MIT
-----
Monday, November 01, 2010
Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Steve Dietz
Speaker: Steve Dietz
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: E15-070
MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Steve Dietz - Build your own world
Steve Dietz is the Artistic Director of ZER01 which produces the 01SJ Biennial, dedicated to inspiring creativity at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture. Dietz is a serial platform creator. He previously founded Northern Lights, and is the former Curator of New Media at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he founded the New Media Initiatives department in 1996, the online art Gallery 9 and digital art study collection. Dietz founded one of the earliest, museum-based, independent new media programs at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1992.
Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street)
Web site: act.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act@mit.edu
-----------------
Tuesday, November 2nd
Transportation@MIT and the MIT Transportation Club present:
:
Joseph F. Coughlin, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics and MIT AgeLab:
:
"The Future is Gray, Small & Female: Disruptive Demographics and Transportation Tomorrow."
:
Demographics is destiny. The fastest growing population cohort throughout the industrialized world, selected Asian countries and China are people 50 and older – within that group adults 85+ are growing the fastest. Demographic transition from primarily younger to older populations is the result of people living longer and dramatic declines in fertility. The United States' fertility rate peaked in 1957 at more than 3.7 children per family compared to today’s rate of ~2.1 births per female – the minimum rate necessary to maintain the population. Moreover, aging is now a ‘home alone’ experience with nearly 30 percent of Americans age 60 and older living alone – most of them women. The future is gray, small and female. How will these disruptive demographics change the shape of transportation tomorrow? What are the new transportation and logistics demands of an older society living in smaller households comprised primarily of women? This talk will describe these demographic trends, their possible impact on transportation demand and related services; and, the likely shape of transportation tomorrow.:
:
Transportation@MIT and the new Institute-wide Transportation Club are pleased to announce the continuation of the Transportation Seminar Series on Tuesdays at 4:00 in 4-237. Our seminars are free and open to the public.
------------------------
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Deterring Military Acquisition: Polarity, Proliferation and Preventive War
Speaker: Nuno Monteiro, Yale University
Time: 12:00p–1:30p
Location: E40-496
SSP Wednesday Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact:
617-253-7529
valeriet@mit.edu
-------------------
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Are We Wet Yet? Modeling Storm Surge and Coastal Flooding
Speaker: Rick Luettich
Time: 2:30p–3:30p
Location: 48-316
Environmental Fluid Mechanics / Hydrology Seminar Series
weekly presentations from local and international researchers in the field of hydrology and environmental fluid mechanics.
As of 2005 approximately 153 million people (53% of the U.S. population) lived in the coastal counties of the United States. By 2015, over 60% of the U.S. population is expected to live in these areas. In the late 1990s, coastal infrastructure in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal regions alone was worth about $3 trillion. More than one-tenth of the nation?s annual gross domestic product and 16 million jobs are directly attributable to the industries located in the coastal zone. Yet, these heavily populated and economically significant regions are susceptible to some of the most destructive forces in nature, including tsunamis, floods, and tropical cyclones. The risk of living in these areas is even greater when factors such as global climate change, sea level rise and oil spills are taken into consideration.While considerable effort has been invested over the past half century in developing the computer models that underlie our current weather forecasting capabilities, predictive models of the waves, storm surge and flooding that are responsible for much of the damage associated with the most severe coastal storms are much less mature.
I'll discuss the coupled ADCIRC + SWAN storm surge and wave models, which have recently provided a major step forward in our ability to employ modern day, high performance computing capabilities to model coastal waves and storm surge associated with tropical cyclones and other strong coastal storms.
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact:
Sheila Anderson
8-5554
sherah@mit.edu
-------------------
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Slip Sliding Away? Investigating Greenland Meltwater Routing and Ice Sheet Response
Speaker: Dr. Sarah B. Das, Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 68-180
EAPS Department Lecture Series
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/news/index.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
--------------------
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Association of Energy Engineers - Energy Technologies and Services Show
Time: 5:00p–8:00p
Location: Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel in Waltham, MA
This annual show of the New England Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers will feature exhibitors showcasing the latest in energy technologies and services for commercial and industrial facilities. Attendees will learn more about how to lower energy bills and leverage efficiency incentives.
During Technology Breakout Sessions, attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about technologies and services.
The event includes hors d?oeuvres.
Web site: http://www.aeenewengland.org/
Open to: the general public
Cost: $20 for those who register before October 27th. Late registrations/walk-in at the door is $30.
Tickets: http://www.aeenewengland.org/
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Campus Events, Association of Energy Engineers
For more information, contact:
Edward Young
eyoung.tsai@gmail.com
---------------------
Undergraduate Energy Club Meeting
November 03, 2010 7:30p–9:00p
If you are an undergraduate interested in energy at any level, attend this informal, informational, and social session next Wednesday! Come meet fellow interested students, discuss current energy topics, and learn how you can become more involved with the Energy club and other fun related energy events! Don't worry if you can't stay for the whole time, drop by and say hello! Food will be provided.
Category: MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups
Location: 4-163
Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club
Admission: Open to the public
For more information:
Contact Shreya Dave
sdave@mit.edu
------------------
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Communications Forum: Civic Media and the Law
Speaker: David Ardia, Citizen Media Law Project; Daniel Schuman, Sunlight Foundation; Micah Sifry, Personal Democracy Forum
Time: 5:00p–7:00p
Location: E14-633
Civic Media Series
What do citizens need to know when they publicly address legally challenging or dangerous topics? Journalists have always had the privilege, protected by statute, of not having to reveal their sources. But as more investigative journalism is conducted by so-called amateurs and posted on blogs or websites such as Wikileaks, what are the legal dangers for publishing secrets in the crowd-sourced era?
We convene an engaging group of law scholars to help outline the legal challenges ahead, suggest policies that might help to protect citizens, and describe what steps every civic media practitioner should take to protect themselves and their users.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Communications Forum, Center for Future Civic Media
For more information, contact:
Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
awhit@mit.edu
------------------
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Energy Discussions: High-Speed Rail
Speaker: Regina Clewlow
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 56-167
Bringing high-speed rail to America has been promoted as a way to generate green jobs, promote economic activity, and reduce carbon emissions. Earlier this year, the Obama Administration made a down-payment of $8 billion to kick-start high-speed rail development in 13 corridors across the country. This discussion will provide an overview of the development of high-speed rail globally, its environmental impacts, and its interaction with air transportation systems.
