[act-ma] Energy (and Other) Events - February 3, 2019
gmoke
gmoke at world.std.com
Sun Feb 3 09:09:21 PST 2019
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, February 4
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9am Equity and Social Justice: Precision Medicine
9am Symposium: Reinventing Cancer Prevention and Early Detection for the 21st Century - World Cancer Day
10am Blockchain Technology in the Education/Social Sectors
12pm Civic Life Lunch – The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America
12pm Shifting the Story: Narrative Change in the Time of Trump
12:10pm Strangers in the night: Will light pollution lead to firefly declines?
12:15pm Strategies of Conflict: Performing Responsibility in the Missile Age
12:15pm Crypto: A Look at the Current State of the Controversy
4pm 2019 John T. Dunlop Memorial Forum feat. Congressman Joe Kennedy III
4pm Research on Tap: Coastal Cities, People, and Waterways
5pm Twins in Space
5pm Reception for “Saints of Star Wars” Exhibit
6:30pm There will be Blood: The Genetics of Blood Production in Health and Disease
6:30pm Is A.I Laughing at Us? A Conversation with David Weinberger, Jessica Fjeld, and Nikhil Dharmaraj on Ethics and Governance of AI
7pm The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives about Being Mixed Race in the 21st Century
7pm The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation
7pm Reimagining The Microbial World
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Tuesday, February 5
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8am Energy Storage & Solar Safety Training - Everett, MA
9am Community Engagement Forum - Best Practices for Translating Evidence into Policy: Present and Future Considerations
11:45am Power Electronics: A New Landscape and its Impact on Research and Applications
12pm Berkman Klein Tuesday Luncheon Series - A History of the Internet
12pm Justice Beyond the Final Verdict: The Sepur Zarco case and the aftermath of court-ordered reparations in transitional justice cases in Guatemala
12:30pm The External Sources of Rising State Strength
3:30pm UnBooks at Baker with Michael Wheeler
4pm Collective Decision Making: Theory and Experiments
5:30pm In Real Life: Designing for Impact Workshop
6pm Botany Blast: New and Emerging Pests at the Arnold Arboretum
6pm IOP Fellows Unpack Politics: Bipartisanship, Activism, and the Road to 2020
6pm 3rd Annual INVITE TO IGNITE
6pm Open Project Night at Impact Hub Boston
7pm The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump
7pm Food Politics & The Farm Bill With Erika Dunyak
8pm Green New Deal Livestream Watch Party
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Wednesday, February 6
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10am The New Wave in Robot Grasping
10:30am Solar Career & Networking Event at Solar Power Northeast
12pm Ocean heat transport from the subtropical gyre to the subpolar gyre in the North Atlantic
12pm Just Narratives: When Law and Storytelling Intersect
12pm Oil and Great Power Strategy
12:30pm The Evolution of Carbon Markets: Design, Diffusion and Linking
1:15pm Looting and Climate Change Threaten Mongolia's Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
4pm The Truth Wears Off? The Reproducibility Crisis in Historical Perspective
4:15pm The Electric Gini: Income Redistribution through Energy Prices
4:30pm Series Fluid-Elastic Mechanics and Soft-Composite Design for Human-Safe and Interactive Robots
4:30pm Navigating the Clean Energy Innovation Ecosystem
5pm Is AI the New Frankenstein? The 1st Annual Humanities & New Media Lecture
6pm Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison
6pm Big Tech and Democracy
6pm Humans and the Dangers of AI: The other side of the coin
6pm Solar Talk for Blue Lips
6pm Synthetic Biology: Life Redesigned
6:30pm The next phase of big genetics
7pm The Challenge and Promise of Restoring Urban Landscapes
7pm Community Forum on Carbon Fee and Rebate with Mass. Representative Jennifer Benson
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Thursday, February 7
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11:45am How Horizontal Shareholding Harms Our Economy — And Why Antitrust Law Can Fix It
12pm Visual Media and Storytelling on Criminal Justice Reform
12pm Keeping Massachusetts on track to meet its clean energy and climate goals
12pm Structure, Meaning, Action and Interaction: a future vision for augmenting human, machine, and network intelligence
12:15pm Nuclear Abolitionism and the End of the Cold War
2pm Team Human: How people, together, can rule the digital future
3pm Disparities in Rooftop Photovoltaics Deployment in the United States by Race and Ethnicity
4pm Getting to Zero on Climate Change
4:15pm Comparative Democracy Seminar -- Non-Policy Politics: Richer Voters, Poorer Voters, and the Diversification of Electoral Strategies
5pm The Supreme Court's Threat to Civil Society
5:30pm The Annual Massachusetts State of Solar
5:30pm 2019 Winter Edition EnergyBar @ Greentown Labs
6pm Using Social Media for Activism
6pm The Peacemaker: Film Screening and Discussion with Padraig O’Malley
6:30pm Techii Forum — Virtual Reality in Language Pedagogy and Authentic Cultural Immersion
6:30pm Together Building Place-Based Resiliency & Sustainability Series
7pm Team Human
7pm Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation
7pm MIT IDEAS Spring Generator Dinner 2019
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Friday, February 8 – Saturday, February 9
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Harvard Graduate Music Conference: Music, Sound, & Censorship
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Friday, February 8
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8:30am How can bacteria control access to cooperative behavior?
11am Under Fire
11:45am Human Rights in Hard Places Speaker Series: Freedom in the World
12pm Towards a holistic understanding of the interactions between biochemical and physical processes above the Amazonian rain forest
12pm New Phenomena in Large-Scale Internet Traffic
12pm Black-Box Medicine: Legal and Ethical Issues: A Health Policy and Bioethics Consortium
2pm Crisis and Credibility: The Politics of Ideas in India and Developing Democracies
3pm How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration
3pm Smallholder Farming: Strategies for Sustainability and Resilience
4pm America and the World: A Conversation with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy & Senator Ed Markey
7pm Screwnomics: How Our Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change
7pm The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation
7:30pm Film screening: "The Dawn Wall”
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Saturday, February 9 - Sunday, February 10
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SocialxDesign: The 7th Annual HarvardxDesign Conference
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Saturday, February 9
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"From Rabbinic Sources to a Theology of Environmental Torah”
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Monday, February 11
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8:30am Comprehensive Green Roof: Beyond Extensive and Intensive
12pm Program on Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate [PAOC] Colloquium: Kaustubh Thirumalai (Brown)
12pm How to die young at a very old age
12pm Surprising Insights from Electricity Customer Micro Data
12pm “Cultures of Ability”
12pm Harmony Through Harmony
3:30pm Innovations for Fisheries and Conservation Solutions
6pm Brexit: What’s Next?
6pm Positive Eco-Ethics in a Human-dominated World
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Tuesday, February 12
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12pm Speaker Series: Justin Tinsley
12pm Tropical Pitcher Plants as an Ecological Filter
12pm Kim Samuel: Social Inclusion and the Human Right of Belonging
12pm To AI or Not to AI: Image-Based Diagnostics for Post-Cesarean Delivery Infections in Rural Rwanda
12:30pm The Economic Impact of America's New Protectionism
1pm Climate Change, Social Inequity and the People's Health
3pm The Role of Public Policy in Improving Women's Welfare in Developing Countries
4pm Climate Change, Social Inequity and the People's Health
4:15pm Covering Catastrophe: The Dire Science & Heated Politics of Climate Change in the Trump Era
4:30pm Emile Bustani Seminar: "Worst Humanitarian Crises of Our Time: Displacement and Destruction in Syria and Yemen”
4:30pm Can Caribbean Environmental History Teach Us Anything About Resilience?
5pm Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons
5:15pm Amputated from the Land: Black Refugees from America and the Neglected Voices of Environmental History
6pm Robotland: The Future of Policy and Work in an AI World
6pm Personal Genetics: Power to the People or Buyer Beware?
6pm Leading the Way: An Evening to Celebrate Women in Science
6pm Darwin Day: Twice! Science and the Double Discovery of Evolution
6:30pm Confronting Climate Change: Boston-Based Ideas that Can Change the World
7pm How Worker-Owned Coops Enhance the Solidarity Economy
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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
Napoleon on War
https://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2019/02/napoleon-on-war.html
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Monday, February 4
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Equity and Social Justice: Precision Medicine
WHEN Monday, Feb. 4, 2019, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Medical School, Countway Library, Minot Room (5th Floor), 10 Shattuck Street, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Health Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HMS Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership;
co-sponsored by: Personal Genetics Education Project; Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University
SPEAKER(S) Keynote presentation:
Vence L. Bonham Jr., JD, Senior Advisor to the Director on Genomics and Health Disparities
National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health
Panel discussion:
Marnie Gelbart, Ph.D., Director of Programs, Personal Genetics Education Project
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Jonathon Jackson, Ph.D., Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Director, CARE Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
Paul Underwood, MD, Medical Director, Clinical Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific
Moderator:
Latrice Landry, Ph.D., Genomic Medicine Fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School
COST Free
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ESJ_2-4-19
CONTACT INFO Jackie Wright
jackie_wright at hms.harvard.edu
617-432-2645
DETAILS The goal of this session is to foster a dialogue on health equity, health disparities, and health policy issues related to involving diverse communities in genetic innovations in medicine.
LINK https://mfdp.med.harvard.edu/node/1506
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Symposium: Reinventing Cancer Prevention and Early Detection for the 21st Century - World Cancer Day
Monday, February 4
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Harvard, Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston
RSVP at https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tnvRD2zw8POgL3
Kindly RSVP by January 28, 2019
The new Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to prevention education and research across the cancer continuum. The Center focuses on primary prevention (including lifestyle and behavior modifications), secondary prevention (including screening and early detection), and tertiary prevention (including cancer survivorship and disease monitoring).
Our mission is to support groundbreaking research that develops and implements novel methods, technologies, and tools to further the translation of this work into clinical and public health practice. By forming cross- collaborative partnerships among researchers, physicians, thought leaders, pharma, academic collaborators, philanthropists, technology companies, and innovators, we strive to accelerate progress within the field and optimize the pathways of care.
The Zhu Family Center for Global Cancer Prevention supports the training of next-generation prevention and early-detection researchers, the recruitment of top talent in the field, and the education of policymakers, public health organizations, and health care providers to ensure that interventions are cost- effective and implementable within existing health systems. We are motivated by the belief that all populations worldwide should benefit from state-of-the-art cancer-prevention strategies.
For questions, please email the Center for Global Cancer Prevention.
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Blockchain Technology in the Education/Social Sectors
WHEN Monday, Feb. 4, 2019, 10 – 11 a.m.
WHERE Harvard, HGSE Gutman Conference Center (Area 1), 6 Appian Way, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Information Technology, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HGSE Emerging Tech Club
SPEAKER(S) Iliana Oris Valiente, Managing Director - Emerging Tech, Blockchain Innovation Lead, Accenture
COST Free
CONTACT INFO harvardeto at gmail.com
DETAILS Join us for refreshments and a presentation by Iliana Oris Valiente, Accenture's Blockchain Innovation Lead and Managing Director of Emerging Tech, on blockchain technology in the education and social sectors.
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Civic Life Lunch – The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America
Monday, February 4
12 – 1PM
Tufts, Rabb Room of Lincoln Filene Center, Tisch College, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Bernard Fraga wrestles with questions of race and turnout in his new book “The Turnout Gap” tracing the historical roots of racial disparities in voting and arguing that it’s up to politicians, parties, and the people to fix them. Fraga is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University.
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Shifting the Story: Narrative Change in the Time of Trump
Monday, February 4
12:00pm to 1:30pm
Northeastern, Dockser Hall, 65 Forsyth Street, Boston
Winter 2019 Daynard Visiting Fellow: Dimple Abichandandi '02, Executive Director, General Service Foundation
In her community lecture, Dimple will discuss the role of narrative in our quest for justice and will share case studies of successful narrative change efforts. She will explore the intersection of law and narrative, how lawyers are using narrative change approaches and make recommendations for how lawyers can think about narrative in their practices.
Dimple Abichandani is the executive director of the General Service Foundation (GSF), a private foundation that supports organizations advocating for racial and gender justice. Dimple joined General Service Foundation in 2015, bringing almost two decades of experience advancing social justice as a lawyer, funder and educator.
Prior to joining GSF, Dimple was the executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law. At the Center, Dimple launched a social justice innovation lab aimed at generating new long-term approaches to persistent social justice challenges and providing law students opportunities to develop skills and mindsets including creativity, empathy, collaboration and social justice problem-solving.
As the founding program officer of the Security and Rights Collaborative (SRC) at the Proteus Fund, Dimple managed a donor collaborative aimed at challenging post-9/11 Islamophobia and discrimination and restoring civil rights and liberties. Earlier in her career, Dimple worked at Legal Services NYC, first as a staff attorney where she represented low wage workers and later as the Director of Program Development.
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Strangers in the night: Will light pollution lead to firefly declines?
Monday, February 4
12:10p
Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill, 1300 Centre Street, Roslindale
Avalon Owens, PhD Student, Tufts University
Cunin/Sigal Award Recipient
Editorial Comment:
I want
lightning bugs
back.
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Strategies of Conflict: Performing Responsibility in the Missile Age
Monday, February 4
12:15PM
Harvard, CGIS South S050, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7VGUkAvTU655Dub2FTGSNMjpVs6f8Qbu0kpmXh6oz11MgFw/viewform
Please RSVP via the online form by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Benjamin Tyler Wilson, Harvard, History of Science
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
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Crypto: A Look at the Current State of the Controversy
Monday, February 4
12:15pm - 1:30pm
Harvard, 1 Brattle Square - Suite 470, Cambridge
Join the Cybersecurity Project for a lunch talk on "Crypto: A Look at the Current State of the Controversy" with Professor Susan Landau, Bridge Professor of Cyber Security and Policy in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the School of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, Tufts University.
Lunch will be served on a first come, first served basis.
Cyber Security Project Events Series
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2019 John T. Dunlop Memorial Forum feat. Congressman Joe Kennedy III
WHEN Monday, Feb. 4, 2019, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall (Room 2019), Milstein West A, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Law School Labor & Worklife Program and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Congressman Joe Kennedy III
COST Free
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cong-joe-kennedy-iii-building-a-moral-capitalism-tickets-54557515999
CONTACT INFO info at ash.harvard.edu
DETAILS Join us and the Harvard Law School Labor & Worklife Program for the 2019 John T. Dunlop Forum featuring Congressman Joe Kennedy III. Congressman Kennedy will discuss his recent call for “moral capitalism” and outline how he believes a new Congress can recalibrate our country’s economy back toward American workers.
LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cong-joe-kennedy-iii-building-a-moral-capitalism-tickets-54557515999
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Research on Tap: Coastal Cities, People, and Waterways
Monday, February 4
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
BU, Photonics, 9th Floor, 8 St Marys Street, Boston
The world’s river basins and coastal cities are directly influenced by the people who live, work, and play on the water and in the surrounding landscapes. This session will feature brief presentations by BU faculty whose research focuses on some aspect of the interactions between people and waterways and coastal cities in various geographies. From the Amazon Basin to Southeast Asia and Indonesia to coastal New England, BU researchers are working to better understand the important, intrinsic connections and mutual influences between humans and inland waterways and urban areas on the coast.Join the BU Office of Research for a Research on Tap event, titled "Coastal Cities, People, and Waterways," hosted by Anthony Janetos, Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth & Environment.
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Twins in Space
Monday, February 4
5:00 pm
Radcliffe, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2019-brinda-rana-lecture
The Undiscovered Lecture Series
Spaceflight poses unusual stressors to the human body. Microgravity, confined spaces, radiation exposure, and restricted diets are among the challenges faced by astronauts. To ensure that astronauts can perform under these daunting conditions, NASA investigators have been studying the effect of long-duration spaceflight on crew members.
One such investigation is the NASA Twins Study, which is an integrated, multi-omic, molecular, physiological, and cognitive portrait of a pair of identical twin astronauts—one who spent a year in space while his co-twin stayed on Earth to provide ground-control measures. In this talk, Brinda Rana will present the findings of the NASA Twins Study and discuss additional findings from our simulated microgravity studies.
Please register and join us.
Free and open to the public.
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Reception for “Saints of Star Wars” Exhibit
Monday, February 4
5 – 6:30pm
Harvard, Center for the Study of World Religions, CSWR Conference Room, 42 Francis Ave.nue, Cambridge
This series of Star Wars characters cast in the guise of Byzantine saint icons is a playful parody of the worship and adoration that fans give to these beloved figures. The paintings in this series draw on many of the typical features of Byzantine iconography, including the subjects’ hand gestures and postures, draped clothing with angular folds in high contrast, and stylized portraits with large eyes, elongated faces, and distinct outlines. Jabba the Hutt’s Last Supper, diverging somewhat from this pattern, blends a more realistic style in portraying the figures (in accordance with da Vinci’s masterpiece) with the gold background and Greek character labeling deployed in the rest of the series.
Alex Ramos is a self-taught artist working in acrylic paints on canvas. In addition to his popular Icons of Science Fiction series, he paints landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes so realistic and detailed that they are often mistaken for photographs. Alex is an alumnus of Harvard Divinity School and earned a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and he currently resides in central Pennsylvania.
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There will be Blood: The Genetics of Blood Production in Health and Disease
Monday, February 4
6:30pm
Aeronaut Brewery, 14 Tyler Street, Somerville
ViJay Sankaran
More information at http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Is A.I Laughing at Us? A Conversation with David Weinberger, Jessica Fjeld, and Nikhil Dharmaraj on Ethics and Governance of AI
Monday, February 4
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Cambridge Public Library Lecture Hall, Main Branch, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Join a spirited and accessible discussion of artificial intelligence and art, how humor and creativity interrelate, and the successes and the shortcomings of new Al technologies, featuring poet and lawyer Jessica Fjeld, author and thinker David Weinberger, and metaLAB research assistant (and incoming Harvard student) Nikhil Dharmaraj. Inspired by Cambridge Public Library's recent exhibition, The Laughing Room by Jonny Sun and Hannah Davis, in which visitors found themselves on a sitcom set where the laughter was controlled by an Al.
Presented as part of Horizons: Exploring Breakthroughs in Science & Technology and Their Impact on Society, a lecture series of the the STEAM Initiative at Cambridge Public Library Cosponsored by metaLAB (at) Harvard and the ARTificial Intelligence group at MIT.
Jessica Fjeld is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School. and the Assistant Director of the Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Recently, she has emphasized work with Al-generated art. the overlap of existing rights and ethics frameworks on emerging technologies. and legal issues confronted by digital archives. She holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Massachusetts.
Author and thinker David Weinberger explores the effect of technology on ideas. He is a senior researcher at Harvard's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and is serving a stint as a writer-in-residence at Google's People + Al Resesarch group He was co-director of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. a journalism fellow at Harvard's Shorenstein Center. and a Franklin Fellow at the US. State Department. He has PhD in Philosophy from the University of Toronto, and has worked as a humor writer. His next book, Everyday Chaos (Fall 2019). argues that Al and the Internet are transforming our understanding of how things happen, enabling us to acknowledge the complexity and unknowability of our world.
Nikhil Dharmaraj is fascinated by the intersection of technology and the humanities. As an intern at Harvard's metaLAB, Nikhil worked with artists Jonny Sun and Hannah Davis on The Laughing Room. A senior at The Harker School in San Jose, California, he will enter Harvard College as a member of the Class of 2023.
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The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives about Being Mixed Race in the 21st Century (Paperback)
Monday, February 4
7:00pm
Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge
The Beiging of America: Being Mixed Race in the 21st Century takes on "race matters" and considers them through the firsthand accounts of mixed race people in the United States. Edited by mixed-race scholars Cathy J. Schlund-Vials, Sean Frederick Forbes and Tara Betts, this collection consists of 39 poets, writers, teachers, professors, artists and activists, whose personal narratives articulate the complexities of interracial life.
The Beiging of America was prompted by cultural critic/scholar Hua Hsu, who contemplated the changing face and race of U.S. demographics in his 2009 The Atlantic article provocatively titled "The End of White America." In it, Hsu acknowledged "steadily ascending rates of interracial marriage" that undergirded assertions about the "beiging of America."
The Beiging of America is an absorbing and thought-provoking collection of stories that explore racial identity, alienation, with people often forced to choose between races and cultures in their search for self-identity. While underscoring the complexity of the mixed-race experience, these unadorned voices offer a genuine, poignant, enlightening and empowering message to all readers.
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The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation
Monday, February 4
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center NARAYAN HELEN LIEBENSON for a discussion of her debut book, The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation.
About The Magnanimous Heart
In her long-awaited debut, a beloved master teacher shows us how to move from the “constant squeeze” of suffering to a direct experience of enoughness.
