[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - June 25, 2017

[gmoke]

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) EventsGeo
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html

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Details of these events are available when you scroll past the index


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Index
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Monday, June 26
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1st Workshop on Mechanism Design for Social Good
6pm  Cambridge Clean Energy Municipal Aggregation Program Information Session
6pm  Machine, Platform, Crowd:  Harnessing Our Digital Future
6pm  Health and Sport – insights after the Race Across America

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Tuesday, June 27
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8am  Data Science Projects – Lessons from the Digital Trenches
6:30pm  Boston Innovators Group: Voice Computing (#BIGVoice)

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My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com

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Monday, June 26
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Expanding Access to Medicines and Promoting Innovation: A Practical Approach
Monday, June 26
12:00 pm
Harvard Global Health Institute, 42 Church Street, Conference Room, Cambridge
RSVP required to attend in person at https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2017/06/Palfrey#RSVP
Join the live webcast here on June 26 at https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2017/06/Palfrey at12pm (please mute your microphone)

Global Access in Action: Conversations in Global Health, Innovation, & the Digital World
Featuring GAiA Co-Founder Quentin Palfrey 
This event is being sponsored by the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Following a rich discussion led by HLS Professor William Fisher this past Monday, we are excited to to announce the second event in our four-part series, "Conversations in Global Health, Innovation & the Digital World" in collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Below is a press release on a recent journal article authored by our next speaker, Quentin Palfrey, on practical approaches to increasing global medicine accessibility and encouraging R&D on diseases burdened by the world's most vulnerable populations. The content of the article will be the basis for this upcoming event which is detailed below. We look forward to seeing you there.

Pharma companies can increase access to medicines and spur new R&D by replicating industry best practices, Harvard team argues in new paper
For release: June 6, 2017
Cambridge, MA - In a newly-published paper in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, Quentin Palfrey highlights practical strategies for how pharmaceutical companies can have a profound impact on humanitarian outcomes without undermining profitability of their ventures. The paper, entitled Expanding Access to Medicines and Promoting Innovation: A Practical Approach, was produced in connection with the Global Access in Action project of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard.

“By adopting sensible approaches that have been used successfully by other companies, pharmaceutical firms can increase access to medicines, conduct critical research and development, and continue to be profitable,” Palfrey argues. “Under some circumstances, there are win-win approaches that can help the world’s poorest afford lifesaving medicines, allow philanthropic funders to have greater impact with limited budgets, and allow pharmaceutical programs to run corporate social responsibility programs that cost less – or even make a profit – while increasing impact,” says Palfrey.

The paper argues that pharmaceutical companies should consider expanding three approaches to increasing access to lifesaving medicines for the poor and incentivizing R&D into diseases that primarily affect the global poor. First, the paper explores non-exclusive voluntary licensing partnerships between branded and generic companies as a strategy for distributing lifesaving drugs in the world’s poorest markets. Second, the paper considers various pricing strategies and argues that intra-country price discrimination – charging different prices for similar products targeted at different populations in the same market – can be an effective way of distributing lifesaving drugs to poor communities in countries that have both rich and poor populations. Finally, the paper encourages private firms to take further steps to share the fruits of their research with research collaboratives that seek to develop cures for diseases that primarily affect poor populations, and for which there is often insufficient research funding.

“Expanding Access to Medicines and Promoting Innovation: A Practical Approach”,Quentin A. Palfrey, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, Volume XXIV, Issue 2. Winter 2017.
 
About the Author
Quentin Palfrey is co-Director of the Global Access in Action project at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, as well as the Executive Director of J-PAL North America, an anti-poverty research center at MIT. A lawyer by training, Palfrey served as Senior Advisor for Jobs & Competitiveness in the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy during President Obama’s first term, where he played a key role in the launch of the Patents for Humanity program and was the lead White House advisor on the America Invents Act, a major piece of patent reform legislation that was signed into law in 2011.
About the Global Access in Action Project

Global Access in Action, a project of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, conducts action-oriented research into access to lifesaving medicines, and alternative incentives for the development of medical treatments for underserved populations. Improving access and promoting socially beneficial innovation are key strategies for combatting the communicable disease burden that disproportionately harms the world’s most vulnerable populations. Global Access in Action is led by Palfrey along with Professors William Fisher and Mark Wu of Harvard Law School.
About the GAiA Brown Bag Series

The GAiA brown bag series, "Conversations in Global Health, Innovation & the Digital World," is a collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute which will facilitate discussion among researchers, scholars, practitioners, and others engaged in the development of legal and policy frameworks that govern innovation and global commercialization of medicines.

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1st Workshop on Mechanism Design for Social Good
Monday, June 26
MIT in Cambridge

The first workshop on Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG '17) will be held in conjunction with the 18th ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC '17) at MIT in Cambridge, MA on June 26, 2017, and will feature invited speakers, paper presentations, and a panel discussion with researchers in the EconCS community.

Synopsis: The EC community has made great contributions both to the development of theoretical foundations and applications of mechanism design. Key application domains have so far included ad auctions and electronic commerce, cloud computing, fair division, kidney donation, and school choice. In this workshop, we will focus on a set of promising applications of mechanism design that deal with access to opportunity including low-income housing, refugee resettlement, healthcare, and education. In each of these domains, the government and citizens design allocation policies, impose tax structures, create laws, and regulate activities. These are all mechanism design problems with the unifying property that progress has the potential to significantly improve societal welfare.

The workshop will have three main components: 
Invited talks from domain experts in fields such as public policy and economics.
Presentations of submitted papers by members of the EC community.
A panel of researchers with experience applying theoretical insights to areas with social good objectives.
The goal of this workshop is fourfold: 
Expose the EC community to new research directions through invited talks.
Engage the workshop attendees with domain experts to foster future learning and collaboration opportunities.
Jointly brainstorm and formalize research problems that the community can work on.
Highlight existing work in the community that falls under this theme.
More generally, we see this workshop as part of a broader goal to create and raise interest in different mechanism design problems with a social good objective.