Join members of the MIT Energy Club and the MIT Transportation Club for a discussion of the role of trains in our transportation and energy systems.
A light dinner will be provided. RSVP is appreciated but not required.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club, Transportation@MIT
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
-------------------
Harvard
-----------
Homegrown Threat, Local Response: An Overview of the NYPD's Approach to Counterterrorism
WHEN
Mon., Nov. 1, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Fainsid Room, Littauer-324, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Rebecca Weiner, senior intelligence analyst, NYPD Intelligence Division, former research fellow, International Security Program, 2005–07
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5313/homegrown_threat_local_response.html
-----------------------
Tuesday, Nov. 2
2:30-4pm
Ashley Brown, HKS
“Issues in Implementing the Smart Grid”
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/events.html
------------------------------------
Our Microbial Organ: The Good and Bad Bugs of the Human Gut
WHEN
Wed., Nov. 3, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Armenise Amphitheatre
Harvard Medical School
200 Longwood Ave
Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School Division of Medical Sciences
CONTACT INFO
sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE
Free weekly science seminars about today's hottest science topics.
LINK
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
---------------------
China's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program: Current Status and Long-term Strategies
WHEN
Thu., Nov. 4, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, 369-Littauer, Harvard Kenendy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
SPEAKER(S)
Yun Zhou, nuclear security postdoctoral fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5329/chinas_nuclear_fuel_cycle_program.html
---------------------------
HGSE Virtual Information Session: Technology, Innovation, and Education Program
WHEN
Thu., Nov. 4, 2010, 7 – 8 p.m.
WHERE
Online. On the date and time of the event, you can join the session directly at:gseacademic.harvard.edu…
TYPE OF EVENT
Information Session - Online
BUILDING/ROOM
Other
CONTACT NAME
HGSE Admissions
CONTACT EMAIL
gseadmissions@harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE
617-495-3414
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT
HGSE Admissions
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Yes
RSVP REQUIRED
Yes
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education
NOTE
Please visit the website above to RSVP and for details about system requirements for the web conference software.
LINK
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/connect/virtual_events.html
--------------------------
A Conversation with Cecil McBee
WHEN
Fri., Nov. 5, 2010, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE
New College Theatre Rehearsal Studio, 10-12 Holyoke St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Music, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Learning From Performers, Office for the Arts
SPEAKER(S)
Cecil McBee; moderated by Tom Everett, director, Harvard Jazz Bands. New College Theatre
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
617.495.8676
NOTE
A Grammy Award winner and recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts composition grants, Cecil McBee has been described by the Guinness Who's Who of Jazz as “a full-toned bassist who creates rich, singing phrases in a wide range of contemporary jazz contexts.”
LINK
www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu
-------------------------
Tova Speter: Environmentally Friendly Exhibit Reception
WHEN
Sun., Nov. 7, 2010, 1 – 3 p.m.
WHERE
Hunnewell Building, Arnold Arboretum
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Art/Design, Exhibitions, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Arnold Arboretum
SPEAKER(S)
Tova Speter
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
arbweb@arnarb.harvard.edu, 617.384.5209
NOTE
Exhibit runs Oct. 24-Dec. 12. Call ahead for viewing availability.
LINK
http://arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/art-shows/
---------------------------
Tufts
-------
Understanding Cyberattack as an Instrument of U.S. Policy
November 1, 2010
2:50 pm - 4:00 pm
Halligan 111B
Speaker: Dr. Herb Lin, National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
Host: Joint Colloq with Fletcher School
Abstract
Much has been written about the possibility that terrorists or hostile nations might conduct cyberattacks against critical sectors of the U.S. economy. However, the possibility that the United States might conduct its own cyberattacks -- defensively or otherwise -- has received almost no public discussion. Recently, the US National Academies performed a comprehensive unclassified study of the technical, legal, ethical, and policy issues surrounding cyberattack as an instrument of U.S. policy. This talk will provide a framework for understanding this emerging topic and the critical issues that surround it.
Dr. Herbert Lin is chief scientist at the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council of the National Academies, where he has been study director of major projects on public policy and information technology. These studies include a 1996 study on national cryptography policy (Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society), a 1991 study on the future of computer science (Computing the Future), a 1999 study of Defense Department systems for command, control, communications, computing, and intelligence (Realizing the Potential of C4I: Fundamental Challenges), a 2000 study on workforce issues in high-technology (Building a Workforce for the Information Economy), a 2002 study on protecting kids from Internet pornography and sexual exploitation (Youth, Pornography, and the Internet), a 2004 study on aspects of the FBI's information technology modernization program (A Review of the FBI's Trilogy IT Modernization Program), a 2005 study on electronic voting (Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting), a 2005 study on computational biology (Catalyzing Inquiry at the Interface of Computing and Biology), a 2007 study on privacy and information technology (Engaging Privacy and Information Technology in a Digital Age), a 2007 study on cybersecurity research (Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace), a 2009 study on healthcare informatics (Computational Technology for Effective Health Care: Immediate Steps and Strategic Directions), and a 2009 study on offensive information warfare (Technology, Policy, Law, and Ethics Regarding U.S. Acquisition and Use of Cyberattack Capabilities). Prior to his NRC service, he was a professional staff member and staff scientist for the House Armed Services Committee (1986-1990), where his portfolio included defense policy and arms control issues. He received his doctorate in physics from MIT. Avocationally, he is a longtime folk and swing dancer and a poor magician.