The magnanimous heart is a heart of balance and buoyancy, of generosity and inclusivity. It allows us to approach each moment exactly as it is, in a fresh and alive way free from agendas and “shoulds,” receiving all that arises. It has the capacity to hold anything and everything, transforming even vulnerability and grief into workable assets.
In writing evocative of Pema Chödrön’s, Narayan Helen Liebenson teaches us exactly how it is possible to turn the sting and anguish of loss into a path of liberation—the deep joy, peace, and happiness within our own hearts that exists beyond mere circumstances. The Magnanimous Heart shows us how to skillfully respond to painful human emotions through the art of meditative inquiry, or questioning wisely. Readers will learn how to live from a compassionate love that guides our lives and warms whatever it shines upon. With metta and compassion as companions and allies, we discover how our own magnanimous hearts can gently allow the inner knots to untie themselves.
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Reimagining The Microbial World
Monday, February 4
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Venture Cafe Kendall, I Broadway, 5th floor, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reimagining-the-microbial-world-tickets-53211566227
Cost: $15 in advance // $20 at the door. Students w/ID admitted free.
Doors open @ 6pm -- Come early and meet other Long Now thinkers -- Presentation starts @ 7pm
A Long Now Boston Community Conversation with Roberto Kolter Director, Kolter lab for Microbiology and Scott Chimileski Microbiologist, Science Photographer and Author
Sometimes what you can't see is best. When you can see it, it's even better!
In the past several decades, surprising scientific discoveries have revealed complex and sophisticated interdependencies between the macro world of human, plant and animal bodies and the invisible microbial world. We are the beneficiaries of billions of years of microbial evolution that encoded biological solutions to environmental challenges in our own genes. But we also receive direct functional benefits from the living microbial communities that comprise the bulk of our own bodily ecosystem.
Microbes have an enormous and overwhelmingly positive impact on our lives. Our bodies are the bedrock for many unique microbial communities that help keep us healthy. Microbes produce many of our favorite foods, our most valuable medicines and most of the oxygen we breathe. They are the foundation of the global ecosystem. A few can make us sick. Yet microbes do not work alone – they form complex microbial communities whose collective behaviors drive Earth’s biogeochemical cycles as well as the microbiotic ecosystems supporting all life on Earth, including our own.
Scott Chimileski’s photography provides a unique and compelling imagery of the microbial world. While individual microbes are generally invisible to the naked eye, the microbial colonies they create are not. Microbial communities show us how cells self-organize and how multi-cellularity and social behaviors evolve. The shapes, structures, colors and behaviors of these colonies offer a dazzling display of life at work in our macro world. The complex and beautiful structures also exhibit the same emergent properties as human cities and galactic clusters, providing evidence of the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.
Join the conversation and be part of the solution.
Audience participation is encouraged.
Roberto Kolter is the Director of the Kolter Lab for Microbiology at the Harvard Medical School. More than 120 individuals have trained in his laboratory during his 35-year tenure, most of whom followed careers in science in both academic and industry settings. Research in the Kolter Lab has always gravitated around the study of microbes and the exploration of a large number of different subjects ranging from basic bacterial physiology to bioactive compound discovery. Roberto is an author, Professor Emeritus of microbiology at Harvard Medical School and past president of the American Society for Microbiology. Robert joined Harvard Medical School in 1983 and has been Co-director of Harvard's university-wide Microbial Sciences Initiative since 2003. In 2016, Kolter became co-blogger (with Moselio Schaechter) of the popular microbiology blog, Small Things Considered.
Scott Chimileski, is a photographer and microbiologist serving as a Research Fellow at the Kolter Lab for Microbiology and Immunology at the Harvard Medical School. His work is currently being featured at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in the Exhibit on Microbial Life: A Universe at the Edge of Sight. Scott also coauthored, with Professor Roberto Kolter, Life at the Edge of Sight: A Photographic Exploration of the Microbial World (September 2017). Scott’s images have been published by WIRED, TIME, The Atlantic, STAT, The Scientist, NPR, Natural History Magazine, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Fast Company, and many other outlets. He received a Passion in Science Award from New England Biolabs in 2016 and was a winner of FASEB's BioArt competition in 2016 and 2017. Scott earned his PhD in Genetics and Genomics from the University of Connecticut.
We’re proud and excited to welcome Roberto and Scott to the Long Now Boston community.
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Tuesday, February 5
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Energy Storage & Solar Safety Training - Everett, MA
Tuesday, February 5
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
enVision Hotel Boston-Everett, 1834 Revere Beach Parkway, Everett
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/energy-storage-solar-safety-training-everett-ma-tickets-52608269751
Registration: This course is being offered free of charge to a maximum of 50 members of the area fire service. Follow the link for free registration:
Questions: Linda MacKay, lmackay at nfpa.org
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is excited to offer its newly updated fire service Energy Storage & Solar Safety Training Classroom Course to the Massachusetts fire service. Recognizing that energy storage and solar systems are rapidly becoming a reality across the United States, NFPA has developed its Energy Storage & Solar Safety Training Program to help the fire service handle the unique challenges presented by these emerging technologies. MassCEC has recently awarded several energy storage projects as part of its Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage (ACES) program that aims to catalyze the Massachusetts market for increased commercialization and deployment of storage technologies. In line with this effort, MassCEC also seeks to support energy storage safety training for first responders in the Commonwealth in order to enable safe implementation and handling of the ACES program and other energy storage projects.
This engaging 4 hour instructor-led classroom course is taught by NFPA’s highly knowledgeable and experienced instructors, and covers the following topics:
Introduction to energy storage system & solar concepts including applications, types, & terminology
Basic electrical theory
Introduction to battery energy storage systems including Lead Acid, Lithium Ion, Sodium Sulfur, & Flow Batteries
Failure modes and hazards
Pre-incident planning & Emergency response procedures
About The Program – In 2016, the National Fire Protection Association developed and launched its safety training program for the fire service when dealing with high powered energy storage system incidents. The program was developed as a combined effort of NFPA, Strategen Consulting, the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), DNV-GL, the Fire Protection Research Foundation, and several highly knowledgeable fire service subject matter experts who identified and confirmed best practices for handling incidents involving this emerging technology. Concepts are delivered through online & classroom training, educational videos, animations 3D modeling, scenario rooms, mobile apps, and quick reference materials. In 2018, NFPA received funding from the MassCEC to offer our classroom training in four strategic venues across the state, to ensure the MA fire service are prepared with the understanding of energy storage and solar safety concepts.
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Community Engagement Forum - Best Practices for Translating Evidence into Policy: Present and Future Considerations
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 9 – 10:30 a.m.
WHERE Harvard Medical School, Countway Library (Ballard Room), 25 Shattuck Street, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Conferences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Catalyst
SPEAKER(S) Panelists include:
Sue Curry, Ph.D., Interim Provost, University of Iowa College of Public Health
Michael Curry, Esq, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
Carlene Pavlos, MTS, Executive Director, Massachusetts Public Health Association
Eric Rimm, Sc.D., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Moderated by:
Howard K. Koh, MD, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
TICKET WEB LINK https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6mXeiiTIHT9Y3pr
DETAILS Join the Harvard Catalyst Community Engagement Program for an expert panel discussion on best practices for translating evidence into policy. The panelists will examine contextual challenges and current best practices and discuss the future of evidence-based policy making and public health. Registration required. Space is limited.
LINK https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6mXeiiTIHT9Y3pr
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Power Electronics: A New Landscape and its Impact on Research and Applications
Tuesday, February 5
11:45 am
Northeastern, 312 Ell Hall, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Speaker: Alex J. Hanson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: Many of humanity's most pressing needs and exciting advances are critically dependent on the effective use of energy, including in autonomous robots, smart grids, electrified transportation, server-powered artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and a host of other examples. Such applications are often space-, cost-, or efficiency-limited by the power converters at their heart.
These power conversion challenges are converging with new technology opportunities. Efficient wide-bandgap power semiconductors, along with rapid advances in digital controllers, have created great opportunities in a new design landscape for power conversion. This change has also shifted the burden of performance to magnetic components, which now often dominate the size and loss of power converters. With these observations, we will examine some recent and future work in the following areas of power electronics:
Relieving the magnetic component bottleneck through improved materials and structures;
Developing high-performance converter architectures that leverage the new semiconductor landscape;
Advancing impactful applications which critically depend on power converter performance.
Advances such as these will continue to play an important role in enabling the technologies of the future, with implications across diverse fields such as robotics, transportation, IoT, energy harvesting, aerospace, servers, energy storage, etc.
Bio: Alex J. Hanson received the B.E. degree in electrical engineering (with highest hons.) from Dartmouth College in 2014 and the S.M degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2016. His research interests include component- and system-level power electronics with emphasis on high-frequency magnetics and circuits. He is also interested in leveraging power and energy in diverse applications like medicine, aerospace, etc.
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Berkman Klein Tuesday Luncheon Series - A History of the Internet
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 12 – 1:15 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein East C (Room 2036, Second Floor), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Information Technology, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Berkman Klein Center
SPEAKER(S) Scott Bradner
COST Free - RSVP Required
TICKET WEB LINK https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2019-02-05/history-internet
CONTACT INFO 617-495-7547
DETAILS Please join us for The History of the Internet featuring Scott Bradner who worked in the areas of computer programming, system management, networking, IT security and identity management at Harvard for 50 years. The talk will provide a history of the reasons for and the technology of the Internet. It will also present some of the reasons that the Internet has had such an impact and some of the challenges that may cause the Internet of tomorrow to be significantly less revolutionary than the Internet to date.
LINK https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/2019-02-05/history-internet
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Justice Beyond the Final Verdict: The Sepur Zarco case and the aftermath of court-ordered reparations in transitional justice cases in Guatemala
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South, Room S-250, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
SPEAKER(S) Irma Velásquez Nimatuj
Craig M. Cogut Visiting Professor of Latin American Studies, Brown University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO drclas at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS During the Guatemalan armed conflict, which lasted from 1960 to 1996, a UN sponsored truth commission determined that the Guatemalan state committed genocide against the Mayan people and that the army raped thousands of indigenous women. The sexual violence committed against Maya women went unpunished for almost 30 years because of the power held by those responsible. Finally, in 2010, a small group of women from a distant Q'eqchi community called Zepur Zarco, denounced that during the war, after murdering their husbands, the army turned them into sexual and domestic slaves for a period of six years. After an intense legal fight, in 2016, they succeeded in bringing to the national courts two members of the army who were sentenced to more than 100 years of prison for these crimes. This was a historic sentence in the struggle to punish sexual violence against indigenous women and recognize it as a weapon of war in armed conflicts.
LINK https://drclas.harvard.edu/event/justice-beyond-final-verdict-sepur-zarco-case-and-aftermath-court-ordered-reparations
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The External Sources of Rising State Strength
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS Knafel Building, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S) Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor of Government, Dartmouth College; Faculty Associate, Reischauer Institute for Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Moderated by Christina Davis, Acting Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations (Spring 2019); Professor of Government and Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
COST Free and open to the public
LINK https://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming
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UnBooks at Baker with Michael Wheeler
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 3:30 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Business School, Cumnock Hall 220, 33 Harvard Way, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Education
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Baker Library
SPEAKER(S) Michael Wheeler, Professor of Management (2001-2013)
COST Free
CONTACT INFO schurch at hbs.edu
DETAILS The Art of Negotiation shows how master negotiators thrive in the face of chaos and uncertainty. Michael Wheeler illuminates the improvisational nature of negotiation, drawing on his own research and his work with Program on Negotiation colleagues. He explains how the best practices of diplomats such as George J. Mitchell, dealmaker Bruce Wasserstein, and Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub apply to everyday transactions like selling a house, buying a car, or landing a new contract. Wheeler also draws lessons on agility and creativity from fields like jazz, sports, theater, and even military science.
Based on Wheeler’s chapters on openings, critical moments, and techniques for closing, negotiate123.com seeks to provide business practitioners, MBA students, and other learners an interactive online resource for improving their negotiation skills. The site features key concepts on negotiation illustrated through text, videos, quizzes, and a variety of other interactive tools.
Q&A with the author. Books available for signing.
LINK https://www.library.hbs.edu/Articles/Books-Baker
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Collective Decision Making: Theory and Experiments
Tuesday, February 5
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Leeat Yariv, Princeton University
Abstract: Ranging from jury decisions to political elections, situations in which groups of individuals determine a collective outcome are ubiquitous. There are two important observations that pertain to almost all collective processes observed in reality. First, decisions are commonly preceded by some form of communication among individual decision makers, such as jury deliberations, or election polls. Second, even when looking at a particular context, say U.S. civil jurisdiction, there is great variance in the type of institutions that are employed to aggregate private information or preferences into group decisions. In this talk, I will present some theoretical models and experimental results that provide insight into how groups aggregate information and opinions, and the sorts of instruments that might be beneficial for improving collective outcomes in various settings.
About the speaker: Leeat Yariv is the Uwe E. Reinhardt Professor of Economics at Princeton University. She is also the director of the Princeton Experimental Laboratory for the Social Sciences (PExL), which provides a platform for experimental research in the social sciences. Yariv’s research combines experimental and empirical evidence together with economic theory to study how individuals connect with one another and how they make decisions together. Her research has touched upon a wide range of topics within the areas of social networks, political economy, and market design. Yariv received a B.Sc. in Mathematics, a B.Sc. in Physics, and an M.Sc. in Mathematics from Tel-Aviv University. She received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. Prior to joining Princeton University, she was a professor at UCLA and Caltech. Yariv is a fellow of the Econometric Society and of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory. She has served on multiple journal editorial boards, including those of Econometrica, American Economic Review, and Journal of Economic Literature.
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In Real Life: Designing for Impact Workshop
Tuesday, February 5
5:30 - 7pm
BUild Lab IDG Capital Student Innovation Center, 730 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-real-life-designing-for-impact-workshop-tickets-53916063397
In your community or across the globe, learn how to develop ideas that solve problems and make things better. This workshop will teach attendees the design thinking process, also known as human-centered design.
Facilitated by School of Hospitality Administration professor Christopher Muller.
Attendees will:
Be introduced to design thinking process and how we articulate it at BU, with a particular focus on reframing.
Apply the design thinking process to a real challenge
Identify challenges that you could/want to apply design thinking towards
Learn about BU and community resources for innovation and design thinking
Each workshop follows a similar format:
Overview of workshop goals
Overview and lesson on the topic
Hands-on activity and exercise
Share learnings and activity results
Wrap up and questions
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Botany Blast: New and Emerging Pests at the Arnold Arboretum
Tuesday, February 5
6:00–7:00pm
Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain
Jared Rubinstein, Living Collections Fellow, Arnold Arboretum, and Javier Marin, Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, Crop & Pest Services, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
The Arnold Arboretum has a long history of finding innovative ways of responding to threats to the collection from pests and diseases. Come learn about some new and emerging pests in the region and how the Arboretum is trying to get ahead of their arrival. We’ll talk specifically about spotted lanternfly, thousand cankers disease, southern pine beetle, and winter moth.
Fee Free, but registration requested
Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.
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IOP Fellows Unpack Politics: Bipartisanship, Activism, and the Road to 2020
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Barbara Comstock, U.S. Representative (R, VA-10) (2015-2019)
Carlos Curbelo, U.S. Representative (R, FL-26) (2015-2019)
Andrew Gillum, Mayor of Tallahassee, FL (2014-2018)
Aisha Moodie-Mills, Immediate Past President & CEO of the Victory Fund & Institute (2015-2017) Democratic strategist
Catherine Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues (2013-2017)
Michael Zeldin, CNN Legal Analyst and former U.S. Department of Justice Official
Gary Cohn, Director of the National Economic Council (2017-2018)
Heidi Heitkamp, U.S. Senator (D-ND) (2013-2019)
Mark D. Gearan (Moderator)
Director, Institute of Politics
CONTACT INFO IOP Forum Office, 617-495-1380
LINK https://iop.harvard.edu/forum/iop-fellows-unpack-politics-bipartisanship-activism-and-road-2020
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3rd Annual INVITE TO IGNITE
Tuesday, February 5
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
The Venture Cafe - Cambridge Innovation Center, 5th Floor, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-invite-to-ignite-tickets-54447788802
Cost: $8 – $12
Welcome to our 3rd Annual INVITE TO IGNITE evening showcasing local organizations in need of volunteer help. We believe the best antidote to the attrocities of the day is ACTION. So if you're among the many frustrated by the events of the day, we invite you to come be uplifted and maybe even inticed into getting involved.
For the last two years in February, the Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) has hosted a special evening to affirm the positive actions of local groups with the goal of providing a breadth of opportunity for our members to sample volunteer opportunities. We do this in a rapid-fire manner to leave ample time for our "Speed Dating for Cause" portion of the evening.
Confirmed 2019 Organizations
The Trustees of Reservations
Manomet
Community Servings
A Better City
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy
Mystic River Watershed
BINA Farms
Massachusetts Refugee and Immigrant Advocacy Coalition
Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Boston Green Ribbon Commission
Cleantech Open
Environmental League of Massachusetts
Environmental Entrepreuners
Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light
Conservation Law Foundation
The Carrot Project
COGDESIGN
We're still accepting nominations for this year's event, so get your ideas in quickly! Note that we think there are many worthy groups we haven't yet showcased, so our emphasis is on groups new to us. You can see our past guests below.
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Open Project Night at Impact Hub Boston
Tuesday, February 5
6-8:30pm
50 Milk Street, 15th floor, Boston
Impact Hub Boston opens their doors the second Tuesday of each month to social impact movers and shakers to build momentum, find community, and develop their projects. At Open Project Night, you can bring a social impact project for which you need help, feedback, or collaboration, or join existing projects as a collaborator!
For February’s OPN, we have the following projects:
*Emerson Prison Initiative* (EPI); EPI will host a discussion on fundraising strategies. The Emerson Prison Initiative provides high-quality college courses to people incarcerated in Massachusetts. EPI’s mission is to democratize access to tertiary education for those who have been historically marginalized or otherwise unable to attend college. Visit http://epi.emerson.edu/ for more information.
*Incluvie – Diversity in Film Focus Group*: Incluvie is the IMDb for diversity in film! You can find out how any movie or TV show represents women and people of color, and share your own feelings! Visit https://incluvie.com/ to learn more.
We’ll update you as additional projects soon, and you can *apply to bring your project here! *
*Come join us for Open Project Night and kickstart your social impact project!*
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The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump
Tuesday, February 5
7:00pm
Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge
Three veteran constitutional attorneys say there’s no way around it: The Constitution demands that Donald Trump must be impeached.
And in clear language using compelling logic rooted firmly in the Constitution, they detail why the time to start is now—not in the indefinite future after criminal investigations have ended. In fact, much of Trump’s impeachable conduct lies outside the scope of ongoing federal criminal investigations.
Citing charges such as accepting illegal payments from foreign governments, using government agencies to persecute political enemies, obstructing justice, abusing the pardon power, and the undermining freedom of the press, they provide the factual and legal basis for eight articles of impeachment.
In short, they argue, abuses threatening our constitutional democracy should be dealt with by the remedy that the Constitution provides for a lawless, authoritarian president: impeachment. And an informed citizenry should be part of the process.
After all, they say, impeachment is not a constitutional crisis — impeachment is the cure for a constitutional crisis.
Ron Fein, legal director for Free Speech For People, is a constitutional lawyer who previously served as assistant regional counsel in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he received the National Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. He appears regularly on television and in the op-ed pages of The Washington Post, commenting on constitutional matters.
John Bonifaz is the co-founder and president of Free Speech For People. He previously served as the executive director and general counsel of the National Voting Rights Institute, and as the legal director of Voter Action, a national election integrity organization. A distinguished attorney, he has been at the forefront of key voting rights battles across the country for more than two decades, and is a winner of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award.
Ben Clements is the chair of the board of directors of Free Speech For People and chair of its legal committee. He is also a founding partner of the Boston law firm, Clements & Pineault, LLP. His clients have included the state and federal governments, candidates for state and federal office, senior public officials, large corporations and small businesses. He is a former federal prosecutor and former chief legal counsel to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
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Food Politics & The Farm Bill With Erika Dunyak
Tuesday, February 5
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Harvard, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, Rm. S354, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-politics-the-farm-bill-with-erika-dunyak-tickets-55293253610
We’re kicking off our month of Food Politics by featuring the #1 agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government: the farm bill. In a fun and informative presentation, Clinical Fellow, Erika Dunyak, will break it down for us so we have a better sense of how the farm bill came to be and how it affects farmers and consumers (that’s you!) now.
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Green New Deal Livestream Watch Party
Tuesday, February 5
8pm EST
Livestream
RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/host-a-green-new-deal-livestream-watch-party
The news is out that Senator Markey and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez are releasing a Green New Deal bill in the coming days.
