MIT
Monday, March 01, 2010
Legatum Lecture featuring Julia Novy-Hildesley, Executive Director of the Lemelson Foundation
Speaker: Julia Novy-Hildesley
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: W20-306
"By the Grace of Invention: How individuals power development." In this Legatum Lecture, Ms. Novy-Hildesley will draw on her experiences with the Lemelson Foundation to speak on innovations for development. As part of her lecture, she will give a live demonstration of several new technologies with implications for the sectors of agriculture, health, and solar power in developing countries.
Web site: http://legatum.mit.edu/NovyHildesleyLecture
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
For more information, contact:
Anna Omura
617-324-1875
legatum@mit.edu
Monday, March 01, 2010
The Future of Civic Engagement in a Broadband-Enabled World
Time: 4:00p–6:30p
Location: E51
A symposium presented by the MIT Center for Future Civic Media in cooperation with the Federal Communications Commission. Free and open to the public.
Join thought leaders and public interest advocates working at the nexus of technological innovation and civic engagement as they preview the civic engagement recommendations in the forthcoming National Broadband Plan.
A live stream of the event will be available athttp://web.mit.edu/webcastnow/1.
View event web page below for full program.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE
Eugene Huang, Director of Government Performance and Civic Engagement for the National Broadband Plan
Jerry Mechling, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Nick Grossman, The Open Planning Project
Laurel Ruma, O'Reilly Media
John Wonderlich, The Sunlight Foundation
Robert Bole, Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Keith Neisler, WEKU-Kentucky
Marita Rivero, WGBH-Boston
Kinsey Wilson, National Public Radio
Damian Thorman, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Web site: http://civic.mit.edu/event/the-future-of-civic-engagement-in-a-broadb
and-enabled-world
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Communications Forum, Comparative Media Studies, MIT Center for Future Civic Media
For more information, contact:
Andrew Whitacre
617.324.0490
cms@mit.edu
Monday, March 01, 2010
Productive Cities: Sorting, Selection and Agglomeration
Speaker: Gilles Duranton (Toronto)
Time: 4:15p–5:45p
Location: E52-244
Productive Cities: Sorting, Selection and Agglomeration
Web site: http://individual.utoronto.ca/gilles/Papers/Sorting.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT International Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
Monday, March 01, 2010
Profit Driven Health Care-an analysis of the US health insurance industry
Speaker: Benjamin Day- Director of Mass-Care
Time: 6:00p–8:00p
Location: 4-237
Screening of Sick Around America followed by a discussion with Benjamin Day regarding what is happening locally and nationally in terms of health care reform.
Web site:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundamerica/view/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Amon Lab, Students with the Alliance to Defend Health Care
For more information, contact:
Alexi Goranov
3-3045
amon_lab@mit.edu
Monday, March 01, 2010
Takeaways from the 2010 NCSE conference on the New Green Economy
Speaker: Yang Ruan, Course 6
Time: 7:00p–8:30p
Location: 4-146
This year's NCSE conference was about what an environmentally sustainable economy would look like and how we can get there. It was attended by over 1,000 scientists, educators, engineers, business-people, economists, and policymakers. Special focus was placed on the need for ecological economics, an alternative to neoclassical economics and growth. Speakers included Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, ecological economist Herman Daly, and political consultant David Gergen.
MIT aluma Yang Ruan attended the conference and will be debriefing the MIT community.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Sustainability@MIT
For more information, contact:
Aaron Thom
athom@mit.edu
Monday, March 01, 2010
'Summer Wars' screening and discussion with Director Mamoru Hosoda
Speaker: Director Mamoru Hosoda
Time: 7:00p–9:30p
Location: 26-100
The MIT/Harvard Cool Japan research project and MIT Comparative Media Studies program are hosting the New England premiere of a nominee for the Japan Academy Prize for Best Animated Film of 2009.
The film 'Summer Wars' will be shown at 7:00pm in Room 26-100, MIT, and will be followed by a discusion with the director Mamoru Hosoda.
The film explores the drama of high school romance, hackers in virtual worlds, and the complexities of extended families. Suitable for all ages, but aimed at teens and adults, the film is a magnificent example of recent anime virtuosity. Hosoda's last film, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006) won many prizes including the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Film.
Don?t miss this rare opportunity to hear directly from one of Japan?s hottest young animation directors and to see his latest film. The event is free and open to the public. Note that there is only one showing and it begins at 7:00pm.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cooljapan/events.html#3
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MISTI, Center for International Studies, Foreign Languages & Literatures, Comparative Media Studies, MIT Japan Program, Harvard Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
For more information, contact:
Ian Condry
condry@mit.edu
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
From Preparedness to Response: Humanitarian Logistics
Speaker: Bernard Chomilier, Head of Logistics Development Unit, World Food Progamme
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: E40-496
Humanitarian Relief Speaker Series
This talk will discuss the coordination of logistics operations with the UN Humanitarian Response Depots, the UN Logistics Cluster, partnership with private sector and civilian-military cooperation. Chomilier will also discuss the training programs developed within the World Food Programme, which are broadly used for training within the UN Logistics Cluster. Finally, he will link the importance of logistics preparedness to activities on the ground in the Haiti earthquake response.
Bernard Chomilier has led humanitarian responses for most of the major crises around the world over the last 25 years. He is currently working as the Head of the Logistics Development Unit at World Food Programme. Previously, Mr. Chomilier worked as the Head of Logistics for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He also served as Head of Mission on several occasions and worked as the General Manager of Logistics as Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division
For more information, contact:
Stefanie Koperniak
skoperni@mit.edu
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Vehicle Lightweighting as a Strategy for Economic Development and Competitive Advantage in India
Speaker: Charles Fine, Sloan School of Management
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-270
Transportation@MIT Seminar Series
In Spring 2010, the Transportation@MIT seminar series continues by drawing knowledge from MIT research that is applicable to transportation. Our goal is to strengthen the community of MIT researchers by sharing information in the following areas: airlines, automation, behavior and economics, energy sources, environmental impacts, logistics and supply chains, networks, propulsion, system control, urban challenges, and vehicles.
Web site: http://transportation.mit.edu/events.php
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free Admission to MIT and General Public
Sponsor(s): Transportation@MIT
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Fearing
transportation@mit.edu
Date: Tuesday, March 2
Bioenergy production using microbial fuel cell technologies
Speaker: Bruce Logan, Penn State University
Time: 4:15
Location: 66-110 (Landau Building, 25 Ames Street)
Reception to follow
Abstract
Certain naturally occurring microorganisms are capable of electron transfer outside or into the cell. These microorganisms are being used in several new technologies, based on microbial fuel cells (MFCs), to produce energy and clean water. In an MFC, exoelectrogenic bacteria oxidize organic matter and release electrons to an electrode (anode). These electrons flow to the counter electrode (cathode) where they combine with oxygen and protons to form water, generating current and power. Sustained electricity generation is possible using virtually any type of biodegradable organic matter including pure compounds (acetic acid and other volatile acids, glucose and sugars, amino acids and proteins, etc.), complex organic matter in wastewater (domestic, animal, food, and other industries), and agricultural materials (cellulose and fermentation endproducts). The MFC architecture can be modified to use energy in the organic matter to accomplish water desalination without any electrical input or high pressures. In the absence of oxygen, and by adding voltage to that produced by the bacteria, it is also possible to produce hydrogen gas at the cathode in a device called a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). The voltage needed (>0.2 V) is substantially smaller than that needed to electrolyze water. Hydrogen gas produced can be recovered at nearly 100% of the stoichiometric yield in an MEC for certain substrates, and two to four times more energy is recovered as hydrogen gas than used as electrical energy. By using electrotrophic microorganisms on the cathode, it is possible to produce other products from the current such as methane. In this presentation, I review what is known about exoelectrogenic and electrotophic microorganisms, summarize advances in increasing current densities and reducing materials costs, and discuss recent field trials using larger, pilot-scale MFC and MEC systems.
About the speaker
Bruce Logan is the Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State University, and Director of the Engineering Energy & Environmental Institute. He has published over 240 journal papers and several books, including one on microbial fuel cells, and works in a variety of research areas including bioenergy production, bioremediation, environmental transport processes, colloidal dynamics, and microbial adhesion. Dr. Logan was recently awarded the Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize for his research to develop an energy sustainable water infrastructure. He is a visiting professor at Newcastle University in England, Harbin Institute of Technology and Dalian University of Technology in China, and an Investigator with the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Cursed Resources? Political Conditions and Oil Market Volatility (Joint with Macroeconomics Workshop)
Speaker: Gilbert Metcalf (Tufts)
Time: 4:15p–5:30p
Location: E52-244
Cursed Resources? Political Conditions and Oil Market Volatility
Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/5341
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Energy & Environmental Economics at MIT
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Death of the News?
Speaker: Maria Balinska, Susan Glasser, & Jason Pontin
Time: 5:30p–7:00p
Location: E51-Wong Auditorium
Journalism is in a crisis. Newspapers are going out of business; editors and reporters are losing their jobs. "Death of the News?" brings together a panel of experts to discuss the rise of online media and its impact on global society.
Speakers Maria Balinska, Susan Glasser, & Jason Pontin will discuss about how to save the news in a vanishing era of newspapers.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information click on the link below
Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_030210_death_of_news.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Actions Speak Loudest: How Will YOU Make a Difference in Our World?
Speaker: Bob McKinnon, http://www.actionsspeakloudest.org/contributors-robertmckinnon.html
Time: 7:00p–8:30p
Location: 32-141, Stata Center
Tired of hearing a lot of talk about change but seeing little action? Now's the time to do something about it.
On Tuesday, March 2 join Bob McKinnon for a discussion about his book, Actions Speak Loudest (www.actionsspeakloudest.org), and how our generation can make a difference in our world.
In Actions Speak Loudest, thirty-five inspirational voices come together to weigh in on the compelling issues facing youth today. The event will will include a discussion with the book editor, a Q&A session, book signing and exciting networking opportunities in the field of social change. The student who asks the best question could qualify for a summer internship.
Advanced registration is requested by Monday, March 1 via CareerBridge: https://www.myinterfase.com/mit/student/ and select Workshops, Career Fairs and Events. Walk-ins are welcome, space-permitting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Speaker:
Bob McKinnon is Founder and President of YELLOWBRICKROAD (www.yellowbr.com), a company that partners with changemakers to design social change through programming, communications, advocacy, and action.
In addition to creating Actions Speak Loudest, he is also the producer of the documentary film "Remote Control," which looks at the issue of children and the media though the lens of total media consumption and what it may be displacing in our children's lives.
Web site: https://www.myinterfase.com/mit/student/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Career Development Center
For more information, contact:
Rachel Greenberg
617-253-4733
ragreenb@mit.edu
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
New Orleans: Post Katrina | Greening New Orleans
Time: 12:30p–2:00p
Location: 9-450
DUSP Speaker Series
Weekly Lecture Series of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Light lunch served.
Weekly Lecture Series of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:
Ezra Glenn
617-253-2024
eglenn@mit.edu
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Legatum Lecture featuring William Abrams, President of Trickle Up
Speaker: William Abrams, President of Trickle Up
Time: 5:00p–6:00p
Location: 32-141
"When Microcredit Isn't the Answer: Effective Solutions for the Ultrapoor." Mr. Abrams will speak from his experience at Trickle Up, which provides people living on less than $1 a day with the necessary resources to create microenterprises and improve their quality of life.