---------------------
Near-Field Thermophotovoltaics
November 2, 2010
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Halligan 111
Speaker: Dr. Andy Walsh, MTPV, LLC
Host: Prof. Tom Vandervelde
Abstract
MTPV, LLC is working to produce first product based on near-field thermophotovoltaics (TPV). The initial target market is industrial waste heat conversion but future applications are numerous and include solar energy conversion, co-generation of residential heat and electrical power, space-based radioisotope power generation, vehicle power generation, and portable power. In this talk, I will discuss the physics of near-field thermophotovoltaic energy conversion as well as the enabling technologies which have allowed us to fabricate the requisite nano-scale gaps over commercially relevant areas. I will explain the limitations of both thermoelectrics and far-field thermophotovoltaics and why only MTPV technology is capable of simultaneously attaining both high efficiency and high power density solid state conversion. Near-field TPV, by use of a vacuum gap between a hot emitter and TPV cell that is well below the wavelength of the blackbody radiation, couples an order of magnitude more power across the gap than is available in the far-field, maintains the requisite large temperature gradient required for efficient power conversion, and allows the conversion device to remain at or near room temperature. In addition, the strong electromagnetic coupling between hot and cold sides inherent in near-field TPV leads to extraordinary spectral control using a simple back-side reflector alone, i.e. without the need for 3D photonic crystals, Bragg reflectors, Rugate filters, etc. Near-field thermophotovoltaics will achieve efficiencies exceeding 30% and power densities over 10 W/cm2, depending on emitter temperature and nano-scale gap dimension, with a single junction design. In addition to industrial waste heat conversion at 5¢/kW·hr, near-field TPV will be a more cost effective solution for solar energy conversion than today’s photovoltaics and will be an enabling technology for co-generation of heat and electricity for decentralized power production.
Biography:
Dr. Andy Walsh is a Senior Engineer at MTPV, LLC in Boston, MA. In addition to developing proprietary next-generation MTPV technology, Dr. Walsh works on thermophotovoltaic cell design, testing, and optimization as well as system-level optimization incorporating optical, electronic, and thermo-mechanical aspects of MTPV, LLC’s first product. Dr. Walsh attained his B.S. in Engineering Physics in 1992 from Cornell University. After a ten year career as a Naval officer and aviator, he attained his Ph.D. in experimental condensed matter physics from Boston University in 2008 where he probed exciton and electron- phonon interactions in carbon nanotubes.
-------------------------------
Cross Currents: Water and Energy Challenges in the 21st Century
Thursday, November 4, 2010, 9am – 5pm
Winthrop Street Function Hall, 51 Winthrop Street
Tufts University, Medford Campus
The symposium is free of charge but we strongly encourage you to register in advance.
Register at http://www.weap21.org/symposium/registration.asp
The important fields of water and energy policy are becoming increasingly connected. One emerging challenge is the provision of adequate water supplies to match the word’s growing demands for energy. This challenge is likely to be difficult both with traditional approaches to energy production such as thermal power plants, which require huge amounts of cooling water, but also for some renewable energy systems such as solar power, which need to be sighted in areas where sunshine is plentiful but water generally is not. A second major challenge is the fast growing energy needs of our water supply systems. These energy needs will continue to grow as we become more dependent on groundwater from steadily falling aquifers. A third emerging challenge is how best to manage the competing demands on our water systems, particularly with respect to how dams are managed for hydropower, agricultural irrigation and the protection of ecological systems. All these challenges are emerging at a time when there are increasing concerns over how climate change will affect the future reliability of freshwater supplies.
Our symposium will explore how these and other perspectives on water and energy can be assembled into a useful framework that can support the development of sustainable water and energy management policies in a changing world.
---------------------
Other
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On Wednesday, November 3, 2010, at 7 p.m, join Prof. Sanford Levinson, Constitutional scholar and Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, in discussing how the Constitution limits self-government. Political parties and the media focus almost exclusively on elections as the source of the nation's governing "mandate." Why, then, don't elections make more difference in the policies and activities of our government? What is Levinson's take on the November 2 election results?
Based on Levinson's understanding of the Supreme Court, a primary focus of his scholarship , how does he view the recent Citizen's United decision? What will it take to reverse it? What Supreme Court reforms does Levinson advocate?
Sanford Levinson is a faculty member of The University Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas.
Cambridge Forum is recorded and edited for public radio broadcast. Edited CDs are available to the public by contacting 617-495-2727. Select forums can be viewed in their entirety on demand by visiting our website at www.cambridgeforum.org and clicking on the Forum Network at WGBH.
Cambridge Forum
3 Church Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-495-2727
email: mailto:director@cambridgeforum.org
website: http://www.cambridgeforum.org
"Bringing People together to talk again . . ."
------------------------
Thursday, November 4, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cambridge Public Library, Main Branch (in the Auditorium)
449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA (a few blocks from Harvard Square)
Women on the Front Lines of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement
Judy Richardson
Janet Jemmott Moses
Barbara Brandt
will read from their memoirs in the new book
Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts of Women in SNCC
(U. Illinois Press, 2010)
Stories of 52 Black and White women who participated in the Southern Freedom Movement
With Q&A and audience discussion
FREE. All welcome.
Autographed books can be purchased at this event.
----------------
Nov. 6 from 1230 to 5 pm. 27 Avon Hill St. Sweet old parsonage with good
draft-reduction opportunities in the attic and basement.
Learn how to weatherize:
- old rattly windows
- bureaus built into the wall
- an attic hatch
Learn how to reduce your water and electrical bill.
Find out why homes with interesting roof lines (many gables, dormers, etc.)
tend to have high heating bills.
--
######################################################
The Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) is a Cambridge-based
co-op bringing neighbors together to weatherize our homes
and take the energy future into our own hands.
http://www.heetma.com/
---------------------
Museum of Science
RENEWABLE ENERGY FAIR
Gordon Current Science & Technology Center
Saturday, November 06, 2010 | 11:00 am
Sunday, November 07, 2010 | 11:00 am
When it comes to renewable energy, wind turbines and solar panels are just the beginning — see what's on the horizon in this rapidly advancing field!
Get a sneak peek of emerging energy technologies directly from the people who develop and apply them. Hear guest researchers and innovators present their latest discoveries, and join in conversations about their visions for the future of clean, renewable energy. In addition, you can talk to local entrepreneurs as they display and demonstrate their newest technological solutions for efficient and sustainable energy use.