Bills like these live or die in the first few weeks based on how much support they receive. It’s on us to move this legislation forward by turning up the heat on our members of Congress throughout February.
We’re laying out our gameplan this Tuesday, Feb 5 at 8pm EST via livestream. Thousands of people are already signed up to tune-in from over 400 watch parties around the country. You won’t want to miss it.
We need to keep building the support for the Green New Deal in every corner of the country, and to cement the Green New Deal at the top of the political agenda, so that in 2020 we can elect a President and Congress that make the Green New Deal law in 2021. We will make it clear to all politicians that if they want the votes of young people, they need to back the Green New Deal.Here's how you can make that happen.
Host your own party on February 5 to bring the fight for clean air + water and good jobs to your own town. Together, we will win.
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Wednesday, February 6
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The New Wave in Robot Grasping
Wednesday, February 6
10:00am to 11:00am
Harvard, Jefferson 256, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Ken Goldberg
Despite 50 years of research, robots remain remarkably clumsy, limiting their reliability for warehouse order fulfillment, robot-assisted surgery, and home decluttering. The First Wave of grasping research is purely analytical, applying variations of screw theory to exact knowledge of pose, shape, and contact mechanics. The Second Wave is purely empirical: end-to-end hyperparametric function approximation (aka Deep Learning) based on human demonstrations or time-consuming self-exploration. A "New Wave" of research considers hybrid methods that combine analytic models with stochastic sampling and Deep Learning models. I'll present this history with new results from our lab on grasping diverse and previously-unknown objects and discuss exciting future research including cloud and fog robotics.
Speaker Bio: Ken Goldberg is an artist, inventor, and UC Berkeley Professor focusing on robotics. He was appointed the William S. Floyd Jr Distinguished Chair in Engineering and serves as Chair of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department. He has secondary appointments in EECS, Art Practice, the School of Information, and Radiation Oncology at the UCSF Medical School. Ken is Director of the CITRIS "People and Robots" Initiative and the UC Berkeley AUTOLAB where he and his students pursue research in machine learning for robotics and automation in warehouses, homes, and operating rooms. Ken developed the first provably complete algorithms for part feeding and part fixturing and the first robot on the Internet. Despite agonizingly slow progress, he persists in trying to make robots less clumsy. He has over 250 peer-reviewed publications and 8 U.S. Patents. He co-founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering. Ken's artwork has appeared in 70 exhibits including the Whitney Biennial and films he has co-written have been selected for Sundance and nominated for an Emmy Award. Ken was awarded the NSF PECASE (Presidential Faculty Fellowship) from President Bill Clinton in 1995, elected IEEE Fellow in 2005 and selected by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the George Saridis Leadership Award in 2016. He lives in the Bay Area and is madly in love with his wife, filmmaker and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain, and their two daughters.
Special Robotics Seminar
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Solar Career & Networking Event at Solar Power Northeast
Wednesday February 6
10:30AM-1PM
Westin Waterfront Hotel, 425 Summer Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-career-networking-event-at-solar-power-northeast-tickets-40946179124
Solar is a dynamic and fast-growing industry! The Solar Training Network team is excited to be hosting a free career fair and networking event at the Solar Power Northeast conference to bring together New England solar employers and job seekers.
Solar companies, whether attending the conference or not, are invited to exhibit in the career fair! The event is open to the public and we invite all to attend and explore opportunities for bright and powerful solar careers!
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
Job Seekers / Students
Participation in this career event is completely free and provides an opportunity to network with regional solar companies. This fair will allow you to network, info-interview, and connect with hiring managers and HR representatives from solar companies. Be sure to bring your resume and dress professionally, because many employers will be hiring!
We want you to start a meaningful career in the solar industry, so we pack these career fairs with the support and resources you need to succeed - your solar dream job is out there; we’ll help you find it.
Exhibitors
Participating in this career fair is completely free, and it will give you access to local job seekers and students looking to work in solar and related fields. Our job fairs bring out talented and passionate individuals who are eager to continue or start their career.
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Ocean heat transport from the subtropical gyre to the subpolar gyre in the North Atlantic
Wednesday, February 6
12:00pm to 1:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS) Series: Nick Foukal (WHOI)
About this Series
The Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Sack Lunch Seminar Series is an informal seminar series within PAOC that focuses on more specialized topics than the PAOC Colloquium. Seminar topics include all research concerning the science of atmosphere, ocean and climate. The seminars usually take place on Wednesdays from 12-1pm in 54-915. The presentations are either given by an invited speaker or by a member of PAOC and can focus on new research or discussion of a paper of particular interest.
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Just Narratives: When Law and Storytelling Intersect
Wednesday, February 6
12:00pm to 1:30pm
Northeastern, 240 Dockser Hall, 65 Forsyth Street, Boston
Daynard Round Table Featuring Winter 2019 Daynard Visiting Fellow: Dimple Abichandani '02, Executive Director, General Service Foundation
Participants:
SHANNON AL-WAKEEL ERWIN, Executive Director and Founder, Muslim Justice League (MJL), @MuslimJustice
REBECCA HART HOLDER, Executive Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, @RHartholder, @ProChoicemass
JUDY NORSIGAN, Co-Founder and Former Executive Director, Our Bodies, Ourselves (Current Chair, Board of Directors), @JudyNorsigian, @oboshealth
ANTHONY ROMERO, Professor of the Practice, (Performance), School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA at Tufts), @SMFAatTufts
HEMA SARANG-SIEMINSKI ’05, Senior Staff Attorney, Victim Rights Law Center, @VictimRightsLaw
Moderator: AZIZA AHMED, Professor of Law, Northeastern University
Dimple Abichandani is the executive director of the General Service Foundation (GSF), a private foundation that supports organizations advocating for racial and gender justice. Dimple joined General Service Foundation in 2015, bringing almost two decades of experience advancing social justice as a lawyer, funder and educator.
Prior to joining GSF, Dimple was the executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law. At the Center, Dimple launched a social justice innovation lab aimed at generating new long-term approaches to persistent social justice challenges and providing law students opportunities to develop skills and mindsets including creativity, empathy, collaboration and social justice problem-solving.
As the founding program officer of the Security and Rights Collaborative (SRC) at the Proteus Fund, Dimple managed a donor collaborative aimed at challenging post-9/11 Islamophobia and discrimination and restoring civil rights and liberties. Earlier in her career, Dimple worked at Legal Services NYC, first as a staff attorney where she represented low wage workers and later as the Director of Program Development.
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Oil and Great Power Strategy
Wednesday, February 6
12:00pm to 1:30pm
MIT, Building E40-496, Pye Room, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Rosemary Kelanic (University of Notre Dame)
SUMMARY
All great powers require steady access to oil to maintain their security, yet they pursue wildly different strategies to obtain it. In some cases, great powers have fought wars for oil, while in other instances, they have allied with oil-exporting countries or simply built strategic petroleum stockpiles to secure supplies. Two causal factors determine the choice of strategy: a state's petroleum deficit and the vulnerability of its oil imports to forcible disruption.
BIO
Rosemary A. Kelanic is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, where her research focuses on international security, coercive diplomacy, energy politics, and US grand strategy. Her book, Black Gold and Blackmail: Oil, Coercive Vulnerability, and Great Power Politics (forthcoming, Cornell University Press) examines a century's worth of great power competition over oil and proposes a theory to explain when and why states use aggressive strategies to secure access. Dr. Kelanic earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Chicago and taught at Williams College for three years before moving to Notre Dame.
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The Evolution of Carbon Markets: Design, Diffusion and Linking
Wednesday, February 6
12:30PM TO 1:45PM
Tufts, The Fletcher School, Goddard 310 (Crowe), 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
with Jørgen Wettestand, Research Professor, Fridtjof Nansen Institute.
Tufts University CIERP Research Seminar
Contact Name: Sara Rosales
sara.rosales at tufts.edu
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Looting and Climate Change Threaten Mongolia's Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
WHEN Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.
WHER# Harvard, CGIS South (S250), 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Inner Asian and Altaic Studies Lecture Series
SPEAKER(S) Dr. Julia K. Clark, Founding Director of NOMAD Science and Archaeology Project and Field School, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
CONTACT INFO iaas at fas.harvard.edu
DETAILS The illegal looting of archaeological sites and shifting climate norms are not new phenomena in Mongolia, as in much of the world. However, there is increasing evidence that both are having an effect on Mongolian archaeological sites and cultural heritage at unprecedented levels. The impacts of looting and climate change on archaeological remains are complex and interwoven. Properly addressing sites endangered by these issues demand a variety of skill sets in community engagement, law enforcement and legal protocols, field conservation, and more. This presentation will discuss the impacts of climate change and looting on the archaeology of Mongolia today, as well as steps being taken to protect Mongolia’s priceless cultural heritage from these threats.
LINK https://iaas.fas.harvard.edu/pages/iaas-lecture-series
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The Truth Wears Off? The Reproducibility Crisis in Historical Perspective
Wednesday, February 6
4:00 pm
Radcliffe, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
Lecture by Nicole C. Nelson RI '19
During her fellowship year, Nicole C. Nelson is beginning a new project on the “reproducibility crisis,” a recent phenomenon where scientists have found many supposedly stable findings to be difficult to replicate on subsequent investigation. Using a combination of historical and ethnographic methods, she will map out the origins of this crisis and examine how scientists’ assumptions about stability and variation shape their perceptions of this crisis. More broadly, she aims to contribute to both scholarly and public discussions on notions of scientific fact, connecting scientists’ concerns about reproducibility with current discussions about post-truth politics.
Free and open to the public.
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The Electric Gini: Income Redistribution through Energy Prices
Wednesday, February 6
4:15PM TO 5:30PM
Harvard, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Arik Levinson, Georgetown University, and Emilson Silva, University of Alberta.
Seminar in Environmental Economics and Policy
https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/30064
Contact Name: Casey Billings
casey_billings at hks.harvard.edu
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Series Fluid-Elastic Mechanics and Soft-Composite Design for Human-Safe and Interactive Robots
Wednesday, February 6
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Harvard, Pierce Hall, Room 209, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Peter Whitney, Northeastern
Fluid-based actuation is an increasingly attractive option for soft, lightweight, and human-safe robots. These systems are similar in principle to series-elastic actuation (SEA) designs for classic rigid robots. In this talk we explore the design and mechanics of rolling-diaphragm fiber-reinforced soft-composite fluid actuators, which offer unique low-friction and low-hysteresis mechanical properties. We will also discuss how these and other soft actuators can be controlled using series-elastic principles extended to include fluid-pressure feedback, with the goal of maximizing the closed-loop system bandwidth while providing a high dynamic range in endpoint impedance. Example systems with applications in autonomous manipulation, prosthetics, and MRI-compatible surgical tele-manipulation will be presented.
Speaker Bio: Peter Whitney is an assistant professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University, engaged in research on human-safe, medical, and collaborative robot systems, through advances in mechanical design, soft-composite engineering, and multi-sensory feedback control. He obtained his PhD in 2012 at Harvard University, working with Prof. Robert Wood on pop-up book style micro-composite MEMS fabrication and insect-scale experimental aerodynamics, and worked as a postdoc under Jessica Hodgins at Disney Research (CMU) on human-safe robot design, which culminated in the development of "Jimmy", a human-safe mechanically tele-operated robot puppet. His research is currently funded by grants from NSF CHS, NSF NRI, ONR, and the ARM Institute.
Applied Mechanics Colloquia
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Navigating the Clean Energy Innovation Ecosystem
Wednesday, February 6
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EST
BUild Lab, 730 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/navigating-the-clean-energy-innovation-ecosystem-tickets-55473657202
Join us for free pizza and a discussion about the clean energy startup ecosystem. We have panel members from BU, Cleantech Open and MassCEC and we will discuss how to take an idea from concept to start up with a special emphasis on clean energy companies. The event will consist of an introduction of the panelists followed by an attendee driven Q&A session.
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Is AI the New Frankenstein? The 1st Annual Humanities & New Media Lecture
WHEN Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sackler Building, Basement Lecture Hall, 485 Broadway, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Humanities, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Division of Arts & Humanities
SPEAKER(S) Professor Ken Goldberg, William S. Floyd Jr. Distinguished Chair in Engineering, UC-Berkeley
DETAILS 200 years after Mary Shelley's masterwork appeared in print, “Artificial Intelligence” is running amok, provoking extreme claims of opportunities and threats. Ken Goldberg, artist and William S. Floyd Distinguished Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley, will trace the history of Frankenstein to the Jewish 16th century myth of the Golem and to ETA Hoffman's classic The Sandman. In 1919, a year before the word “robot” was coined, Sigmund Freud published his influential essay Das Unheimliche, later translated into English as “The Uncanny.” Professor Goldberg will link the Uncanny with contemporary robotics through the concept of the Uncanny Valley which relates to our contemporary human fear of and fascination with a broad variety of technologies from AI to Google Glass. He will describe his own artworks that examine the question of mortality to probe the boundary between what is alive and what is life-like.
LINK https://artsandhumanities.fas.harvard.edu/event/ai-new-frankenstein-1st-annual-humanities-new-media-lecture-prof-ken-goldberg
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Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison
Wednesday, February 6
6:00 PM (Doors at 5:30)
Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.harvard.com/event/jason_rezaian/
Cost: $6 -$32.00 (book included)
Harvard Book Store welcomes journalist JASON REZAIAN—who served as the Washington Post correspondent in Tehran from 2012 to 2016—for a discussion of his new memoir, Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out.
About Prisoner
In July 2014, Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian was arrested by Iranian police, accused of spying for America. The charges were absurd. Rezaian’s reporting was a mix of human interest stories and political analysis. He had even served as a guide for Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Initially, Rezaian thought the whole thing was a terrible misunderstanding, but soon realized that it was much more dire as it became an eighteen-month prison stint with impossibly high diplomatic stakes.
While in prison, Rezaian had tireless advocates working on his behalf. His brother lobbied political heavyweights including John Kerry and Barack Obama and started a social media campaign—#FreeJason—while Jason’s wife navigated the red tape of the Iranian security apparatus, all while the courts used Rezaian as a bargaining chip in negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal.
In Prisoner, Rezaian writes of his exhausting interrogations and farcical trial. He also reflects on his idyllic childhood in Northern California and his bond with his Iranian father, a rug merchant; how his teacher Christopher Hitchens inspired him to pursue journalism; and his life-changing decision to move to Tehran, where his career took off and he met his wife. Written with wit, humor, and grace, Prisoner brings to life a fascinating, maddening culture in all its complexity.
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Big Tech and Democracy
WHEN Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Susan Crawford, John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Special Assistant for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy to President Barack Obama (2009)
Dipayan Ghosh, Spring 2018 Pozen Fellow, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, HKS, Former Privacy & Public Policy Advisor, Facebook, Former White House Tech Policy Advisor
Laura Manley, Director of the Technology and Public Purpose Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, HKS, Senior Consultant, World Bank Group and United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs
Tom Wheeler, Senior Research Fellow, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, HKS, Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (2013-2017)
Nicco Mele (Moderator), Lecturer in Public Policy and Director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, HKS
CONTACT INFO 617-495-1380
DETAILS A discussion on the role that big tech platforms play in democracy, particularly looking at data and privacy, election manipulation, disinformation, and hate speech. Can government and technology companies work together to create solutions for these looming problems?
LINK https://iop.harvard.edu/forum/big-tech-and-democracy
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Humans and the Dangers of AI: The other side of the coin
Wednesday, February 6
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
470 Atlantic Avenue Floor 3, Boston
RSVP at https://www.meetup.com/Boston-Data-Science-Meetup/events/258302169/
Abhishek Gaur from Neurala will be giving a fascinating talk on ethics and fairness in artificial intelligence.
Abstract: The fear and risk of AI replacing human workforce is quite prevalent in our society. But do we ever think about the risks that the AI faces in it current state from humans? Given that these systems are mostly trained in a supervised regime, today's AI is prone to being biased and unfair. This talk touches base on how these artificially intelligent systems are heavily flawed due to data created by us, the humans; and why ethics are absolutely critical for these decision making systems. The talk introduces methods to help solve these issues in data curation; and create an AI with excellent quantitative and qualitative performance.
Speaker Bio: Abhishek is a deep learning engineer at Neurala and specializes in research and development of deep learning models for range of applications. He finished his MS in Computer Engineering from Boston University in 2017. He spent the summer of 2016 creating the working prototype of Harman International’s first AI speaker that is in production as of today. Abhishek has spoken at University of Pennsylvania on “Deep learning on compute-constrained environments”. He enjoys doing dance and photography in his leisure time. You can see some of his photography work on Instagram at abs_lensbook.
Agenda:
6:00pm: Meet and greet. Talk about AI and ethics!
6:30pm: Talk by Abhishek Gaur + Q&A
7:30pm: Announcements
8:00pm: End of the event
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Solar Talk for Blue Lips
Wednesday, February 6
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
649 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 6, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-talk-for-blue-lips-tickets-54553409717
IT'S SO COLD!!! We'll do our part to fight climate change while also fighting the winter blues. Come by the office next week on Wednesday evening (February 6th) at 6 PM. We'll be serving up a great discussion of solar tech and where it's going along with some tropical drinks and sunny refreshments to cheer us all up.
Our guest, Bob Martin of Revision Energy will limit his info to about 30 minutes. The rest of the time is reserved for discussion and, if necessary, some venting.Whether you already have solar, just like the idea of it, or have some thoughts on energy and climate change, join us!
Revision Energy is a homegrown New England B-Corp (started in Maine).
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Synthetic Biology: Life Redesigned
Wednesday, February 6
Door: 6:00pm / Talk: 6:30pm
Le Laboratoire, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/synthetic-biology-life-redesigned-tickets-55091158137#tickets
A Presentation by Jim Collins
Synthetic biology is bringing together engineers, physicists and biologists to model, design and construct biological circuits out of proteins, genes and other bits of DNA, and to use these circuits to rewire and reprogram organisms. These re-engineered organisms are going to change our lives in the coming years, leading to cheaper drugs, rapid diagnostic tests, and synthetic probiotics to treat infections and a range of complex diseases. In this talk, we highlight recent efforts to create synthetic gene networks and programmable cells, and discuss a variety of synthetic biology applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.
Jim Collins is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT, as well as a Member of the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Faculty. He is also a Core Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, and an Institute Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He is one of the founders of the field of synthetic biology, and his research group is currently focused on using synthetic biology to create next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics. Professor Collins' patented technologies have been licensed by over 25 biotech, pharma and medical devices companies, and he has helped to launch a number of companies, including Synlogic (NASDAQ: SYBX). He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Rhodes Scholarship and a MacArthur "Genius" Award, and he is an elected member of all three national academies - the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine.
As usual, the talk is free.
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The next phase of big genetics
Wednesday, February 6
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-next-phase-of-big-genetics-registration-54977228370
For just over a decade, scientists have used an approach called the genome-wide association study, or GWAS, to measure the extent to which small, common variations called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) at millions of sites across the genome affect traits like height or a person's risk of developing diseases like diabetes or heart attack. Thanks to GWAS, researchers have identified tens of thousands SNP-to-trait and SNP-to-disease links. The question today is: How do we put all these data to use to impact human health and advance our understanding of human biology?
Population geneticist Alicia Martin will provide a brief primer on GWAS, and explain how gaps in the diversity of the data available today affect how researchers make use of the data now and in the future. Cardiologist Amit Khera will discuss polygenic scoring, a method that integrates information from millions of SNPs to predict an individual's likelihood of developing a given disease. Cancer biologist JT Neal will talk about the challenges of studying the functional roles of the thousands of SNPs associated with disease, the genes and pathways they affect, the cells they impact — and doing it all at massive scale.
Alicia Martin, Research Fellow, Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital
Amit Khera, Associated Scientist, Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital
JT Neal, Research Scientist, Broad Institute
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The Challenge and Promise of Restoring Urban Landscapes
Wednesday, February 6
7:00pm to 8:30pm
Cambridge Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge
Grow Native Massachusetts is proud to present our 2019 Evenings with Experts lecture series!
Join us for this talk with Steven Handel, Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University.
Human activity has degraded much of our urban landscape, making the rebuilding of native habitat on these lands an important priority. But potential restoration sites are often small and heavily altered, and questions about best strategies abound. Can these landscapes be designed and managed to support native biodiversity? How can we rebuild functioning ecosystems on them? Which target sites are practical ones, especially in this time of rapid climate change? Noted ecologist Steven Handel has been researching these challenges for most of his career and his work illustrates the surprising and significant transformations that are possible. He will discuss projects that he has worked on, including Freshkills Park (a former landfill on Staten Island), Brooklyn Bridge Park, and other coastal sites. Join us to learn more about urban ecological restoration in a world that desperately needs it.