Organizers: Rediet Abebe and Kira Goldner 
Contact: organizers at md4sg.com

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Cambridge Clean Energy Municipal Aggregation Program Information Session
Monday, June 26
6pm
City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge

More information at http://www.masspowerchoice.com/cambridge

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Machine, Platform, Crowd:  Harnessing Our Digital Future
Monday, June 26
6:00 PM (Doors at 5:30)
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge
Cost:  $5

Harvard Book Store welcomes MIT's ANDREW MCAFEE and ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON, co-founders of the Initiative on the Digital Economy and authors of The Second Machine Age, for a discussion of their latest book, Machine, Platform, Crowd. This event will be moderated by TOM ASHBROOK, the award-winning host of WBUR's On Point. 
About Machine, Platform, Crowd

The best-selling authors of the The Second Machine Age are back with Machine, Platform, Crowd—a leader’s guide to success in a rapidly changing economy.
We live in strange times. A machine plays the strategy game Go better than any human; upstarts like Apple and Google destroy industry stalwarts such as Nokia; ideas from the crowd are repeatedly more innovative than corporate research labs.
MIT’s Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson know what it takes to master this digital-powered shift: we must rethink the integration of minds and machines, of products and platforms, and of the core and the crowd. In all three cases, the balance now favors the second element of the pair, with massive implications for how we run our companies and live our lives.

In the tradition of agenda-setting classics like Clay Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma, McAfee and Brynjolfsson deliver both a penetrating analysis of a new world and a toolkit for thriving in it. For startups and established businesses, or for anyone interested in what the future holds, Machine, Platform, Crowd is essential reading.

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Health and Sport – insights after the Race Across America
Monday, June 26
6:00 pm to 9:30 pm 
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sport-health-lessons-from-the-race-across-america-tickets-35178584092

3000 miles, 12 states, and three mountain ranges – a team from HESAV (Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud) is participating in one of the world’s most challenging bike races. The Race Across America (RAAM) starts in Oceanside California, from where ultracyclist from around the globe push their physical and mental limits all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. HESAV’s Team Pulse, taking on the journey with 8 cyclists, will share their experience in Boston on June 26, only days after completing their race.

After debriefing with the team on their participation in the continental ultramarathon bicycle race, Professor Kenny Guex of HESAV will deliver a brief presentation on the scientific experiments conducted during the race, followed by a panel discussion where experts from the fields of health, physical therapy and sports will discuss the intersection of sports and health both in extreme situations such as the RAAM, as well as in normal everyday situations.

Program
6.00pm Doors open
6.30pm Debrief on the RAAM with Andréa Marcellini, HESAV TeamPulse crew chief, and the TEAMPULSE racers
7.00pm Presentation by Kenny Guex, Associate professor to HESAV and responsible scientist of the race
7.20pm Panel discussion
8.15pm  Networking reception at swissnex Boston (420 Broadway)
9.30pm  Doors close

Panel Discussion
Kenny Guex, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at HESAV.
Andréa Marcellini, HESAV Team Pulse Crew Chief
David Nolan, Associate Clinical Professor, Director – Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program, Northeastern University – Bouve College of Health Sciences
Sean Clarke, RN, PhD, FAAN Profesor and Associate Dean, Undergraduate Program, Connell School of Nursing, Boston College.

More information at http://www.swissnexboston.org/event/health-and-sport-insights-after-the-race-across-america/

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Tuesday, June 27
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Data Science Projects – Lessons from the Digital Trenches
Tuesday, June 27
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
CIC, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/data-science-projects-lessons-from-the-digital-trenches-tickets-35077915991

In my 25 years of being involved with biomedical projects as first an academic biostatistician and later an entrepreneur, I have seen projects that change the face of medicine and others that ruin careers. One theme has shown up across the board- if you don't consider data and data analysis a priority it can sink your project. 

In this talk I will describe the typical ‘data science’ project in biotechnology. Using stories and examples from my career working on projects from a huge array of biomedical disciplines, I will show how successful projects develop strong and robust data pipelines, while those that fail tend to think of the data as a secondary concern. For the biotech start-ups, and more mature biotech firms, these examples might help you avoid failing to achieve your milestones and improve your R&D to be more efficient and save you money.

Note this is an academic talk and NOT a sales promotion. 

Bill Shannon, PhD, MBA, Founder and Managing Partner (Analytics), BioRankings, Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics in Medicine, Washington Univ. in St Louis
Bill is a biostatistician whose initial training was in the field of zoology and the use of rigorous mathematical analysis of biological data using clustering and classification methods. As President of BioRankings and the former Director of the Washington University Dept. of Medicine’s Biostatistical Consulting Center, he has significant experience supervising MS and PhD level staff members on statistical methods research and who provide statistical consulting support to investigators from many areas of medicine (e.g., pediatrics, oncology, pulmonology, infectious disease, neurology, and cardiology) and basic science (e.g., genetics, immunology, pathology). In addition Bill has been funded to develop novel methods for analysis of Big Data in metagenomics, connectomics, graphical data objects, and wearable devices. Bill has led big data projects for 20 years as a tenured professor at Washington Univ. School of Medicine and President of BioRankings, and has authored and co-authored 140+ peer-reviewed papers, has led data analysis R&D on both big data and small data projects in clinical and pre-clinical research, and has repeatedly been able to solve data analysis problems his clients could not solve. Bill received an MBA in 2012 to help develop data analysis solutions for business clients. As of June 2016, Bill retired from Washington University as a Professor Emeritus and is now full time at BioRankings.
www.biorankings.com

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Boston Green Drinks - June Happy Hour
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Scholars, 25 School Street, Boston
Tuesday, June 27
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-green-drinks-june-happy-hour-tickets-35601787906

Join the conversation with sustainability professionals and hobbyists. Enjoy a drink and build your connection with our green community!

Boston Green Drinks builds a community of sustainably-minded Bostonians, provides a forum for exchange of sustainability career resources, and serves as a central point of information about emerging green issues. We support the exchange of ideas and resources about sustainable energy, environment, food, health, education.

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Boston Innovators Group: Voice Computing (#BIGVoice)
Tuesday, June 27
6:30 PM (EDT)
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-innovators-group-voice-computing-bigvoice-tickets-33147683614
Cost:  $0 - $29.69

With over 10M Amazon Echo devices sold, the introduction of Google Home, and a myriad of Voice Computing devices and services on the horizon, we are potentially on the verge of a new shift in technology platforms.  Join the startup/tech community for an evening of startup demos, panel discussions, and networking conversations dedicated to the next frontier of voice.