Featured speakers: Don Sadoway, PhD, John F. Elliot Professor of Materials Chemistry at MIT; John Miller, director of New England Marine Renewable Energy Center; and Charles Myers, president of Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition and president of Trenergi Corporation.
The fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday and is bookended by energy-themed presentations on the preceding Friday and following Monday.
-----------------
Editorial Comment: Your editor will be exhibiting simple solar and solar is civil defense displays.
---------
Ongoing
---------
To members of the Climate CoLab community,
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest,
as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.
The contest will address the question: What international climate
agreements should the world community make?
The first round ended on October 31 and the final round runs through
November 26.
In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be
briefed on the winning entries.
We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses
for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of
these briefings.
We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org
.
We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so
that members of the community can get to know each other.
And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the
contest.
Editorial Comment: I played a previous version of this simulation.
This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero
emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=
----------------------------
Resource
-----------
Boston Food System
"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."
The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.
Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.
It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs
----------------------
Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation
-----------------------------------------------------
Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://green.harvard.edu/events
--------------------------------------------------
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most
Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston
area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events
email gmoke@world.std.com
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Energy (and Other) Events - October 24, 2010
MIT
----
Monday, October 25, 2010
"LEDs and Sustainability in Labs and Architecture: Synergy or Lighting Rivals??
Time: 12:30p–2:00p
Location: 7-431
Architecture Building Technologies talk by Thomas Schielke.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
617/253-1876
kross@mit.edu
--------------
Spatially Augmented Reality for Architectural Daylighting Design
Speaker: Barbara Cutler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Computer Science Department
Date: Monday, October 25 2010
Time: 2:30PM to 3:30PM
Refreshments: 2:15PM
Location: 32-D507
Host: Fredo Durand, MIT - CSAIL - Computer Graphics Group
Contact: Britton 'Bryt' Bradley, 617-253-6583, bryt@csail.mit.edu
Relevant URL:
Abstract:
We present an application of interactive global illumination and a
table-top spatially augmented reality to architectural daylight modeling
that allows designers to explore alternative designs and new technologies
for improving the sustainability of their buildings. Images of a model in
the real world, captured by a camera above the scene, are processed to
construct a virtual 3D model. Rendered images of the global illumination
simulation are then projected on the real model by calibrated projectors
to help users study the daylighting within the design.
We have extended this system for dynamic projection on large, human-scale,
moving projection screens and demonstrate this system for immersive
visualization applications in several fields. We have designed and
implemented efficient, low-cost methods for robust tracking of projection
surfaces, and a method to provide high frame rate output for
computationally-intensive, low frame rate applications. This physically
immersive visualization environment promotes innovation and creativity in
design and analysis applications and facilitates exploration of
alternative visualization styles and modes. Our new human-scale user
interface is intuitive and novice users require essentially no instruction
to operate the visualization.
--------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Making of a Disaster: Nature vs. Nuture
Speaker: Tatyana Deryugina (MIT)
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E51-151
The Making of a Disaster: Nature vs. Nuture
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Labor/Public Finance Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Beneventon
theresa@mit.edu
--------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
John Holdren on The Energy / Climate-Change Challenge and the Role of Nuclear Energy in Meeting It
Speaker: Dr. John Holdren
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E51-115
2010 David J. Rose Lectureship in Nuclear Technology
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/nse/events/rose-lecture.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Nuclear Science & Engineering
For more information, contact:
Kafka, Anita
617-253-7522
---------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
On the Potential and Limitations of Demand Response and Renewable Energy
Speaker: David Chassin (Pacific Northwest National Lab)
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-370
LIDS Special Seminar Series: Future Challenges in Energy Systems and Networks
http://web.mit.edu/mardavij/www/Energy_Seminars.htm
Abstract - Demand response is playing an increasingly important role in the Smart Grid today. Technologies such as Grid Friendly controls and real-time price response are making their way into our lives. But the behavior of load both affects and is affected by load control strategies that are designed to support the electric grid. This talk will explore the natural behavior of electric load, how it is affected by various load control strategies and what the implications are for concepts such as using load control to support the integration of renewable energy resources.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): LIDS
For more information, contact:
Mardavij Roozbehani
---------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
Oxy-fuel Combustion with an Integrated Ion Transport Membrane Reactor: Reduced-Order Modeling and Power Cycle Applications
Speaker: Nick Mancini, MIT, Dept. Mechanical Engineering
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-343
Center for Energy and Propulsion Research Seminar Series
Oxy-fuel combustion, particularly using an integrated oxygen ion transport membrane (ITM), is a thermodynamically attractive concept that seeks to mitigate the penalties associated with CO2 capture from power plants. Oxygen separation in an ITM system consists of a variety of complex electrochemical, heat and mass transfer processes that are further complicated by the presence of a reactive sweep gas in some applications. The dependence of ITM performance on power cycle operating conditions and system integration schemes must be captured in order to conduct meaningful process flow and optimization studies. A spatially-distributed, one-dimensional model is developed based on fundamental conservation equations, semi-empirical oxygen transport and simplified fuel oxidation kinetic mechanisms obtained from the literature. Aspects of reactor engineering such as geometry, flow configuration and the relationship between oxygen transport, fuel conversion and pressure drop are explored. Emphasis is placed on model flexibility, modularity and low computational expense in order to evaluate power cycle simulations quickly and accurately. Parametric studies are performed to determine the impact of changing key variables on oxygen separation and pressure drop. A Second Law assessment of certain ITM configurations is performed to evaluate the potential of ITM technology to reduce the air separation penalty, and to provide insight for effective integration into power cycle concepts.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): RGD Lab
For more information, contact:
Patrick Kirchen
---------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
US Energy Policy: Where do we go from here?
Speaker: Steve Isakowitz, CFO of the DOE
Time: 6:30p–7:30p
Location: 56-114
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series
A biweekly lecture series featuring prominent speakers from the energy field at MIT & beyond. These lectures include 20 minutes of moderated open discussion. Past speakers from MIT have included professors Jeff Tester, David Marks, and John Deutch. Speakers from the industry and policy spheres have included Greg Yurek, CEO of American Superconductor, and Rob Pratt, Director of the MA Renewable Energy Trust.