Dr. Steven Handel is currently a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and editor of the journal, Ecological Restoration.
Thank you to our community partners— the Cambridge Public Library, Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects— for their support of this series.
Continuing education credits will be available.
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Community Forum on Carbon Fee and Rebate with Mass. Representative Jennifer Benson
Wednesday, February 6
7 pm
First Church, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-carbon-pricing-forum-with-mass-representative-jennifer-benson-tickets-54998767795
Massachusetts Representative Jennifer Benson, a Democrat from Lunenburg, will present her proposed legislation for a Massachusetts carbon fee and rebate plan. Her bill proposes to charge Massachusetts fossil fuel importing companies a fee for every ton of carbon dioxide their fuel will create when burned. This will create a fund that will be rebated to households and businesses, and that will especially benefit low and moderate income households. Thirty percent of the funds will go to a Green Infrastructure Fund for investments in renewable energy, clean transportation and climate resilience projects.
There will be a panel of responders: Cindy Luppi, the New England Director of Clean Water Action and chair of the carbon pricing coalition, and Dr. Jonathan Buonocore from the Harvard School of Public Heath. There will be ample time for questions and comments from those attending.
Editorial Comment: Any discussion of carbon pricing must include at least a mention of the existing subsidies for fossil foolishness which, last time I looked, added up to about $26 billion per year in the USA and about $100 billion globally. Putting a price on carbon without eliminating fossil foolish subsidies is self-defeating.
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Thursday, February 7
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How Horizontal Shareholding Harms Our Economy — And Why Antitrust Law Can Fix It
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Belfer Building, Bell Hall (Fifth Floor), 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Law, Lecture, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Regulatory Policy Program (RPP) at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
SPEAKER(S) Einer Elhauge, Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
CONTACT INFO mrcbg at hks.harvard.edu
DETAILS Lunch will be served. RSVPs are helpful
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Visual Media and Storytelling on Criminal Justice Reform
Thursday, February 7
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Harvard, Wexner Conference Room, Wexner Building, Room 434AB, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
Please join us on for a highly visual panel discussion on the use of visual journalism for purpose and impact. The theme is visual media and storytelling for the social good, specifically in criminal justice reform and advocacy journalism on the issue- what can visual media do, and what do we want it to do, in framing human rights issues and advocating for awareness and change?
Carroll Bogert – moderator, founder of the award winning media operations of Human Rights Watch, President at The Marshall Project.
Brian Frank – photo journalist and CatchLight Fellow, currently exhibiting at the Shorenstein Center.
Rebecca Richman Cohen – Emmy Award nominated documentary filmmaker and Lecturer at Harvard Law School.
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Keeping Massachusetts on track to meet its clean energy and climate goals
Thursday, February 7
12:00-1:00pm
Tufts, Multi-purpose Room, Curtis Hall, 474 Boston Avenue, Medford
Eugenia Gibbons, Policy Director, Green Energy Consumers Alliance
In 2008, Massachusetts passed landmark clean energy and climate legislation. The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) set binding GHG emission reduction targets for 2020 and 2050. The Green Communities Act (GCA) prioritized investments in efficiency and renewable energy resources. Together these laws set the stage for rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the state partly driven by growth of a robust clean energy sector. Goal-setting alone is not enough to ensure compliance with the law. Prodding, including a lawsuit taken all the way to the state’s highest court, has been needed along the way. A decade later, we are approaching the first big milestone – the 2020 target. Will we make it?Discussion during this session includes a crash course in state energy policy & requirements, an overview of how Massachusetts is progressing towards its GWSA goals, and explores the role of advocacy (and the effective advocate) in getting all the way to the finish line.
Eugenia Gibbons is the Policy Director at Green Energy Consumers Alliance (formerly Mass Energy and People’s Power & Light). First established in 1982 as the Boston Oil
Consumers Alliance, Green Energy Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit consumer and environmental advocacy organization that works to enable people to make clean energy choices in the most cost-effective, practical, and seamless ways possible. The organization also advocates for policies that accelerate the Commonwealth’s transition to a low-carbon economy in a manner that is expeditious and equitable. Green Energy Consumers Alliance was co-plaintiff in Kain v. DEP, the lawsuit that instigated very specific state action taken in recent years to get to the 2020 target. The organization was also a lead advocate for increasing renewable energy requirements in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Eugenia previously served as Program Director at the Environmental League of Massachusetts where she launched a multi-disciplinary effort to facilitate and maximize implementation of the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA). Gibbons is a graduate of Tufts Urban and Environmental Policy and Planing Program. She currently sits on the Board of the Applied Economics Clinic housed at Tufts and volunteers with Mothers Out Front.
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Structure, Meaning, Action and Interaction: a future vision for augmenting human, machine, and network intelligence
Thursday, February 7
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
MIT, Building E32- D463, Star, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
We sit at the cusp of a new revolution. A revolution born at the nexus of advances in devices used to sense ourselves and our environment, in algorithms that enable optimization, prediction, and learning and in networks that enable near instantaneous action and communication over terrestrial distances. This revolution promises to save time and create new knowledge through the automation of the mundane and augmentation of human, machine and network intelligence. Within this talk I will focus on several Bell Labs disruptive innovations that make possible this future and the technical challenges we use to define our research vision.
Presenter: Chris White, Head Algorithms, Analytics and Augmented Intelligence Lab, Nokia Bell Labs
Christopher A. White leads the Algorithms, Analytics & Augmented Intelligence (AAAI) lab in Nokia Bell Labs. He joined Bell Labs in 1997 after graduating with a Ph.D. in theoretical quantum chemistry from the University of California in Berkeley, California. His research interests include the development of computational models and methods for the simulation and control of interesting physical and digital systems. This has included work in areas ranging from linear scaling quantum chemistry simulations, to the design of new optical devices, to the global control of transparent optical mesh networks and to understanding and facilitating the propagation of ideas in organizations. In addition to the management of an international team of world-class researchers, Dr. White’s current work focuses on the creation of assisted thinking tools that leverage structural similarity in data with the goal of augmenting human intelligence.
Lunch and light beverages provided
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Nuclear Abolitionism and the End of the Cold War
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, One Brattle Square (Room 350), Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR International Security Program
SPEAKER(S) Stephanie Freeman, Ernest May Fellow in History & Policy, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch at harvard.edu
DETAILS Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come, first served basis.
LINK https://www.belfercenter.org/event/nuclear-abolitionism-and-end-cold-war
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Team Human: How people, together, can rule the digital future
Thursday, February 7
2:00pm — 3:00pm
MIT Media Lab, E14, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
About Team Human
Team Human is a manifesto—a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff’s most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In 100 lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together—not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; education, conceived as way to elevate the working class, has become another assembly line; and the internet has only further divided us into increasingly atomized and radicalized groups.
Team Human delivers a call to arms. If we are to resist and survive these destructive forces, we must recognize that being human is a team sport. In Rushkoff’s own words: “Being social may be the whole point.” Harnessing wide-ranging research on human evolution, biology, and psychology, Rushkoff shows that when we work together we realize greater happiness, productivity, and peace. If we can find the others who understand this fundamental truth and reassert our humanity—together—we can make the world a better place to be human.
Kate Darling
Dr. Kate Darling is a leading expert in Robot Ethics. She’s a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction. Kate explores the emotional connection between people and life-like machines, seeking to influence technology design and policy direction. Her writing and research anticipate difficult questions that lawmakers, engineers, and the wider public will need to address as human-robot relationships evolve in the coming decades.
Forever interested in how technology intersects with society, Kate has a background in law, economics, and intellectual property. She has researched economic incentives in copyright and patent systems; she has also taken a role as intellectual property expert at multiple academic and private institutions. She currently serves as intellectual property policy advisor to the director of the MIT Media Lab.
Her passion for technology and robots has led her to interdisciplinary fields. After co-teaching a robot ethics course at Harvard Law School with Professor Lawrence Lessig, Kate increasingly works at the intersection of law and robotics, with a focus on legal and social issues. She is a former Fellow and current Affiliate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and a former fellow at the Yale Information Society Project; she is also an affiliate at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.
Kate’s work has been featured in Vogue, The New Yorker, the Guardian, BBC, NPR, PBS, The Boston Globe, Forbes, CBC, WIRED, Boston Magazine, The Atlantic, Slate, Die Zeit, The Japan Times, and more. A contributing writer to Robohub and IEEE Spectrum, she speaks and holds workshops covering some of the more interesting developments in the world of robotics, and where we might find ourselves in the future.
Kate graduated from law school with honors and holds a doctorate of sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and an honorary doctorate of sciences from Middlebury College. In 2017, the American Bar Association honored her legal work with the Mark T. Banner award in Intellectual Property. She is the caretaker for several domestic robots, including her Pleos Yochai, Peter, and Mr. Spaghetti. She tweets as @grok_ about eating Cheerios for dinner.
Douglas Rushkoff
Named one of the world’s 10 most influential intellectuals by MIT, Douglas Rushkoff is an award-winning author, broadcaster, and documentarian who studies human autonomy in the digital age. The host of the popular Team Human podcast, Rushkoff has written twenty books, including the bestsellers Present Shock and Program or Be Programmed; written regular columns for Medium, CNN, Daily Beast, and the Guardian; and made the PBS Frontline documentaries Generation Like and Merchants of Cool. Rushkoff coined such concepts as “viral media” and “social currency,” and has been a leading voice for applying digital media toward social and economic justice. He is a research fellow of the Institute for the Future and founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism at CUNY/Queens, where he is a professor of media theory and digital economics. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
All talks at the Media Lab, unless otherwise noted, are free and open to the public. No registration is required.
This talk will be webcast. Join the conversation on Twitter: #MLTalks
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Disparities in Rooftop Photovoltaics Deployment in the United States by Race and Ethnicity
Thursday, February 7
3 – 4PM
Tufts, Nelson Auditorium (Anderson 112), 200 College Avenue, Medford
Deborah Sunter, Tufts University
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Getting to Zero on Climate Change
Thursday, February 7
4:00PM
Harvard, Northwest B103, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
HAL HARVEY, CEO of Energy Innovation and author of Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy
Preventing dangerous climate change is an “area under the curve” problem, as total emissions over time must not exceed a trillion tons of carbon. The imperative, then, is focusing on strategies that offer speed and scale in carbon reduction. Ten policies, applied to 20 countries, can land us at a reasonable climate future.
This talk by Hal Harvey will lay out the policies that can put us on the path to a low-carbon future, describe the design elements that ensure success, and apply this focus on the “four zeros” –a zero-carbon grid, zero-emissions vehicles, zero-net-energy buildings, and zero-waste manufacturing.
Hal Harvey is the CEO of the policy firm Energy Innovation, and recently published Designing Climate Solutions, a comprehensive guide on energy policy in a carbon-constrained world. He was founder and CEO of Energy Foundation, and helped establish Energy Foundation China, the European Climate Foundation, and the Indian Sustainable Energy Foundation. Hal was appointed to panels by Presidents Bush (41) and Clinton, is a senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Paulson Institute, and received the Heinz Award for the Environment in 2016 as well as the UN Clean Air and Climate Change Award in 2018. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University.
Contact Name: Erin Harleman
eharleman at fas.harvard.edu
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Comparative Democracy Seminar -- Non-Policy Politics: Richer Voters, Poorer Voters, and the Diversification of Electoral Strategies
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 4:15 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Ash Center Foyer, Suite 200N (Second Floor), 124 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Maria Victoria Murillo, Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Moderated by: Candelaria Garay, Ford Foundation Associate Professor of Democracy, HKS
COST Free
CONTACT INFO info at ash.harvard.edu
DETAILS Murillo will discuss her recent book "Non-Policy Politics: Richer Voters, Poorer Voters, and the Diversification of Electoral Strategies," which focuses on the non-policy benefits that voters consider when deciding their vote. In addition to proposing policies, parties deliver non-policy benefits, such as competent economic management, constituency service, and patronage. This book provides a unified view of how politicians deliver broad portfolios of policy and non-policy benefits to their constituency. Non-policy resources also shape parties' ideological positions. The book shows which type of electoral offers parties target to either poorer or richer voters and their implications in terms of democratic responsiveness. The theory is tested using both qualitative and quantitative research to establish how linkages between parties and voters shape the delivery of non-policy benefits in Argentina and Chile in the 2000s.
LINK https://ash.harvard.edu/event/comparative-democracy-seminar-maria-v-murillo
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The Supreme Court's Threat to Civil Society
Thursday, February 7
5:00pm to 6:30pm
Harvard, Langdell North - 225 Vorenberg, 1545 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Annual Kissel Lecture in Ethics with Linda Greenhouse
Abstract: Greenhouse looks critically at recent decisions including Janus v. AFSCME; Masterpiece Cakeshop; Hobby Lobby; and the Little Sisters of the Poor Litigation, in which the Supreme Court empowered -- indeed, invited -- individuals to opt out of the rules by which the rest of us have agreed to be governed. Respecting claims of conscience is of course an essential element of civil society. But honoring such claims selectively, while failing to give weight to the foreseeable burdens on third parties, can accelerate the descent into the tribalism with which American society is threatened today.
Linda Greenhouse is the Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law and Knight Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence at Yale Law School. She assumed this position in 2009 after a 40-year career at the New York Times, including 30 years covering the United States Supreme Court. At Yale, she is a member of the faculty of the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic and teaches other Supreme Court-related courses. She writes a bi-weekly op-ed column on the Supreme Court and law for the New York Times web site as a contributing columnist. In her extracurricular life, she is president of the American Philosophical Society and serves on several nonprofit boards. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College, Harvard, and earned a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School.
She received numerous journalism awards for her reporting, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1998 (beat reporting); the Carey McWilliams Award from the American Political Science Association in 2002 for “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics”; and the Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from Harvard University’s Kennedy School in 2004. Her newest book, published in October 2017 by Harvard University Press, is a brief memoir, Just a Journalist. Other books include The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right (with Michael J. Graetz), The U.S. Supreme Court: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press); a biography of Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Becoming Justice Blackmun; and Before Roe v. Wade: Voices That Shaped the Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court’s Ruling (with Reva B. Siegel).
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The Annual Massachusetts State of Solar
Thursday, February 7
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM EST
Prince Lobel Tye LLP, 1 International Place, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-annual-massachusetts-state-of-solar-tickets-54703252902
Cost: $15
Join us for our fourth annual Massachusetts State of Solar. Since 2010, we have seen our state’s clean energy economy expand exponentially. What does the future electric grid look like? Where do utilities and solar companies fit into that vision? The evening will feature a panel discussion on the political climate, accomplishments, and challenges for solar energy in Massachusetts.
Panelists:
Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Boston)
Jess Brooks, Chief Development Officer at Sunwealth Solar
Deborah Donovan, Senior Policy Advocate & Massachusetts Director of the Acadia Center
Allison Mond, Senior Solar Analyst at Greentech Media (Moderator)
Agenda
5:30PM Reception and refreshments
6:00PM Program introduction
6:05PM Opening statements from panelists
6:20PM Moderator-led questions
6:45PM Audience questions
7:00PM Conclude panel, open the room to networking
7:30PM End of event
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2019 Winter Edition EnergyBar @ Greentown Labs
Thursday, February 7
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Greentown Labs, 444 Somerville Avenue, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-winter-edition-energybar-greentown-labs-tickets-53398180395
Partners, friends, and cleantech champions, please join us for our 2019 Winter Edition EnergyBar networking event, free and open to the public. Stay warm inside of Greentown Labs and meet new cleantech friends over appetizers and beverages.
Are you a startup interested in touring Greentown Labs before the event?
Please contact Cayman Somerville, Recruitment Manager, at csomerville at greentownlabs.com to learn more about our community and membership opportunities.
About EnergyBar!
EnergyBar is Greentown Labs' 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!
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Using Social Media for Activism
Thursday, February 7
6:00pm
Cambridge Community Television, 438 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP by contacting Keaton Fox at 617-661-6900 or email keaton at cctvcambridge.org
Cost: $35
Activists are increasingly using the power of social media to raise awareness about particular issues and to raise funding for their cause.
Activists are increasingly using the power of social media to raise awareness about particular issues and to raise funding for their cause. In this workshop, you will explore several case studies of effective social media campaigns employed by activists and will discuss the future trends in social media activism. Basic knowledge of or involvement with social media platforms is strongly recommended.
1 session - Thursday - February 7th - 6-9pm - with Patricia Egessa
All regular classes have two rates: one for Access Members and one for non-members. Advance registration is required and is accepted on a first-come basis. Early registration is advised since courses may fill up or be canceled due to low enrollment. Members with sufficient voucher balance may register over the phone (617) 661-6900; all others must provide full payment at the time of registration. Schedules are subject to change.
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The Peacemaker: Film Screening and Discussion with Padraig O’Malley
Thursday, February 7
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, 210 William T Morrissey Boulevard, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-peacemaker-film-screening-and-discussion-with-padraig-omalley-tickets-54613260733
A New York Times Critics' Pick and multi-award winning film, THE PEACEMAKER is an intimate portrait of Padraig O'Malley, University of Massachusetts Boston, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Professor of Peace and Reconciliation, - who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself.
The film takes us from Padraig's isolated life in Cambridge, Massachusetts to some of the most dangerous crisis zones on Earth – from Northern Ireland to Kosovo, Nigeria to Iraq – as he works a peacemaking model based on his recovery from addiction. We meet Padraig in the third act of his life in a race against time to find some kind of salvation for both the world and himself.
FREE ADMISSION, registration is required.
AGENDA:
6:00 P.M. Doors open and reception begins
7:00 P.M. Film Screening
8:45 P.M. Discussion with director James Demo and Padraig O'Malley
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Techii Forum — Virtual Reality in Language Pedagogy and Authentic Cultural Immersion
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE Venture Cafe @ Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway (Fifth Floor), Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Conferences, Education, Lecture, Research study, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Tech Invention & Innovation (Techii) Forum
SPEAKER(S) Nicole Mills Ph.D., Lecturer at Harvard University
COST Free
TICKET WEB LINK techii2019.eventbrite.com
CONTACT INFO info at techii.org
DETAILS Thinking about learning a new language or exploring an alien culture, but don't have enough time or resources?
Join us and find out how the emerging tech Virtual Reality is accelerating the language learning process and making deep culture immersion possible, without traveling.
This event will present the role that virtual reality narratives play in foreign language pedagogy in Harvard's classrooms. A project will be showcased in which four different Parisians documented the stories of their lives with a virtual reality (VR) camera. These VR narratives immersed foreign language students in diverse perspectives, practices and sites of Paris that were unexplored or unexpected, presenting Parisian culture as rich, nuanced, and deeply contextualized.
Tech Invention & Innovation (Techii) Forum holds discussions on tech invention and innovation that will make profound impacts on our society.
LINK www.techii.org
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Together Building Place-Based Resiliency & Sustainability Series
Thursday, February 7
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Earthos Innovation Lab, 1310 Broadway, Ground Floor, Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/together-building-place-based-resiliency-sustainability-series-tickets-55300455150
Cost: $5 – $10
Join us for our first of a monthly workshop series* Thursday, February 7th at 6:30 PM. Together, we will explore ways of building place-based sustainability and resiliency in our communities around the world. For this first workshop, 3 speakers will share their efforts in their respective bioregions. Following each presentation, we will discuss each initiative, sharing ideas, strategies, and best practices, co-building knowledge.
Agenda / Workshop Format:
6:30 PM— Check –in
7:00 PM—Presentations with Q&A
8:30 PM—Open discussion.
Networking and nibbles will follow this peer learning event.
February Speakers:
SIT Foundation, Ghana Andrews Agbleke (Kwasi), Ph.D., President and Co-Founder
Building resilience through science & technology, Kwasi is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the cofounder of Sena Institute of Technology, a non-profit research institute, built to bring seasoned and young researchers across the globe to work together for a common purpose of building research capacity in Ghana. The three primary objectives of the Institute are: 1) Facilitate intellectual interactions between scientists leading to collaborations; 2) Allocate shared resources to researchers to increase productivity and sustainable development ; 3) Development of innovative resources tailored to the African continent and the world. Come and learn more about how we are building a research ecosystem in Ghana. Website: http://sitghana.org
Art Centar Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirela Kulović, President and Founder
Building resilience through art and creativity, Mirela is a Boston-based painter; she holds a masters degree in Industrial engineering. She is a founder of Art Centar Gračanica a non-profit art center and hub, initiated to support, develop and promote art related projects in small towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina and region. Missions and goals: 1) Foster interaction between people with different professional backgrounds and education levels; 2) Develop creative sustainable projects in the town of Gracanica and Bosnia and Herzegovina; 3) Organize residence for international artists and thinkers. Website: https://www.artgracanica.org
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Team Human
Thursday, February 7
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes digital theorist, award–winning author, and podcast host DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF for a discussion of his latest book, Team Human.