Agenda:
6:30pm: Arrival, Cash Bar, and General Mingling
7pm: "Main Dish" Demos will present on stage.
Dave Balter, CEO at Mylestone
Stu Patterson, CEO at Artemis / LifePod
7:30pm: Special Panel, "The Next Platform: Voice Computing" featuring panelists:
Moderator: Joel Evans, co-Founder of Mobiquity
Chris Lamb, Mobile Products at InterContinental Hotels Group (overseeing Alexa virtual concierge project)
TBD

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Wednesday, June 28
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Israel’s AgTech Industry - Grassroots to Opportunity 
Wednesday, June 28
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
WeWork St. James, 31 Saint James Avenue, apartment 441, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/israels-agtech-industry-grassroots-to-opportunity-tickets-35371724781

Exclusive deep dive and open discussion with Start-Up Nation Central's AgTech experts. The meeting will include a showcase introduction to Israel’s innovation ecosystem and its inner workings, a dive into Israel’s flourishing AgTech industry and the opportunity it offers. Then we’ll have an open floor discussion.

Tamar Weiss is Start-Up Nation Central’s AgTech Strategy lead and Tal Harmelin is our director of business development. Start-Up Nation Central is an independent, nonprofit and nonrevenue organization committed to leverage deep knowledge of the Israeli innovation ecosystem to connect business, government, and NGO leaders from around the world to people and technologies in Israel that can help them solve their most pressing challenges while creating value for the Israeli innovation ecosystem.

This exciting invitation-only event will take place on June 28th, 8:00 at the WeWork, 31 St James Ave, Boston.
We look forward to seeing you at this event and hearing from you during the open discussion.
Please kindly confirm your attendance. Seats are limited, please make sure to reserve your place!

Agenda:
8:00 – 08:15 Gathering
8:15 – 08:30 Mr. Tal Harmelin - Israel’s Start-Up Ecosystem
8:30 – 09:15 Mrs. Tamar Weiss – Israel’s AgTech – Deep Dive and Opportunities
9:15 – 09:30 Q&A and Wrap up

Editorial Comment:  It says “invitation only” but it seems you can register at Eventbrite.

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Jonny Sun and Jonathan Zittrain in conversation
Wednesday, June 28
12:00 pm
Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, Room 2012, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP required to attend in person at https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2017/06/Sun#RSVP
Event will be live webcast at https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2017/06/Sun at 12:00 pm

Join Jonny Sun, the author of the popular Twitter account @jonnysun, for a conversation in celebration of his new book “everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too” by jomny sun (the aliebn). This debut illustrated book is the unforgettable story of a lost, lonely, and confused alien finding friendship, acceptance, and love among the creatures of Earth. Constructed from many of Jonny’s re-contextualized tweets, the book is also a creative thesis on the narrative formats of social media, and a defense of the humanity-fulfilling aspects of social media born out of his experiences on Twitter. 

About Jonny
Jonathan Sun is the author behind @jonnysun. When he isn’t tweeting, he is an architect, designer, engineer, artist, playwright and comedy writer. His work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses narratives of human experience. As a playwright, Jonathan’s work has been performed at the Yale School of Drama, and in Toronto at Hart House Theater and Factory Theater. As an artist and illustrator, his work has been exhibited at MIT, Yale, New Haven ArtSpace, and the University of Toronto. His work has been appeared on NPR, Buzzfeed, Playboy, GQ, and McSweeney’s. In his other life, he is a doctoral student at MIT and Berkman Klein fellow at Harvard.

About Jonathan
Jonathan Zittrain is the George Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Professor of Computer Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at the Harvard Law School Library, and co-founder of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.  His research interests include battles for control of digital property and content, cryptography, electronic privacy, the roles of intermediaries within Internet architecture, human computing, and the useful and unobtrusive deployment of technology in education.

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June 2017 Nanolecture Series Event
WHEN  Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard School of Public Health, Longwood Campus, 665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1,Room 1302, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION	Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR	HSPH-NIEHS Nanosafety Center
SPEAKER(S)  Wendel Wohlleben, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Department of Material Physics & Department of Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany
CONTACT INFO	Agalvin at hsph.harvard.edu
DETAILS  Similarity to known benchmark materials can be a powerful tool to reduce the uncertainty related to the risks of innovative (nano)materials, and to revisit the safety of established materials such as fillers and pigments that are produced in Megaton quantities in many different (nano)forms. In the frame of ECETOC and collaborative projects with academics and regulators, we advanced the implementation of a grouping framework that proceeds in three tiers: (1) The ECHA and EPA concepts of “nanoforms“ and “discrete forms“, respectively, group materials by similarity of intrinsic physicochemical properties such as composition, shape, size, surface chemistry. (2) This talk will go further towards refined grouping and substantiation of read-across that relies on extrinsic properties, reflecting the lifecycle of nano-enabled products and their bio-phys-chem interactions. (3) In vivo studies remain the last resort and currently serve to calibrate the grouping and read-across hypothesis. Families of pigments & silicates can now be grouped and ranked against benchmark materials by measured descriptors of releases, mobility, reactivity and transformation/dissolution.

Biographical Sketch: Wendel Wohlleben is Senior Scientist for characterization of nanomaterials at BASF, Dept. of Material Physics, second affiliation with Dept. of Experimental Toxicology and Ecology. He conducts or leads research projects on advanced materials development and on the safety of nanomaterials, specifically SUN FP7 (Lifecycle testing of nanomaterials), NanoDefine FP7 (identification and characterization of nanomaterials), nanoGRAVUR BMBF (grouping of nanomaterials), NanoRelease (Release testing). Wendel studied physics (minor: chemistry) at the University Heidelberg and at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. He received his PhD in 2003 from University Munich with a biophysical thesis on energy harvesting in photosynthesis, performed at the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics. He was a post-doc at Physical Chemistry, University Marburg. He has visiting scientist relations at Dept. of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot and at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston.
Light lunch will be provided

For more information: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nanosafety/
LINK	https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nanosafety/outreach-activities/nanolecture-series/upcoming-nanolecture-series/

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Building Tour: Arup & Tsoi/Kobus – LEED, WELL, & FitWel in Boston
Wednesday, June 28
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Arup and Tsoi/Kobus, 60 State Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-tour-arup-tsoikobus-leed-well-fitwel-in-boston-tickets-34808960538
Cost:  $20 – $30

Both located at 60 Street, Arup and Tsoi/Kobus have designed their offices with sustainability and wellness in mind. Join these two leading-edge firms for a joint presentation and tour on how they each approached the design of their new spaces. The discussion will include design process overviews, comparing and contrasting requirements of LEED, WELL and Fitwel certifications, lessons learned, and the benefits of implementing WELL, Fitwel and LEED. We will begin the tour at Tsoi/Kobus on the 18th floor before we head to Arup’s office on the 10th floor.