Web site: http://legatum.mit.edu/AbramsLecture
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
For more information, contact:
Anna Omura
617-324-1875
legatum@mit.edu
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Robots and Media: Science Fiction, Anime, Transmedia, and Technology
Speaker: Ian Condry and Cynthia Brazeal
Time: 5:00p–7:00p
Location: 4-231
CMS Colloquium Series
Ian Condry, Associate Director of MIT Comparative Media Studies and Associate Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, will discuss the prevalence of giant robots in anime (Japanese animated films and TV shows). From the sixties to the present, robot or "mecha" anime has evolved in ways that reflect changing business models and maturing audiences, as can be seen in titles like Astro Boy, Gundam, Macross, and Evangelion. How can we better understand the emergence of anime as a global media phenomenon through the example of robot anime? What does this suggest about our transmedia future?
Cynthia Breazeal, Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab and founder/director of the Lab's Personal Robots Group, will discuss how science fiction has influenced the development of real robotic systems, both in research laboratories and corporations all over the world. She will explore of how science fiction has shaped ideas of the relationship and role of robots in human society, how the existence of such robots is feeding back into science fiction narratives, and how we might experience transmedia properties in the future using robotic technologies.
Web site: http://cms.mit.edu/events/colloquiaforums.php#030410
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies
For more information, contact:
Andrew Whitacre
617.324.0490
cms@mit.edu
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Energy Discussions: Desalination--Water and Power
Speaker: Karan Mistry
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 26-204
There are currently over one billion people in the world that lack access to adequate drinking water. As the world population continues to increase, the water shortages are only being exacerbated. Since water production requires substantial amounts of energy, the water crisis is also closely coupled with the growing energy problem. The developed world has many excellent forms of desalination technologies, including reverse osmosis (RO) and multistage flash (MSF). Unfortunately, these technologies are often ineffective in the developing parts of the world where water shortages tend to be most severe. Solving the water problems requires not only technological innovation, but also changes in policy and public perception of water issues. Join members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of important issues in desalination as well as traditional desalination techniques and new techniques being developed here at MIT for use in the developing world.
Please prepare for the discussion by reading the short articles provided on our website.
A light dinner will be served.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Walsh Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Yunus Challenge Event Dinner
Speaker: Rachel Glennerster, Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: W20, West Lounge
The 2010 Yunus Innovation Challenge calls for innovative sanitation solutions to encourage clean hands among those living in poverty. Come to pitch an idea, join a team or learn more about clean hands for health and prosperity.
Each year, the Yunus Challenge highlights a pressing and often overlooked need of the world's poor and enables MIT students to develop solutions to address it through a variety of mechanisms, including the IDEAS competition, D-Lab, and Public Service fellowships, internships and grants.
The Challenge, named in honor of 2006 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was initiated and is supported by MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, supporter of the IDI, and benefactor of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Web site: web.mit.edu/idi/yunus.shtml
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): International Development Initiative
For more information, contact:
Laura Sampath
617-253-7052
lsampath@mit.edu
Friday, March 05, 2010
Form Finding
Speaker: Erik Nelson, Structures Workshop & RISD
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: 1-150
M.Eng. Friday Noon Seminar
A weekly presentation by industry experts.
What types of geometry, structural systems, or materials shall we consider for a certain design problem and why? Where does innovation lie in building materials and structural forms? How can we optimize forms to create elegant, efficient and economical architecture? There are 12 strategies to approach structural design and to start the form finding process.
Web site: http://cee.mit.edu/events/7
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact:
Gayle Sherman
617.452.3022
gsherman@mit.edu
Friday, March 05, 2010
Friday Workshop - MIT Energy Conference 2010
Time: 12:00p–5:00p
Location: MIT Campus - various
The Friday Workshop series enters its second edition this year. The workshops provide a unique opportunity for deeper discussions of select topics and are free and open to the public. This year the workshops will focus on Green Buildings, Electric Vehicles, Energy Finance and Commercializing Solar.
Web site: http://mitenergyconference.com/friday.php
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
mit_energy_conference@mit.edu
Friday, March 05, 2010
ChemE Dept. Seminar: Design of materials for energy conversion from first principles: metallic nanoparticles of targeted shapes as highly selective catalysts and photo-catalysts
Speaker: Prof. Suljo Linic, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Time: 3:00p–4:00p
Location: 66-110, reception at 2:45pm
Chemical Engineering Department Seminar Series
See speakers, talk titles, and dates at http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
In our research group we have been developing strategies for the ?rational?, bottom-up design of solid materials for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly chemical transformations. This approach relies on the design of materials based on understanding of underlying molecular phenomena that govern the outcome of a process rather than on empirical trial and error approaches. We are motivated by a realization that recent scientific advancements, mainly in the area of molecular science, are bringing a revolutionary transformation to the field of discovery in heterogeneous catalysts, electro-catalysis, and photo-catalysis.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department
For more information, contact:
Melanie Miller
617-253-6500
melmils@mit.edu
Friday, March 05, 2010
Plasma Science & Fusion Center Seminar
Speaker: Rob Goldston, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Time: 3:00p–4:30p
Location: NW17-218
The Fastest Path to Fusion Electricity: A Fusion Pilot Plant
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
For more information, contact:
Paul Rivenberg
617-253-8101
info@psfc.mit.edu
Friday, March 05, 2010
Friday Showcase - MIT Energy Conference 2010
Time: 5:00p–8:00p
Location: Sheraton Hotel, Boston
The Energy Showcase is a free event open to the community at large and is designed to bring together cutting-edge energy research and inventive businesses that are contributing critical knowledge, products and services toward actionable and scalable energy solutions. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for people interested in energy to inform themselves about the state of the art and the directions that the industry will follow in the future.
This year the Showcase will feature not only research posters from academic institutions and energy companies but also numerous interactive energy-related exhibits and hardware, giving attendees a unique opportunity to mingle with prominent energy researchers within a hands-on atmosphere. The casual setting, accentuated by live music, cocktails, and hors d?oeuvres, will foster dialogue amongst energy-conscious community members and cutting-edge professionals.
Web site: http://mitenergyconference.com/showcase.php
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
mit_energy_conference@mit.edu
Harvard
Strategies for Fostering Social Innovation in U.S. Cities
WHEN
Mon., Mar. 1, 2010, 8:30 – 10 a.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center, Bell Hall, 79 John F. Kennedy St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation; Center for Public Leadership; Urban Policy PIC; Social Enterprise in Action
SPEAKER(S)
Christopher Gergen, director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative, Duke University; David Harris, president and CEO of the Mind Trust, Indianapolis; Paul Vandeventer, president and CEO of Community Partners, Los Angeles; Stephen Goldsmith, former mayor of Indianapolis and current director of the Innovations in Government Program, Ash Center
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
christina_marchand@hks.harvard.edu
Special Seminar: Agricultural Science for Africa
March 1, 2010 - 4:00pm
Contact Name:
Lisa Matthews
lisa_matthews@harvard.edu
HUCE Seminar Room 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor Cambridge, MA
A conversation with Dr. Gebisa Ejeta, Distinguished Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University and the winner of the 2009 World Food Prize.
Dr. Ejeta’s research focuses on plant diseases in sorghum, mechanisms of resistance to drought, and resistance to the parasitic weed, Striga. Dr. Ejeta grew up in a rural village in west-central Ethiopia, walking 20 kilometers every Sunday night to attend school. He received his bachelor’s degree in plant science from Alemaya College in 1973 and his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics from Purdue. Working in Sudan, Dr. Ejeta developed the first hybrid sorghum varieties for Africa, which were drought tolerant and high yielding. His next breakthrough came in the 1990s, identifying genes for Striga resistance and transferring them into locally adapted sorghum varieties. This conversation with Dr. Ejeta will allow him to share with us his views on agricultural science for Africa.
Hosted by N.M. Holbrook.
Think Tank on Energy, the Environment and Business: Leadership for Action in Time and at Scale
March 3, 2010 (All day) - March 5, 2010 (All day)
http://www.hbs.edu/environment
Contact Name:
Kelly Sailhamer
ksailhamer@hbs.edu
617.495.0872
Harvard Business School Campus
Presented by
The Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University
Harvard Business School
The Arthur Rock Center for EntrepreneurshipAgenda will be updated regularly as names of faculty and speakers are confirmed and is subject to change.
http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2010-03-03/think-tank-energy-environment-and-business-leadership-action-time-and-scale
Please view or print the Building Green Businesses Executive Summary.--> http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/pdf/HBS-BGB_ExecSummary.pdf
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Welcome Reception | Williams Room, Spangler Center
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Conference sessions will take place in Aldrich 112
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. | Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Professors Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Bill Sahlman,
Harvard Business School
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Panel: The State of the Science
Professor Dan Schrag, Harvard University
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. | Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Panel: Shaping Policy
Doug Foy, Serrafix, Inc.
Susan Leal, ALI Fellow, formerly San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Professor Robert Stavins, Harvard University
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch | Williams Room, Spangler Center
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Panel: Remaking Energy at Scale: Issues and Opportunities
Moderator: Professor Forest Reinhardt, Harvard Business School
James Hackett, Anadarko Petroleum Company
James E. Rogers, Duke Energy Corporation
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Break
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Panel: Reshaping Demand at Scale: Issues and Opportunities
Danya Cunningham, Community Innovator's Lab, MIT
Martin Fleming, IBM
Megan McDermott, Robert AM Stern Architects
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Breakout session
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Summary
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Dinner | Williams Room, Spangler Center
Friday, March 5, 2010
Conference sessions will take place in Aldrich 112
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Introduction
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. | Panel: Where is the VC/PE Model Working—and Not Working—and Why?
Moderator: Professor Bill Sahlman, Harvard Business School
John Lushetsky, U.S. Department of Energy
Ajit Nazre, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
David Prend, RockPort Capital Partners
10:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. | Panel: Customers, Partners & the Challenge of Scaling
Moderator: Professor Joe Lassiter, Harvard Business School
Alan Greenshields, Fortu Ventures
Craig A. Huff, Reservoir Capital
Samir Kaul, Khosla Ventures
Don Young, Aspen Aerogels
11:30 – 12:00 p.m. | General discussion
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch | Williams Room, Spangler Center
1:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Panel: Leadership for Multi-Stakeholder Solutions
Jim Breyer, Accel Partners
Mindy Lubber, CERES
Jonathan Rose, Jonathan Rose Companies
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Breakout session
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. | Break
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Closing Discussion
Attendees and Student Clubs from HBS and MIT
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Closing Reception
Climate Change & the Media: Covering Conflict in the Capitol, Copenhagen and Beyond
WHEN
Thu., Mar. 4, 2010, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE
5th floor, Nye BC, Taubman Building, Harvard Kennedy School
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Law, Presentation/Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
HKS Belfer Environment and Natural Resources Program and Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy
SPEAKER(S)
Juliet Eilperin, environment reporter, The Washington Post; Eric Pooley, Bloomberg BusinessWeek and author of new book "The Climate War: True Believers, Power Brokers & the Fight to Save the Planet" (June 2010)
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
Refreshments served.