About Team Human
Team Human is a manifesto―a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff’s most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together―not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; education, conceived as a way to elevate the working class, has become another assembly line; and the internet has only further divided us into increasingly atomized and radicalized groups.
Team Human delivers a call to arms. If we are to resist and survive these destructive forces, we must recognize that being human is a team sport. In Rushkoff’s own words: “Being social may be the whole point.” Harnessing wide-ranging research on human evolution, biology, and psychology, Rushkoff shows that when we work together we realize greater happiness, productivity, and peace. If we can find the others who understand this fundamental truth and reassert our humanity―together―we can make the world a better place to be human.
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Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation
Thursday, February 7
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hbs-professor-gary-pisano-tickets-54174557560
"Creative Construction "debunks the widely held myth that large companies cannot innovate, only small nimble startups can. Pisano's remarkable research conducted over three decades, and his extraordinary on-the ground experience with big companies (including Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft, etc.) and fast-growing ones that have moved beyond the start-up stage, provides new thinking about how the scale of bigger companies can be leveraged for advantage in innovation. He argues that if large enterprises seem incapable of transformative innovation, it is because we design them and run them that way.
Gary Pisano is one of the world's leading researchers in the fields of innovation, strategy, manufacturing, and competitiveness. He is the Harry E. Figgie Professor of Business Administration and senior associate dean for faculty development at Harvard Business School. He speaks widely at industry conferences and to senior executive audiences and his work has been featured in The New York Times, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review, and many more publications.
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MIT IDEAS Spring Generator Dinner 2019
Thursday, February 7
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
MIT Stratton Student Center (W20) Lobdell, 2nd Floor, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-ideas-spring-generator-dinner-2019-tickets-53746187293
Are you interested in learning more about innovation and social entrepreneurship opportunities at MIT?
Working on a project to help underserved communities? Need funding? Want to recruit new team members?
Want to get involved, but don't yet have an idea?
Join us for dinner. Pitch an idea. Find a team.
The IDEAS Generator Dinner is one of the best venues to find a team to join, pitch your idea to woo and recruit teammates, or pitch your skills to get hired onto a team.
Event Program
6:45 Doors Open - Dinner
7:00 Opening Remarks
7:15 Advice from Past Participants
7:30 Sixty-second Pitches
8:00 Networking
9:00 Event Ends
Pitch Your Idea or Skill
During the event, we will have openings for 20-30 sixty-second pitches from attendees. To be considered for a slot, submit your pitch to using the Eventbrite question.
Sign up to pitch an idea or your skills when you register for this event. Those selected to pitch will be contacted before the event with instructions on the process.Note: Pitching is optional! If you don’t want to pitch, just attend to mix and mingle, meet potential teammates, or hear about some of the exciting projects already underway.
About the Competition
Teams must be led by a full-time MIT student with MIT students making significant contributions to the project’s innovation. However, if you are not an MIT student, you are still welcome to attend the Generator Dinner to pitch an idea or get hired on a team. For full competition criteria and guidelines, please visit our website: http://ideas.mit.edu/
What is MIT IDEAS?
The MIT IDEAS program provides students with an opportunity to develop their innovative ideas and make positive changes in the world. As an annual innovation and social entrepreneurship competition run by the MIT Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center, the IDEAS Global Challenge enables students to apply their MIT education in real-world situations to tackle quality of life issues for people around the world.
IDEAS projects can address issues in one or more sectors, such as health, education, agriculture, energy and environment, water, finance and entrepreneurship, mobile technology, and housing and transportation. Teams are created and led by MIT undergraduate and graduate students, but they can include anyone from around the world. If you are looking to join an IDEAS team that needs your skill set or are simply interested in learning more about how to get involved, join the conversation and help move ideas towards realization.
Remember to submit your pitch here to be considered for a slot at this year's Generator Dinner!
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Friday, February 8 – Saturday, February 9
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Harvard Graduate Music Conference: Music, Sound, & Censorship
Friday, February 8, 12:00 PM – Saturday, February 9, 6:00 PM
Harvard, Paine Hall, 3 Oxford Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/harvard-graduate-music-conference-music-sound-censorship-tickets-54200443987
Please join us for the Harvard Music graduate conference featuring keynote speaker Brigid Cohen.
About this Event
Musical censorship appears in a variety of contexts, from democracies to dictatorships, among and between public and private spheres, by force and by choice. Censorship has meant both “concrete mechanisms of silencing” (Robert C. Post, 1998), and, following Foucault, censorship is paradoxical in that it is at once a power of constraint, and a constitutive/productive force that circulates in a society. Considering censorship, music, and sound together affords discussions of the politics of silence and silencing, hidden inscriptions, and the roles of sound-makers and listeners in silencing. Mechanisms and technologies of sonic censorship may also be interrogated under this rubric. How is censorship of music and sound enacted? What role does sound play in censoring other sound?
We hope that this conference will contribute to our understanding of the effect that censorship has on the sounds and music we hear across historical periods, cultures, and geographies.
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Friday, February 8
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How can bacteria control access to cooperative behavior?
Friday, February 8
8:30AM-9:30AM
Harvard, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd floor, Museum building classroom 375 (formerly Room 310), Cambridge
Murray Tipping, FAS-MCB, Research Associate in the Gibbs Lab
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Under Fire
Friday, February 8
11:00 - 12:00 (Doors 10:30am)
Northeastern, Blackman Auditorium, 342 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://bit.ly/2Ecpcz5
White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, Author of The Presidency in Black and White and 2017 NABJ Journalist of the Year — April Ryan, will come to Northeastern's campus and speak with the crowd in February.
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Human Rights in Hard Places Speaker Series: Freedom in the World
WHEN Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Taubman 102, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
SPEAKER(S) Michael Abramowitz
DETAILS The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy is excited to announce its 2019 Speaker Series: Human Rights in Hard Places, facilitated by Carr Center Executive Director, Sushma Raman.
The Human Rights in Hard Places Speaker Series was formed to underscore that despite the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, vast human rights abuses are still occurring seven decades later.
We hope for this to serve as a platform for individuals to hear from the world's leading practitioners and academics in the human rights field, and to listen, question and engage.
In the first installment of the series, Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House, will give a talk titled, "Freedom in the World."
Michael J. Abramowitz is president of Freedom House. Before joining Freedom House in February 2017, he was director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Levine Institute for Holocaust Education. He led the museum’s genocide prevention efforts and later oversaw its public education programs. He was previously National Editor and then White House correspondent for the Washington Post. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and former fellow at the German Marshall Fund and the Hoover Institution. A graduate of Harvard College, he is also a board member of the National Security Archive, and a member of the Human Freedom Advisory Council for the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
LINK https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/event/human-rights-hard-places-speaker-series-freedom-world?delta=0
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Towards a holistic understanding of the interactions between biochemical and physical processes above the Amazonian rain forest
Friday, February 8
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, Pierce 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Jordi Vila, Wageningen University
The dry season in the Amazonian rain forest is characterized by shallow cumulus,
which perturbs both radiation and turbulence above the tropical forest. These
disturbances lead to continuous changes in the partitioning of the available energy in evapotranspiration and sensible heat flux at the surface. The non-steady state of the radiative and turbulent conditions also influence the emission and subsequent transport of biogenic volatile organic compounds. In turn, the spatiotemporal variations in the surface fluxes of the energy, water and atmospheric compounds modify the atmospheric boundary layer dynamics, and therefore thus the diurnal cycle of shallow cumulus. More specifically, turbulent thermals may change in intensity and vertical extent, and changes in aerosol composition will lead to differences in the distribution of the aerosol properties that may influence the cloud condensation nuclei. Both effects impact the cloud microphysics and dynamics.
In this seminar, I present and discuss recent results that reproduce a representative day in the Amazonian rain forest during the dry season. Guided and constrained by the complete observational set gathered during the GOAMAZON campaign, we have designed a suite of numerical experiments performed by the Dutch Atmospheric Large Eddy Simulation (DALES). Our main aim is to study the interaction of the biochemical and physical processes that occur on sub-hourly and sub-kilometre scales. The numerical experiments explicitly simulate the coupling between the surface and the atmospheric boundary layer. Here, we focus on processes that affect photosynthesis, such as cloud shading, the impact of the partitioning of direct and diffuse radiation in and above the canopy, and the effects of the wind on the energy and moisture fluxes. I will close the seminar by discussing experiments that include gas-phase chemistry to study the diurnal variability of reactive compounds on the Amazonian tropical forest.
Atmospheric & Environmental Chemistry Seminar
Contact: Kelvin Bates
Email: kelvin_bates at fas.harvard.edu
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New Phenomena in Large-Scale Internet Traffic
Friday, February 8
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-141, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Jeremy Kepner , MIT - Lincoln Lab
The Internet is transforming our society, necessitating a quantitative understanding of Internet traffic. Our team collects and curates the largest publicly available Internet traffic data containing 50 billion packets. Analysis of this streaming data using 10,000 processors in the MIT SuperCloud reveals a variety of new phenomena. New models of the traffic are developed that show remarkable consistency across a wide range source/destination statistics over collections that span years and continents. The measured model parameters distinguish different network streams and strongly correlate with different underlying topologies.
(Pizza/beverages will be provided at 11:45 AM outside Room 32-141)
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Black-Box Medicine: Legal and Ethical Issues: A Health Policy and Bioethics Consortium
WHEN Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Law School, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein East C (2036), 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Health Sciences, Law
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL) at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in collaboration with the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) I. Glenn Cohen, Faculty Director and James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Faculty Director, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School
Ziad Obermeyer, Acting Associate Professor, Health Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health
COST Free
TICKET WEB LINK https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eftx4yys37087222&oseq=&c=&ch=
DETAILS Black-box medicine — the use of opaque computational models to make care decisions — has the potential to shape health care by improving and aiding many medical tasks. For example, IBM Watson for Oncology is a machine-learning system that intends to help clinicians quickly identify essential information in patients’ medical records and explore treatment options for 13 types of cancer. However, it has only recently emerged that the recommendations Watson for Oncology gave for cancer treatments were “often incorrect” and that IBM kept this defect secret for over a year. What are the ethical and legal issues of black-box medicine? When do algorithms operate like a “black box“? How can we ensure that artificial intelligence technologies deliver what they promise?
LINK http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/black-box-medicine-legal-and-ethical-issues
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Crisis and Credibility: The Politics of Ideas in India and Developing Democracies
WHEN Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South, S450, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Brown University, and MIT
SPEAKER(S) Bilal Baloch
COST Free
DETAILS Dr. Bilal A. Baloch, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), will go beyond the claim that ideas matter in Indian politics, and will identify how ideas shape political behavior during a credibility crisis. He will examine two main credibility crisis moments in contemporary Indian history, beginning with the suspension of civil liberties in India in 1974.
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How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration
Friday, February 8
3:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes award-winning psychologist and Boston College professor ELLEN WINNER for a discussion of her new book, How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration.
About How Art Works
There is no end of talk and of wondering about 'art' and 'the arts.' This book examines a number of questions about the arts (broadly defined to include all of the arts). Some of these questions come from philosophy. Examples include:
What makes something art?
Can anything be art?
Do we experience "real" emotions from the arts?
Why do we seek out and even cherish sorrow and fear from art when we go out of our way to avoid these very emotions in real life?
How do we decide what is good art? Do aesthetic judgments have any objective truth value?
Why do we devalue fakes even if we—indeed, even the experts—can't tell them apart from originals?
Does fiction enhance our empathy and understanding of others? Is art-making therapeutic?
Others are "common sense" questions that laypersons wonder about. Examples include:
Does learning to play music raise a child's IQ?
Is modern art something my kid could do?
Is talent a matter of nature or nurture?
This book examines puzzles about the arts wherever their provenance—as long as there is empirical research using the methods of social science (interviews, experimentation, data collection, statistical analysis) that can shed light on these questions. The examined research reveals how ordinary people think about these questions, and why they think the way they do—an inquiry referred to as intuitive aesthetics. The book shows how psychological research on the arts has shed light on and often offered surprising answers to such questions.
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Smallholder Farming: Strategies for Sustainability and Resilience
Friday, February 8
3:00pm to 4:30pm
MIT, Building 6-120 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Join J-WAFS for a panel featuring research presentations by graduate students and senior scholars
Smallholder farmers around the world face numerous risks to their agricultural productivity. The challenges they encounter can vary by region, and can include soil nutrient levels and fertilizer access; water supply, pricing and financing; and supply chain issues, among others. Many of these issues affect farmers in the Global South in particular. Climate change poses a further threat, and is expected to make the livelihoods of these individuals and communities even more precarious.
Researchers at MIT are developing a variety of solutions to these challenges, applying strategies in engineering, soil science, and economics and finance while ensuring the cultural appropriateness of these innovations. Join J-WAFSto learn about a few of the solutions being developed here. These strategies—affordable soil sensors, novel business models, and even a redesigned tractor—could provide avenues for sustainability and resilience for smallholder farmers around the world.
Presenters:
Guillermo Fabian Diaz Lankenau, PhD candidate, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Guillermo is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He works in the Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab on farm mechanization for emerging markets. He has worked at John Deere and interned at NASA and the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. He will speak about the origin and merits of the most common farm tractor design and share the drawbacks that could be addressed in future designs to make it more suitable for use by smallholder farmers.
Sorin Grama, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Martin Trust Center, and instructor, MIT D-Lab
Sorin co-founded and served as CEO and CTO of Promethean Power Systems, a manufacturer of thermal energy storage systems for refrigeration and cold-storage applications. Sorin is also one of the founders of Greentown Labs, a grassroots effort which has grown to become the nation’s largest cleantech incubator. He is trained as an electrical engineer, holds an MS in Engineering and Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently co-teaches an undergraduate two product design course at MIT D-Lab (D-Lab: Design and Design for Scale). At this event, Sorin will speak about how technical and business model innovations can help Indian dairy farmers produce more milk and generate more income.
Nidhi Sharma, MS candidate, Integrated Design & Management Program
Nidhi is a graduate fellow at Integrated Design & Management program at MIT. She identifies herself as an electronics engineer and entrepreneur and is highly interested in the commercialization of technology that can help people live better. She began her entrepreneurial journey in India as founder of Ukhaad Electronics, a venture that runs workshops and training to introduce colleges and schools in India to STEM subjects. Also a Tata Fellow, she is working to develop soil moisture sensors that can serve as a wireless, low-cost strategy for Indian farmers to perform precision agriculture.
Presenter TBD
A research initiative of the MIT D-Lab is assessing opportunities for the use of digital payments for smallholder farmers in resource-constrained settings. This project, begun in 2018 through a partnership with USAID’s Feed the Future Program (D2FTF) seeks to better understand the role that digital services can play in the financial inclusion of smallholder farmers in Senegal and Guatemala.
For more information, including a list of presenters and their research projects, visit our website at https://jwafs.mit.edu/events/2019SmallholderFarming
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America and the World: A Conversation with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy & Senator Ed Markey
WHEN Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, United States Ambassador to Japan (2013 to 2017)
Senator Ed Markey, United States Senator from Massachusetts
CONTACT INFO JFK Jr. Forum Office, 617-495-1380
DETAILS A conversation with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Senator Ed Markey
LINK https://iop.harvard.edu/forum/america-and-world-conversation-ambassador-caroline-kennedy-senator-ed-markey
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Screwnomics: How Our Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change
Friday, February 8
7:00pm
Porter Square Books, 25 White Street, Cambridge
The personal is not only political, it's also economic and sexual: as a society, we're encouraged to view economics as objective science far removed from us--when in reality it has concrete and far-reaching effects on our everyday lives.
In Screwnomics, Rickey Gard Diamond shares personal stories, cartoons, and easy-to-understand economic definitions in her quest to explain the unspoken assumptions of 300 years of EconoMansplaining--the economic theory that women should always work for less, or better for free. It unpacks economic definitions, turns a men-only history on its head, and highlights female experiences and solutions. encouraging female readers to think about their own economic memoir and confront our system's hyper-masculine identity.
In the past fifty years, the US has witnessed a major shift in economic theory, and yet few women can identify or talk about its influence in their own lives. Accessible and inspiring, Screwnomics offers female readers hope for a better, more inclusive future--and the tools to make that hope a reality.
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The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation
Friday February 8
7:00 pm
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline
Narayan Helen Liebenson
In her long-awaited debut, a beloved master teacher shows us how to move from the “constant squeeze” of suffering to a direct experience of enoughness. The magnanimous heart is a heart of balance and buoyancy, of generosity and inclusivity. It allows us to approach each moment exactly as it is - fresh and alive, free from agendas and shoulds, receiving all that arises. It has the capacity to hold anything and everything, transforming even vulnerability and grief into workable assets.
Narayan Helen Liebenson is a guiding teacher at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center and has been teaching there since its inception in 1985. Narayan is also a guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where she offers residential retreats. She leads retreats as well in other parts of the country and the world.
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Film screening: "The Dawn Wall"
Friday, February 8
7:30pm to 9:30pm
MIT, Building 26-100, 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Cost: $5 w/ MIT ID, $10 General Admission
In January, 2015, American rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson captivated the world with their effort to climb The Dawn Wall, a seemingly impossible 3,000 foot rock face in Yosemite National Park, California.
The pair lived on the sheer vertical cliff for weeks, igniting a frenzy of global media attention.
But for Tommy Caldwell, The Dawn Wall was much more than just a climb. It was the culmination of a lifetime defined by overcoming obstacles. At the age of 22, the climbing prodigy was taken hostage by rebels in Kyrgyzstan. Shortly after, he lost his index finger in an accident, but resolved to come back stronger. When his marriage fell apart, he escaped the pain by fixating on the extraordinary goal of free climbing The Dawn Wall.
Blurring the line between dedication and obsession, Caldwell and his partner Jorgeson spend six years meticulously plotting and practicing their route. On the final attempt, with the world watching, Caldwell is faced with a moment of truth. Should he abandon his partner to fulfill his ultimate dream, or risk his own success for the sake of their friendship?
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edfw9ip9sCQ
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Saturday, February 9 - Sunday, February 10
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SocialxDesign: The 7th Annual HarvardxDesign Conference
Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 5:00 PM - Sunday, February 10, 2019 at 2:00 PM
Harvard Business School, Klarman Hall, Allston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/socialxdesign-the-7th-annual-harvardxdesign-conference-tickets-53732303767
Cost: $38 - $69
The xDesign Conference is an annual exploration of all things design – a student conference at Harvard University. Launched in 2012, the conference is a collaborative effort between student groups at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard Business School, and Harvard College - and the only cross-school event of its kind. The event brings together creative thinkers, design luminaries, experts from a variety of backgrounds, professors, and students to engage in and reinterpret the design process as it relates to the way we run busineses, communities, governments, and systems.
At this year's theme, "Social by Design", Come hear from, meet, and network with leaders designing for trust, intimacy, and assembly in an increasingly connected yet divisive world. Our speakers hail from diverse organizations and backgrounds – Burning Man, Google, IKEA, Airbnb, Happy City, Tezign, Tia, Equinox...and more!
Our schedule will include:
Saturday (2/9) 5pm - 7pm happy hour social and kick-off event
Sunday (2/10) 9am - 5pm all-day conference, panels, and discussions (breakfast + lunch included)
LEARN MORE @ WWW.SOCIALXDESIGN.CO
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Saturday, February 9
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"From Rabbinic Sources to a Theology of Environmental Torah”
WHEN Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
WHERE Smith Hall, Harvard Hillel, 52 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Lecture, Religion
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Worship and Study Congregation at Harvard Hillel
SPEAKER(S) Rabbi Jonah Steinberg
DETAILS "Lunch and Learn" after Shabbat services. Dairy/parve potluck lunch at 11:45, talk at 12:15. Our earliest rabbinic ancestors laid the groundwork for a theology of radical responsibility and mindful action that has much to teach us for confronting the ecological crisis we face today. We will explore this legacy.
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Monday, February 11
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Comprehensive Green Roof: Beyond Extensive and Intensive
Monday, February 11
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
Hemingway, Floor 18, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comprehensive-green-roof-beyond-extensive-and-intensive-tickets-54879387726
Cost: $45
Learn how to maximize the environmental, social and financial benefit from green roofs. The decade-old U.S. green roof market is largely based on German technology. Advanced understanding has led to breakthroughs that address issues in first-generation green roofs and technology transfer. Comprehensive green roofs bring the most advantageous qualities of intensive and extensive green roofs together. Comprehensive green roofs support plant varieties typically seen in intensive green roofs at the depth and weight of extensive green roofs.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will gain an understanding of current technology in green roof construction illustrated by case studies.