This is a unique building - not many are WELL certified, let alone LEED and WELL at the same time. Following the tour and discussion, there will be a networking session with food and drinks provided by Arup and Tsoi/Kobus & Associates.

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A Conversation with His Excellency Ban Ki-moon
Wednesday, June 28
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-his-excellency-ban-ki-moon-tickets-34721195029

Ban Ki Moon
His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, discusses key global issues and reflects on his distinguished diplomatic career.

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CondeMBTA:  A Conversation/Exhibit about Transportation Infrastructure
Wednesday, June 28 
6 PM - 8 PM
Workbar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1881873045385448/

Featuring the photography of Derek Kouyoumjian and a panel discussion with leading transit experts and activists

Produced by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (binjonline.org)

In partnership with INVESTNOW (investnowma.org)

Light hors d’oeuvres and beer and wine served

ABOUT THE PROJECT
CONDEMBTA is a feature photojournalism project highlighting deteriorating MBTA infrastructure in Greater Boston. Produced by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and photographer Derek Kouyoumjian, the project will include print and online features, as well as a public photography exhibit and panel discussion to move the conversation about transit priorities forward. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP
We obviously want you to come to the event on June 28, but in the meantime please share all your pics of crumbling MBTA bridges and dilapidated trains on social media using the hashtag #CONDEMBTA. The more horrifying, the better.

ABOUT THE SHOW
To bring Kouyoumjian’s work past the page, BINJ and project sponsor INVESTNOW will host an event at Workbar Cambridge (45 Prospect St., Central Square) on Wednesday, June 28 at 6pm. Members of the public will have a chance to see projected images and prints up close, and to commiserate with fellow T riders about the utterly dilapidated state of many Massachusetts tracks, stations, and trains. The event will feature a short interview with Kouyoumjian, followed by a panel discussion with leading transit experts and activists. Complimentary food and beer will be served. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST
A native of Dorchester living in Somerville, Derek Kouyoumjian is one of the most active and creatively agile photographers in Greater Boston. Having shot everything from breaking news, to portraits, to food and nightlife for publications including the Boston Phoenix, Boston Business Journal, Boston Magazine, and the Boston Metro, for which he regularly snaps cover photos, Derek’s versatile eye is complemented by his immense knowledge of the cityscapes and people of Mass. He also shoots abroad, including recent trips to the United Arab Emirates and Cuba, and has worked with private clients including the Gardner Museum and Huntington Theatre Company. 

ABOUT BINJ 
The Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism produces bold reporting on issues related to social justice, and cultivates writers and multimedia producers to assist in that role. BINJ supports independent publications in various reportorial and organizational capacities, collaborates with partners on sustainable journalism and civic engagement initiatives, and aims to empower promising muckrakers with training and professional compensation.

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MassChallenge Startup Showcase 2017
Wednesday, June 28
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Innovation and Design Building, 21 Drydock Avenue,Promenade, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/masschallenge-startup-showcase-2017-tickets-34370471004

Ready to meet the highest-impact, most disruptive businesses in the world? Don't miss Startup Showcase 2017!

#MCShowcase17
The MassChallenge Startup Showcase features the 128 highest-impact startup companies participating in the MassChallenge Boston accelerator. It is the first major opportunity for the startup community to meet the 2017 MassChallenge finalist startups and experience their new developments in an open-floor exposition.

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Canopy Social Impact Series: The Role of Innovation in Addressing Algorithmic Discrimination
Wednesday, June 28
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM EDT
Microsoft NERD, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/canopy-social-impact-series-the-role-of-innovation-in-addressing-algorithmic-discrimination-june-28-tickets-35086461551
Cost:  $0 – $15

With the increasing influence that Big Data exert on us, the issue of algorithmic discrimination arises more and more often.

Today, Artificial Intelligence is responsible for determining the results we get on Google, the ads we see on websites, the interest rate that is provided to us by banks and the characteristics of insurance we can get. It might seem as if algorithms that can solve such complex problems must have no shortcomings.

In fact, there is a widespread belief that software and algorithms that rely on data are objective. But software is not free from human influence. Algorithms are written and maintained by people, and machine learning algorithms adjust what they do based on people’s behavior. As a result, researchers in computer science, ethics and law, are increasingly calling attention to the fact that algorithms can reinforce human prejudices.

The main questions this panel will be exploring are: What is algorithmic fairness and why is it important? Can we expect more from algorithms than we expect from people? And if so, what can be done now to address algorithmic discrimination?

These questions and much more will be discussed at Canopy Social Impact Series: The Role of Innovation in Addressing Algorithmic Discrimination.

Join the discussion on Wednesday, June 28, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM at Microsoft NERD, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142.

Moderator
Matt Hoey - Co-Founder, Canopy City 
Matthew Hoey is the Co-founder & Managing Director of Canopy City. Prior to cofounding Canopy City he served an emerging technology & international security analyst to private sector, governmental and NGO based clients. Additionally, and most recently, Hoey was the Partnership Manager at the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge (MIT EF) and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL).