Climate Policy after Copenhagen: The Way Forward for Europe and the World
WHEN
Fri., Mar. 5, 2010, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE
Nye Conference Room A, 5th floor, Taubman Building, Harvard Kennedy School
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements
SPEAKER(S)
Nancy Kontou, former head, cabinet to the commissioner for environment, European Commission
CONTACT INFO
tyler_gumpright@harvard.edu
LINK
belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu…
A Ceremony for the Dead: A Haitian Vodou Memorial Service and Fundraiser for Partners In Health
WHEN
Fri., Mar. 5, 2010, 6 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Andover Chapel, Andover Hall, 45 Francis Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Haiti Relief, Presentation/Lecture, Religion, Special Events, Support/Social, Wellness
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Sosyete Nago
SPEAKER(S)
Manbo Marie Maude Evans
COST
$15 donation at door- 100% of money to go to Partners In Health's relief work in Haiti
CONTACT INFO
302.233.3655, amcgee@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
$15 donation at door- 100% of money to go to Partners in Health's relief work in Haiti
Other
Ignite Boston 7 (Global Ignite Week)
Event Details
• Date: 3/4/10
• Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
• Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm
• Audience: Entrepreneurs, technologists, DIYers, creative professionals and enthusiastic knowledge-seekers
• Description: Ignite (ignite.oreilly.com) events are high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have an idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd. Run by local volunteers who are connected through the global Ignite network, Ignite is a force for raising the collective IQ and building connections in each city.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Energy (and Other) Events - February 21, 2010
MIT
Monday, February 22, 2010
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: Towards a sustainable metals future - closing the loop for technology metals
Speaker: Dr. Christina Meskers, UMICORE Precious Metals Refining
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: E51-145
The devices and services used in every day life largely depend on the specific functionality of technology metals: platinum group metals in catalysts, precious metals in electronics, indium in displays, as well as in photovoltaics together with gallium, selenium or tellurium; and cobalt and lithium in batteries. In future these devices and the metals will become more important as they contribute to renewable energy generation and energy storage, clean air and more efficient production processes among others.
The other side of the coin is that these metals are not abundant, leading to intense discussions about metal scarcity: When are we running out? and What can be done to prevent this?. Recycling of metals from end of life devices is an important contributor to the future metal supply. The opportunities and challenges in recovering technology metals from electronics, catalysts, batteries and PV applications will be discussed from a holistic, life cycle perspective. Besides the technical factors also other aspects are taken into account, in the context of the People - Planet - Profit perspectives for sustainable development.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Sustainability@MIT, MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Elsa Olivetti
elsao@mit.edu
Monday, February 22, 2010
How to build a CleanTech Company: Elise Zoli of Goodwin Procter
Speaker: Elise Zoli
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: E51-335
MIT Energy Club Industry Series
The Energy Club hosts energy company infosessions on campus to give members an insight into the energy industry and to provide job opportunities for its members.
What are the unique challenges in forming and leading a successful cleantech business, from early stage ventures to public companies? Given typical capital requirements and venture fund lives, what are strategies for successful scaling? What is the importance of technology vs. business model innovation? What is the value of government funding or other alternative funding sources, at the seed capital through the initial deployment stage? Ms. Zoli will address the challenges of forming and scaling business in the storage, grid, and water sectors. She will also address unique challenges related to the Chinese market. She will draw insights from her extensive experience advising venture capital and private equity clients in the energy, environment, and clean tech sectors.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Sloan Energy and Environment Club, MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Chris Walti
energy-events@mit.edu
Monday, February 22, 2010
"Can nature be recomposed? A few issues in cosmopolitics"
Speaker: Bruno Latour with an introduction by Vincent Antonin Lepinay and a response by Mark Jarzombek
Time: 6:30p–7:45p
Location: 3-133
HTC Forum Spring 2010: REASSEMBLY
Aviaries, missiles, icons, and satellites. This semester's HTC Forum takes apart and reconfigures objects, environments, publics, and matters of concern.
It is now clear thanks both to the work of anthropologists like Descola and the various ecological crises, that the notion of nature had the great defect of unifying too quickly the composition of the common world. Is there an alternative that pays full justice to the reality of nature without bypassing the work of assembling it?
Bruno Latour is Professor and vice-president for research at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. In his books, he explores the consequences of science studies on traditional topics in the social sciences. He has curated the exhibitions Iconoclash beyond the image wars in science, religion and art, and Making Things Public The atmospheres of democracy (with Peter Weibel). Vincent Antonin Lepinay is Assistant Professor at MIT?S Program in Science, Technology, and Society. Mark Jarzombek is Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture, and Associate Dean of MIT?s School of Architecture and Planning.
This is the HTC Thomas Beischer Lecture, co-sponsored with the MIT Program in Science, Technology, and Society.
Web site:http://architecture.mit.edu/htc/community/events/forum/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
Kate Brearley
258-8439/8
htc@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
ChemE Dept. Seminar: Microfluidic Fuel Cells as Power Sources and Analytical Platforms
Speaker: Dr. Fikile Brushett, Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Time: 3:00p–4:00p
Location: 66-360, reception at 2:45pm
Chemical Engineering Department Seminar Series
See speakers, talk titles, and dates at http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
Fuel cells hold promise as highly efficient power sources for applications in, for example, portable electronics, back-up power generation, and automotive transport. Unfortunately, the widespread implementation of fuel cell technologies has been hampered by prohibitively high cost (e.g., catalysts), insufficient durability, and performance limitations (e.g., fuel crossover). Here I will present on the development of membraneless microfluidic fuel cells that exploit microscale transport phenomena, specifically laminar flow, to replace the stationary membranes employed in more conventional fuel cells. In these laminar flow fuel cells (LFFCs) water management and fuel crossover issues that plague membrane-based fuel cells can be avoided. Moreover, the dynamic fuel and electrolyte streams facilitate by-product removal and enable flexibility in fuel choice and operating conditions (e.g., pH). By expanding these single channel LFFCs to multichannel architectures, 20-300 W commercial prototype power sources have been developed.
In addition, my presentation will highlight a microfluidic hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell as an electro-analytical platform for detailed catalyst and electrode investigation.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department
For more information, contact:
Melanie Miller
617-253-6500
melmils@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Rebuilding Haiti
Speaker: Cherie Miot Abbanat, Michel DeGraff, Erica James, & Dale Joachim
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E15-Bartos Theater
MIT experts discuss how to help Haiti create a future different from the generations of misery it has known.
This event is free and open to the public.
About the speakers:
Cherie Miot Abbanat is a lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Department of Architecture, and co-chair of DUSP?s Undergraduate Committee.
Michel DeGraff, a native of Haiti, is associate professor of linguistics at MIT.
Erica James is associate professor of
anthropology at MIT.
Dale Joachim is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where he currently co-teaches the special project class New Media Projects for Haiti.
For more information click on the web link below.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_haiti.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Green Communities Act and Municipalities: Exploring Municipal Trends in All Things Green
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: Boston Bar Association
The Green Communities Act, most notably through provisions creating the Green Communities Division at the Department of Energy Resources, encourages municipalities to maximize opportunities to save energy, to generate renewable energy, and to make other decisions that reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint in order to help the Commonwealth become a hub of the 21st century clean energy economy.
Mark Sylvia, Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division, and Deborah Donovan, Energy Markets - Cambridge Energy Alliance, will be joining us at this brown bag lunch.
This brown bag will:
- highlight current initiatives of the Green Communities Division,
- feature on-the-ground? stories from the Cambridge Energy Alliance, which illustrate some of the creative initiatives implemented and challenges confronted by municipalities that go green, and
- discuss municipal trends generally in relation to all things green.
Web site:https://www.bostonbar.org/ebusiness/Meetings/EventDetail.aspx?ID=3721
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Campus Events, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Air Quality & Climate Change Committee, Real Estate Section
For more information, contact:
Christine Cheung
energy-events@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Future of Energy: Aubrey K. McClendon - Chesapeake Energy
Speaker: Aubrey K. McClendon
Time: 5:00p–7:00p
Location: Harvard University Science Center Lecture Hall D One Oxford Street Cambridge, MA
"Natural Gas: Fueling America's Clean Energy Future"
New drilling and completion technologies have allowed the U.S. natural gas and oil industry to develop resources in shale reservoirs that were previously considered uneconomic. Shale gas has quickly transformed the industry and provided consumers with reliable sources of supply and the ability to reshape the nation's energy policy. Natural gas is clean, affordable, and abundant. It is the most practical answer to our nation's growing need for clean energy and reduced dependence on foreign oil.
Aubrey K. McClendon has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since co-founding Chesapeake Energy in 1989. Chesapeake Energy is now one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, their strategy is focused on discovering, acquiring and developing conventional and unconventional natural gas reserves onshore in the U.S., primarily in the "Big 4" natural gas shale plays: the Barnett Shale of north-central Texas, the Haynesville Shale of East Texas and northwestern Louisiana, the Fayetteville Shale of central Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale of the northern Appalachian Basin.
The Future of Energy lecture series is sponsored by the Harvard University Center for the Environment with generous support from Bank of America. All of the lectures are free and open to the public.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Campus Events, Harvard University Center for the Environment
For more information, contact:
Lisa Matthews
617-495-8883
lisa_matthews@harvard.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
IDEAS Competition Spring Generator Dinner
Speaker: IDEAS Competition Staff
Time: 6:00p–9:00p
Location: 50, Morss Hall -Walker Memorial
Want funding for your innovative community service project?
Want to recruit new members or mentors for your IDEAS team?
Want to get involved, but don't yet have an idea?
Then come to the IDEAS Generator Dinner and get connected!
Please RSVP and let us know you are coming: ideas-rsvp@mit.edu
The IDEAS Generator is your chance to learn about the annual IDEAS competition, share your project ideas and skills, and meet potential team members. All types of projects, including for-profit ventures, are encouraged as long as they address the needs of an under-served community. It?s a fun, casual environment where great projects are born.
Participants will also have 60 seconds to pitch their projects and skills to the audience - make them professional, practiced, and to the point. Pitches can be made in two categories:
- Recruit The IDEAS Dream Team
- Get Yourself "Hired"
Open mic spaces are limited. RSVP by February 19 to ideas-rsvp@mit.edu to sign-up for a 60-second pitch opportunity.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ideas
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT IDEAS Competition, Graduate Student Life Grants, Public Service Center
For more information, contact:
Sally Susnowitz
617-258-7344
ideas-admin
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Energy Discussions: Offshore Wind
Speaker: Kathy Arujo
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: 4-145
Join members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of general and local issues in offshore wind. We will draw on our knowledge from the Energy 101 on Offshore Wind on 24 Feb (http://events.mit.edu/event.html?id=11605119) to explore how decisions are made about offshore wind, including the Cape Wind project here in Massachusetts. We hope you can attend both the Energy 101 and the Discussion, but please come to the discussion even if you cannot come to the Energy 101.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Walsh Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
Harvard
Food24fps: "Dinner Rush," introduced by Chris Myers
WHEN
Mon., Feb. 22, 2010, 6 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Adams House Pool Theatre
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Film, Presentation/Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
food at twenty four frames per second
SPEAKER(S)
Chris Myers
COST
Free admission
CONTACT INFO
food24fps_admin@googlegroups.com
NOTE
Introduced by Chris Myers (Myers+Chang, Radius, Via Matta). A good movie about backstage life at a slick restaurant, Danny Aiello is authoritative in what might be a very good Runyonesque version of Bill Buford's Heat. The film had the misfortune to be released the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center.