With the surge of stimulus funding ending, a difficult fiscal outlook, and a cloudy future for energy legislation, can the US government continue to shape our nation's energy future? Come hear how the Department of Energy is facing these challenges, devising solutions through R&D, demonstrations, and financial incentives, and offering exciting career opportunities.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/lecture-series/steve
-isakowitz-cfo-of-the-doe-us-energy-policy-where-do-we-go-from-he
re
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Sheila Kennedy
Speaker: Sheila Kennedy
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: E15-070
MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sheila Kennedy - SOFT, SMART & STEALTHY: New Paradigms for Design Practice
Sheila Kennedy will present recent research and work. Sheila Kennedy is a Principal of Kennedy & Violich Architecture Ltd. (KVA), an interdisciplinary design practice that explores the relationships between architecture, digital technology and emerging public needs. Recent projects at KVA include the IBA-Hamburg SOFT HOUSE in Germany, the Law School at University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University?s Department of Film and Video, and the East River Public Ferry Terminal at 34th Street in Manhattan. The work of KVA has been recognized by National Design Excellence Awards from the American Institute of Architecture, Progressive Architecture Awards, Industrial Design Excellence Awards, the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, the Green Council?s National Building Innovation Award and the Public Work Award of the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a Professor of the Practice, Architectural Design at MIT.
Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street)
Web site: act.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act@mit.edu
----------------
Editorial Comment: If anybody goes to Sheila Kennedy's presentation "SOFT, SMART & STEALTHY: New Paradigms for Design Practice," a report back would be appreciated. The Editor has another commitment and is very interested in the topic.
----------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa
Speaker: Torsten Persson (Stockholm)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: at Harvard - Harvard Hall 202
Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa
Web site:http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic825457.files/Persson_Torst
en_Africa_paper100929.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Development Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
-------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Soap Box: Negotiating the Gulf Disaster
Speaker: Larry Susskind
Time: 6:00p–7:30p
Location: N52, MIT Museum
Soap Box: The Gulf Oil Spill & Its Consequences
The MIT Museum sponsors a series of salon-style, early-evening conversations with cutting-edge scientists and engineers who are making the news that really matters.
Larry Susskind, MIT?s Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, and Vice Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, is asking the tough questions. Should those affected by the Gulf oil spill receive compensatory payments? What?s the best way to guarantee the future safety of offshore oil and gas facilities? Add your voice to this important discussion about how public policy can help us prevent or navigate these situations in the future.
Web site: http://mit.edu/museum/programs/soapbox.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free admission
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact:
Josie Patterson
617-253-5927
museum@mit.edu
-----------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
HTC Forum "The World Solar Energy Project: Maria Telkes after the Dover Sun House"
Speaker: Daniel A. Barber, Environmental Fellow, Center for the Environment and GSD, Harvard University with a response by Arindam Dutta
Time: 6:30p–8:00p
Location: 7-431
As the landmarks of architectural history are reconfigured pursuant to the increasing pressure of environmental crises, the 'all-solar' Dover Sun House, designed by Eleanor Raymond with the engineer Maria Telkes in 1948, will likely come to assume a prominent position. Telkes' techno-cultural environmentalism was caught up in geopolitical attempts to transform global energy metabolism: solar houses, ovens, distillation units, and furnaces all became components of harnessing the sun's power to expand the economic and industrial possibilities of 'underdeveloped countries,' and were deeply embedded in the political implications such regimes of 'technical assistance' belied.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
For more information, contact:
Kate Brearley
258-8439
htc@mit.edu
------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
D-Lab Innovators Series: Dr. Sarmah of Rickshaw Bank
Speaker: Dr. Pradip Sarmah, Founder of Rickshaw Bank and Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow
Time: 7:00p–8:30p
Location: 3-133
D-Lab Innovators Series
International. Innovation. Invention. Ingenuity. Inspiration. Are you IN?
The D-Lab Innovators Series brings together inventors and social entrepreneurs from all over the world to engage in discussions about how to make an impact in the field of international development. Events are open to public and posted online at http://d-lab.mit.edu/innovators.
Please join us for an exciting opportunity to hear from a successful social entrepreneur and find out how you can get involved. Dr. Sarmah is an Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow who founded the Rickshaw Bank, an NGO that works with Indian rickshaw drivers. Over 90% of rickshaw drivers in India have to rent their rickshaws daily. Rickshaw Bank has made it possible for thousands of drivers to own their rickshaws through an asset-based micro-credit program. Dr. Sarmah is also involved in other types of vehicle-based businesses, such as vegetable and fish sales, ready-to-eat food vending, and hand-cycle-based postal kiosks to be used by disabled people to sell stamps and other services. Dr. Sarmah will share his work and discuss the challenges he faces in trying to scale up to reach the 8 million Indian rickshaws in service.
Joining Dr. Sarmah will be MIT Cycle Ventures Instructor Gwyn Jones, who will discuss how he has collaborated with Rickshaw Bank over the years. The talk, moderated by MIT Development Ventures Instructor Joost Bonsen, will be followed by Q&A and a informal reception with light refreshments. Please RSVP to d-lab-innovators@mit.edu.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): International Development Initiative, D-Lab Innovators
For more information, contact:
Jessica Huang
617-253-1670
d-lab-innovators@mit.edu
-----------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Nuclear Terrorism: Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and the Fragility of the Global Nuclear Order
Speaker: Graham Allison, Harvard University
Time: 12:00p–1:30p
Location: E40-496
SSP Wednesday Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact:
617-253-7529
valeriet@mit.edu
-------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Materializing Urbanity
Speaker: Nader Tehrani, Department Head, Architecture, MIT
Time: 2:00p–4:00p
Location: 9-450
Urban Studies and Planning Departmental Speaker Series
Weekly Lecture Series of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Nader Tehrani is the founding Principal of Office dA, an architecture and design firm internationally recognized for its invention, precision, and advancement of new forms of knowledge. He is also a Professor and the newly appointed Head of the Department of Architecture at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Working on interdisciplinary platforms, Tehrani?s research has been focused on the transformation of the building industry, innovative material applications, and the development of new means and methods of construction-- as exemplified in his work with digital fabrication.