Panelists
Panelist 1 - Kade Crockford, Director, Technology for Liberty Program, American Civil Liberities Union of Massachusetts (ACLU) where she serves as the Director of the Technology for Liberty Program of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Kade works to protect and expand the First and Fouth Amendment rights and civil liberties in the digital 21st century focusing on how systems of surveillance and control impact not just for the society in general but their primary targets - people of color, Muslims, immigrants, and dissidents.
Panelist 2 - Caitriona Fitzgerald, Chief Technology Officer and EPIC Policy Director. In her capacity as EPIC Policy Director she provides expertise to shape strong privacy and open government laws at both the state and federal level. Her work as CTO focuses on improving EPIC's web presence. Based in Somerville, Massachusetts, Caitriona is building a Boston-area presence for EPIC. She recently co-authored The Secret Ballot at Risk: Recommendations for Protecting Democracy, a report highlighting the right to a secret ballot and how Internet voting threatens voter privacy. 
Panelist 3 - Brian Olson has been a professional software engineer on everything from tiny embedded computers to server farms, at tiny startups to giants of tech. His passion project for over ten years has been to maintain open source software around redistricting and elections. He has been working on Gerrymandering for a number of years and focusing on using algorithms to be perfectly fair and impartial, this work has been cited in the Washington Post, journaled articles, and presented at TEDx Cambridge. http://bdistricting.com/
Panelist 4 - Winston Henderson is Co-Founder of an early stage venture, Sankofa, Inc., that sits at the intersection of culture and technology, developing data-driven products that better reach, understand, and serve the diverse and multicultural population. Winston frequently presents on the value of diverse and inclusive teams in developing algorithms and data science. http://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/mining-data-all-its-worth
Panelist 5 - Sara Cable, Director, Data Privacy & Security and Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Ms. Cable investigates and prosecutes violations of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act and the Massachusetts data breach notification laws and data security regulations. She has reviewed thousands of data breach notices submitted under Massachusetts law, regularly reviews and investigates data security incidents, works with businesses to improve their data security and breach reporting practices, and is a frequent presenter on Massachusetts data security/breach laws. She is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US). Previously, Ms. Cable was a litigation associate at Bingham McCutchen LLP, where she litigated commercial disputes featuring unfair trade practice, antitrust, and intellectual property claims.
Panelist 6 - Sheila A. Hubbard, Commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) Commissioner Hubbard is an experienced public and non-profit sector attorney, and concurrently serves as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. Commissioner Hubbard was also Associate Director of the Bernard Koteen Office of Public Interest Advising at her alma mater of Harvard Law School and Senior Program Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. After serving under City of Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn as an attorney, policy analyst and the Director of the Minority and Women Business Office, Hubbard joined the Weld Administration as Deputy Legal Counsel, and was later appointed Chair of the Massachusetts Parole Board. A member of the Massachusetts Bar, Commissioner Hubbard graduated from Yale with a B.S. in Sociology and Political Science before attending Harvard Law School.

Agenda
6:00 - Doors open
6:30 - An overview of the Canopy mission & community services provided
6:35 - Presentation
7:30 - Moderated group discussion begins
8:30 - Panel Q&A begins
9:00 - EPIC.org is introduced and a 30-minute networking session begins
9:30 - Our second Canopy Social Impact Series event concludes

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How to Be a Muslim:  An American Story
Wednesday, June 28
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store and the Harvard Islamic Society welcome the Shalom Hartman Institute's HAROON MOGHUL for a discussion of his book, How to Be a Muslim: An American Story—a memoir of his struggles to forge an American Muslim identity.
About How to Be a Muslim

Haroon Moghul was thrust into the spotlight after 9/11, becoming an undergraduate leader at New York University’s Islamic Center forced into appearances everywhere: on TV, before interfaith audiences, in print. Moghul was becoming a prominent voice for American Muslims even as he struggled with his relationship to Islam. In high school he was barely a believer and entirely convinced he was going to hell. He sometimes drank. He didn’t pray regularly. All he wanted was a girlfriend.

But as he discovered, it wasn’t so easy to leave religion behind. To be true to himself, he needed to forge a unique American Muslim identity that reflected his beliefs and personality. How to Be a Muslim reveals a young man coping with the crushing pressure of a world that fears Muslims, struggling with his faith and searching for intellectual forebears, and suffering the onset of bipolar disorder. This is the story of the second-generation immigrant, of what it’s like to lose yourself between cultures and how to pick up the pieces.

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Personal Control of Digital Data
Wednesday, June 28
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 32-123, Kirsch Auditorium in the Stata Center at MIT, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Butler Lampson
People around the world are concerned that more and more of their personal data is on the Internet, where it's easy to find, copy, and link up with other data. Data about people's presence and actions in the physical world (from cameras, microphones, and other sensors) soon will be just as important as data that is born digital. What people most often want is a sense of control over their data (even if they don't exercise this control very often). Control means that you can tell who has your data, limit what they can do with it, and change your mind about the limits. Many people feel that this control is a fundamental human right (thinking of personal data as an extension of the self), or an essential part of your property rights to your data. 

Regulators are starting to respond to these concerns. Because societies around the world have different cultural norms and governments have different priorities, there will not be a single worldwide regulatory regime. However, it does seem possible to have a single set of basic technical mechanisms that support regulation. 

Butler Lampson is a Technical Fellow at Microsoft Corporation and an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at MIT. He holds a number of patents on networks, security, raster printing, and transaction processing. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

IEEE/ACM Joint Seminar Series 
Exploring the edge of computing technology.

Web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): ACM & IEEE/CS, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
For more information, contact:  Dorothy Curtis
617-253-0541
dcurtis at mit.edu 

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Thursday, June 29
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Cambridge and a Net Zero Plan
Thursday, June 29
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
USGBC MA 16th Floor, Edison Room, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cambridge-and-a-net-zero-plan-tickets-34830889127
Cost:  $30 – $65

Learn more about the City of Cambridge's 25-year Net-Zero Action Plan from presenter Henrietta Davis (former Mayor of Cambridge).

Join us for our Green Breakfast series with Henrietta Davis, former Mayor of Cambridge, and Seth Federspiel, the Net-Zero Energy Planner for the City of Cambridge, as they speak to the USGBC Massachusetts about Cambridge’s Net Zero Action Plan. We will also discuss the idea of creating a "handbook" for smaller municipalities in Massachusetts to achieve net-zero.

Breakfast and coffee will be provided.

Net-Zero in Cambridge
In December 2013, the City of Cambridge created the “Getting to Net Zero Task Force” charged with advancing the goal of setting Cambridge on the trajectory towards becoming a “net zero community”, with focus on carbon emissions from building operations. This includes reducing energy use intensity of buildings and taking advantage of opportunities to harvest energy from renewable sources. To guide this process, a committee comprised of residents, community advocates, business and property owners, developers and representatives of local universities was assembled. This committee worked collaboratively with a team of technical consultants and City staff to examine strategies and develop recommendations that reduce carbon emissions through efficient design and retrofits, improved operations and renewable energy generation. The Task Force developed comprehensive, actionable, long and short term recommendations. In June 2015, a 25-year Net Zero Action Plan, endorsed by stakeholders across the Cambridge community, was adopted by City Council.