---
food24fps: A semi-regular series, located in Cambridge, Mass., of classic and obscure films about food. Films introduced by guest speakers from Cambridge, Boston, and other points exotic, and accompanied by appropriate refreshments when we can swing it. Open to all.
LINK
www.food24fps.com
From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet: Growing Constraints to Food Production
WHEN
Tue., Feb. 23, 2010, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Museum of Natural History
SPEAKER(S)
Samuel Myers
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
To keep up with the world’s food demand, it’s estimated that we will need to double agricultural production by year 2050. Samuel Myers, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician, will discuss troubling trends that may stand in our way: rising temperatures, increasing water scarcity, changes in pests and pathogens, increases in natural disasters, loss of arable land, and many others. To achieve food security in the future will require new approaches to sustainable agriculture.
LINK
www.hmnh.harvard.edu
BU
February 25
3:30 – 4:00 Pre-seminar reception
4:00 – 5:00 Seminar
Climate Change: Integrating Science, Economics, Technology and Policy
Ron Prinn
MIT
Place:
Room 502 (5th floor)
725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Tufts
February 25, 2010
3pm - 4pm
Enernet: Internet Lessons for Solving Energy
Nelson Auditorium, 112 Anderson Hall
Speaker: Dr. Robert Metcalfe
Host: School of Engineering Dean's Office
Abstract
ABOUT DR. ROBERT M. METCALFE:
In 1973, Dr. Robert Metcalfe invented Ethernet, the local-area networking (LAN) standard, while working at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. In 2005, Dr. Metcalfe was awarded the National Medal of Technology for his leadership in Ethernet’s invention, standardization, and commercialization. Today, about 350 million new Ethernet ports are shipped annually.
In 1979, Dr. Metcalfe founded the 3Com Corporation. He worked at 3Com in various positions including chairman and CEO, until his retirement from the company in 1990. Through the end of the decade, Dr. Metcalfe followed a career as Internet pundit and online publisher, including serving as CEO of IDG’s InfoWorld Publishing Co. Beginning in 2001, he joined Polaris Venture Partners as a venture capitalist interested in understanding how the energy crisis can be addressed through lessons learned from networking technologies.
Other
Join us for "Science by the Pint" on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd at 7pm!
What do deep-sea worms have to do with global climate change? Come find out at SITN's next "Science by the Pint" at the Redline restaurant and bar in Harvard Square. Come meet Geoff Dilly from Harvard University who studies the animals and microbes that live near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Geoff explores how these ocean dwellers can tolerate such high temperatures.
"Science by the Pint" is SITN's rendition of a nationwide project called "Science Cafes", a movement to provide more informal discussions between scientists and non-scientists on relevant scientific and social issues. Rather than the usual seminar format we provide during our fall lecture series, Science by the Pint will feature one or more leading researchers who give no more than a 5 minute, conversation stirring, introduction to their work. The rest is up to you! After the short introduction, you may ask our researchers questions, bring up discussion points and see where it all leads.
When: Tuesday, February 23rd, 7:00 PM
Where: Redline restaurant and bar in Harvard Square (59 JFK St., Cambridge MA), click here for a map
Read more about science cafes: http://sciencecafes.org/
Read more about Redline restaurant and bar: http://www.redlinecambridge.com/
A Workshop with Toby Hemenway: Permaculture Solutions for City and Suburb
Feb28Sun 10:00 AM
Location
The Democracy Center
45 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-699-1221
NOTE: You need to reserve a spot at http://www.meetup.com/Urban-Homesteaders-League/calendar/12480514/
Sunday, February 28th, 10-3pm
Sliding Scale: $40-$80 (Full and partial scholarships available.)
Workshop with Toby Hemenway: Permaculture Solutions for City and Suburb
Sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders' League
Reserve a space here: https://www.brownpape...
Location: The Democracy Center
45 Mt. Auburn, Cambridge, MA 02138
How does permaculture work in urban and suburban places? Though land may be limited, cities are rich in other resources, especially social capital. This workshop will show how to find, harvest, and integrate the many resources in our cities in sustainable ways, including getting access to land for gardening, creating business guilds and networks, learning the pattern language of the city, creating public space in neighborhoods, and building urban ecovillages. We'll learn how permaculture's principles and design methods apply to the dense, rich environments of our cities, and how to leverage the special opportunities that cities provide.
Bio:
Toby Hemenway is a writer, university professor, and freelance educator based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture", which for the past seven years has been the world’s best-selling book on permaculture. Toby is an adjunct professor in the School of Graduate Education at Portland State University, and Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University. His writing has appeared in publications such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and WorldWatch, and he has taught workshops all over the continent and in many countries.
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Monday, February 22, 2010
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: Towards a sustainable metals future - closing the loop for technology metals
Speaker: Dr. Christina Meskers, UMICORE Precious Metals Refining
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: E51-145
The devices and services used in every day life largely depend on the specific functionality of technology metals: platinum group metals in catalysts, precious metals in electronics, indium in displays, as well as in photovoltaics together with gallium, selenium or tellurium; and cobalt and lithium in batteries. In future these devices and the metals will become more important as they contribute to renewable energy generation and energy storage, clean air and more efficient production processes among others.
The other side of the coin is that these metals are not abundant, leading to intense discussions about metal scarcity: When are we running out? and What can be done to prevent this?. Recycling of metals from end of life devices is an important contributor to the future metal supply. The opportunities and challenges in recovering technology metals from electronics, catalysts, batteries and PV applications will be discussed from a holistic, life cycle perspective. Besides the technical factors also other aspects are taken into account, in the context of the People - Planet - Profit perspectives for sustainable development.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Sustainability@MIT, MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Elsa Olivetti
elsao@mit.edu
Monday, February 22, 2010
How to build a CleanTech Company: Elise Zoli of Goodwin Procter
Speaker: Elise Zoli
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: E51-335
MIT Energy Club Industry Series
The Energy Club hosts energy company infosessions on campus to give members an insight into the energy industry and to provide job opportunities for its members.
What are the unique challenges in forming and leading a successful cleantech business, from early stage ventures to public companies? Given typical capital requirements and venture fund lives, what are strategies for successful scaling? What is the importance of technology vs. business model innovation? What is the value of government funding or other alternative funding sources, at the seed capital through the initial deployment stage? Ms. Zoli will address the challenges of forming and scaling business in the storage, grid, and water sectors. She will also address unique challenges related to the Chinese market. She will draw insights from her extensive experience advising venture capital and private equity clients in the energy, environment, and clean tech sectors.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Sloan Energy and Environment Club, MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Chris Walti
energy-events@mit.edu
Monday, February 22, 2010
"Can nature be recomposed? A few issues in cosmopolitics"
Speaker: Bruno Latour with an introduction by Vincent Antonin Lepinay and a response by Mark Jarzombek
Time: 6:30p–7:45p
Location: 3-133
HTC Forum Spring 2010: REASSEMBLY
Aviaries, missiles, icons, and satellites. This semester's HTC Forum takes apart and reconfigures objects, environments, publics, and matters of concern.
It is now clear thanks both to the work of anthropologists like Descola and the various ecological crises, that the notion of nature had the great defect of unifying too quickly the composition of the common world. Is there an alternative that pays full justice to the reality of nature without bypassing the work of assembling it?
Bruno Latour is Professor and vice-president for research at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. In his books, he explores the consequences of science studies on traditional topics in the social sciences. He has curated the exhibitions Iconoclash beyond the image wars in science, religion and art, and Making Things Public The atmospheres of democracy (with Peter Weibel). Vincent Antonin Lepinay is Assistant Professor at MIT?S Program in Science, Technology, and Society. Mark Jarzombek is Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture, and Associate Dean of MIT?s School of Architecture and Planning.
This is the HTC Thomas Beischer Lecture, co-sponsored with the MIT Program in Science, Technology, and Society.
Web site:http://architecture.mit.edu/htc/community/events/forum/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
Kate Brearley
258-8439/8
htc@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
ChemE Dept. Seminar: Microfluidic Fuel Cells as Power Sources and Analytical Platforms
Speaker: Dr. Fikile Brushett, Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Time: 3:00p–4:00p
Location: 66-360, reception at 2:45pm
Chemical Engineering Department Seminar Series
See speakers, talk titles, and dates at http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
Fuel cells hold promise as highly efficient power sources for applications in, for example, portable electronics, back-up power generation, and automotive transport. Unfortunately, the widespread implementation of fuel cell technologies has been hampered by prohibitively high cost (e.g., catalysts), insufficient durability, and performance limitations (e.g., fuel crossover). Here I will present on the development of membraneless microfluidic fuel cells that exploit microscale transport phenomena, specifically laminar flow, to replace the stationary membranes employed in more conventional fuel cells. In these laminar flow fuel cells (LFFCs) water management and fuel crossover issues that plague membrane-based fuel cells can be avoided. Moreover, the dynamic fuel and electrolyte streams facilitate by-product removal and enable flexibility in fuel choice and operating conditions (e.g., pH). By expanding these single channel LFFCs to multichannel architectures, 20-300 W commercial prototype power sources have been developed.
In addition, my presentation will highlight a microfluidic hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell as an electro-analytical platform for detailed catalyst and electrode investigation.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/seminar.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department
For more information, contact:
Melanie Miller
617-253-6500
melmils@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Rebuilding Haiti
Speaker: Cherie Miot Abbanat, Michel DeGraff, Erica James, & Dale Joachim
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E15-Bartos Theater
MIT experts discuss how to help Haiti create a future different from the generations of misery it has known.
This event is free and open to the public.
About the speakers:
Cherie Miot Abbanat is a lecturer in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Department of Architecture, and co-chair of DUSP?s Undergraduate Committee.
Michel DeGraff, a native of Haiti, is associate professor of linguistics at MIT.
Erica James is associate professor of
anthropology at MIT.
Dale Joachim is a visiting scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where he currently co-teaches the special project class New Media Projects for Haiti.
For more information click on the web link below.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_haiti.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Green Communities Act and Municipalities: Exploring Municipal Trends in All Things Green
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: Boston Bar Association
The Green Communities Act, most notably through provisions creating the Green Communities Division at the Department of Energy Resources, encourages municipalities to maximize opportunities to save energy, to generate renewable energy, and to make other decisions that reduce their environmental impact and carbon footprint in order to help the Commonwealth become a hub of the 21st century clean energy economy.
Mark Sylvia, Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division, and Deborah Donovan, Energy Markets - Cambridge Energy Alliance, will be joining us at this brown bag lunch.
This brown bag will:
- highlight current initiatives of the Green Communities Division,
- feature on-the-ground? stories from the Cambridge Energy Alliance, which illustrate some of the creative initiatives implemented and challenges confronted by municipalities that go green, and
- discuss municipal trends generally in relation to all things green.
