects of contemporary fashion. First, hear an overview of the current directions in technology and fashion by Sputniko!, whose recent work includes Amy’s Glowing Silk and The Moonwalk Machine. Then, moderated by Sputniko!, hear from the Media Lab’s techstyle ML students, who reveal the future of fashion design with innovative projects including conductive makeup and tattoos, on-skin and nail interfaces, wearable lighting, and social textiles.
—————————
Thursday, June 9
—————————
Boston National Community Solar Partnership
Thursday, June 9
8:30 AM to 4:30 P
EPA Region 1 Headquarters, 5 Post Office Square Suite 100, Boston
Community solar is emerging as a promising approach to accelerate the deployment of solar in the US. The National Community Solar Partnership – a growing group of over 100 leading businesses, nonprofits and government agencies spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) – will be holding four regional workshops focused on furthering community solar.
You are invited to attend the regional workshop for the eastern US – hosted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Join national experts, state and local officials, industry representatives, utility providers, environmental justice advocates, and other key players to share success stories, discuss common challenges and goals, and offer troubleshooting advice. The group will also identify strategies to catalyze community solar projects and engage low and moderate income households in your region and beyond.
The program, designed and delivered by the DOE and Institute for Sustainable Communities, will include a mix of presentations, panels, and breakout sessions intended to engage participants in active dialogue with each other. Attendees will be active participants in identifying pressing problems and finding crosscutting solutions to further deployment of community shared solar throughout the region.
Event Contact: cbaker at iscvt.org
More information at http://www.iscvt.org/ncsp-ne/
——————————
Keeping the Lights on with Clean, Green Energy
Thursday, June 9
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (EDT)
Brown Rudnick, One Financial Center, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/keeping-the-lights-on-with-clean-green-energy-tickets-25167950016
Cost: $0 – $30 GET TICKETS
As Massachusetts and New England face the looming threat of climate change it is clear that we must fundamentally shift our energy system. Can we support our growing economy with a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency? Do we need more natural gas, or are there other cost-effective solutions? What is the role of off-shore wind and is it price competitive? Where will we get new based load power once older plants retire? Please join us for a panel discussion with distinguished experts who will explore the answers to these urgent questions.
Panelists:
Christophe Courchesne, Chief of the Environmental Protection Division, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
Matthew Morrissey, Executive Director, Offshore Wind: Massachusetts
Peter Shattuck, Director, Clean Energy Initiative & Director Massachusetts Office, Acadia Center
Lunch will be available.
——————————
Starr Forum: SOLD (film screening & Q&A Skype session with director)
Thursday, June 9
5:30p–8:00p
MIT, Building E51-115, Wong Auditorium, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Jeffrey D. Brown
Based on the international bestselling novel by Patricia McCormick, and inspired by true accounts, SOLD tells the story of 13 year-old Lakshmi, who is trafficked from her peaceful, rural village in Nepal to work in a brothel called Happiness House in Kolkata, India. Through one extraordinary girl's story, SOLD gives voice to the millions of children around the world who disappear every year. Globally the average age of a trafficked girl is thirteen, the same age as Lakshmi in the film.
SOLD is a call to action, and a testament to the power and resilience of the human spirit.
Q&A immediately following after the film with the Director/Co-Writer, Jeffrey D. Brown via Skype.
CIS Starr Forum
A public events series on pressing issues in international affairs, sponsored by the MIT Center for International Studies.
Please contact us at starrforum at mit.edu if you need accessibility accommodations
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_060916_sold.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: 617-253-8306
starrforum at mit.edu
——————————
But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past
Thursday, June 9
6:00 PM (Doors at 5:30)
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.harvard.com/event/chuck_klosterman/
Cost: $5
Harvard Book Store welcomes bestselling author of I Wear the Black Hat and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs CHUCK KLOSTERMAN for a discussion of his latest book, But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past.
About But What If We're Wrong?
We live in a culture of casual certitude. This has always been the case, no matter how often that certainty has failed. Though no generation believes there’s nothing left to learn, every generation unconsciously assumes that what has already been defined and accepted is (probably) pretty close to how reality will be viewed in perpetuity. And then, of course, time passes. Ideas shift. Opinions invert. What once seemed reasonable eventually becomes absurd, replaced by modern perspectives that feel even more irrefutable and secure—until, of course, they don’t.