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Volpe Site Development Retail, Open Space & Community Space Workshop
Thursday, June 29
5:30pm-7:30pm
Marriott Cambridge, 50 Broadway Second Floor, Cambridge

Join us for an interactive community- wide workshop to discuss retail, open space, and community space at Volpe.

Dinner will be served!

Find the latest project information at volpe.mit.edu

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Democracy Meet and Greet
Thursday, June 29
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, One Broadway (5th Floor, Venture Cafe), Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Daring-Democracy/events/240823707/

Dear Daring Democracy Members:
Our democracy is under attack. We all know this. But fewer are aware that gutsy citizens, many for the first time, are jumping in to fix our broken democracy. They’re pushing state legislators to pass real reforms and succeeding. In this exciting work, Massachusetts could become a leader. 

So we’re excited to announce our next Meetup: a “Meet and Greet” with the leaders of two Massachusetts’ democracy campaigns. While they might sound wonky, both are game changers. Automatic Voter Registration and Ranked Choice Voting.

On June 29th, please join us at the Cambridge Innovation Center to meet Pam Wilmot, master strategist of the fight for Automatic Voter Registration (and executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts) and Adam Friedman, executive director of Voter Choice Massachusetts. Pam and Adam will tell us about the difference their campaigns can make and how we can plug in. Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen, authors of the forthcoming Daring Democracy: Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want will explain why these efforts matter so much.

We’ll have plenty of time for questions, discussion, and opportunities to learn more about encouraging action to get to the system-roots of our democracy crisis. On the 29th, together we can focus on solutions!  

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Is Boston Prepared for Climate Change?
Thursday, June 29
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Boston Public Library, Commonwealth Salon, 700 Boylston Street, Boston

Bud Ris, long time climate expert and member of Boston’s Green Ribbon Commission, explains how our climate is changing, who will be affected, and what can be done to make the City of Boston as resilient as possible. After the talk, audience members are invited to view the Leventhal Map Center’s exhibition, Regions and Seasons: Mapping Climate through History.

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Green Cambridge 2017 Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 29
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Hurley Street Neighborhood Farm, 213 Hurley Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Green-Cambridge-Meetup/events/240213949/

Look on the fence for the banner!
Come and join Green Cambridge for our monthly meeting -- this month will be our ANNUAL MEETING! You are invited!

Check us out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GreenCambridge/) and at http://www.greencambridge.org

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Microbes from Antarctica: exploring their role in global climate change.
Thursday, June 29
6:30 PM
BosLab, 339R Summer Street, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/BosLab/events/240917784/

Join us at BosLab for a fun seminar about cold-loving bacteria from the Antarctic! Guest speaker Dr. Mrina Nikrad will share stories of her previous work and adventures in Antarctica to uncover how oceanic bacteria are responding to global climate change.

Mrina has a Ph.D. in molecular microbial ecology from the University of Delaware, College of Marine Studies, and a Masters degree in Biomedicine from the University of Colorado, School of Medicine. For her dissertation work, she conducted research on ocean microbes in the West Antarctica Peninsula in summer and late fall. Heterotrophic bacteria in the ocean take up organic carbon and respire it into carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Thus, they play a vital role in the global carbon cycle that is poorly understood. With warming conditions affecting ecosystems in polar regions, the activity of these bacteria may change, in turn affecting the global cycling of carbon. 

Mrina has also researched microbes in other ecosystems ranging from recycled agricultural waters to Arctic permafrost. She currently works at a microbiome biotech company in Cambridge. You can follow her on twitter at @extremophile.

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Friday, June 30
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20th annual Cambridge Dance Party
Friday, June 30
7 to 11 p.m. June 30
Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

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Sunday, July 2
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The Art of the Protest Song - Benefit Concert for the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
Sunday, July 2
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, #1c, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-art-of-the-protest-song-benefit-concert-for-the-massachusetts-immigrant-and-refugee-advocacy-tickets-33602819939
$15 – $20

The Art of the Protest Song Concert is a benefit for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition(MIRA). MIRA promotes the rights and integration of immigrants throughout New England www.miracoalition.org
Co-sponsored by Boston Area Musicians Take Action and The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston

The MIRA Benefit Concert features four musically gifted performers who use their art to illuminate the social justice issues Americans face and inspire us to take action. Featured performers include Sarah Lee Guthrie ( an engaging performer whose work helps carry on an historic family tradition), Regie Gibson (a wonderful rap artist and winner of the National Poetry Slam Contest), David Roth ( an award winning heart and earth-centered singer/songwriter) and Clave & Blues ( a Latino-American salsa band who ryhthmically peform the freedom music of their heritage)

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Tuesday, July 4
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Drawing Party: Find Out Who Will Win a Tesla
Tuesday, July 4
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Old West Church, 131 Cambridge Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drawing-party-find-out-who-will-win-a-tesla-tickets-35238644735

After months of waiting, it all comes down to this. Join us for a summer barbecue as we draw the six lucky winners of our Carbon Pricing Awareness Tesla Raffle!

There will be great food and live music, and one lucky person will walk away with the funds for a brand new built-to-order Tesla - a $160,000 value.
Raffle tickets are currently on sale - ticket sales will officially end on July 4th. Buy yours before it's too late!

Winners will be drawn at 7:30pm. Once it gets dark, we'll walk down to the river together for fireworks.

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Upcoming Events
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Methods and Concepts for Self-Organizing and Hybrid Robotic Control in Architectural Design
Wednesday, July 5
10:00 to 1:00 PM
NE Complex Systems Institute, 277 Broadway, Cambridge

This event will feature a work in progress thesis presentation by NECSI researcher and The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (KADK) PhD student Mary Katherine Heinrich.

Heinrich's thesis is titled "Methods and Concepts for Self-Organizing and Hybrid Robotic Control in Architectural Design." Her presentation will be followed by an opponent survey and Q&A from Omar Khan, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Buffalo. The event will conclude with an open round of questions.