Participants will understand the advantages of combining the best qualities of “extensive” and “intensive” green roofs to create a “comprehensive” green roof design.
Participants will understand the wide range of plant species that comprehensive green roofs can support.
Participants will learn the best practices in design, establishment maintenance and follow-up of comprehensive green roof design.
This presentation can count as a “Structured Self Reported Program” for 1 hour of AIA credit.
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Program on Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate [PAOC] Colloquium: Kaustubh Thirumalai (Brown)
Monday, February 11
12:00pm to 1:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
About this Series
The Planet Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate Colloquium [PAOCC] is a weekly interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars take place on Monday from 12-1pm in 54-923. Lunch is provided after the seminars to encourage students and post-docs to meet with the speaker. Besides the seminar and lunch, individual meetings with professors, post-docs, and students are arranged. Contact the 2018/2019 Coordinators: paoc-colloquium-comm at mit.edu
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How to die young at a very old age
Monday, February 11
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Tufts, Jean Mayer Center, Mezzanine Auditorium, 711 Washington Street, Boston
Nir Barzilai, M.D., Director, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Director, Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research and National Institutes of Health’s Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging
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Surprising Insights from Electricity Customer Micro Data
Monday, February 11
12:00PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge
Pasi Miettinen, President and CEO of Sagewell
Lunch will be served. This event is free and open to the public.
HKS Energy Policy Seminar
https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/energyconsortium/seminars
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“Cultures of Ability"
Monday, February 11
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Northeastern, 909 Renaissance Park, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
Meryl Alper, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, College of Arts, Media, and Design
“The Cultural Politics of "Sensory-Friendly" Mediated Spaces”
Elizabeth Britt, Associate Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
“The Ability to Change: Batterer Intervention as Rhetorical Education”
Adam Hosein, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
“Anti-Discrimination Norms, Conceptions of Ability and Social Change”
For more information, please contact Gaby Fiorenza at g.fiorenza at northeastern.edu
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Harmony Through Harmony
Monday, February 11
12 – 1:30PM
Tufts, Varis Lecture Hall, Granoff Music Center, 20 Talbot Avenue, Medford
Distinguished Tufts alumnus Deke Sharon, producer of the hit show The Sing-Off and arranger/music director/producer for all three Pitch Perfect movies, leads the Tufts Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and many of Tufts's talented student a cappella groups in a performance of exciting a cappella music at the culmination of his residency.
Monday, February 11, 2019 12PM - Lecture: Harmony Through Harmony
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Innovations for Fisheries and Conservation Solutions
Monday, February 11
3:30pm
Harvard, Haller Hall, Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street
Reniel Cabral, University of California, Santa Barbara
Abstract: Fisheries and conservation challenges are becoming more complex, requiring innovative solutions. My work can be categorized into three approaches for addressing long-standing, fundamental problems in fisheries and conservation: 1) Using big data and novel technologies; 2) Applying established methods from other fields in new ways; and 3) Applying innovative computational models. I will provide examples of each approach, focusing on the following three studies: 1) Using novel data from satellite technologies to empirically assess the effect of policies aimed at combating illegal fishing in Indonesia and The Gambia; 2) Quantifying the responses of commercial and recreational vessels to the establishment of marine protected areas using 14 years of aerial surveys around California's Channel Islands; and 3) Using a decision framework from economics to derive optimal policies for the situation in which stakeholders value multiple ecosystem services and these services have uncertainties. Specifically, these studies address the following questions: 1) Can addressing illegal fishing be an alternative pathway to fishery recovery? 2) How do stakeholders respond to management interventions? 3) How do uncertainties affect optimal decision making?
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Brexit: What’s Next?
WHEN Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Ed Balls, Research Fellow, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government, HKS, United Kingdom Shadow Chancellor (2011- 2015)
Harriett Cross, British Consul General to New England
Amanda Sloat, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow, Center on the United States and Europe, Brookings, Fellow, Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship, Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs
Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook (Moderator)
Executive Director, The Future of Diplomacy Project and Executive Director, The Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship, HKS
CONTACT INFO IOP Forum Office, 617-495-1380
LINK https://iop.harvard.edu/forum/brexit-what’s-next
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Positive Eco-Ethics in a Human-dominated World
Monday, February 11
6 to 7:30pm
Come to the front door of the water treatment plant at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/positive-eco-ethics-in-a-human-dominated-world-tickets-52433879144
Claire O’Neill, the engaging director of Earthwise Aware, leads a discussion on the state of nature, and various environmental worldviews, including anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism. How can we find a more positive and balanced worldview and move back towards being a critical component of Nature? EA (earthwiseaware.org) offers lots of interesting programs. FREE.
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Tuesday, February 12
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Speaker Series: Justin Tinsley
Tuesday, February 12
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Wexner Conference Room, Wexner Building, Room 434AB, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Justin Tinsley is a culture and sports writer for The Undefeated, a sports and pop culture website owned and operated by ESPN. He received a BA in Public Relations/Image Management from Hampton University, and a Masters in Strategic Marketing & Communications Grade from Georgetown University.
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Tropical Pitcher Plants as an Ecological Filter
Tuesday, February 12
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Harvard, 22 Divinity Avenue, HUH Seminar Room 125, Cambridge
Kadeem Gilbert, PhD Student
Naomi Pierce Lab, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Harvard University
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Kim Samuel: Social Inclusion and the Human Right of Belonging
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Austin Hall, Morgan Courtroom (Third Floor), 1515 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Law School Project on Disability
SPEAKER(S) Kim Samuel, Professor of Practice at Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO hpod at law.harvard.edu
DETAILS Join HPOD for a lunchtime talk on social inclusion and the human right of belonging.
LINK http://hpod.law.harvard.edu/events/event/social-inclusion-and-the-human-right-of-belonging
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To AI or Not to AI: Image-Based Diagnostics for Post-Cesarean Delivery Infections in Rural Rwanda
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Global Health Institute, 42 Church Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Health Sciences, Information Technology, Lecture, Research study, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Global Health Institute
SPEAKER(S) Dr. Bethany Hedt-Gauthier, Associate Professor, Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Rich Fletcher, Director, Mobile Technology Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
TICKET WEB LINK https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eg2a5djz45c0ae2e&oseq=&c=&ch=
CONTACT INFO Megan Diamond
megan_diamond at harvard.edu
DETAILS In rural Rwanda, 11% of women who deliver via c-section develop a surgical site infection (SSI). Delays in SSI diagnosis and treatment can lead to severe morbidity and mortality among mothers. Our team is assessing ways to leverage the existing network of community health workers (CHWs) to improve post-c-section follow-up with a focus on timely identification of SSIs. We will briefly discuss an image-based diagnostic tool that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose infection based on CHW-generated photos of the c-section incision. The talk will also outline the often forgotten but extremely important questions around the utility of this AI-based diagnostic tool, namely the appropriateness, value-added, feasibility, acceptability, and scalability of this intervention in the context of health care delivery in rural Africa.
LINK https://globalhealth.harvard.edu/february
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The Economic Impact of America's New Protectionism
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS Knafel Building, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), 1737 Cambridge Stret, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S) David Weinstein, Carl S. Shoup Professor of Japanese Economy; Director of Research, Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Graduate School of Business, Columbia University
Moderated by Christina Davis, Acting Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations (Spring 2019); Professor of Government and Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
COST Free and open to the public
LINK https://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming
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Climate Change, Social Inequity and the People's Health
Tuesday, February 12
1:00PM
Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge 502, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston
The Planetary Health Alliance hosts a lecture and book signing with Sharon Friel, Director, School of Regulation and Global Governance; Professor of Health Equity, Australia National University.
Climate change threatens humanity and the planet on which we live. Social inequities, including startling variance in the health outcomes that different population groups enjoy, also pose a threat to humanity, although less directly. Together, the scale of devastation these threats pose is unprecedented…but wholesale destruction is not inevitable. Humanity can and must act to prevent catastrophic climate change and redress egregious global health inequities. It must act now. This talk, and the associated book [Climate Change and the People’s Health, OUP 2018], outlines some of the steps necessary to move from denial and inertia towards effective mobilization across multiple policy domains and institutions.
Sharon Friel is Professor of Health Equity and Director of the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University. She is also Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy ANU. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia. She is Co-Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity. Between 2005 and 2008 she was the Head of the Scientific Secretariat (University College London) of the World Health Organisation Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Her interests are in the political economy of health; policy, governance and regulation in relation to the social determinants of health inequities, including trade and investment, food systems, and climate change.
https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/friel
Sharon's book Climate Change and the People's Health will be available for purchase at the book reading.
Contact Name: pha at harvard.edu
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The Role of Public Policy in Improving Women's Welfare in Developing Countries
Tuesday, February 12
3:00pm to 4:30pm
Northeastern, Renaissance Park, 909 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
The faculty panel (Catalina Herrera, Northeastern University, Anne Fitzpatrick, University of Massachusetts and Silvia Prina) will present their research on the role of public policy in improving women's welfare in developing countries.
This is part of the Gender and Development Speaker Series.
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Climate Change, Social Inequity and the People's Health
Tuesday, February 12
4:00PM
Harvard, 9 Bow Street, Cambridge
The Planetary Health Alliance hosts a lecture and book signing with Sharon Friel, Director, School of Regulation and Global Governance; Professor of Health Equity, Australia National University.
Climate change threatens humanity and the planet on which we live. Social inequities, including startling variance in the health outcomes that different population groups enjoy, also pose a threat to humanity, although less directly. Together, the scale of devastation these threats pose is unprecedented…but wholesale destruction is not inevitable. Humanity can and must act to prevent catastrophic climate change and redress egregious global health inequities. It must act now. This talk, and the associated book [Climate Change and the People’s Health, OUP 2018], outlines some of the steps necessary to move from denial and inertia towards effective mobilization across multiple policy domains and institutions.
Sharon Friel is Professor of Health Equity and Director of the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), Australian National University. She is also Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy ANU. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia. She is Co-Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity. Between 2005 and 2008 she was the Head of the Scientific Secretariat (University College London) of the World Health Organisation Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Her interests are in the political economy of health; policy, governance and regulation in relation to the social determinants of health inequities, including trade and investment, food systems, and climate change.
https://www.planetaryhealthalliance.org/friel
Sharon's book Climate Change and the People's Health will be available for purchase at the book reading.
Contact Name: pha at harvard.edu
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Covering Catastrophe: The Dire Science & Heated Politics of Climate Change in the Trump Era
Tuesday, February 12
4:15pm - 5:30pm
Harvard, Littauer Building - Malkin Penthouse, 4th Floor, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://belfer.wufoo.com/forms/rsvp-covering-catastrophe/
Please join the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program for a lively discussion with The Washington Post's national environmental reporter Brady Dennis and The Guardian's Emily Holden on Tuesday, February 12 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Malkin Penthouse, Littauer 4th Floor. Moderated by Cristine Russell, the event is cosponsored by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and the HKS student SEE PIC—Sustainability, Energy, Environment. Refreshments will be served and RSVP is requested.
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Emile Bustani Seminar: "Worst Humanitarian Crises of Our Time: Displacement and Destruction in Syria and Yemen"
Tuesday, February 12
4:30pm to 6:00pm
MIT, Building E51-325, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Denis J. Sullivan, Director, Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies (BCARS, a Carnegie Corporation Project). Professor of Political Science & International Affairs, Co-Director, Middle East Center, Northeastern University
Since early 2011, both Syria and Yemen have been in the throes of displacement and near-total destruction. Syria has received far more attention than Yemen has over the past eight years due primarily to the international meddling in the war itself: Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Hezbollah (Lebanon), ISIS, the US, Israel, Bahrain, Jordan… To varying degrees, all of these actors have been involved in maintaining the war itself, fueling the displacement and destruction of Syria. In addition, around one million Syrian refugees have made their way to Europe whereas Yemen’s victims – internally displaced families, famine and cholera victims, and refugees – have not forced their way into “Western consciousness” via the media or through millions of civilians seeking refuge in Europe or North America. Yemen has, finally, found its way into global consciousness due in large part to the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s personal security detail, which led to increased US Congressional and media scrutiny of the Saudi war in Yemen and of US complicity there. After mapping out the humanitarian crises affecting both Yemen and Syria, the focus of this talk will be on Syria primarily.
Denis J. Sullivan is a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Northeastern, and the Director of BCARS, the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Dr. Sullivan is the author of a number of books, including: Egypt: Global Security Watch, with Kimberly Jones; Islam in Contemporary Egypt: Civil Society vs. the State, with Sana Abed-Kotob; The World Bank and the Palestinian NGO Project: From Service Delivery to Sustainable Development; among others; as well as dozens of journal articles, book chapters, and policy briefs. Sullivan’s current research and policy focus is on the Crisis and Future of Citizenship in the Arab Region, an expansion of his ongoing work on the Syrian refugee crisis and the impact of the crisis on host societies, especially Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.
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Can Caribbean Environmental History Teach Us Anything About Resilience?
Tuesday, February 12
4:30pm to 6:00pm
Northeastern, Renaissance_Park, 909, 1135 Tremont Street, Boston
The Caribbean has undergone serious social, environmental and economic changes since the advent of colonization. What kind of society, consumption patterns, political organization or economic model should be adopted to build a more sustainable future in the Caribbean? History shows that today’s situation is not a consequence of a linear evolution, however; we can take lessons from the environmental history of this region that give us hope for more affordable alternatives to the regional patterns and their heavy social and environmental costs through the ages.
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Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons
Tuesday, February 12
5 – 7PM
Tufts, Cabot Intercultural Center, ASEAN Auditorium, 170 Packard Avenue, Medford
Silvia Federici, scholar-activist and professor emerita at Hofstra University, will discuss her most recent book “Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons” (2018), which builds on Federici’s pathbreaking analyses of reproductive labor to develop a feminist politics of the commons that engages new forms of enclosure, debt, agriculture, land grabs, environmental justice, and building another world.
Link https://www.facebook.com/events/233028990963493/
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Amputated from the Land: Black Refugees from America and the Neglected Voices of Environmental History
Tuesday, February 12
5:15PM
Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston
The Massachusetts Historical Society hosts "Native American Environmental History hosts "Amputated from the Land: Black Refugees from America and the Neglected Voices of Environmental History" with Bryon Williams, Academy at Penguin Hall. Comment by John Stauffer, Harvard University.
Attendance is free, but you can subscribe online ($25) for the convenience of advance online access to the papers in FOUR series: this, our new Boston African American History Seminar, the Boston Area Early American History Seminar, and the Boston Seminar on Modern American Society and Culture.
Boston Seminar on Environmental History
https://www.masshist.org/2012/calendar/seminars/environmental-history
Contact Name: Alex Buckley
abuckley at masshist.org
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Robotland: The Future of Policy and Work in an AI World
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, JFK Jr. Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S) Jason Furman, Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy
Mary L. Gray, Senior Researcher, Microsoft, Fellow, Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society
William R. Kerr, Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - MBA Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration, HBS
David Eaves (Moderator), Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
CONTACT INFO IOP Forum Office, 617-495-1380
LINK https://iop.harvard.edu/forum/robotland-future-policy-and-work-ai-world
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Personal Genetics: Power to the People or Buyer Beware?
Tuesday, February 12
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
American Rhino, 4 South Market Street, 1st Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/personal-genetics-power-to-the-people-or-buyer-beware-tickets-55136249005
$5 donation requested
The field of genetics has advanced so rapidly that it’s no longer necessary to go to the doctor for a basic mapping of your DNA. With less than $100 and a simple swab you can be tested for specific diseases, learn your genetic makeup, and see your family tree. We’re all curious to understand where we came from and what we’re made up of! However, this easy access to information doesn’t mean the quality of the data and interpretation of results can be trusted. There are consequences (unintended or otherwise) and potential harms in personal genetics testing for health that need to be examined now that test results are as close as your mailbox.
What does the trend of personal genetics mean for you? We’ll discuss:
How did personal genetic testing became so mainstream?
What is the role of my doctor now?
Can I trust these test results?
Who owns my data?
Please note this session is not a discussion about gene research, nor will counsel be given for personal genetic results.
Join Civic Series to answer these questions and yours during our panel. This event will start at 6:15pm with a 30-minute presentation by Boston University Professor Catharine Wang, followed by a 30-minute Q&A with the audience. Following the event, there will be an opportunity for networking with attendees.
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Leading the Way: An Evening to Celebrate Women in Science
Tuesday, 12 February
6:00 - 8:30 PM
Boston College Club, 100 Federal Street, 36th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/leading-the-way-an-evening-to-celebrate-women-in-science-tickets-55283357009
RSVP by 5 February
Please note that space is limited, and registration is required.
Any questions may be directed to James Cribbs at James.Cribbs at dfa.ie
The Consulate General of Ireland and the Global Leadership Institute at Boston College cordially invite you to Leading the Way: An Evening to Celebrate Women in Science.
Join us for a panel discussion featuring leading women in STEM, as well as remarks from Minister for the Diaspora and International Development Ciarán Cannon.
Panel Members Include:
Elizabeth O'Day, CEO and Founder of Olaris Therapeutics
Aoife Ryan, International Development Lead at Science Foundation Ireland
Máire Quigley, Principle Scientist at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR)
Kate Fitzgerald, Professor of Medicine and Principal Investigator at the Fitzgerald Lab at UMass Medical School
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Darwin Day: Twice! Science and the Double Discovery of Evolution
Tuesday, February 12
6 PM – 9 PM
MIT, Building 2-190 (1st Floor, 182 Memorial Drive), Cambridge
"Great is the power of steady misrepresentation; but the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure." - Charles Darwin, Origin of Species
In celebration of Charles Darwin Day 2019, the Secular Society of MIT presents a special talk by Harvard University evolutionary biologist and science historian Andrew Berry. Dr Berry's research combines the techniques of field biology with those of molecular biology to seek evidence at the DNA level of Darwinian natural selection. He has given lectures on evolutionary topics to popular audiences all over the world – from Ankara to the Antarctic – occasionally drawing the ire of creationists.
As an educator and popularizer, he seeks to demystify the most important and most misinterpreted of all biological ideas: evolution. He will be speaking about the double discovery of evolution by natural selection by both Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, and what this incident tells us about how science works.
Free entry. Darwin's birthday party with cake, beverages, and evolution-themed games follows talk.
The event will be photographed and recorded.
More information at https://www.facebook.com/events/329135307700708/
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Confronting Climate Change: Boston-Based Ideas that Can Change the World
February 12
6:30-8:30pm
Harvard Business School, Williams Room in Spangler Center, Allston
RSVP at http://www.hbsab.org/s/1738/cc/index2.aspx?sid=1738&pgid=62056&gid=8&cid=129826&ecid=129826&post_id=0&authkey=t0lFV2RG6m5uMXH3D4zdEBaidU761c99s7i6KI3YJlSGC2NDmxgVGg%3d%3d
Over time, climate change will transform Boston’s landscape and economy. Disruption will bring opportunities as well as risks. What are Boston-area businesses doing to confront this challenge? What can they do? What should they do? Find out, and share your ideas with a dynamic panel of some of Boston’s top leaders from business and government. Enjoy conversation and a networking reception with fellow alumni and the HBS community before and after the panel. This event is organized by the HBS Business & Environment Initiative (BEI) in partnership with the HBS Association of Boston (HBSAB), and is part of a series of regional alumni events on the role of business leaders in the age of climate change.
Moderated by Mike Toffel, John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management, Harvard Business School; Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative, panelists include:
Jeremy Grantham (MBA 1966), Co-founder, Chief Investment Strategist, and Chairman of Grantham Mayo and van Otterloo (GMO, LLC)
Gina McCarthy, Former U.S. EPA Administrator (2013-2017) and Director of C-CHANGE (Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
David Perry (MBA 1997), President, CEO, and Director of Boston-based Indigo Agriculture (Indigo Ag, Inc.)
Tickets are complimentary but please register early as space is limited. For more information, contact bei at hbs.edu
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How Worker-Owned Coops Enhance the Solidarity Economy
Tuesday, February 12
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Sustainable Business Network (SBN) of Massachusetts, 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/how-worker-owned-coops-enhance-the-solidarity-economy-tickets-54428598403
Cost: $15 – US$25
Come and learn about the solidarity economy, which seeks to build an economy that serves people and planet. It's a framework, a global movement, and a broad set of practices that align with its values of solidarity, democracy, equity, sustainability and pluralism (not a one size fits all model).
A huge foundation of solidarity economy practices already exist all around us (e.g. worker/consumer/producer/housing cooperatives; credit unions; community loan funds; public banks; community land trusts; community supported agriculture; participatory budgeting; the commons; community gardens; skill shares; swap meets; edible urban landscaping; unpaid care work...) but are marginalized because they are isolated from each other. The solidarity economy seeks to pull these practices together in order to build a just and sustainable economy and world.