Web site:https://www.bostonbar.org/ebusiness/Meetings/EventDetail.aspx?ID=3721
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Campus Events, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, Air Quality & Climate Change Committee, Real Estate Section
For more information, contact:
Christine Cheung
energy-events@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Future of Energy: Aubrey K. McClendon - Chesapeake Energy
Speaker: Aubrey K. McClendon
Time: 5:00p–7:00p
Location: Harvard University Science Center Lecture Hall D One Oxford Street Cambridge, MA
"Natural Gas: Fueling America's Clean Energy Future"
New drilling and completion technologies have allowed the U.S. natural gas and oil industry to develop resources in shale reservoirs that were previously considered uneconomic. Shale gas has quickly transformed the industry and provided consumers with reliable sources of supply and the ability to reshape the nation's energy policy. Natural gas is clean, affordable, and abundant. It is the most practical answer to our nation's growing need for clean energy and reduced dependence on foreign oil.
Aubrey K. McClendon has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since co-founding Chesapeake Energy in 1989. Chesapeake Energy is now one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation and the most active driller of new wells in the U.S. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, their strategy is focused on discovering, acquiring and developing conventional and unconventional natural gas reserves onshore in the U.S., primarily in the "Big 4" natural gas shale plays: the Barnett Shale of north-central Texas, the Haynesville Shale of East Texas and northwestern Louisiana, the Fayetteville Shale of central Arkansas and the Marcellus Shale of the northern Appalachian Basin.
The Future of Energy lecture series is sponsored by the Harvard University Center for the Environment with generous support from Bank of America. All of the lectures are free and open to the public.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Campus Events, Harvard University Center for the Environment
For more information, contact:
Lisa Matthews
617-495-8883
lisa_matthews@harvard.edu
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
IDEAS Competition Spring Generator Dinner
Speaker: IDEAS Competition Staff
Time: 6:00p–9:00p
Location: 50, Morss Hall -Walker Memorial
Want funding for your innovative community service project?
Want to recruit new members or mentors for your IDEAS team?
Want to get involved, but don't yet have an idea?
Then come to the IDEAS Generator Dinner and get connected!
Please RSVP and let us know you are coming: ideas-rsvp@mit.edu
The IDEAS Generator is your chance to learn about the annual IDEAS competition, share your project ideas and skills, and meet potential team members. All types of projects, including for-profit ventures, are encouraged as long as they address the needs of an under-served community. It?s a fun, casual environment where great projects are born.
Participants will also have 60 seconds to pitch their projects and skills to the audience - make them professional, practiced, and to the point. Pitches can be made in two categories:
- Recruit The IDEAS Dream Team
- Get Yourself "Hired"
Open mic spaces are limited. RSVP by February 19 to ideas-rsvp@mit.edu to sign-up for a 60-second pitch opportunity.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ideas
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT IDEAS Competition, Graduate Student Life Grants, Public Service Center
For more information, contact:
Sally Susnowitz
617-258-7344
ideas-admin
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Energy Discussions: Offshore Wind
Speaker: Kathy Arujo
Time: 12:00p–1:00p
Location: 4-145
Join members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of general and local issues in offshore wind. We will draw on our knowledge from the Energy 101 on Offshore Wind on 24 Feb (http://events.mit.edu/event.html?id=11605119) to explore how decisions are made about offshore wind, including the Cape Wind project here in Massachusetts. We hope you can attend both the Energy 101 and the Discussion, but please come to the discussion even if you cannot come to the Energy 101.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Walsh Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
Harvard
Food24fps: "Dinner Rush," introduced by Chris Myers
WHEN
Mon., Feb. 22, 2010, 6 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Adams House Pool Theatre
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Film, Presentation/Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
food at twenty four frames per second
SPEAKER(S)
Chris Myers
COST
Free admission
CONTACT INFO
food24fps_admin@googlegroups.com
NOTE
Introduced by Chris Myers (Myers+Chang, Radius, Via Matta). A good movie about backstage life at a slick restaurant, Danny Aiello is authoritative in what might be a very good Runyonesque version of Bill Buford's Heat. The film had the misfortune to be released the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center.
---
food24fps: A semi-regular series, located in Cambridge, Mass., of classic and obscure films about food. Films introduced by guest speakers from Cambridge, Boston, and other points exotic, and accompanied by appropriate refreshments when we can swing it. Open to all.
LINK
www.food24fps.com
From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet: Growing Constraints to Food Production
WHEN
Tue., Feb. 23, 2010, 6 – 7 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Museum of Natural History
SPEAKER(S)
Samuel Myers
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
To keep up with the world’s food demand, it’s estimated that we will need to double agricultural production by year 2050. Samuel Myers, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician, will discuss troubling trends that may stand in our way: rising temperatures, increasing water scarcity, changes in pests and pathogens, increases in natural disasters, loss of arable land, and many others. To achieve food security in the future will require new approaches to sustainable agriculture.
LINK
www.hmnh.harvard.edu
BU
February 25
3:30 – 4:00 Pre-seminar reception
4:00 – 5:00 Seminar
Climate Change: Integrating Science, Economics, Technology and Policy
Ron Prinn
MIT
Place:
Room 502 (5th floor)
725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Tufts
February 25, 2010
3pm - 4pm
Enernet: Internet Lessons for Solving Energy
Nelson Auditorium, 112 Anderson Hall
Speaker: Dr. Robert Metcalfe
Host: School of Engineering Dean's Office
Abstract
ABOUT DR. ROBERT M. METCALFE:
In 1973, Dr. Robert Metcalfe invented Ethernet, the local-area networking (LAN) standard, while working at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. In 2005, Dr. Metcalfe was awarded the National Medal of Technology for his leadership in Ethernet’s invention, standardization, and commercialization. Today, about 350 million new Ethernet ports are shipped annually.
In 1979, Dr. Metcalfe founded the 3Com Corporation. He worked at 3Com in various positions including chairman and CEO, until his retirement from the company in 1990. Through the end of the decade, Dr. Metcalfe followed a career as Internet pundit and online publisher, including serving as CEO of IDG’s InfoWorld Publishing Co. Beginning in 2001, he joined Polaris Venture Partners as a venture capitalist interested in understanding how the energy crisis can be addressed through lessons learned from networking technologies.
Other
Join us for "Science by the Pint" on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd at 7pm!
What do deep-sea worms have to do with global climate change? Come find out at SITN's next "Science by the Pint" at the Redline restaurant and bar in Harvard Square. Come meet Geoff Dilly from Harvard University who studies the animals and microbes that live near deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Geoff explores how these ocean dwellers can tolerate such high temperatures.
"Science by the Pint" is SITN's rendition of a nationwide project called "Science Cafes", a movement to provide more informal discussions between scientists and non-scientists on relevant scientific and social issues. Rather than the usual seminar format we provide during our fall lecture series, Science by the Pint will feature one or more leading researchers who give no more than a 5 minute, conversation stirring, introduction to their work. The rest is up to you! After the short introduction, you may ask our researchers questions, bring up discussion points and see where it all leads.
When: Tuesday, February 23rd, 7:00 PM
Where: Redline restaurant and bar in Harvard Square (59 JFK St., Cambridge MA), click here for a map
Read more about science cafes: http://sciencecafes.org/
Read more about Redline restaurant and bar: http://www.redlinecambridge.com/
A Workshop with Toby Hemenway: Permaculture Solutions for City and Suburb
Feb28Sun 10:00 AM
Location
The Democracy Center
45 Mt. Auburn St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-699-1221
NOTE: You need to reserve a spot at http://www.meetup.com/Urban-Homesteaders-League/calendar/12480514/
Sunday, February 28th, 10-3pm
Sliding Scale: $40-$80 (Full and partial scholarships available.)
Workshop with Toby Hemenway: Permaculture Solutions for City and Suburb
Sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders' League
Reserve a space here: https://www.brownpape...
Location: The Democracy Center
45 Mt. Auburn, Cambridge, MA 02138
How does permaculture work in urban and suburban places? Though land may be limited, cities are rich in other resources, especially social capital. This workshop will show how to find, harvest, and integrate the many resources in our cities in sustainable ways, including getting access to land for gardening, creating business guilds and networks, learning the pattern language of the city, creating public space in neighborhoods, and building urban ecovillages. We'll learn how permaculture's principles and design methods apply to the dense, rich environments of our cities, and how to leverage the special opportunities that cities provide.
Bio:
Toby Hemenway is a writer, university professor, and freelance educator based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture", which for the past seven years has been the world’s best-selling book on permaculture. Toby is an adjunct professor in the School of Graduate Education at Portland State University, and Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University. His writing has appeared in publications such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and WorldWatch, and he has taught workshops all over the continent and in many countries.
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Monday, February 15, 2010
Energy (and Other) Events - February 14, 2010
MIT
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Multi-Criteria Lifecycle Evaluation of Transportation Fuels Derived from Biomass Gasification
Speaker: Addison Stark - MIT, Dept. Mechanical Engineering
Time: 4:30p–5:30p
Location: 5-314
Center for 21st Century Energy - Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory Seminar Series
The development of a domestic biofuel industry has been a major policy thrust of the United States federal government in the first decade of the 21st century. Cellulosic biofuels have been identified as the primary candidate for meeting long term sustainability and energy security goals. In this work cellulosic biofuels produced via thermochemical processing are analyzed. Thermochemical processing utilizes well established chemical synthesis technology and allows for both feedstock and product flexibility relative to traditional enzymatic biofuel production routes. Here, both Spark Ignition Engine fuels (Methanol, Ethanol, Mixed Alcohols, and Methanol-to-Gasoline Synthetic Gasoline) and Compression Ignition Engine fuels (Dimethyl Ether and Fischer-Tropsch Diesel) are considered.
These fuels are analyzed on a lifecycle basis using identified criteria affecting each fuels adoptability including: (1) energy efficiency, (2) cost of production and shipping, (3) integrability into the current distribution infrastructure and (4) compatibility with regulatory and policy landscape. A primary conclusion from this analysis is that no one fuel is optimal with respect to all metrics. Instead, it is likely that a variety of fuels should be employed for different applications.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): RGD Lab
For more information, contact:
Patrick Kirchen
pkirchen@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Haiti Relief RoundRound Table Discussion with MA State Reps Marie St-Fleur and Linda Dorcena Forry
Speaker: State Reps. Marie P. St. Fleur & Linda Dorcena Forry, Moderated by Dr. Dale Joachim
Time: 2:00p–3:30p
Location: E15-070, Bartos Theatre, MIT Media Lab
"Sustainable Cooperation with Haiti" Lecture Series
Lectures & discussion of response to the Haiti crisis with an emphasis on applicable roles of energy and communication technologies in the long nation re-building efforts to come. What began as an IAP workshop at the Media Lab focusing on the January 12th crisis in Haiti will continue as a lecture series, a string of projects and continued discussions on the history, re-construction and nation-building of Haiti.
The unprecedented challenges facing Haiti after the earthquake on January 12 invite us to analyze foundational aspects of Haitian society as rebuilding projects are being put in place to restore virtually every single component of the country's infrastructure---physical, health-related educational, socio-economic, political, etc.
This round table, with Massachusetts State Representatives Marie P. St. Fleur and Linda Dorcena Forry (both of whom are Haitian-American), and Prof. Steven Lerman, Vice Chancellor and Dean of Graduate Education will explore the anticipated contributions of research universities in Haiti's rebuilding efforts and how these contributions will bear on these universities' traditional missions of research and teaching. Both state representatives represent districts in Boston and have been instrumental as leaders in working with the Haitian community and the Mayor's office to support the local Haitian community in Boston.