Heinrich studies the potential applications of hybridizing plants with robots in the EU Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) project flora robotica, with a particular interest in architecture. Plants have a natural ability to self-organize and grow. Developing robots that can form symbiotic relationships with plants could leverage those natural abilities to form new kinds of structures and buildings.

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Sunday, July 9
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Your compost heap wants YOU. Composting: A State of Mind
Sunday, July 9
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Potluck 6:00-7:00 p.m. followed by discussion 7:00-9:00 p.m. 
1 Fayette Park, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/240742317/
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay. 

Elizabeth Whitehouse is an environmental activist focused on restoring biodiversity from the soil up. She is a Master Gardener, graduate of Maine Compost School, certified in Permaculture Design and author of Spread it Around, a book about composting and going green through garbage, as well as A Better Way dealing with system change, not climate change.

"Perhaps most important of all, making and using compost develops a mind set that puts the good of the world above convenience. Composters practice the three R's - reduce, re-use and recycle, and they fight an active War on Waste." (Compost International)

This promises to be a lively presentation! 

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Monday, July 10
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Workshop: Restoring the Earth
Monday, July 10
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
The Farm, 213 Hurley Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/240758888/
Biodiversity for a LIvable Climate is a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay. 

Elizabeth Whitehouse is a woman on a mission: to save the earth one compost heap at a time.  You can be part of that mission by setting up your own backyard heap or bin.  Learn how easy it is to turn yard debris and kitchen scraps into nature’s primary soil builder. Learn what to compost, how to compost and, most importantly, why to compost.

"Making compost is as easy as piling up weeds, kitchen scraps, yard trimmings, leaves and so on and leaving them to rot quietly, or as complicated as manipulating the ingredients in your pile to make customized composts to suit individual plants." (Compost International)

This workshop will be a hands on learning experience, not to be missed! 

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2017 Harvard vs. MIT Case Competition
Monday, July 10
2:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-345, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Now in its ninth year, the Case Competition is our largest event, put together each summer in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate Consulting Club (HGCC). Over the course of the 12-day event, participants will work in a team of four to tackle a real-world business case, networking throughout with representatives from top consulting and industry firms. You will have the opportunity to deliver your recommendation at the closing ceremony to the client and a panel of consultant judges; the winning three teams will receive a cash prize. This is an excellent opportunity to gain business experience and build your resume.

Web site: http://www.harvardmitcasecompetition.com/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Consulting Club at MIT (CCM)
For more information, contact:  Chao Zhang
ccm-exec at mit.edu, ccm-managers at mit.edu 

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Boston New Technology July 2017 Startup Showcase #BNT79
Monday, July 10
6:00 PM to 8:45 PM
Akamai Technologies, 150 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/240578947/

Akamai staff will be escorting attendees from the lobby up the stairs to the first floor, where you'll find our check-in table. Type the first few letters of your name on the screen and tap your name to print your name tag.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community! 

Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A.

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Tuesday, July 11
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Weapons of Math Destruction, Cathy O'Neil!
Tuesday July 11
12PM 
1:30PM 
NERD, 1 Memorial Drive, 1st Floor/Horace Mann Room, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/msr-smcbkc-welcome-author-of-weapons-of-math-destruction-cathy-oneil-tickets-35440018048

Microsoft Research's Social Media Collective and Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society welcome author Cathy O'Neil to NERD. O'Neil will read from her award-winning book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (2016). The reading will be followed by an informal lunch and mixer for MSR, NERD, Garage and BKC interns.

Please join us for a timely discussion of the role of data science in public life. All are welcome at this free event open to the public!

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Tech, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll 2017
Tuesday, July 11
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
BU, Metcalf Hall, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue,Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ee3ebmr480992962&oseq=&c=&ch=

At the 8th Annual Tech, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll networking event be sure to check out some of these research groups.

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SEED: The Untold Story screening and fundraiser
Tuesday, July 11
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Loring-Greenough House, 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seed-the-untold-story-screening-and-fundraiser-tickets-34857376351
$15

Please join us for a very special event benfitting The Food Project and the Loring Greenough House.
The evening will include a screening of the documentary SEED as well as a short introduction to the work done by The Food Project.

SEED: The Untold Story is a documentary that follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds. SEED features Vandana Shiva, Dr. Jane Goodall, Andrew Kimbrell, Winona Laduke and Raj Patel.

Tickets for this event cost $16.29 each ($15 + ticket processing fee) with the option to add an additional donation to benefit The Food Project and the LGH.

A portion of the ticket sales for this event will be donated to The Food Project which is working "to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system." http://www.thefoodproject.org/

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Opportunity
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New Climate CoLab Contests:
Adaptation
Buildings
Carbon Pricing
Energy Supply
Land Use Change
Shifting Attitudes & Behaviors
Transportation

More information at https://www.climatecolab.org/

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Discounted Solar for Somerville

As part of the State’s Solarize Mass program, local volunteers and the City of Somerville recently launched the Solarize Somerville campaign to make it easier and cheaper for residents and small businesses to install solar panels.

The program, which is offering information and guidance, free site consultations, and solar panel discounts through November, has set an ambitious goal to inspire at least 200 property owners to sign up for solar —and each of those private solar installations will also benefit the community directly. For every 400 kW in signed private contracts through the program, the program’s solar vendor SolarFlair will donate a system of up to 5 kW for a public or community purpose. All are invited to the program kickoff at a Meet the Installer event on Tuesday, July 26 at 6-7:30 p.m., 167 Holland St. Additional events on topics such as solar basics, financing, and solar for multifamily homes will be announced.

Unique to the program is its neighbor-to-neighbor approach: trained resident volunteers and a designated volunteer Solar Coach are available essentially as mentors. They can, for example, walk anyone through the process, provide general loan program and tax incentive information, and share their own solar experiences. The campaign’s webpage and blog offers useful information, tips, and a link to websites where you can estimate the solar potential of your home and roughly calculate how much solar could save you on your energy bills at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize.

Somerville is one of the most urban communities ever to participate in Solarize Mass, which makes the neighbor-to-neighbor approach especially helpful due to some of the unique challenges here such as multi-family houses with more than one owner. Winter Hill resident Mary Mangan, the program’s volunteer Solar Coach, went through that process and is ready to share helpful tips.