But What If We’re Wrong? visualizes the contemporary world as it will appear to those who'll perceive it as the distant past. Chuck Klosterman asks questions that are profound in their simplicity: How certain are we about our understanding of gravity? How certain are we about our understanding of time? What will be the defining memory of rock music, five hundred years from today? How seriously should we view the content of our dreams? How seriously should we view the content of television? Are all sports destined for extinction? Is it possible that the greatest artist of our era is currently unknown (or—weirder still—widely known, but entirely disrespected)? Is it possible that we “overrate” democracy? And perhaps most disturbing, is it possible that we’ve reached the end of knowledge?
Kinetically slingshotting through a broad spectrum of objective and subjective problems, But What If We’re Wrong? is built on interviews with a variety of creative thinkers—George Saunders, David Byrne, Jonathan Lethem, Kathryn Schulz, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, Junot Díaz, Amanda Petrusich, Ryan Adams, Nick Bostrom, Dan Carlin, and Richard Linklater, among others—interwoven with the type of high-wire humor and nontraditional analysis only Klosterman would dare to attempt. It’s a seemingly impossible achievement: a book about the things we cannot know, explained as if we did. It’s about how we live now, once “now” has become “then.”
——————————
ClimateX Ideamaker Lab #2
Thursday, June 9
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
MIT, Exact Location TBA - Cambridge
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climatex-ideamaker-lab-2-tickets-25736066267
The challenge of climate change requires systemic innovation at every level of human existence- new science, new technology, new infrastructure, new economics, new policy and a new ethics. The ClimateX Ideamaker Lab focuses on fresh ideas; think about it as an incubator for climate solutions. Our goal is to create a supportive environment for unveiling bold new steps for addressing the climate crisis independent of where they come from.
Our Ideamaker Lab combines the sharing of ideas with networking and building of community. This time, Paul Dreyfoos and Mitch Anthony will present their vision of a New Climate Magazine. We welcome your participation in the second ClimateX Ideamaker session. Please do forward this invite to anyone who might be interested in attending.
——————————
Cleantech Startups with Emily Reichert (CEO Greentownlabs)
June 9
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Pivotal, 145 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-boston-presents-emily-reichert-greentown-labs#/
Cost: $11 - $22
Join us in conversation with Emily Reichert, CEO at Greentown Labs, where she sets strategic direction, focusing on increasing the organization’s impact on clean and energy efficient technology commercialization through entrepreneurship. She also directs its efforts to engage new corporate and foundation partners, to expand recognition and education programs for clean technology entrepreneurs, to leverage the local community of entrepreneurs, investors, universities, government agencies and NGOs striving to build our clean energy future, and to maintain Boston’s global competitiveness in clean technology.
Website: http://bit.ly/1XMjIxB
Organizer: Startup Grind Boston
Email: carlos at startupgrind.com
Website: https://www.startupgrind.com/boston/
Venue: Pivotal, 145 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
——————————
TEDxCambridge
Thursday, June 9
7:00 PM
Boston Opera House, Boston, MA
Cost: $45 - $150
http://www.tedxcambridge.com/attend/
————————
Friday, June 10
————————
Boston Civic Media presents: Technology, Design and Social Impact
Friday, June 10
9:00 AM to 3:30 PM (EDT)
The Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive #1, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-civic-media-presents-technology-design-and-social-impact-tickets-24600991227
Boston Civic Media invites you to the 2nd annual conference on Design, Technology, and Social Impact featuring our Keynote Speaker Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley. Ayanna was first elected to the Boston City Council on November 3, 2009, becoming the first woman of color ever elected to the Council. She has a relentless determination to advance a political agenda focused on women and girls, building healthy communities, and breaking cycles of poverty, violence, and trauma. We are pleased to have her set the stage for conference participants, including- civic media designers, researchers, technologists, and community members.