The round table will be moderated by Dr. Dale Joachim and will take place at 2:00pm, February 17th?in the?Bartos Theater at the Media Lab (E15-070)
This event is being held as part of the lecture series "Sustainable Cooperation with Haiti" (http://krikkrak.media.mit.edu/lectureseries).
Web site: http://krikkrak.media.mit.edu/lectureseries
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Media Lab Haiti Initiative
For more information, contact:
Dale Joachim
617-452-5635
kristin@media.mit.edu
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future
Speaker: Chris Mooney, Senior Correspondent, The American Prospect Magazine
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 54-915
Special DLS/MASS Seminar Series
Special DLS/MASS Seminar Lecture
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/news/dls.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
For more information, contact:
Jacqui Taylor
253-2127
jtaylor@mit.edu
Thursday, February 18, 2010
MIT CEER Kick-off Event: China's climate change policy, technologies, and investment in the post-Copenhagen era
Speaker: Prof. Gang Chen, Dr. John Parsons, Prof. Kelly Sims Gallagher, Ms. Amy Corinne Smith
Time: 3:00p–5:00p
Location: 32-155
What is the deadlock between USA and China on climate change cooperation? How to break the deadlock? What's the trend of the carbon market, and the implication for China's investment in clean energy?
If you want to discuss any of these interesting questions, or want to hear how some of our experts response, please join us for the MIT China Energy and Environment Research Group (CEER) kick-off event on China's climate change policy, technologies, and investment in the post-Copenhagen era on Thursday Feb 18.
We will be honored to present a panel discussion given by
Prof. Gang Chen (Warren and Towneley Rohsenow Professor, MIT Mechanical Engineering)
Dr. John Parsons (Executive Director of Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, MIT Sloan Management)
Prof. Kelly Sims Gallagher (Fletcher College, Tufts University and Harvard China project, Harvard University)
Ms. Amy Corinne Smith (Managing Director, Co-Head of Alternative Energy Banking, Barclays Capital).
The panel discussion is followed by a social session, fruit/beverage/refreshment will be served.
See you at 3:00 pm, Thursday Feb 18 in MIT 32-155!
Web site: http://ceer.mit.edu/event
Open to: the general public
Date: Friday, February 19 2010
Time: 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Refreshments: 12:45PM
Location: Kiva Conference Room 32-G449
Combining Minds: Coordination and Social Sensemaking
Speaker: Niki Kittur, Carnegie Mellon University
Host: Rob Miller, MIT CSAIL
Contact: Michael Bernstein, msbernst@mit.edu
Relevant URL: kittur.org
The amount of information available to individuals today is enormous and rapidly increasing. Continued progress in science, education, and technology is fundamentally dependent on making sense of and finding insights in overwhelming amounts of data. However, human cognition, while unparalleled at discovering patterns and linking seemingly-disparate concepts, is also limited in the amount of information it can process at once. One promising solution to this problem is through social collaboration, in which groups of individuals work together to produce knowledge and solve problems that exceed any individual's cognitive capacity.
In this talk I describe a series of studies examining the importance of coordination in harnessing the power of the crowds for complex information processing tasks in Wikipedia and beyond. I also present research into visualization and machine learning tools aimed at increasing the effectiveness of these systems. Finally, I discuss early forays into extending social collaboration to support insight and discovery.
Speaker Biography:
Aniket Kittur is an assistant professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in cognitive psychology and did his undergraduate work at Princeton University in psychology and computer science. His research focuses on understanding and augmenting how humans make sense of large amounts of information. At the group level he studies the dynamics of social collaborative systems such as Wikipedia and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and how visualization and machine learning tools can increase their effectiveness. At the individual level, his research interests center on human information processing in categorization and memory. His research employs multiple complementary techniques, including empirical experiments, statistical and computational modeling, visualization, data mining, and machine learning.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Seminar on Enviromental and Agricultural History
Speaker: Ellen Stroud, Bryn Mawr College
Time: 2:30p–4:30p
Location: E51-095
"Dead as Dirt: An Environmental History of the Dead Body"
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/history/www/nande/modTimes.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History Office, STS
For more information, contact:
Margot Collet
253-4965
history-info@mit.edu
Sponsor(s): MIT China Energy and Envrionment Research Group, MITEI, MIT CEEPR
For more information, contact:
Lei Chen
ceer_board@mit.edu
Harvard
Caspian Energy: Phase II
Brown Bag Lunch
Series: Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Security Program Seminar
Open to the Public - CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, S354
February 16, 2010
12:15-2:00 p.m.
Speaker:
Brenda Shaffer, Senior Lecturer, University of Haifa
Related Project: International Security
Description:
Caspian energy production and export is entering its second phase. With the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE), and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operating fully, regional and international focus has shifted to examining the second phase of Caspian energy production and export: Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Two, additional markets for Turkmen natural gas, and export of Kazakhstan's natural gas. A number major geopolitical question marks will affect the destiny of these energy sources: Russia's reassertiveness in the Caspian region, instability in Iran, transit disputes with Turkey, unclear U.S. policy toward the region, and amplification of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict resolution process.
Dr. Brenda Shaffer will discuss these geopolitical quagmires and their impact on the prospects for a new round of major production and export projects from the Caspian region.
This seminar is co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Speaker Info:
Dr. Brenda Shaffer is the author of the book Energy Politics (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009) and a faculty member at the University of Haifa. Dr. Shaffer previously served as the Research Director of the Caspian Studies Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also a visiting professor at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. She is also the author of Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity (MIT Press, 2002) and the editor of The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (MIT Press, 2006). She serves as a lecturer and consultant on the Caspian region to a number of public organizations, governments, and regional security organizations, including NATO. Dr. Shaffer's op-eds have appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, and the Boston Globe.
Contact:
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
3rd Floor- CGIS 1730 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Harvard University
Email: pskalnik@fas.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-495-4037
Url: http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/
February 16, 2010
7:00-9:00 pm
Film Screening & Panel: Food Fight and discussion about Slow Money Alliance
Where: Science Center Lecture Hall A, Cambridge campus
Does the term “foodie” inspire, irritate, or intrigue you? Do you wonder what the big deal is about food that is locally grown, organic, or “sustainable”? Do you wonder whether your food choices really matter? Join the Harvard University Dining Services Food Literacy Project for a screening of the award-winning documentary Food Fight and a discussion with filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance. Food Fight explores the political and social changes that shaped 20th century American agricultural policy and food culture and the changing relationship between consumers and big agribusiness. Slow Money Alliance is a new nonprofit that combines principles of philanthropy and investing to “bring money back down to earth” by encouraging investment in small food enterprises, local food systems, and local economies. Questions? Contacttheresa_mcculla@harvard.edu for information. The event is free and open to the public.
Sustainability Film Screening: Food Fight
WHEN
Tue., Feb. 16, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Hall A, Science Center, One Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Film, Health Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Dining Services' Food Literacy Project
SPEAKER(S)
Filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance
COST
Free and open to the public.
NOTE
Join the Harvard University Dining Services Food Literacy Project for a screening of the award-winning documentary "Food Fight" and a discussion with filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance. "Food Fight" explores the political and social changes that shaped 20th century American agricultural policy and food culture and the changing relationship between consumers and big agribusiness. Slow Money Alliance is a new nonprofit that combines principles of philanthropy and investing to “bring money back down to earth” by encouraging investment in small food enterprises, local food systems, and local economies.
Green Public Diplomacy: Sustainability as Finland's Message in the U.S.
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 2:10 – 4 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Harvard Kennedy School
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S)
Pekka Lintu, Finland ambassador to the U.S.
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
jed_willard@hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
In this seminar, Finland's ambassador to the United States, Pekka Lintu, will discuss public diplomacy in U.S. and European relations as well as its role in bringing about comprehensive climate change policies in the United States.
The Fast Track to Finding a Habitable Exoplanet
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE
Room 1068, Biological Laboratories Lecture Hall, 16 Divinity Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Origins of Life Initiative
SPEAKER(S)
David Charbonneau
COST
Free
Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change Series: "Acute Infectious Diseases in Space and Time"
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 5 p.m.
WHERE
Sherman Fairchild Lecture Hall, 7 Divinity Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)
Bryan Grenfell, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
Reception to follow.
LINK
www.environment.harvard.edu
Marcel Smets: "Infrastructure Design in the Contemporary Landscape"
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, 48 Quincy St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Department of Urban Planning and Design and Department of Landscape Architecture
SPEAKER(S)
Marcel Smets, state architect to the Flemish government and professor of urbanism, University of Leuven, Belgium
COST
Free
NOTE
The design of infrastructure is a formative element of the contemporary landscape. It inevitably produces a physical presence that affects its environs and constitutes a layer of a new totality. Infrastructure is not just an isolated entity for organizing transport or generating motion. It acts as the cornerstone for generating an inclusive new environment.
In this lecture, Marcel Smets will analyze the basic attitudes that dominate the design of transport infrastructure in the world today. He characterizes five basic approaches:
- Hiding
- Camouflage
- Assimilation
- Detachment
- Fusion
Each of these design approaches will be clearly identified and amply illustrated by archetypical examples of different programmatic nature (roads, bridges, parking, rail, and airport infrastructures). Indirectly, the lecture pleads for a more integrated design effort that addresses a new public space typology. Such conception of infrastructure as an inclusive landscape design is presented as a major requirement for enhancing the quality of today's built environment.
This lecture also announces the publication of the book, "The Landscape of Contemporary Infrastructure" (written by Kelly Shannon and Marcel Smets, Nai-Publishers, Rotterdam, 2010). More information can be found onwww.naipublishers.nl…
LINK
www.gsd.harvard.edu…
Ecologies of Human Flourishing: A Case From Pre-modern South India
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 12 – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE
Center for the Study of World Religion, HDS, 42 Francis Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Humanities, Presentation/Lecture, Religion
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
CSWR, Harvard Divinity School
SPEAKER(S)
Anne Monius, professor of South Asian religions, Harvard Divinity School. Response will be given by Archana Venkatesan, assistant professor of religious studies and comparative literature, University of California, Davis
COST
Free, but reservations are required.
CONTACT INFO
617.495.4476
NOTE
A light lunch will be served at noon; the lecture will begin at noon.