Tehrani received a Bachelor of Fine Art and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985 and 1986, and his Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1991. He has held previous teaching positions at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design.
As Principal of Office dA, Tehrani has been honored by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (National Design Award in Architecture, 2007) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (Award in Architecture, 2002). He has also received honors from the United States Artists (Target Fellowship in Architecture and Design, 2007) and the Architectural League of New York (Young Architects Award, 1997).
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, October 27, 2010
Data-driven Energy Management
Speaker: Tom Atkinson, EnerNOC
Time: 5:30p–6:30p
Location: E51-315
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series
Timely, accurate data are the lifeblood of meaningful energy
management. Without data, energy use can't be quantified, energy reduction and efficiency efforts aren't measured or verified, and decision-makers lack confidence. EnerNOC leverages data to help companies make and save money by changing the way they think about and use energy. What data do we capture? Why is it so important? What decisions do the data support? What tools do they enable? Come find out what's in store for v2.0 of data-driven energy manangement from EnerNOC.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/lecture-series/lectu
re-from-tom-atkinson-enernoc
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
--------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
MIT $100K Elevator Pitch Contest
Time: 7:00p–9:30p
Location: 32-123
MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
A series of contests meant to promote entrepreneurship and technology commercialization on campus.
The Elevator Pitch Contest is the first of three contests hosted by the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. It?s about idea generation, connecting with others who have similar interests, and learning how to present your pitch to a potential investor in a moment?s notice. The finale event will feature the top 12 contestants from the two prior days' preliminary rounds. Check out last year's finale here: http://bit.ly/bvJpbb
Web site: www.mit100k.org
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
For more information, contact:
Jarrod Phipps
info@mit100k.org
-----------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
It Pays To Do the Right Thing: Incentive Mechanisms for Societal Networks
Balaji Prabhakar, Stanford University
4:15 PM, E62-550
LIDS Colloquium
- Reception to follow.
Abstract & Biography
Abstract: Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Why does glue not stick to the inside of the bottle? Why is lemonade made with artificial flavor but dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? How can I avoid traffic jams and be paid for it?
While the first three are some of life's enduring questions, the fourth is the subject of a traffic decongestion research project at Stanford University. In this talk, I will briefly describe this project and, more generally, discuss incentive mechanisms for Societal Networks---networks which are vital for a society's functioning; for example, transportation, energy, healthcare and waste management. I will talk about incentive mechanisms and experiments for reducing road congestion, pollution and energy use, and for improving "wellness" and good driving habits. Some salient themes are: using low-cost sensing technology to make societal networks much more efficient, using price as a signal to co-ordinate individual behavior, and intelligently "throwing money at problems".
Biography: Balaji Prabhakar's research interests are in computer networks; notably, in designing algorithms for the Internet and for Data Centers. Recently, he has been interested in Societal Networks: networks vital for society’s functioning, such as transportation, electricity and recycling systems. He has been involved in developing and deploying incentive mechanisms to move commuters to off-peak times so that congestion, fuel and pollution costs are reduced. He has been a Terman Fellow at Stanford and a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He has received the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, the Erlang Prize from the INFORMS Applied Probability Society, the Rollo Davidson Prize from the University of Cambridge awarded to young scientists for contributions to Probability and its applications, and delivered the Lunteren Lectures. He is a co-recipient of several best paper awards.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
Energy 101: China and Climate Change - the Role of Energy
Speaker: Hengwei LIU
Time: 6:15p–7:30p
Location: 4-370
Energy 101
The Energy 101 Lecture Series is hosted by the MIT Energy Club focusing on the basic science, technology, policy, business, and economic issues surrounding many basic energy topics. Lectures will be held once or twice and month and are delivered by students.
China's role in international negotiation on climate change is becoming increasingly prominent. Understanding the complex links between energy and climate change policy in China and the nature of the challenges facing China in the Chinese context helps to clarify China's negotiating stance and can provide insights into how the international community might best engage China to tackle climate change. This talk will focus on the challenges facing China as well as China's efforts to combat climate change. The talk will also look at ways to break the international climate negotiation deadlock.
Hengwei LIU is research associate in the Energy, Climate, and Innovation (ECI) Program at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and associate of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy (ETIP) Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. He holds appointment as guest professor at the Development Research Center, Chongqing government, China. He also serves as overseas director of the Association for International Exchange of Personnel, Qingdao government, China. Dr. Liu has been involved in a wide range of national and international initiatives and projects. He is the author or co-author of some 30 journal articles and book-length research reports ranging from energy technology to energy policy. Hengwei is a co-founder of MIT China Energy and Environment Research (MIT-CEER) Group (http://ceer.mit.edu/).
Dinner will be served. No RSVP required.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/energy-101/china-and
-climate-change-the-role-of-energy
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club, GSC Activities, MIT China Energy and Envrionment Research Group
For more information, contact:
Cristina Botero - MIT Energy Club
cbotero@mit.edu
----------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Energy Discussions: Green Energy Islands
Speaker: Stephen Connors
Time: 6:30p–7:30p
Location: 56-167
As part of the MIT-Portugal Program, the Green Islands Project aims to transform the energy system of a the Azores island chain to achieve effective zero fossil fuel dependency. The Project is a platform for energy systems planning, modeling, and design. It integrates a long-term understanding of the building stock, mobility needs, and renewable generation potential of the islands into a range of results-oriented research projects. Learn about the dynamic interactions of storage, wind, geothermal, electric vehicles, net-zero energy buildings, and the grid which ties them together. Join the Director for the MIT Energy Initiative's Analysis Group for Regional Energy Alternatives and members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of this large-scale interdisciplinary project and its wide-ranging impact.
Please prepare for the discussion by looking at the readings on the event 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 Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
-----------------------
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tour of the Mirant Canal Generating Plant
Time: 10:00a–12:00p
Location: Sandwich MA
MIT Energy Club Tour Series
Coming up next is a tour of the Mirant Canal Power Plant. The Canal plant is a 1100 megawatt power plant in Sandwich MA with dual fuel firing capability (Oil and Natural gas) and serving customers in the New England.