Last year, Boston Civic Media was launched after a convening on Metrics and Methods where we discussed the barriers, opportunities, and foundational goals of civic media research. This year we’re back with a full day of learning, celebrating, and community-building! We are thrilled to invite you to:
Meet community leaders, techies, city officials, journalists, designers, academics, students, and more who are passionate about using media and technology for the common good
Listen to lightning talks on topics ranging from civic technology case studies to best practices for community collaboration
Participate in workshops on topics such as facilitation, design-research, and media strategies for social change
The schedule of the day includes 4 tracks consisting of Civic Art, Media Literacy, Systems and Advocacy, and Engagement and Inclusion.
Agenda:
9:00 AM: Registration
9:30am-10:00 Introductions and Welcome
10:00 - 10:45 Keynote Speaker City Councillor Ayanna Pressley
10:45- 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00- 11:30 Plenary Lightning Talks
11:30 - 12:30 Workshops, Part I
12:30-1:30Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 Workshops, Part II
2:30-2:45Coffee Break
2:45-3:45 Workshops, Part III
3:45 - 4:30 The event will be followed by a book launch celebration and panel for Civic Media: Technology | Design | Practice (MIT Press)
4:30 - 5:30 Happy Hour
Please RSVP and spread the word!
We look forward to your participation,
The Organizing Team
Catherine D'Ignazio, Assistant Professor, Emerson College
Eric Gordon, Associate Professor, Emerson College
Paul Mihailidis, Associate Professor, Emerson College
What is Civic Media?
Civic media are the mediated practices of designing, building, implementing or using digital tools to intervene in or participate in civic life. The emerging domain of civic media includes researchers and practitioners from many fields and sectors including art, design, computer science, social sciences, humanities, government, urban planning, community organizing, law & policy, education and more.
————————————
Koch Institute Summer Symposium 2016 - "Prevention and Early Detection of Cancer"
Friday, June 10
9:00a–4:30p
MIT, Building 76-156, 500 Main Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Angela Belcher, Sangeeta Bhatia, David Hunter and many more
As much as 70% of cancer worldwide may be preventable. In fact, despite enormous progress in treatment, it is likely that the greatest reduction in cancer deaths to date is the result of cancer prevention and early detection. New technologies, combined with advances in understanding the genetics and cell biology of cancer, could help to further reduce the burden of cancer through simpler, cheaper, more precise, and more efficient approaches. This one-day symposium will include discussion of how to accelerate our efforts to find and intercept disease at the earliest possible stage, and, ideally, prevent many cancers altogether.
Web site: https://ki.mit.edu/news/symposium/2016
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
For more information, contact: Pam DiFraia
617-253-6403
pdifraia at mit.edu
Editorial Coment: Yes, that Koch.
—————————
Saturday, June 11
—————————
DayCon 2016: “Bodies in Motion”
Saturday, June 11
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/daycon/
DayCon is Science in the News’ FREE, daylong conference for the public – a day of talks, posters, interactive sessions, and more! After the success of our inaugural event in 2015, we are pleased to announce that registration for DayCon 2016: Bodies in Motion is now LIVE! Please fill out the REQUIRED registration form below to claim your spot – no fee necessary!
The event will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Maxwell Dworkin on Harvard’s main campus. This year, we are also thrilled to feature the Museum of Science in a new collaboration. See below for a sample schedule.
9:30-10:00 AM: Check-in
10-10:40 AM: A History of Movement
10:50-11:30 AM: The Physics of Sports
11:40 AM – 12:20 PM: The Future of Motion – Prosthetics and Artificial Limbs
12:20-1:10 PM: Lunch with graduate student scientists
1:10-2:05 PM: Concurrent lectures (choose two to attend) – The Science Behind Aging, Bioengineering and Robotics, The Genetics of Athletic Ability, and Skin: the Body’s First Line of Defense
2:10-3:00 PM: Eye Dissections with The Museum of Science –
Come explore the eye of an animal. How might different types of vision effect our behavior? What causes some of our eyes to look red in photos? Learn and talk about the human eye and more.