LINK
www.hds.harvard.edu…
PlanIT Valley: 21st-Century Solutions for Sustainable Urbanization
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE
Piper Auditorium, Harvard Graduate School of Design
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Business, Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S)
Celso Ferriera, president (mayor) of Paredes, Portugal; Steve Lewis, CEO, Living PlanIT
CONTACT INFO
617.496.3146, jwolfe@gsd.harvard.edu
Eco-Smart Cities and the Convergence of Technology, Design, and Public Policy
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE
Starr Auditorium, Belfer Building, Harvard Kennedy School campus
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Professors Amy Edmondson and Robert Eccles, Harvard Business School; Graduate School of Design; Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School; Leadership Institute at Harvard College
SPEAKER(S)
Celso Ferreira, president (mayor) of Paredes, Portugal; Steve Lewis, CEO,Living PlanIT
CONTACT INFO
617.495.4663, loren_gary@hks.harvard.edu
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Multi-Criteria Lifecycle Evaluation of Transportation Fuels Derived from Biomass Gasification
Speaker: Addison Stark - MIT, Dept. Mechanical Engineering
Time: 4:30p–5:30p
Location: 5-314
Center for 21st Century Energy - Reacting Gas Dynamics Laboratory Seminar Series
The development of a domestic biofuel industry has been a major policy thrust of the United States federal government in the first decade of the 21st century. Cellulosic biofuels have been identified as the primary candidate for meeting long term sustainability and energy security goals. In this work cellulosic biofuels produced via thermochemical processing are analyzed. Thermochemical processing utilizes well established chemical synthesis technology and allows for both feedstock and product flexibility relative to traditional enzymatic biofuel production routes. Here, both Spark Ignition Engine fuels (Methanol, Ethanol, Mixed Alcohols, and Methanol-to-Gasoline Synthetic Gasoline) and Compression Ignition Engine fuels (Dimethyl Ether and Fischer-Tropsch Diesel) are considered.
These fuels are analyzed on a lifecycle basis using identified criteria affecting each fuels adoptability including: (1) energy efficiency, (2) cost of production and shipping, (3) integrability into the current distribution infrastructure and (4) compatibility with regulatory and policy landscape. A primary conclusion from this analysis is that no one fuel is optimal with respect to all metrics. Instead, it is likely that a variety of fuels should be employed for different applications.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): RGD Lab
For more information, contact:
Patrick Kirchen
pkirchen@mit.edu
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Haiti Relief RoundRound Table Discussion with MA State Reps Marie St-Fleur and Linda Dorcena Forry
Speaker: State Reps. Marie P. St. Fleur & Linda Dorcena Forry, Moderated by Dr. Dale Joachim
Time: 2:00p–3:30p
Location: E15-070, Bartos Theatre, MIT Media Lab
"Sustainable Cooperation with Haiti" Lecture Series
Lectures & discussion of response to the Haiti crisis with an emphasis on applicable roles of energy and communication technologies in the long nation re-building efforts to come. What began as an IAP workshop at the Media Lab focusing on the January 12th crisis in Haiti will continue as a lecture series, a string of projects and continued discussions on the history, re-construction and nation-building of Haiti.
The unprecedented challenges facing Haiti after the earthquake on January 12 invite us to analyze foundational aspects of Haitian society as rebuilding projects are being put in place to restore virtually every single component of the country's infrastructure---physical, health-related educational, socio-economic, political, etc.
This round table, with Massachusetts State Representatives Marie P. St. Fleur and Linda Dorcena Forry (both of whom are Haitian-American), and Prof. Steven Lerman, Vice Chancellor and Dean of Graduate Education will explore the anticipated contributions of research universities in Haiti's rebuilding efforts and how these contributions will bear on these universities' traditional missions of research and teaching. Both state representatives represent districts in Boston and have been instrumental as leaders in working with the Haitian community and the Mayor's office to support the local Haitian community in Boston.
The round table will be moderated by Dr. Dale Joachim and will take place at 2:00pm, February 17th?in the?Bartos Theater at the Media Lab (E15-070)
This event is being held as part of the lecture series "Sustainable Cooperation with Haiti" (http://krikkrak.media.mit.edu/lectureseries).
Web site: http://krikkrak.media.mit.edu/lectureseries
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Media Lab Haiti Initiative
For more information, contact:
Dale Joachim
617-452-5635
kristin@media.mit.edu
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future
Speaker: Chris Mooney, Senior Correspondent, The American Prospect Magazine
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 54-915
Special DLS/MASS Seminar Series
Special DLS/MASS Seminar Lecture
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/news/dls.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
For more information, contact:
Jacqui Taylor
253-2127
jtaylor@mit.edu
Thursday, February 18, 2010
MIT CEER Kick-off Event: China's climate change policy, technologies, and investment in the post-Copenhagen era
Speaker: Prof. Gang Chen, Dr. John Parsons, Prof. Kelly Sims Gallagher, Ms. Amy Corinne Smith
Time: 3:00p–5:00p
Location: 32-155
What is the deadlock between USA and China on climate change cooperation? How to break the deadlock? What's the trend of the carbon market, and the implication for China's investment in clean energy?
If you want to discuss any of these interesting questions, or want to hear how some of our experts response, please join us for the MIT China Energy and Environment Research Group (CEER) kick-off event on China's climate change policy, technologies, and investment in the post-Copenhagen era on Thursday Feb 18.
We will be honored to present a panel discussion given by
Prof. Gang Chen (Warren and Towneley Rohsenow Professor, MIT Mechanical Engineering)
Dr. John Parsons (Executive Director of Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, MIT Sloan Management)
Prof. Kelly Sims Gallagher (Fletcher College, Tufts University and Harvard China project, Harvard University)
Ms. Amy Corinne Smith (Managing Director, Co-Head of Alternative Energy Banking, Barclays Capital).
The panel discussion is followed by a social session, fruit/beverage/refreshment will be served.
See you at 3:00 pm, Thursday Feb 18 in MIT 32-155!
Web site: http://ceer.mit.edu/event
Open to: the general public
Date: Friday, February 19 2010
Time: 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Refreshments: 12:45PM
Location: Kiva Conference Room 32-G449
Combining Minds: Coordination and Social Sensemaking
Speaker: Niki Kittur, Carnegie Mellon University
Host: Rob Miller, MIT CSAIL
Contact: Michael Bernstein, msbernst@mit.edu
Relevant URL: kittur.org
The amount of information available to individuals today is enormous and rapidly increasing. Continued progress in science, education, and technology is fundamentally dependent on making sense of and finding insights in overwhelming amounts of data. However, human cognition, while unparalleled at discovering patterns and linking seemingly-disparate concepts, is also limited in the amount of information it can process at once. One promising solution to this problem is through social collaboration, in which groups of individuals work together to produce knowledge and solve problems that exceed any individual's cognitive capacity.
In this talk I describe a series of studies examining the importance of coordination in harnessing the power of the crowds for complex information processing tasks in Wikipedia and beyond. I also present research into visualization and machine learning tools aimed at increasing the effectiveness of these systems. Finally, I discuss early forays into extending social collaboration to support insight and discovery.
Speaker Biography:
Aniket Kittur is an assistant professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in cognitive psychology and did his undergraduate work at Princeton University in psychology and computer science. His research focuses on understanding and augmenting how humans make sense of large amounts of information. At the group level he studies the dynamics of social collaborative systems such as Wikipedia and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and how visualization and machine learning tools can increase their effectiveness. At the individual level, his research interests center on human information processing in categorization and memory. His research employs multiple complementary techniques, including empirical experiments, statistical and computational modeling, visualization, data mining, and machine learning.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Seminar on Enviromental and Agricultural History
Speaker: Ellen Stroud, Bryn Mawr College
Time: 2:30p–4:30p
Location: E51-095
"Dead as Dirt: An Environmental History of the Dead Body"
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/history/www/nande/modTimes.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History Office, STS
For more information, contact:
Margot Collet
253-4965
history-info@mit.edu
Sponsor(s): MIT China Energy and Envrionment Research Group, MITEI, MIT CEEPR
For more information, contact:
Lei Chen
ceer_board@mit.edu
Harvard
Caspian Energy: Phase II
Brown Bag Lunch
Series: Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Security Program Seminar
Open to the Public - CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, S354
February 16, 2010
12:15-2:00 p.m.
Speaker:
Brenda Shaffer, Senior Lecturer, University of Haifa
Related Project: International Security
Description:
Caspian energy production and export is entering its second phase. With the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE), and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) operating fully, regional and international focus has shifted to examining the second phase of Caspian energy production and export: Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Two, additional markets for Turkmen natural gas, and export of Kazakhstan's natural gas. A number major geopolitical question marks will affect the destiny of these energy sources: Russia's reassertiveness in the Caspian region, instability in Iran, transit disputes with Turkey, unclear U.S. policy toward the region, and amplification of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict resolution process.
Dr. Brenda Shaffer will discuss these geopolitical quagmires and their impact on the prospects for a new round of major production and export projects from the Caspian region.
This seminar is co-sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.
Speaker Info:
Dr. Brenda Shaffer is the author of the book Energy Politics (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009) and a faculty member at the University of Haifa. Dr. Shaffer previously served as the Research Director of the Caspian Studies Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also a visiting professor at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. She is also the author of Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity (MIT Press, 2002) and the editor of The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (MIT Press, 2006). She serves as a lecturer and consultant on the Caspian region to a number of public organizations, governments, and regional security organizations, including NATO. Dr. Shaffer's op-eds have appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, the International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, and the Boston Globe.
Contact:
The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
3rd Floor- CGIS 1730 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Harvard University
Email: pskalnik@fas.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-495-4037
Url: http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/
February 16, 2010
7:00-9:00 pm
Film Screening & Panel: Food Fight and discussion about Slow Money Alliance
Where: Science Center Lecture Hall A, Cambridge campus
Does the term “foodie” inspire, irritate, or intrigue you? Do you wonder what the big deal is about food that is locally grown, organic, or “sustainable”? Do you wonder whether your food choices really matter? Join the Harvard University Dining Services Food Literacy Project for a screening of the award-winning documentary Food Fight and a discussion with filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance. Food Fight explores the political and social changes that shaped 20th century American agricultural policy and food culture and the changing relationship between consumers and big agribusiness. Slow Money Alliance is a new nonprofit that combines principles of philanthropy and investing to “bring money back down to earth” by encouraging investment in small food enterprises, local food systems, and local economies. Questions? Contacttheresa_mcculla@harvard.edu for information. The event is free and open to the public.
Sustainability Film Screening: Food Fight
WHEN
Tue., Feb. 16, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Hall A, Science Center, One Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Film, Health Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Dining Services' Food Literacy Project
SPEAKER(S)
Filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance
COST
Free and open to the public.
NOTE
Join the Harvard University Dining Services Food Literacy Project for a screening of the award-winning documentary "Food Fight" and a discussion with filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance. "Food Fight" explores the political and social changes that shaped 20th century American agricultural policy and food culture and the changing relationship between consumers and big agribusiness. Slow Money Alliance is a new nonprofit that combines principles of philanthropy and investing to “bring money back down to earth” by encouraging investment in small food enterprises, local food systems, and local economies.
Green Public Diplomacy: Sustainability as Finland's Message in the U.S.
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 2:10 – 4 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Harvard Kennedy School
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S)
Pekka Lintu, Finland ambassador to the U.S.
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
jed_willard@hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
In this seminar, Finland's ambassador to the United States, Pekka Lintu, will discuss public diplomacy in U.S. and European relations as well as its role in bringing about comprehensive climate change policies in the United States.
The Fast Track to Finding a Habitable Exoplanet
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE
Room 1068, Biological Laboratories Lecture Hall, 16 Divinity Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Presentation/Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Origins of Life Initiative
SPEAKER(S)
David Charbonneau
COST
Free
Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change Series: "Acute Infectious Diseases in Space and Time"
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 5 p.m.
WHERE
Sherman Fairchild Lecture Hall, 7 Divinity Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)
Bryan Grenfell, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
COST
Free and open to the public
NOTE
Reception to follow.