This interactive workshop will explore the solidarity economy and use Wellspring Cooperative as a case study in building towards system change.
The workshop will be led by Emily Kawano, Co-Director of the Wellspring Cooperative and Coordinator of the United States Solidarity Economy Network.
Light refreshments will be provided.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, February 13
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Rumors, Truths, and Reality: Political Misinformation in the Modern Day
Wednesday, February 13
11:30 AM- 1:00 PM
Harvard, Wexner 434AB, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Speaker series on fake news and misinformation, co-sponsored by the NULab at Northeastern University.
Adam Berinsky is the Mitsui Professor of Political Science at MIT and serves as the director of the MIT Political Experiments Research Lab (PERL). He is also a Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS). Berinsky received his PhD from the University of Michigan in 2000. He is the author of “In Time of War: Understanding American Public Opinion from World War II to Iraq” (University of Chicago Press, 2009). He is also the author of “Silent Voices: Public Opinion and Political Participation in America“ (Princeton University Press, 2004) and has published articles in many journals. He is currently the co-editor of the Chicago Studies in American Politics book series at the University of Chicago Press. He is also the recipient of multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.
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Research Spotlight: 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors
Wednesday, February 13
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EST
BU, Initiative on Cities, 75 Bay State Road, Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eg1x0907ee612299&oseq=&c=&ch=
Co-principal investigators Assistant Professors Katherine Levine Einstein and Max Palmer and Associate Professor David Glick will share the key findings from the 2018 Menino Survey of Mayors. Lunch provided.
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Study Group: Technology and Human Rights - Technology and Opensource Investigations
WHEN Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, 12 – 1:15 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Taubman 102, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
DETAILS The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy invites you to join a study group on technology, human rights and artificial intelligence. The study group, which will meet three times this semester, is convened and moderated by Steven Livingston, Senior Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.
This is an open study group. No registration is required.
The study group will meet from 12:00-1:15 p.m. on three occasions this semester:
- Wednesday, Feb. 13 in room Taubman-102
Topic: Technology and Opensource Investigations
Guest Speakers: Scot Edwards, Senior Advisor, Amnesty International
- Wednesday, March 6 in room Wexner-102
Topic: Disinformation
- Wednesday, April 17 in room Wexner-102
Topic: Superintelligent AI and Rights
Session 1 - Technology and Opensource Investigations:
In recent years, journalists and human rights investigators have turned to opensource investigations in their efforts to report the news and document human rights abuses and war crimes. In addition to conventional field investigations, data drawn from commercial satellite imagery, social media platforms, video and still images captures with nearly ubiquitous handheld multipurpose devices. Groups like Forensic Architecture, Bellingcat, Situ Research, the New York Times Video Investigations Unit, and the Digital Verification Corps of Amnesty International use these data to learn and verify events. For the first time, the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued an arrest warrant based solely on opensource evidence. We will review this trend in human rights work.
LINK https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/event/study-group-technology-and-human-rights-technology-and-opensource-investigations?delta=0
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Laser Enrichment and Nuclear Proliferation: Unexpected Results & the Lessons for Scholarship
Wednesday, February 13
12:00pm to 1:30pm
MIT, Building E40-496, Pye Room, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Jim Walsh (MIT)
Dr. Jim Walsh is a Senior Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Security Studies Program (SSP). Dr. Walsh's research and writings focus on international security, and in particular, topics involving nuclear weapons, the Middle East, and East Asia. Dr. Walsh has testified before the United States Senate and House of Representatives on issues of nuclear terrorism, Iran, and North Korea. He is one of a handful of Americans who has traveled to both Iran and North Korea for talks with officials about nuclear issues. His recent publications include “Stopping North Korea, Inc.: Sanctions Effectiveness and Unintended Consequences” and “Rivals, Adversaries, and Partners: Iran and Iraq in the Middle East” in Iran and Its Neighbors. He is the international security contributor to the NPR program “Here and Now,” and his comments and analysis have appeared in the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and numerous other national and international media outlets. Before coming to MIT, Dr. Walsh was Executive Director of the Managing the Atom project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a visiting scholar at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has taught at both Harvard University and MIT. Dr. Walsh received his Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Privacy's Blueprint: The Battle to Control the Design of New Technologies
Wednesday, February 13
12:00pm to 1:30pm
Northeastern, 250 Dockser, 65 Forsyth Street, Boston
Faculty Book Forum Series: Professor Woodrow Hartzog
Join us for a lively discussion about Professsor Woodrow Hartzog's new book.
Every day, internet users interact with technologies designed to undermine their privacy. Social media apps, surveillance technologies and the internet of things are all built in ways that make it hard to guard personal information. And the law says this is ok because it is up to users to protect themselves --- even when the odds are deliberately stacked against them.
In Privacy's Blueprint: The Battle to Control the Design of New Technologies, Professor Woodrow Hartzog pushes back against this state of affairs, arguing that the law should require software and hardware makers to respect privacy in the design of their products. "This is a book about the technology design decisions that affect our privacy," says Hartzog. "It's about going beyond scrutinizing what gets done with our personal information and confronting the designs that enable privacy violations. And it's about how everyone --- companies, lawmakers, advocates, educators and users --- can contribute to and interact with the design of privacy-relevant technologies."
Comments by Noah Phillips Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
Light refreshments will be provided.
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Algorithms and/as Culture
Wednesday, February 13
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Tufts, 40 Talbot Avenue, Medford
Prompted by the intertwined themes of technology and embodied experience in the exhibition "Harry Dodge: Works of Love", Nick Seaver, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Science, Technology, and Society, presents a new talk on Algorithms and/as Culture.
The algorithms that shape culture, filtering what we see and hear, are often understood as inhuman forces. Explore how these systems, from music recommenders to personalized newsfeeds, are full of people who impart their own points of view on the software they build.
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In Vaccines We Trust? The Effects of the CIA’s Vaccine Ruse on Immunization in Pakistan
Wednesday, February 13
2:45pm to 4:00pm
MIT, E51-395, 2 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Monica Martinez-Bravo
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Human Rights in Hard Places Speaker Series: Autocrats, Dictators, and the Global Crack down on Human Rights
WHEN Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019, 3 – 4:15 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Carr Center, Wexner Room 102, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
SPEAKER(S) Sarah Margon
DETAILS The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy is excited to announce its 2019 Speaker Series: Human Rights in Hard Places, facilitated by Carr Center Executive Director, Sushma Raman.
The Human Rights in Hard Places Speaker Series was formed to underscore that despite the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, vast human rights abuses are still occurring 7 decades later.
We hope for this to serve as a platform for individuals to hear from the world's leading practitioners and academics in the human rights field, and to listen, question and engage.
In the second installment of the series, Sarah Margon, Washington Director of Human Rights Watch, will give a talk titled, "Autocrats, Dictators, and the Global Crack down on Human Rights."
Sarah Margon is the Washington director at Human Rights Watch. In this role, she serves as the organization’s main point of contact with the US government and provides strategic and advocacy guidance, including legislative and policy development. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Margon was associate director of sustainable security and peacebuilding at the Center for American Progress. Margon also served as senior foreign policy advisor to Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and as staff director to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. She has been a guest on various national and international media programs and has published in a wide range of outlets from the Washington Post to USA Today to Foreign Affairs. Margon holds a graduate degree from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University (Connecticut).
LINK https://carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/event/human-rights-hard-places-speaker-series-autocrats-dictators-and-global-crack-down-human?delta=0
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Alliance for Business Leadership Business Leaders' Learning Project: Climate Change & Clean Energy Action: Taking Action to Create Change
Wednesday, February 13
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
ML Strategies, 1 Financial Center, 38th Floor, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-2019-abl-business-leaders-learning-project-climate-change-clean-energy-in-massachusetts-tickets-53356509757
The Alliance for Business Leadership has joined with industry experts to intentionally design a four part informational and interactive series to educate business leaders on the realities of climate change in Massachusetts and the opportunities in transitioning to a clean energy economy. Consider this a 101 boot camp that provides the resources to business executives to understand the issue and the tools to use their platform to highlight it.
Climate change does not discriminate. It is a phenomena that is impacting all sectors across the business community, and promises to impact Massachusetts’ economic future if we do not take measures to mitigate and adapt to a changing environment. ABL’s Board of Directors and members see the importance of the business community understanding and speaking on the issues, and are committed to a successful series.
The 2018-2019 Business Leaders’ Learning Project: Climate Change and Clean Energy Action is chaired by:
Phil Edmundson, Founder, Corvus Insurance Holdings, Inc.
Elyse Cherry, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Community Capital
Bev Armstrong, CEO & Founder, Brewer, Brazo Fuerte Artisanal Beer
Sara Ross, Co-Founder, CEO, and VP of Sales, Sungage Financial
When are the sessions?
Session I: The risks of climate change in Massachusetts (September 25, 2018 | 3-5 pm)
Location: ML Strategies (One Financial Center, 38th Floor, Conference Room 38 A, Boston, MA 02111)
Session II: Resiliency isn’t enough, the case for mitigation (October 24, 2018 | 3:30-5:30 pm)
Location: ML Strategies (One Financial Center, 38th Floor, Conference Room 38 A, Boston, MA 02111)
Session III: How can businesses do their part? (January 16, 2019 |3-5 pm)
Location: ML Strategies (One Financial Center, 38th Floor, Conference Room 38 A, Boston, MA 02111)
Session IV: Taking Action to Create Change (February 13, 2019 |3-5 pm)
Location: ML Strategies (One Financial Center, 38th Floor, Conference Room 38 A, Boston, MA 02111)
Do I have to attend every session? ABL knows all too well how busy business leaders are and that their time is already limited. This series allows us to spread out the two-hour sessions over six months to limit the time commitment. We ask that you do your best to attend all of the sessions.
How do I register for the series? Please register through this Eventbrite page, and select the dates you plan to attend at the bottom of the form.
What is the Business Leaders’ Learning Project? Learn more here.
Questions? Please contact ABL’s Senior Director of Policy and Operations, Meagan Greene, at mgreene at alliancebl.org
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Marine Ecological Genomics: Unraveling the Drivers of Coral Diversity From the Deep Sea to Deep Time
Wednesday, February 13
3:30pm
Harvard, Haller Hall, Geological Museum, 24 Oxford Street
Andrea Quattrini, Harvey Mudd College
Abstract: Corals and their relatives are some of the most ecologically important metazoans on earth, from shallow waters to the deep sea. With ocean conditions changing at rates faster than previously recognized, we must determine the factors that shape coral diversity across depth, space, and time. Because the drivers of marine diversity are poorly known in the largest environment on earth—the deep sea—I harness the power of genomics to answer fundamental questions in deep-sea systems. My research seminar will be centered on the drivers of coral diversity from the deep sea to deep time, with a particular focus on the influence of environmental conditions in shaping coral diversity and associated traits. First, I will focus on the role of dispersal limitation and environmental filtering in structuring deep-sea corals. I will highlight the influence of oceanographic conditions, including major ocean currents and water masses, on coral diversity and discuss how deep water masses may present adaptive challenges. I will then discuss how past environmental conditions influenced the diversification of corals with particular skeletal traits. It is important to understand how the past has influenced extant functional diversity because traits impact the distribution of species and assembly of communities, which ultimately results in a feedback loop between the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape patterns in diversity.
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Modelling the strait dynamics in regional climate models: recent progress, current challenges and future direction for Gibraltar-Mediterranean Sea
Wednesday, February 13
4:00pm to 5:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915/923, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Since ancient times the narrow and shallow Strait of Gibraltar has fascinated and captured mankind’s imagination: for a long period of time the Pillars of Heracles - the Rock of Gibraltar to the north and Mount Hacho to the south - were thought to be the extreme edges of the Earth.
Most probably the first oceanographic definition of the Strait of Gibraltar is to ascribe to Horatius who wrote: (Roma) horrenda late nomen in ultimas extendat oras, qua medius liquor secernit Europem ab Afro, qua tumidus rigat arva Nilus…” In this Ode (23 B.C.), Horatius describes the Strait of Gibraltar as the place where the midway water separates Europe from Africa.
From a geological point of view, about five million years ago, during the Miocene, the strait was topographically blocked. This caused the desiccation of the Mediterranean, giving rise to the so-called Messinian Salinity Crisis characterised by a dramatic drop in sea level, estimated to be up to 1500 m below the current sea level. The reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar in the early Pliocene, probably due to regressive erosion, has made it possible to restore the water exchange between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Since then, the Strait of Gibraltar is the only dynamically significant connection between the Mediterranean and the global ocean. Through the Strait, the Mediterranean Sea exchanges water, salt and heat with the Atlantic, influencing the sea level in the basin through hydraulic controls. Long-term variability in these transports may be indicative of changes in the interior of the Mediterranean basin. On shorter time scale, the water exchange between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean is significantly affected by tidal forcing. The relevance of such effect has been recently acknowledged as one of the largest in determining the evolution of the Mediterranean water masses and therefore needs to be appropriately accounted for in numerical simulation of the Mediterranean circulation.
Nevertheless, tides and circulation on climate time scales have so far been treated separately, mainly due to the insufficient computational resources of most climate research laboratories, which imposed the implementation of relatively coarse spatial resolution models whose associated time step was at least two orders of magnitude larger than that needed to account for the fast barotropic tidal signal.
The aim of this talk is twofold. Firstly, to provide an overview of the Strait modelling works that have been determinant in filling the gaps left by the intrinsic simplicity of analytical solutions and the lack of long-term observational data. Secondly, to present the results of the first Mediterranean regional climate model, based on the MIT general circulation model, that explicitly resolves tides and the local-scale dynamics of the Strait of Gibraltar.
About this Series
Weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, atmospheric science, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science. Lectures take place on Wednesdays from 3:45pm in MIT Building 54 room 915, unless otherwise noted.
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Data Ethics: Exploring Vice and Virtue in Big Data
Wednesday, February 13
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Nutter McClennen & Fish, Seaport West 5th Floor, Louis D. Brandeis Conference Center, Boston
RSVP at https://mitefcamb.z2systems.com/np/clients/mitefcamb/eventRegistration.jsp?event=3338&%20&_ga=2.88115097.326842788.1548550094-1895775866.1458499108
Cost: $25 Members; $25 Livestream Members; $45 Non-Members: $45 Livestream Non-Members; $10 Students; $10 Livestream Students; $5 Student Members; $5 Livestream Student Members
REGISTER
Who's Registered?
This event will be live streamed - select the live stream ticket option @ checkout if you would like to watch the event online.
If you registered for the live stream, you'll be emailed a link & password between 5:30PM & 6:00PM on the day of the event
With great power, comes great responsibility. Voltaire said it long ago and it still resonates, especially when you’re talking about the ethical use of data.
As big data and machine learning become essential in business operations, we’re seeing more and more flaws in data-driven algorithms and malpractice in the use of data emerge. This New York Times article entitled “Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret,” is just one recent example. Facebook, as we all know, is another.
As even more stories emerge in the mainstream media, it’s clear that government, businesses, from the fortune 500 to the earliest stage startup, and individuals all need to take the responsible handling of data seriously.
In collaboration with Insight Data Science, join us as we gather a panel of experts for a crash course in data ethics by exploring questions like:
Why is data ethics so important right now?
What are some of the biggest challenges of data ethics?
Why should companies and consumers care about data ethics?
How should they safeguard themselves?
Should we expect a data scientist to address social, economic and political bias in data models?
Moderator
Karen Hao, AI and Social Impact Reporter, MIT Tech Review
Panel
Clare Bernard, Director of Product, Data Generation, The Broad Institute
Irene Chen, PhD Candidate, MIT CSAIL and Founder, AI Ethics Reading Group
Dan Stowell, Head of Engineering, Canopy
Greg Woolf, CEO/founder, Coalesce.ai
Event Schedule
Registration & Networking: 5:30 - 6:00 PM
Welcome and Panel Discussion: 6:00 - 7:15 PM
Networking hour after the event 7:15 - 8:00 PM
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Traces and Tracks: Journeys with the San
Wednesday, February 13
6:00 pm
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Paul Weinberg, Photographer
For nearly three decades, Paul Weinberg has travelled to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa to document the lives of hunter-gatherer communities, the San (Africa’s first people) and their struggles to hang on to their land, culture, and values, as they faced serious threats by outside settlers. Weinberg will discuss his book Traces and Tracks (Jacana Media 2017), the culmination of his thirty-year journey, featuring essays and over 100 photographs that convey the modern-day San’s daily lives, their relationship to nature, game parks, and their ways of adjusting to a fast-changing world.
Lecture and Book Signing. Free and open to the public.
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Basel Night – From the Rhine City to Europe’s Innovation Hub
Wednesday, February 13
6 pm - 9pm
swissnex Boston, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.swissnexboston.org/event/basel-night-from-the-rhine-city-to-europes-innovation-hub/
Join us as Christian Schneider, Head of Innovation at University of Basel, speaks about the ongoing transformation of the “Rhine City” into a thriving innovation hub.
How does a Swiss city become a world-leading environment for innovation and entrepreneurship? Join us as Christian Schneider, Head of Innovation at University of Basel, speaks about the ongoing transformation of the “Rhine City” into a thriving innovation hub – and the many challenges along the way. His keynote will be followed by a Q&A session and a networking reception.
A Tale of Two Cities
Home to the oldest universities in their respective countries and thriving life sciences scenes, both Boston and Basel are two hot contestants in the global competition for talent.
Now, the University of Basel decided to also go all in when it comes to translating bright ideas into actionable startups. With the newly established Innovation & Entrepreneurship division, headed by Christian Schneider, the school is working towards a regional and global innovation network to support a thriving startup culture in Basel.
Hear Christian Schneider detail Basel’s story of innovation and their effort to actively promote the translation of scientific discoveries into innovative applications and spin-off companies. The process was inspired by the University of Basel’s 2016 delegation study tour to Boston.
Program
6:00 pm Doors open
6:30 pm Welcoming remarks | swissnex Boston
6:35 pm Introduction | Matthias Geering, Head of Communication & Marketing, UniBas
6:45 pm Keynote | Christian Schneider, Head of Innovation, UniBas
7:15 pm Q&A session followed by a networking reception
Keynote Speaker
Christian Schneider, Head of Innovation, University of Basel
With an academic background in International Affairs, European Studies and over 10 years professional experience internationally – Christian Schneider is a true global citizen. Before joining the University of Basel, Schneider headed the Science & Technology office in Seoul, Korea. He joined the University of Basel with the ambitious mission of establishing a culture of entrepreneurship and a thriving environment for innovation.
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Memes to Movements: How the World's Most Viral Media Is Changing Social Protest and Power
Wednesday, February 13
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store welcomes technologist and digital media scholar AN XIAO MINA for a discussion of her new book, Memes to Movements: How the World's Most Viral Media Is Changing Social Protest and Power. She will be joined in conversation by ETHAN ZUCKERMAN, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT.
About Memes to Movements
Memes are the street art of the social web. Using social media-driven movements as her guide, An Xiao Mina unpacks the mechanics of memes and how they operate to reinforce, amplify, and shape today's politics. She finds that the "silly" stuff of meme culture—the photo remixes, the selfies, the YouTube songs, and the pun-tastic hashtags—are fundamentally intertwined with how we find and affirm one another, direct attention to human rights and social justice issues, build narratives, and make culture. Mina finds parallels, for example, between a photo of Black Lives Matter protestors in Ferguson, Missouri, raising their hands in a gesture of resistance and one from eight thousand miles away, in Hong Kong, of Umbrella Movement activists raising yellow umbrellas as they fight for voting rights. She shows how a viral video of then presidential nominee Donald Trump laid the groundwork for pink pussyhats, a meme come to life as the widely recognized symbol for the international Women's March.
Crucially, Mina reveals how, in parts of the world where public dissent is downright dangerous, memes can belie contentious political opinions that would incur drastic consequences if expressed outright. Activists in China evade censorship by critiquing their government with grass mud horse pictures online. Meanwhile, governments and hate groups are also beginning to utilize memes to spread propaganda, xenophobia, and misinformation. Botnets and state-sponsored agents spread them to confuse and distract internet communities. On the long, winding road from innocuous cat photos, internet memes have become a central practice for political contention and civic engagement.
Memes to Movements unveils the transformative power of memes, for better and for worse. At a time when our movements are growing more complex and open-ended—when governments are learning to wield the internet as effectively as protestors—Mina brings a fresh and sharply innovative take to the media discourse.