3:10-3:45 PM: Keynote Speech – Fueling a Body in Motion: Sports Nutrition and Metabolic Disease
3:45-4:30 PM: Poster Session
————————————
The Resilience, Resistance & Regional Equity Convergence::Keynote address by Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute
Saturday, June 11
10am – 5pm
First Church Unitarian in Jamaica Plain, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-resilience-resistance-regional-equity-convergence-tickets-24327639625
Suggested Donation: $15
Light Breakfast and Lunch Included
Across New England, a new world is being built. Grassroots activists motivated by their love for community and the planet are building resilient local communities, resisting fossil fuel projects, and making sure that all people can thrive now and into the future, regardless of race, class, income and more. On June 11 join a convergence of regional and local actors building this new world. You’ll connect with great people, hear stories and lessons to strengthen your work, help build the New England Resilience & Transition network, and get inspired!
The morning will include a keynote address and responses from members of the New England Resilience & Transition Network. In the afternoon we will have lunch, workshops and network-building sessions.
Propose a Workshop!
Co-Convene the Convergence
If your organization would like to be listed as a co-convener, just email sarah at localcircles.org. It’s free, and the more the better. Local, regional and national groups alike are encouraged to co-convene, especially NERT members.
About Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg is Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute and is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost Peak Oil educators. He has authored scores of essays and articles and twelve books. Since 2002, Richard has delivered over five hundred lectures to a wide variety of audiences in 14 countries—from insurance executives to peace activists, from local officials to members of the European Parliament. He has been quoted and interviewed countless times for print, television, and radio. Richard has appeared in many film and television documentaries, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s 11th Hour, is a recipient of the M. King Hubbert Award for Excellence in Energy Education, and in 2012 was appointed to His Majesty the King of Bhutan’s International Expert Working Group for the New Development Paradigm initiative.
Richard’s animations Don’t Worry, Drive On, Who Killed Economic Growth? and 300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Minutes (winner of a YouTubes’s/DoGooder Video of the Year Award) have been viewed by more than 1.5 million people.
————————
9th Annual Fresh Pond Day!
Saturday, June 11
11:00am to 3:00pm
Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility, 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
Celebrate the land, water, wildlife, and people that make Fresh Pond Reservation a unique and vital place.
Fresh Pond Reservation is truly Cambridge's green gem - an urban wild that protects Fresh Pond, Cambridge's in-city drinking water reservoir. Fresh Pond Day is the Cambridge Water Department's annual tribute to this unique Reservation that is a vital natural resource, an invaluable sanctuary for wildlife, and a beloved recreational escape in the City. So let's give Fresh Pond the celebration, jubilation and love it deserves; join in the festivities! Attendees will enjoy live wildlife presentations, a wildlife and bike parade, live music, facepainting, truck climb-aboards, tours, and more!
Free and open to all, activities will take place in and around the Water Treatment Facility located at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge. For those arriving by car: plan on parking at the Tobin School (197 Vassal Lane). There are plenty of green transit options: the bikeway, bus routes 72, 74, 75 & 78; and Alewife T Station. On-leash dogs, including Cambridge dogs, are welcome. Please note that rain or other extreme weather cancels this event. For parking information, full schedule, and more, please contact Martine at mwong at cambridgema.gov, call (617) 349-6489, or visit www.cambridgema.gov/freshpondday.
————————
Sunday, June 12
————————
37th Annual Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Sunday, June 12
11:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Memorial Drive Park, Cambridge
If you cannot come, you do not need to post reply and explain yourself why you cannot come. Just change your RSVP to No.
Cambridge Side - Along Memorial Drive
12:00PM – 5:00PM Asian Food
Cambridge Side - Main Tent
12:00PM – 5:00PM Arts and Crafts & Asian Cultural Performances
Performances & Demonstrations
12:00 Chinese Waist Drum Dance (Boston side)
12:15 Dragon Dance
12:45 Opening Ceremony
1:00 Chinese Traditional Music, Chinese Yo-Yo
1:25 Folk Songs from Asia
1:30 Bhangra & Bollywood Dance
2:00 Chinese Drumming, Dulcimer
2:15 Chinese Martial Arts
2:45 Chinese Traditional Dance
3:15 Rhythmic
3:30 Bhangra & Bollywood Dance
4:00 Chinese and Asian Arts Demonstration
4:30 Japanese Taiko Drumming
5:00 Awards Ceremony
———————————
Tim Weiskel on Soils, Civilizations, Climate and Collapse - Discussion, Potluck
Sunday, June 12
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
One Fayette Park, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/231313582/?rv=ea1
Today's soils are degraded or desertified on billions of acres around the planet. How did that happen and what are its consequences? Can human populations reverse this process and rebuild soils to capture carbon in the time-frame required for the survival of complex civilizations?