This tour will cover the state of the art power plant equipment in operation at the plant, from turbines to continuous emissions monitoring systems and will expose you to a broad range of technologies used in a modern plant to enhance efficient and environmentally sustainable power generation. You will also get firsthand knowledge of the challenges involved in the business of power generation in an increasingly climate conscious environment. To sign up for this tour, use the following link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGdUSlp5elBEYUxhNERPOXFiUVRzVVE6MQ
Web site: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGdUSlp5elBEYUxhNERP
OXFiUVRzVVE6MQ
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Nwike Iloeje
nwike@mit.edu
------------------
Harvard
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Development, Diplomacy and Defense: The Kandahar Experience
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 25, 2010, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Conference Room
Room 219, Rubenstein Building
Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
State Building and Human Rights in Afghanistan & Pakistan Program
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
SPEAKER(S)
Ben Rowswell, senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Michael Semple: SBHR Carr Center Fellow
LINK
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/sbhrap/events/2010/month10/PSS_25.php
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Wyss Lecture: Bio-inspired, Smart, Multiscale Interfacial Materials
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 25, 2010, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE
Maxwell-Dworkin, Room G115, 33 Oxford Street
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Wyss Institute, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SPEAKER(S)
Lei Jiang
LINK
http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/94/wyss-invited-lecturer-lei-jiang
--------------
2010 HBS Green Fair—Tuesday, October 26!
12:00 to 1:30PM in Shad Hall, Harvard Business School
Come for the giveaways and raffle, stay for the fun, leave with a mission to GO GREEN AT HBS!
Swing by the atrium of Shad Hall from 12:00 to 1:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26to learn about sustainable options available at HBS and in the community, including:
• DVD & Book Swap—Take a few books and DVDs home from the green fair or bring a few to be donated to the swap. No textbooks please.
• Recycling at HBS—Put your knowledge of recycling at HBS to the test and win a prize. Bring your used batteries, cell phones, and eyeglasses to be recycled.
• Green Roof at Shad—Tour the 5,200 square foot “green roof” consisting of thousands of perennials installed on Shad Hall this year. Tours start at 12:30 and 1PM.
• The Green Revolution—Create renewable energy while you work out by riding Shad’s new Green Revolution stationary bikes. A complementary class begins at 12:05PM on the 26th.
• HU Office for Sustainability—Meet representatives from OFS and learn about the University’s sustainability goals and initiatives.
• Restaurant Associates—Ask RA about their Green Dining Initiative and how you can go green at Spangler.
• Charles River Conservancy—Help beautify and preserve the Charles River landscape that we are so fortunate to have in our backyard.
• HBS Green Team and Green Living Reps—Learn about sustainability initiatives at HBS from staff and students.
• Commuter Choice—Explore and learn what's new in the commuter choice world!
Visit http://intranet.hbs.edu/green/ for more information about sustainability at HBS.
-------------------------------------------
Allocation in Environmental Markets: A Field Experiment in Malawi
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE
Room L-382, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Business, Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)
Kelsey Jack, MIT
LINK
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k73011
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The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 4:30 p.m.
WHERE
Robinson Hall, Lower Library
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Charles Warren Center
SPEAKER(S)
Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard and staff writer for The New Yorker
CONTACT INFO
lkennedy@fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/fsprogramschedule.html
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Bringing the Global Water Crisis Home
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Walter Lippmann House, One Francis Ave., Cambridge, MA 01238
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
SPEAKER(S)
Dennis Dimick, executive editor for the environment at National Geographic, Jon Sawyer, founding director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and John Briscoe, professor of environmental engineering at Harvard and former senior water adviser for The World Bank. Moderated by Stefanie Friedhoff, special projects manager at the Nieman Foundation.
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
Stefanie Friedhoff: 617.496.8511, stefanie_friedhoff@harvard.edu
NOTE
Join us as the Nieman Foundation kicks off its new partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. We'll discuss how news media collaborations and innovative online tools can bridge the foreign reporting gap.
LINK
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation.aspx
---------------------
Forget-Me-Not: How Memories Are Formed and Lost
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Armenise Amphitheatre
Harvard Medical School
200 Longwood Ave
Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School Division of Medical Sciences
CONTACT INFO
sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE
Free weekly science seminars about today's hottest science topics.
LINK
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
----------------------
Making Friends Out of Foes: The Logic of Foreign-Imposed Regime Change
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 28, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Melissa Willard-Foster, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5317/making_friends_out_of_foes.html
----------------------
Global Water & Food Security: A New Role for the Private Sector
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 28, 2010, 6 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Kennedy School - Starr Auditorium
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Business, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment; Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences; Harvard Business School; Harvard School of Public Health; and the Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)
Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck
Introductions by:
Julio Frenk, dean, Harvard School of Public Health
Panelists include:
Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School
Rob Paarlberg, Harvard Kennedy School & Wellesley College
John Briscoe, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
CONTACT INFO
John Briscoe: jbriscoe@seas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Peter Brabeck joined Nestlé in 1968, and has since held leadership positions in a variety of countries across the globe. He was named CEO in 1997 and elected chairman in 2005. In 2008 he handed over the office as CEO to his successor. Under Brabeck’s leadership, Nestlé has grown into the world’s leading health, wellness and nutrition company. Brabeck leads the Water 2030 Group, a consortium of private companies working with governments to develop solutions to the world’s emerging water crisis.
-----------------
The Tea Party and the Rebirth of Republican Conservatism
WHEN
Fri., Oct. 29, 2010, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS Knafel Buildilng, Room K-262 (Bowie Vernon Room), 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Center for American Political Studies
SPEAKER(S)
Theda Skocpol, Harvard University; Vanessa Williamson, Harvard University
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
caps@gov.harvard.edu
LINK
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k40327
-------------------
MA College of Art
--------------
Media Tech Tonic #16: Bang Wong: Visual representation of science for communication and research
Our next speaker will be Bang Wong, Creative Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He will speak about the visual representation of science for communication and research.