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Democratizing Art and Science:
Wednesday, February 13
7 pm (Reception to follow)
MIT, Bartos Theater List Visual Arts Center at MIT, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/democratizing-art-and-science-tickets-54928062313
Both Joe Akin and Jason Talbot believe in the power of observation, collaboration, and communication in their respective fields and in all of us. Jason Talbot’s undying passion for utilizing the talents of inner-city youths and his ability to see art in everything around him, both helped in his development of Artists For Humanity. Joe Akin, a Novartis researcher has an abiding interest for cutting edge technology. He co-founded a company as he was finishing his graduate work, to better communicate scientific results. The startup REfigure which aims to Reuse, Reveal, and Recreate, is devoted not only to helping scientists communicate their results but also to contribute to the broader population’s understanding of science. Their conversation will convey their interest in how openness leads to creativity in both fields and in the imperative of egalitarianism in our current culture.
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Thursday, February 14
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Puffins: The new canary of climate change
Thursday, February 14
12:00-1:00pm
Tufts, Multi-purpose Room, Curtis Hall, 474 Boston Avenue, Medford
Derrick Z. Jackson, Environmental Writing Fellow, Union of Concerned Scientists
Puffins, down to their last 2 or 4 birds in the state of Maine in the early 1900s, are now 1,300- pairs strong on several islands. They were restored on several islands by Project Puffin, the 45- year-old brainchild of a then-young Audubon bird instructor.
Derrick Z. Jackson is an environmental writing fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), newspaper and magazine essayist and co-author and photographer of Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock
A Boston Globe columnist from 1988 to 2015, Jackson was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a 10-time award winner from the National Association of Black Journalists, a 2-time commentary winner from the national Education Writers Association, and a commentary winner from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association among many others.
Jackson is a native of Milwaukee, Wis., and is a 1976 graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Jackson was a 1984 Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University and holds three honorary degrees, from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Salem State University and the Episcopal Divinity School. He was also given Curry College’s Human Rights Award and the UW-Milwaukee Distinguished Alumni Community Service award for his volunteering for Scouting and Big Brothers.
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Making New York (and other cities) Accessible
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Morgan Courtroom, Austin Hall (Third Floor), Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Law School Project on Disability
SPEAKER(S) Victor Calise, Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
COST Free
CONTACT INFO hpod at law.harvard.edu
DETAILS Join HPOD for a lunchtime talk.
LINK http://hpod.law.harvard.edu/events/event/making-new-york-and-other-cities-accessible
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Response of Boreal Larches to Climate Change in Northernmost China
Thursday, February 14
3:30PM
Harvard, Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
The Harvard-China Project at SEAS hosts a talk by Liu Jialin, Visiting Fellow, Harvard-China Project; Ph.D. Student, Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology, Northeast Forestry University
https://chinaproject.harvard.edu/event/liu20190214
Contact Name: Tiffany Chan
tiffanychan at seas.harvard.edu
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Designing Living Things
Thursday, February 14
6:00pm
Harvard, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Christina Agapakis, Creative Director, Ginkgo Bioworks
Biology can be a design medium: scientists can now “write” DNA and manipulate microbial behavior. In the future, they could also reshape entire ecosystems. Christina Agapakis is a synthetic biologist, writer, and artist who collaborates with engineers, designers, artists, and social scientists to explore the many unexpected connections between microbiology, technology, art, and popular culture. In this lecture, she will discuss current and potential uses of biotechnology in various fields from agriculture and medicine to consumer goods and renewable energy.
About the speaker: Christina Agapakis is Creative Director at Ginkgo Bioworks, an organism design company based in Boston, that is bringing biology to industrial engineering. She holds a B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University. Her doctoral thesis focused on producing hydrogen fuel in bacteria and making photosynthetic animals. Agapakis has written on biology, technology, and culture for a number of outlets, has taught designers at the ArtCenter College of Design and biomolecular engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a founding editor of Method Quarterly, a magazine about science in the making.
http://agapakis.com/
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RPP Colloquium: Indigenous Perspectives on Peacemaking in the Face of Racism, Religious Exodus, Oppression, and Unfair Exposure to Trauma and Disaster
WHEN Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, 6 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sperry Room, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
SPONSOR Religions and the Practice of Peace (RPP) and Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice (CHHIRJ) at Harvard Law School
CONTACT RPP
DETAILS Religions and the Practice of Peace Colloquium Dinner Series
Space is limited. RSVP is required at https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_emKkKxsAU6As2JT
Reimagine the very definition of peace as we explore the intersection of racism, oppression, urban trauma, disaster, and other social realities faced by those desperately in need of peace. More than the absence of violence and war, we need the aggressive and proactive generation of peace, healing, and bliss under a continuing barrage of compromises to health and well-being. What is peace? How do we create it when there is little? Who deserves peacemaking?
Bring a pal or two or a boo! Enjoy Valentine’s Day treats at the reception following the colloquium.
Speaker
Zumbi, founder, Kilombo Novo; director, Trauma Response and Recovery at Boston Public Health Commission
Moderator
Emily Click, assistant dean for ministry studies and field education and Lecturer on Ministry at Harvard Divinity School
Discussant
David Harris, managing director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School
Zumbi (Courtney Grey) is initiated in multiple indigenous cultures and cofounded the group - Kilombo Novo “New Roaming Community.” He strives to reconstruct Bantu principles on peacemaking, conflict resolution and serving those most impacted by oppression, trauma, terrorism, and disaster. He has taught internationally, and has served Lakota/Sioux, Cambodian, Bosnian, Cape Verdean, Haitian and several other populations after trauma and disaster including the Marathon Bombing and Parkland, FL. He is published and graduated from MIT.
David Harris is the managing director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and a lecturer at Harvard Law School. Prior to his position at the Houston Institute, he served as founding executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston. Dr. Harris is recognized as a leading voice for civil rights in the Boston region and has spoken extensively at local, regional and national forums on civil rights, regional equity and fair housing. He previously served with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He holds a PhD in sociology from Harvard University and a BA from Georgetown University. Dr. Harris currently chairs the Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Recommended Readings
Carter, J. Kameron. Race: A Theological Account. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Townes, Emilie M. Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. Black Religion/Womanist Thought / Social Justice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2006.
With generous support from the Rev. Karen Vickers Budney, MDiv ’91, and Mr. Albert J. Budney, Jr., MBA ’74, as well as the Once Here Foundation.
This monthly public series, convened by HDS Dean David N. Hempton, brings together a cross-disciplinary RPP Working Group of faculty, experts, graduate students, and alumni from across Harvard University and the local area to explore topics and cases in religions and the practice of peace. A diverse array of scholars, leaders, and religious peacebuilders are invited to present and engage with the RPP Working Group and general audience. A light dinner is served and a brief reception follows the program.
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Midnight In Chernobyl
Thursday, February 14
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-author-adam-higginbotham-tickets-54174996874
Journalist Adam Higginbotham’s definitive, years-in-the-making account of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster—and a powerful investigation into how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest disasters.
Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering history’s worst nuclear disaster. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham has written a harrowing and compelling narrative which brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a masterful nonfiction thriller, and the definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth.
About the Author
Adam Higginbotham writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, and Smithsonian. He lives in New York City.
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Friday, February 15
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RPP Special Interactive Workshop: The Kilombo: Lessons Learned from the (First) Democratic Multicultural Multi-Faith Republics in the Americas
WHEN Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Braun Room, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
SPONSOR Religions and the Practice of Peace (RPP)
CONTACT RPP
DETAILS Religions and the Practice of Peace Special Interactive Workshop
Space is limited. RSVP is required at https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1KZ9JI9bhBHGYOV
In this session, learn about Afro/Indigenous practices inspired by the countless African and AfroBrazilian Kilombos such as Capoeira Angola. These were considered the first Democratic Multicultural Multi-Faith Republics in the Americas, formed by Africans transported to Brazil in the Middle Passage with Aboriginal Natives, and White Portuguese dissenters from the slave trade. There will be optional low intensity movements. Please consider wearing loose clothing and comfortable footwear you can move in. Black pants and yellow shirt if you can.
Zumbi (Courtney Grey) is initiated in multiple indigenous cultures and co-founded the group—Kilombo Novo “New Roaming Community.” He strives to reconstruct Bantu principles on peacemaking, conflict resolution and serving those most impacted by oppression, trauma, terrorism, and disaster. He has taught internationally, and has served Lakota/Sioux, Cambodian, Bosnian, Cape Verdean, Haitian and several other populations after trauma and disaster including the Marathon Bombing and Parkland, FL. He is published and graduated from MIT.
Recommended Readings
Carter, J. Kameron. Race: A Theological Account. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Townes, Emilie M. Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. Black Religion/Womanist Thought/Social Justice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, 2006.
This special interactive workshop is in conjunction with the RPP Colloquium on Thursday, February 14.
With generous support from the Rev. Karen Vickers Budney, MDiv ’91, and Mr. Albert J. Budney, Jr., MBA ’74, as well as the Once Here Foundation.
Join the RPP mailing list and visit the RPP website.
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Thinking Fast makes Changing S l o w: How Cognitive Processes Interfere with Achieving Diversity
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15
12 – 1PM
Tufts, Nelson Auditorium, Anderson 112, 200 College Avenue, Medford
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Swiss Sciences Night 2019
Friday, February 15
6 pm
MIT, Building E14-6, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.swissnexboston.org/event/swiss-sciences-night-2019/
Join swissnex Boston and representatives from Switzerland’s top universities, research institutions and companies for the 9th annual Swiss Sciences Night – an evening of conversation, science and opportunities.
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Saturday, February 16
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Somerville Community Summit
Saturday, February 16
12 - 2pm
ONCE Somerville, 156 Highland Avenue, Somerville
RSVP Erica Jones at ejones at somervillemedia.org
Somerville residents are welcome to come meet DigBoston journalists and colleagues from other news outlets to discuss local issues that need more coverage.
More information from editorial at digboston.com or https://www.facebook.com/events/726356937746713/
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Spider's Canvas / Arachnodrone
Saturday, February 16 (More dates through February 18, 2019)
9:00pm
MIT Theater Building W97, MIT Theater 345 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
Spider’s Canvas / Arachnodrone (US Premiere) is an immersive, synesthestic performance/installation that allows audience members to experience ‘life in the web.’
A co-creation of composer and MIT CAST Faculty Director Evan Ziporyn, composer/visual artist Christine Southworth, sound artist Ian Hattwick, spider researcher Isabelle Su, and based closely on a tent-web made by a South American cyrtophora citricola spider, the work is not simply interdisciplinary, but quite literally an interspecies collaboration.
Spider’s Canvas was inspired and commissioned by visual artist Tomas Saraceno, and was premiered in November as part of Saraceno’s acclaimed exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
To see excerpts of the Paris performances, please visit http://arachnodrone.com
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Sunday, February 17
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Spider's Canvas / Arachnodrone
Sunday, February 17
3:00pm
MIT Theater Building W97, MIT Theater 345 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
Spider’s Canvas / Arachnodrone (US Premiere) is an immersive, synesthestic performance/installation that allows audience members to experience ‘life in the web.’
A co-creation of composer and MIT CAST Faculty Director Evan Ziporyn, composer/visual artist Christine Southworth, sound artist Ian Hattwick, spider researcher Isabelle Su, and based closely on a tent-web made by a South American cyrtophora citricola spider, the work is not simply interdisciplinary, but quite literally an interspecies collaboration.
Spider’s Canvas was inspired and commissioned by visual artist Tomas Saraceno, and was premiered in November as part of Saraceno’s acclaimed exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
To see excerpts of the Paris performances, please visit http://arachnodrone.com
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Monday, February 18
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Strategies of Conflict: Performing Responsibility in the Missile Age
Monday, February 18
12:15PM
Harvard, CGIS South S050, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7VGUkAvTU655Dub2FTGSNMjpVs6f8Qbu0kpmXh6oz11MgFw/viewform
Please RSVP via the online form by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Benjamin Tyler Wilson, Harvard, History of Science
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
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Engineers Week: The Citizen Engineering Movement
Monday, February 18
6:00pm
Tufts, Room 253, Robinson Hall, 212 College Avenue, Medford
As part of Tufts' celebration of Engineers Week (February 15-22), the School of Engineering and the Tisch College of Civic Life are pleased to welcome Cathy Leslie, executive director of Engineers Without Borders USA, to deliver a talk on the story of a citizen engineering movement that creates a mission-driven, highly-skilled professional who knows how to combat global poverty.
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Spider's Canvas / Arachnodrone
Monday, February 18
7:00pm
MIT Theater Building W97, MIT Theater 345 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA
Spider’s Canvas / Arachnodrone (US Premiere) is an immersive, synesthestic performance/installation that allows audience members to experience ‘life in the web.’
A co-creation of composer and MIT CAST Faculty Director Evan Ziporyn, composer/visual artist Christine Southworth, sound artist Ian Hattwick, spider researcher Isabelle Su, and based closely on a tent-web made by a South American cyrtophora citricola spider, the work is not simply interdisciplinary, but quite literally an interspecies collaboration.
Spider’s Canvas was inspired and commissioned by visual artist Tomas Saraceno, and was premiered in November as part of Saraceno’s acclaimed exhibition at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
To see excerpts of the Paris performances, please visit http://arachnodrone.com
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Tuesday, February 19
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Program on Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate [PAOC] Colloquium: Matto Mildenberger (UCSB)
Tuesday, February 19
12:00pm to 1:00pm
MIT, Building 54-915, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
About this Series
The PAOC Colloquium [PAOCC] is a weekly interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars take place on Monday from 12-1pm in 54-923. Lunch is provided after the seminars to encourage students and post-docs to meet with the speaker. Besides the seminar and lunch, individual meetings with professors, post-docs, and students are arranged. Contact the 2018/2019 Coordinators: paoc-colloquium-comm at mit.edu.
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Speaker Series: Rachana Pradhan
Tuesday, February 19
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Harvard, Wexner Conference Room, Wexner Building, Room 434AB, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Rachana Pradhan is a health care reporter for POLITICO Pro. Before coming to POLITICO, she spent more than three years at Inside Health Policy focusing on implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Prior to that, Pradhan worked at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Va., and spent most of her time covering city government (with the occasional foray into stories on urban chicken-keeping and the closure of neighborhood pools).
Pradhan is a rare local of the Washington, D.C., area and graduated from James Madison University. She was also news editor of JMU’s student newspaper, The Breeze.
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Book Talk: "The Future is Asian”
WHEN Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, 4:15 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, CGIS South (S250, Second Floor), 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Sponsored by the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute and the Harvard University
Asia Center
SPEAKER(S) Parag Khanna, Author; Managing Partner of FutureMap
Chair, Professor Tarun Khanna
Director, Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute
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Feminist Economics
Tuesday, February 19
5:30 pm
Radcliffe, Knafel Center, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
Boston Seminar Series on the History of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
These papers begin a conversation on the intersection of the study of the women’s liberation movement with the history of capitalism. Danielle Dumaine’s paper “Sisterhood of Debt: Feminist Credit Unions, Community, and Women’s Liberation” examines the role of feminist credit unions in the women’s liberation movement. Julie Enszer’s paper, "'a feminist understanding of economics based on a revolutionary set of values': Feminist Economic Theories and Practices" looks at the feminist organizations that created the feminist economic network.
SPEAKERS:
Danielle L. Dumaine, University of Connecticut
Julie R. Enszer, University of Mississippi
COMMENT: Juliet B. Schor, Boston College
The Boston Seminar Series on the History of Women, Gender, and Sexuality—cosponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study—offers scholars and students an opportunity to discuss new research on any aspect of the history of women and gender in the United States, without chronological limitation.
To RSVP and for more information: e-mail seminars at masshist.org or call (617) 646-0579.
Registered participants may access the papers online at the Massachusetts Historical Society website.
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Conscious Conversation: An Inconvenient Act: How you can be a part of the climate crisis solution
Tuesday, February 19
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
ImpactHub, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at http://consciouscapitalismboston.org/event-3140778
Cost: $5 - $20
The reality about climate change is somewhere in between doomsday scenarios and science denialism. This presentation and group discussion will clear up the uncertainties about climate change today, and outline clear steps that you can take tomorrow to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
You'll learn:
What is the reality behind the climate crisis?
What solutions are at hand to solve the climate crisis?
How can you and your business contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation?
Speaker
Larry Yu, Thought leadership consultant
Larry Yu is a business writer and consultant specializing in thought leadership. He is Managing Editor of the Milken Institute Review and was formerly Managing Director of Kite Global Advisors, Executive Editor of strategy+business and Global Thought Leadership Fellow for PwC. Larry trained as a speaker with Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project in 2017.
About the Conscious Conversations series Our Conscious Conversations are designed to facilitate peer exchange about a specific aspect of Conscious Capitalism. Each event consists of a short panel discussion, followed by small group discussions to allow participants to share ideas, challenges and solutions. We leave plenty of time to make new connections with other conscious capitalists.
Who we are Our mission is to connect, educate and inspire leaders and workers to consciously build businesses that positively impact the world. Members of the Boston chapter of Conscious Capitalism are diverse individuals who recognize the power of capitalism to improve the human condition and create enduring value for all stakeholders. We come from organizations large and small, at different stages of our careers, from CEO to student. We’re bound by our common curiosity about these ideas and the desire to create change in organizations and society.
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DONNA BRAZILE
Tuesday, February 19
6:30 PM
Tufts, ASEAN Auditorium, Cabot Intercultural Center, 419 Boston Avenue, Medford
RSVP at https://tischcollege.tufts.edu/content/donna-brazile
Join Tisch College for a conversation about contemporary politics, and about past and future presidential elections, with Donna Brazile, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee and one of the most astute political strategists in America. A veteran of Democratic politics and campaigns, Brazile worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 to 2000, when she was the first African American woman to run a presidential campaign when she served as campaign manager for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential bid. Known for her candor, she is a sought-after political commentator who has appeared on CNN and ABC; she is also a best-selling author of Hacks, which tells the inside story of Democratic Party machinations during the 2016 presidential election. Her recent book which she co-wrote, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, was released last fall. The recipient of numerous awards including the Congressional Black Caucus’ highest award for political achievement, Brazile moonlights as an actress and has made cameo appearances on CBS’s The Good Wife, Netflix’s House of Cards, and BET’s Being Mary Jane. Follow the conversation live at #BrazileAtTufts.
Sponsored by Tisch College, the Africana Center, the Political Science Department, and the Tufts Democrats.
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Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts
Tuesday, February 19
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Harvard Book Store and Mass Humanities welcome renowned journalist JILL ABRAMSON—Harvard University senior lecturer and former executive editor of the New York Times—for a discussion of her latest book, Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts.
About Merchants of Truth
Merchants of Truth is the groundbreaking and gripping story of the precarious state of the news business told by one of our most eminent journalists.
Jill Abramson follows four companies: The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, and VICE Media over a decade of disruption and radical adjustment. The new digital reality nearly kills two venerable newspapers with an aging readership while creating two media behemoths with a ballooning and fickle audience of millennials. We get to know the defenders of the legacy presses as well as the outsized characters who are creating the new speed-driven media competitors. The players include Jeff Bezos and Marty Baron (The Washington Post), Arthur Sulzberger and Dean Baquet (The New York Times), Jonah Peretti (BuzzFeed), and Shane Smith (VICE) as well as their reporters and anxious readers.
Merchants of Truth raises crucial questions that concern the well-being of our society. We are facing a crisis in trust that threatens the free press. Abramson’s book points us to the future.
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Opportunity
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MIT Energy Conference: Tough Tech & The 2040 Grid, scheduled for April 4th & 5th, are once again offering a generous discount for subscribers to our NE Roundtable listserv. Just enter the discount code NEERR when you purchase your ticket for 15% off the price of admission.
If you purchase your ticket before February 1st, this discount will stack on top of the Early Bird discount, for a total of 35% off!
RSVP at https://mit.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=950&p=1&utm_source=MIT+Energy+Conference+Discount&utm_campaign=MIT+Energy+Conference+Discount&utm_medium=email
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Announcing Destination 2040: The next long-range transportation plan for the Boston region
How would you improve the Boston region’s transportation system? That’s the question at the heart of the MPO’s preparations for Destination 2040, which the MPO expects to adopt in the spring of 2019.
Every four years, the MPO identifies the system’s strengths and weaknesses; forecasts changes in population, employment, and land use; and creates a plan to address existing and future mobility needs. The resulting long-range transportation plan (LRTP) allocates funding for major projects in the Boston region and guides the MPO’s funding of capital investment programs and studies.
Use the new Destination 2040 website at http://ctps.org/lrtp-dev to explore the state of the system; learn how the MPO will identify needs, revisit its vision and goals, and prioritize its investments; and share your own interests, concerns, and ideas.
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Resource
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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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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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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://calendar.mit.edu
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/
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
If you have an event you would like to see here, the submission deadline is 11 AM on Sundays, as Energy (and Other) Events is sent out Sunday afternoons.
More information about the Act-MA
mailing list