The core of the problem is that over the last several centuries urbanized humankind has little experience with intact, healthy soil. As a result modern cultures systematically underestimate, -- and, more generally, simply ignore -- the vital necessity of healthy soils for their continued existence.
The alternative is clear. A long tradition poets and prophets of the soil have declared for centuries that it is urgent to give soils their due. We need to rediscover these voices and launch a major global campaign to regenerate soils in order to restore ecosystems and reverse the accelerated release of terrestrial carbon.The most effective strategy for carbon capture and storage (CCS) that the ecosystem has ever devised over the last several billion years has been to build soils. We would be foolish to abandon and continue to reverse this process if we wish to survive as a species.
Some preliminary reading if you like: Got a Carbon Problem? Fix it ! Part 1 – Some Prophetic & Enduring Testimony:
https://environmentaljusticetv.wordpress.com/2016/05/22/ev-n-216-cctv-got-a-carbon-problem-fix-it-part-1-s-ome-prophetic-enduring-testimony/
Our speaker, Tim Weiskel, is a historian and social anthropologist. He completed his B.A. at Yale and received further degrees in Social Anthropology and History at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He has received numerous research grants and has taught African history, historical ecology, ecological anthropology, and global climate change at Williams College, Yale University and Harvard University. Weiskel has published several books and articles and has researched belief systems within cultures and how core cultural beliefs can either facilitate or block change over time. He educates about the many social and scientific aspects of climate at Harvard Extension and through the website: Transition-Studies.Net.
Potluck starts at 6, presentation at 7.
We're a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay.
————————
Monday, June 13
————————
Driverless Cars: What Will They Change - and When? A Morning Forum
Monday, June 13
8:00 AM to 11:00 AM EDT
Federal Reserve Bank - 3rd Fl - Audiovisual Room 1, 600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ecmjby5u9785f2b9&oseq=&c=b77caa50-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4&ch=b78312f0-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4
Driverless cars are coming, ready or not. Please join us for a free forum about this transformative technology and its likely impacts. The forum will feature an expert panel that will bring together government and the private sector, and the topics will include driverless car technology, likely timeframe for implementation, how driverless cars might change the role of driving and transit in our communities, and the role of government in the process.
Space is limited to the first 100 registrants, and we anticipate high interest. Please register now!
This event is co-sponsored by theMetropolitan Area Planning Council and Transportation for Massachusetts.
————————————
Science by the Pint: Fires, Invasives, and Ticks, Oh My!
Monday, June 13
6:30 PM
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Somerville
Guest scientist Michael Dietze
Michael Dietze is a terrestrial ecologist in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. His research broadly focuses on how we forecast natural systems, spanning a wide range of ecological processes across many of the world’s biomes. Much of the current research in his Ecological Forecasting Lab combines field campaigns, paleoecological data, remote sensing, and computer models to better understand how ecosystems respond to climate change and to improve predictions of the global carbon cycle.
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://sitnboston/science-by-the-pint/
————————————
Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies
Monday, June 13
7:00–8:15pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277
Fee $5 member, $10 nonmember; Free for students
Sara M. Lewis, PhD, Evolutionary and Behavioral Ecology, Tufts University
For centuries, the beauty of fireflies has evoked wonder and delight. Yet for most of us, fireflies remain shrouded in mystery: How do fireflies make their light? What are they saying with their flashing? And what do fireflies look for in a mate? Join us for a presentation by noted biologist and firefly expert Sara Lewis as she dives into the fascinating world of fireflies and reveals the most up-to-date discoveries about these beloved insects. Hear dramatic stories of birth, courtship, romance, sex, deceit, poison, and death among fireflies. Following the lecture, look for fireflies at the edge of the Arboretum’s wet meadow. Sarah’s recently published book, Silent Sparks, will be available for sale and signing.