LINK
www.environment.harvard.edu
Marcel Smets: "Infrastructure Design in the Contemporary Landscape"
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 17, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Piper Auditorium, 48 Quincy St.
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Department of Urban Planning and Design and Department of Landscape Architecture
SPEAKER(S)
Marcel Smets, state architect to the Flemish government and professor of urbanism, University of Leuven, Belgium
COST
Free
NOTE
The design of infrastructure is a formative element of the contemporary landscape. It inevitably produces a physical presence that affects its environs and constitutes a layer of a new totality. Infrastructure is not just an isolated entity for organizing transport or generating motion. It acts as the cornerstone for generating an inclusive new environment.
In this lecture, Marcel Smets will analyze the basic attitudes that dominate the design of transport infrastructure in the world today. He characterizes five basic approaches:
- Hiding
- Camouflage
- Assimilation
- Detachment
- Fusion
Each of these design approaches will be clearly identified and amply illustrated by archetypical examples of different programmatic nature (roads, bridges, parking, rail, and airport infrastructures). Indirectly, the lecture pleads for a more integrated design effort that addresses a new public space typology. Such conception of infrastructure as an inclusive landscape design is presented as a major requirement for enhancing the quality of today's built environment.
This lecture also announces the publication of the book, "The Landscape of Contemporary Infrastructure" (written by Kelly Shannon and Marcel Smets, Nai-Publishers, Rotterdam, 2010). More information can be found onwww.naipublishers.nl…
LINK
www.gsd.harvard.edu…
Ecologies of Human Flourishing: A Case From Pre-modern South India
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 12 – 2:30 p.m.
WHERE
Center for the Study of World Religion, HDS, 42 Francis Ave.
TYPE OF EVENT
Humanities, Presentation/Lecture, Religion
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
CSWR, Harvard Divinity School
SPEAKER(S)
Anne Monius, professor of South Asian religions, Harvard Divinity School. Response will be given by Archana Venkatesan, assistant professor of religious studies and comparative literature, University of California, Davis
COST
Free, but reservations are required.
CONTACT INFO
617.495.4476
NOTE
A light lunch will be served at noon; the lecture will begin at noon.
LINK
www.hds.harvard.edu…
PlanIT Valley: 21st-Century Solutions for Sustainable Urbanization
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE
Piper Auditorium, Harvard Graduate School of Design
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Business, Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Graduate School of Design
SPEAKER(S)
Celso Ferriera, president (mayor) of Paredes, Portugal; Steve Lewis, CEO, Living PlanIT
CONTACT INFO
617.496.3146, jwolfe@gsd.harvard.edu
Eco-Smart Cities and the Convergence of Technology, Design, and Public Policy
WHEN
Thu., Feb. 18, 2010, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE
Starr Auditorium, Belfer Building, Harvard Kennedy School campus
TYPE OF EVENT
Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Presentation/Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Professors Amy Edmondson and Robert Eccles, Harvard Business School; Graduate School of Design; Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School; Leadership Institute at Harvard College
SPEAKER(S)
Celso Ferreira, president (mayor) of Paredes, Portugal; Steve Lewis, CEO,Living PlanIT
CONTACT INFO
617.495.4663, loren_gary@hks.harvard.edu
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Monday, February 08, 2010
Energy (and Other) Events - February 8, 2010
MIT
Monday, February 08, 2010
Dynamic Response to Environmental Regulation in Electricity Markets
Speaker: Joseph Cullen (Harvard)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: E52-244
Dynamic Response to Environmental Regulation in Electricity Markets
Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/5255
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop (Sponsored by Analysis Group)
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Sustainable Transportation/Accessibility: A Grand Challenge for the World ? and MIT.?
Speaker: John Sterman, Sloan School of Management
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-270
Transportation@MIT Seminar Series
In Spring 2010, the Transportation@MIT seminar series continues by drawing knowledge from MIT research that is applicable to transportation. Our goal is to strengthen the community of MIT researchers by sharing information in the following areas: airlines, automation, behavior and economics, energy sources, environmental impacts, logistics and supply chains, networks, propulsion, system control, urban challenges, and vehicles.
Web site: http://transportation.mit.edu/events.php
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free Admission to MIT and General Public
Sponsor(s): Transportation@MIT
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Fearing
transportation@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
MIT Food and Agriculture Collaborative Kick Off Meeting
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: E51-145
We had a fabulous fall semester, full of dynamic discussions, provocative Food@MIT speakers, and a mapping of the ag ecosystem at MIT - it's clear that MIT students, staff, and faculty have a keen interest in these issues. At the MITFAC kickoff meeting we will be breaking into working groups to carry forward last semester's work. These include:
* MITFAC 2010 Speakers series
* Local Food Access
* MITFAC poster session
* Campus food systems
* Communication and web spaces
* A Monthly Food & Ag Happy Hour
* and more (insert your ideas here)!
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Agriculture Forum
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth McVay Greene
elizabeth.greene@sloan.mit.edu
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
MIT Energy Club lecture series: Solar Power Satellites
Speaker: Geoffrey Landis, NASA Glenn researcher
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 4-163
With the increases in energy cost and recent interest in finding ways to produce energy with reduced emission of greenhouse gasses, there has been renewed interest in the concept of producing power using solar panels in space, and then beaming this power downward to provide electrical power for use on the Earth. This concept, called the "Solar Power Satellite," was first proposed by Peter Glaser in 1968, and, in revised and updated form, has been proposed many times since as a possible solution to the energy crisis.
In the original concept, the power-generating satellite features a large (many square kilometer) solar array in geosynchronous orbit, which produces power at the multiple gigawatt level, and uses this power to generate a microwave beam to the surface of the Earth, where it is converted back into electrical power with a rectifying antenna ("rectenna"). Some alternate versions use higher frequency electromagnetic beaming or lasers to transmit the power.
Does the concept make sense on the level of basic physics? Can it be implemented in a way that makes economic sense? The basic concepts behind satellite solar power for Earth will be analyzed and evaluated.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Elsa Olivetti
elsao@mit.edu
Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Research at Google
Speaker: Alfred Spector, VP of Research, Google
Time: 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: 34-401/Grier Room
Contact: Victoria Palay, 617.253.8924, palay@csail.mit.edu
Alfred Spector
VP of Research and Special Initiatives
Alfred joined Google in 2007 and is responsible for research across Google and also a growing collection of special initiatives, such as open source, health, university relations, and more. Alfred speaks widely on research and innovation, and spends much time helping Google connect to the university research community.
Previously, Alfred was Vice President of Strategy and Technology IBM's Software Business, and prior to that, he was Vice President of Services and Software Research across IBM. He was also founder and CEO of Transarc Corporation, a pioneer in distributed transaction processing and wide area file systems, and was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, specializing in highly reliable, highly scalable distributed computing.
Alfred received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford and his A.B. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the IEEE, and the ACM, and the recipient of the 2001 IEEE Computer Society's Tsutomu Kanai Award for work in scalable architectures and distributed systems.
Tufts
February 11, 2010
Optimization of Concentrated Solar Power
Assistant Professor, Alexander Mitsos from the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT
3:00 AM to 4:15 PM
Location: Medford/Somerville Campus
Anderson Hall
Nelson Auditorium
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Links to greater Boston college and university lectures and events at http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Monday, February 08, 2010
Dynamic Response to Environmental Regulation in Electricity Markets
Speaker: Joseph Cullen (Harvard)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: E52-244
Dynamic Response to Environmental Regulation in Electricity Markets
Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/5255
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop (Sponsored by Analysis Group)
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Sustainable Transportation/Accessibility: A Grand Challenge for the World ? and MIT.?
Speaker: John Sterman, Sloan School of Management
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-270
Transportation@MIT Seminar Series
In Spring 2010, the Transportation@MIT seminar series continues by drawing knowledge from MIT research that is applicable to transportation. Our goal is to strengthen the community of MIT researchers by sharing information in the following areas: airlines, automation, behavior and economics, energy sources, environmental impacts, logistics and supply chains, networks, propulsion, system control, urban challenges, and vehicles.
Web site: http://transportation.mit.edu/events.php
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free Admission to MIT and General Public
Sponsor(s): Transportation@MIT
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Fearing
transportation@mit.edu
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
MIT Food and Agriculture Collaborative Kick Off Meeting
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: E51-145
We had a fabulous fall semester, full of dynamic discussions, provocative Food@MIT speakers, and a mapping of the ag ecosystem at MIT - it's clear that MIT students, staff, and faculty have a keen interest in these issues. At the MITFAC kickoff meeting we will be breaking into working groups to carry forward last semester's work. These include:
* MITFAC 2010 Speakers series
* Local Food Access
* MITFAC poster session
* Campus food systems
* Communication and web spaces
* A Monthly Food & Ag Happy Hour
* and more (insert your ideas here)!
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Agriculture Forum
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth McVay Greene
elizabeth.greene@sloan.mit.edu
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
MIT Energy Club lecture series: Solar Power Satellites
Speaker: Geoffrey Landis, NASA Glenn researcher
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 4-163
With the increases in energy cost and recent interest in finding ways to produce energy with reduced emission of greenhouse gasses, there has been renewed interest in the concept of producing power using solar panels in space, and then beaming this power downward to provide electrical power for use on the Earth. This concept, called the "Solar Power Satellite," was first proposed by Peter Glaser in 1968, and, in revised and updated form, has been proposed many times since as a possible solution to the energy crisis.
In the original concept, the power-generating satellite features a large (many square kilometer) solar array in geosynchronous orbit, which produces power at the multiple gigawatt level, and uses this power to generate a microwave beam to the surface of the Earth, where it is converted back into electrical power with a rectifying antenna ("rectenna"). Some alternate versions use higher frequency electromagnetic beaming or lasers to transmit the power.
Does the concept make sense on the level of basic physics? Can it be implemented in a way that makes economic sense? The basic concepts behind satellite solar power for Earth will be analyzed and evaluated.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Elsa Olivetti
elsao@mit.edu
Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Research at Google
Speaker: Alfred Spector, VP of Research, Google
Time: 3:00PM to 4:00PM
Location: 34-401/Grier Room
Contact: Victoria Palay, 617.253.8924, palay@csail.mit.edu
Alfred Spector
VP of Research and Special Initiatives
Alfred joined Google in 2007 and is responsible for research across Google and also a growing collection of special initiatives, such as open source, health, university relations, and more. Alfred speaks widely on research and innovation, and spends much time helping Google connect to the university research community.
Previously, Alfred was Vice President of Strategy and Technology IBM's Software Business, and prior to that, he was Vice President of Services and Software Research across IBM. He was also founder and CEO of Transarc Corporation, a pioneer in distributed transaction processing and wide area file systems, and was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, specializing in highly reliable, highly scalable distributed computing.
Alfred received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford and his A.B. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the IEEE, and the ACM, and the recipient of the 2001 IEEE Computer Society's Tsutomu Kanai Award for work in scalable architectures and distributed systems.
Tufts
February 11, 2010
Optimization of Concentrated Solar Power
Assistant Professor, Alexander Mitsos from the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT
3:00 AM to 4:15 PM
Location: Medford/Somerville Campus
Anderson Hall
Nelson Auditorium
Thanks to Fred Hapgood's Boston Lectures on Science and Engineering list
http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Links to greater Boston college and university lectures and events at http://hubevents.blogspot.com
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