"I'm excited to work with our eager volunteers to help our neighbors understand the benefits of solar power. As a co-owner of a two-family home with solar, I can also offer some insights about how that process went for us," said Mangan.

Also key to the program is the selection of a designated vendor, which allows the program to offer reduced cost installation through bulk purchasing. Through a competitive process, SolarFlair, based in Ashland, MA, was selected. They were also the selected installer for the communities of Arlington, Hopkinton, Mendon, Brookline, Carlisle-Chelmsford, Newton, and Quincy.

"We're excited to be the selected installer for Solarize Somerville, and look forward to speaking with any home or business owners that are interested in reducing their electric bills while also making a great investment," said Matt Arner, the owner and President of SolarFlair.

Quick facts:
Solar systems can be purchased outright (with a payback of about 4-5 years). The Mass Solar Loan program offers rates of 3.25% or less. 
Or, for no money down owners can choose a power purchase agreement (PPA), where the system is owned and maintained by a third party, and residents buy back the electricity at a discounted price.   
More on-site renewable energy is critical to reducing carbon emissions.  It also saves money for residents.

Tax incentives for solar installations include:
Federal Tax Credit: A 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is available for qualified residential and commercial projects
Massachusetts Personal Income Tax Credit: The lesser of 15% of the total cost of the solar electric system or $1,000, for qualified clean energy projects
Five-year Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS): Business owners can depreciate solar electric systems over a five-year schedule

For more information or to sign up for a free site consultation:

Visit the Solarize Somerville webpage at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize for
Helpful information and FAQs
To contact a volunteer or Solar Coach Mary Mangan to discuss solar options and incentives
To set up an appointment for a free site consultation directly with SolarFlair
To find out about events
To volunteer for Solarize Somerville

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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!
Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. 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://somervilleyogurtmakingcoop.wordpress.com

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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images
Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera?  With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more comfortable and less expensive to heat. However, at $200 or so, the cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.
HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer Cambridge residents free thermal scans.
Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras.  They will scan every building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or buildings or on a private way).  Building owners can view thermal images of their property and an analysis online. The information is password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.
Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.
The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.
Go to Sagewell.com.  Type in your address at the bottom where it says "Find your home or building" and press return.  Then click on "Here" to request the report.
That's it.  When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to do about it.
With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money, not to mention comfort).

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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ

Solar map of Cambridge, MA
http://www.mapdwell.com/en/cambridge

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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

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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 

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Cambridge Coalition Solar Access Campaign is part of the DOE SunShot Solar in Your Community Challenge with a goal of 40 new solar electric systems installed in Cambridge, with a focus on serving low-to-moderate income communities.

Coalition partners include Green Cambridge, which works to create a more sustainable city and to protect the environment for the health and safety of all, Resonant Energy, a community-based solar developer, Solstice, helping every single household in America go solar, and Sunwealth, a solar investment firm.

More information at http://www.resonant.energy/sap-overview/

hat tip Cambridge Civic Journal 
http://www.rwinters.com

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Resource
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"Greening Our Grid" Report Released April 24, 2017

MAPC is excited to announce the release of “Greening Our Grid,” a fact sheet and a case study detailing MAPC’s strategy to use municipal aggregation to help build new renewable energy in New England. 

“Greening Our Grid” highlights MAPC's work with the City of Melrose as a case study for MAPC's innovative green municipal aggregation strategy. Melrose recently completed its first year of implementation. The city’s results demonstrate that economic and environmental goals can be met simultaneously, and provide a compelling example for others to follow. 

The case study and fact sheet further describe the renewable energy strategy overall, why it can have a real impact on our electricity grid, and MAPC’s program to help other municipalities follow Melrose's lead. Arlington, Brookline, Gloucester, Hamilton, Millis, Somerville, Sudbury, and Winchester are poised to roll out their green aggregations within the year. 

MAPC believes that municipal aggregation offers an opportunity for communities to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and businesses to transform our electric grid to cleaner sources of energy, while also providing cost savings and price stability for electricity. The fact sheet and case study will be useful tools for cities and towns that are exploring green municipal aggregation, as well as for those that already have active aggregation programs.

Check out “Greening Our Grid” today at http://www.mapc.org/greening-our-grid, and contact Patrick Roche, MAPC Clean Energy Coordinator, at proche at mapc.org for more information about MAPC's program.

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Cambridge Climate Change Game

Extending our work on face-to-face games, the MIT Science Impact Collaborative has developed a digital game on the health impacts of climate change that you can play alone on your computer or on your mobile phone. The game should take about 10-20 minutes. We would appreciate it if you could play the game at your convenience.

Play the game at http://www.doublecoconut.com/climate/

Any and all feedback on the game should be directed to Ella Kim at ella at mit.edu.  

Thank you for your time and consideration!

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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide
SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!
To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha at sbnboston.org

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Boston Food System
"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."
The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas.   Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.
Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities.  Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers.  Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.
It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

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The Boston Network for International Development (BNID) maintains a website (BNID.org) that serves as a clearing-house for information on organizations, events, and jobs related to international development in the Boston area. BNID has played an important auxiliary role in fostering international development activities in the Boston area, as witnessed by the expanding content of the site and a significant growth in the number of users.
The website contains:
A calendar of Boston area events and volunteer opportunities related to International Development - http://www.bnid.org/events
A jobs board that includes both internships and full time positions related to International Development that is updated daily - http://www.bnid.org/jobs
A directory and descriptions of more than 250 Boston-area organizations - http://www.bnid.org/organizations
Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter (we promise only one email per week) to get the most up-to-date information on new job and internship opportunities -www.bnid.org/sign-up
The website is completely free for students and our goal is to help connect students who are interested in international development with many of the worthwhile organizations in the area.
Please feel free to email our organization at info at bnid.org if you have any questions!

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Boston Maker Spaces - 41 (up from 27 in 2016) and counting:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGHnt9r2pQx8.kfw9evrHsKjA&hl=en
Solidarity Network Economy:  https://ussolidarityeconomy.wordpress.com
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston:  http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/

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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/
Harvard Events:  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/
Harvard Environment:  http://environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/
Sustainability at Harvard:  http://green.harvard.edu/events
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
Take Action MA:  http://takeactionma.com

If you have an event you would like to see here, the submission deadline is 12 PM on Sundays, as Energy (and Other) Events is sent out Sunday afternoons.