—————————
Tuesday, June 14
—————————
Performing Resilience: How to Get It Done
Tuesday, June 14
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
50 Milk Street, 17th floor, "Milky Way" conference room, Boston
RSVP at http://usgbcma.org/civicrm/event/register?id=1053&reset=1
Cost: $17 - $29
Join the USGBC MA Chapter for an important morning program on implementation of resilience.
We are all hearing about the importance of this topic. We have participated in information sessions and presentations about the dangers of sea level rise, increased storm intensity and other issues connected to resilience. We have memorized the new shoreline maps and we "get it" that our infrastructure is going to need some help, big time.
How do we actually get resilience done? What are the practical things we can do as developers, designers, implementers and users of buildings and building systems?
The USGBC community has developed LEED Pilot Credits for resilience which are immediately available actions that every building project could incorporate - they are reasonable steps that any property can benefit from.
Filippo Masetti at SGH will talk about improving the resilience of buildings subject to coastal flooding and the new LEED resilience pilot credits.
Arlen Stawasz of Perkins+Will will present on the RELi Action List they have developed for designers.
Michael Green of Climate Action Business Association (CABA) will share their "BARS" program of resources for small businesses' response to sea level rise.
Jim Newman of Linnean Solutions will facilitate.
Join us for a sequence of important tool-sharing presentations, and a conversation among peers who are on the front lines of responding to the changing baseline of environmental conditions for our communities.
Join us to learn steps you can take right now in your practice, at your company, or for your organization, to implement resilience in your building projects.
1h GBCI CEU pending approval.
—————————————
Can Computers be Feminist? Procedural Politics and Computational Creativity
Tuesday, June 14
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-401, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Gillian Smith
Computers are increasingly taking on the role of a creator???making content for games, participating on twitter, generating paintings and sculptures. These computationally creative systems embody formal models of both the product they are creating and the process they follow. Like that of their human counterparts, the work of algorithmic artists is open to criticism and interpretation, but such analysis requires a framework for discussing the politics embedded in procedural systems. In this talk, I will examine the politics that are (typically implicitly) represented in computational models for creativity, and discuss the possibility for incorporating feminist perspectives into their underlying algorithmic design.
Web site: http://informatics.mit.edu/event/brown-bag-discussion-gillian-smith?type=month&month=2016-05
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Libraries
For more information, contact: Kelly Hopkins
6172533044
khopkins at mit.edu
————————————
Boston New Technology June 2016 Startup Showcase #BNT66
Tuesday, June 14
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Foley Hoag, 155 Seaport Blvd, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/231250591/
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!
————————————
What Arctic Caves Reveal about Ancient Climate Cycles
Tuesday, June 14
6:30 PM
Belmont Media Center, 9 Lexington Street, Belmont
Jeremy Shakun, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College.
The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on our planet, and as it warms the permafrost melts. The Arctic permafrost contains twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, so this melting releases massive amounts of greenhouse gases that amplify global warming. To analyze the global impact, paleogeologist Professor Jeremy Shakun deciphers the record of major climate shifts over millions of years: the ice ages and warming cycles that shaped Earth's history. One of the best sources of information is in Arctic caves: mineral deposits formed from groundwater are preserved in speleothems, such as stalagtites and stalagmites. These deposits contain precise records of chemical and physical changes associated with deep-time freeze-melt cycles. Dr. Shakun describes how he and his paleogeology team gather this information from Arctic caves --and how this information is used to anticipate the effect of the present global warming pattern.
————————————
Frackopoly: The Battle for the Future of Energy and the Environment
Tuesday, June 14
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes executive director of Food & Water Watch WENONAH HAUTER for a discussion of her book Frackopoly: The Battle for the Future of Energy and the Environment. This event is co-sponsored by Food & fWater Watch.
About Frackopoly
Over the past decade a new and controversial energy extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has rocketed to the forefront of U.S. energy production. With fracking, millions of gallons of water, dangerous chemicals, and sand are injected under high pressure deep into the earth, fracturing hard rock to release oil and gas.
Wenonah Hauter, one of the nation’s leading public interest advocates, argues that the rush to fracking is dangerous to the environment and treacherous to human health. Frackopoly describes how the fracking industry began; the technologies that make it possible; and the destruction and poisoning of clean water sources and the release of harmful radiation from deep inside shale deposits, creating what the author calls “sacrifice zones” across the American landscape.
The book also examines the powerful interests that have supported fracking, including leading environmental groups, and offers a thorough debunking of its supposed economic benefits. With a wealth of new data, Frackopoly is essential and riveting reading for anyone interested in protecting the environment and ensuring a healthy and sustainable future for all Americans.
************
----------------
Opportunity
----------------
************
On the weekend of July 16 & 17th at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge we will be having a weekend event centered around Application Programming Interfaces. If you have a work or home project that leverages API's, and are interested in presenting, then please let me know. Talks can be any length. If that weekend does not work, please note that there will be evening lectures over the next few months on API's.
For those who are new to API’s, these are being leveraged across many industries, and as such this event will have workshops to help participants learn how to access API’s; as well as on creating “data products” whether blogs, web applications, or the like. The event will have a special track devoted to “Civic Tech” and “Citizen Data Science”. The Programmable Web site provides good coverage of API’s, and beyond that there are many sites focused on specific applications.
API Categories
Social Media Top Ten API’s (article and review)
Machine Learning APIs (article and review)
Music API’s from Music Machinery
Federal Government
Many thanks to Microsoft NERD for hosting us!!! Please let me know if you have any questions, and/or are interested in giving a talk!
John Verostek: johnverostek at yahoo.com
———————————
The Summer of 2016 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
---------------------------
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]
-----------------------
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
---------------------
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).
———————————
Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
Solar map of Cambridge, MA
http://www.mapdwell.com/en/cambridge
———————————
Hey Cambridge residents!
Did you know the City of Cambridge is trying to win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize? It was created to develop a cleaner and more efficient energy future. Energy efficiency and conservation are the best ways to save energy and minimize environmental impact. In that effort, Cambridge is hoping all residents will get a no-cost energy assessment in order to make their homes more efficient and comfortable. Let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment
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
Again, let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment and someone will be in contact with you shortly to give you personally tailored contact information on how you can get your no-cost home energy assessment. Renters are also eligible!
Any action to save energy in the home will help Cambridge win this competition while protecting the environment. For additional ideas on how to save energy, please see the Cambridge Energy Alliance website at http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/interactivehome
Please share with your Cambridge friends and family and ask them to get a free energy assessment!
Want to be more involved? Become a neighborhood Block Captain! Block Captains help their community members sign up for and complete no-cost home energy assessments through the MassSave program. Our team will give you the tools and guidance needed to recruit neighbors to get an assessment and improve the efficiency of their homes. Participation is welcome at whatever level you are able to commit to.
If you are interested in becoming a Block Captain, please fill out the form at http://tinyurl.com/blockcaptainsurvey and someone from the Cambridge Energy Alliance will be in contact with you shortly. If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity!
Questions? Contact jnahigian at cambridgema.gov
Cambridge Energy Alliance
http://www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/winit
@cambenergy
http://facebook.com/cambridgeenergyalliance
——————————
Sunny Cambridge has just launched! Sunny Cambridge is the city-wide initiative that makes it easy for all types of residents to get solar power for their homes. Cambridge has lined up local solar installers through the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, which helps you request, receive, and compare solar quotes 100% online with support available every step of the way.
The City of Cambridge is working on many levels to reduce energy use and GHG emissions to make the city more sustainable. As a semifinalist in the nationwide competition for the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize, Cambridge Energy Alliance is encouraging residents to take actions to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Get involved by signing up for a no-cost home energy assessment at the Cambridge Energy Alliance home page (www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/winit)
and going solar at http://www.sunnycambridge.org
*********
------------
Resource
------------
*********
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
---------------------------------
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
----------------------
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!
---------------------
Boston Maker Spaces - 27 and counting: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGHnt9r2pQx8.kfw9evrHsKjA&hl=en
BASEN / Boston Solidarity Network Economy: http://ba-sen.tumblr.com
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston: http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
****************************************
------------------------------------------------------
Links to events at over 50 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