Event Details
Location: MassArt, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Room: Tower Building, Room 312
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. (we suggest arriving a little early to get a good seat)
RSVP: Not required for this event, free and open to the public.
Abstract
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard generate a staggering amount of data each day. The challenge is to benefit from this data deluge without being overwhelmed. Visually representing data offers insights that can lead to new understanding, wether the purpose is communication or data analysis. No other approach conveys as much information. This presentation will draw on examples from Broad’s Data Visualization Initiative, aimed at establishing processes for creating informative visualization models. It will also highlight the DNAtrium, an exhibition space that relies on large-scale media wall and multi-touch smart tables to enable people to explore the human genome.
Speaker Biography
Bang Wong’s work focuses on the visual expression of scientific concepts. He is currently the creative director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2001, Bang founded ClearScience, a design firm that concentrates on the visual communication of science. At the Broad, he led the effort to design and build the DNAtrium, a museum space dedicated to the exploration of the human genome. Through unique exhibits and content, the museum showcases how genomic science is propelling progress in biology and medicine. Working with researchers, Bang is looking for ways to enable discovery by visually representing large-scale data sets. He established the Data Visualization Initiative at the Broad to create processes for informative visualization models, provide functional prototypes, and build a community of people who apply visuals in their research. As a contributing writer to Nature Methods, he writes a monthly column on applying principles of art and design to scientific figures and data visualization. Bang received a Masters degree in Immunology and a Masters degree in Medical and Scientific Illustrations both from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He blogs http://atbang.clearscience.info.
----------------------
BU
--------------
From Copenhagen to Cancun:
Interpreting Development, Sovereignty & Global Environmental Governance
Four qualified experts, scholars and international negotiators will address
the opportunities and challenges contained in the UN discussions on Climate
Change as they debate on questions such as: What are the visions and
differences between the North and the South in such discussions? Is economic
development compatible with environmental justice? How can national
sovereignty issues be addressed in the context of an international
environmental governance system? Join this panel of dynamic experts as they
shed light in these crucial issues.
October 25th , 2010 6-9pm
at Lyons Dining Hall, Boston College (140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut
Hill, MA 02467)
Maps, Directions, Parking, Public Transportation:
*http://www.bc.edu/about/maps/s-approach.html*
Free admission, dinner will be served
Featuring:
Claudia Salerno Caldera, Special Envoy on Climate Change for the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela
Pablo Solón, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State
of Bolivia to the UN
Julio Escalona, Adjunct Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN
Charles Derber, Scholar, writer, and former Director of Social Economy and
Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College
About the Panelists:
Claudia Salerno Caldera is the Special Envoy on Climate Change for the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Director of International Institutions
at the Multilateral and Integration Affairs Office for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. A renown environmentalist, Ms. Salerno holds degrees in
International Relations and a Doctorate in International Environmental Law.
She represented the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
(ALBA), a regional cooperation bloc between eight Latin American and
Caribbean countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Tianjin, China.
Ms. Salerno interview at Tianjin: *
http://www.oneclimate.net/2010/10/06/claudia-salerno-special-envoy-for-climate-change-for-venzuela-in-tianjin-china/
*
Pablo Solón Romero is the Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
to the United Nations, and principal negotiator on climate change policy.
Mr. Solón was one of the designers of the World People's Conference on
Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which
took place last April, 2010. Formerly Bolivia's Ambassador for issues
concerning Integration and Trade, he also served as Secretary to the Union
of South American Nations (2006-08) and as President Evo Morales' delegate
to the Strategic Reflection Committee for South American Integration (2006).
An activist as well as a diplomat, Solón has worked for many years with
different social organizations, indigenous movements, workers unions,
student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia.
Mr. Solón interview at Democracy Now:
*http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/bolivian_un_ambassador_pablo_solon_on
*
Julio Escalona is the Adjunct Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela to the United Nations. He holds degrees in Economics, Geopolitics
and Environmental Issues. He is the former Director of the School of
Economics and former head of the Department of Human Development at Central
University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas. Escalona is also Professor of
Economics, General Economic History, Economic Education in Latin America,
Contemporary Marxism and Contemporary Social Problems. He has coordinated
research seminars on economic integration, local economies, local
development, alternative technologies, and has been a participant and guest
lecturer at seminars, forums and academic institutions in Peru, Brazil,
Japan, Paris, Mexico and the US.
Some articles by Escalona about Climate Change, globalization and
international issues:
*http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=91134
*
*
http://www.pr-inside.com/democracy-as-a-problem-sovereignty-integration-r2107734.htm
*
Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology and former Director of Social
Economy and Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College. Derber is a
prolific writer, offering not only sociological critiques but alternative
visions for development. His recent books focus on climate change,
capitalism, globalization, terrorism, the culture of hegemony, and the power
of multinational corporations. His op-eds, essays, and interviews have
appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Business Week, Time, Newsday, and
other magazines. He frequently makes appearances on television and talk
radio, including National Public Radio. His works include ?Greed to Green:
Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy? (2010).
Derber speaks on connections between climate change, militarism and the
economy:
*
http://www.wcatv.org/vod/viewvideo/367/voices-near-a-far/voices-near-and-far
*
Charles Derber Speaks at IDEAS Boston 2009
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Fsz156r-Y*
These are comments on his new book, From Greed to Green:
"Charles Derber's urgent call to action on climate change connects to
realistically upbeat ways to help resolve our energy, peace, and employment
challenges. To read this book is to react with personal and social action."
Ralph Nader
"There's no way to solve climate change without also shifting, in profound
ways, our idea of what constitutes success and growth and progress. This is
the right book at the right and crucial moment."
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and creator of the student-based
"Step It Up" campaign
Event sponsored by The Majority Agenda Project and the Consulate General of
Venezuela in Boston
Co-sponsored by the Sociology Department - Boston College
--------------------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
Nathan S. Lewis
George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry
California Institute of Technology
“Where in the World Will Our Energy Come From?”
Photonics Building
8 St. Mary’s Street, Boston, MA
Seating is limited. Please Register: http://www.bu.edu/energy/events/pres-lectures/registration-lewis/
---------------
Cambridge Climate Emergency Forum
~ An Open Conversation about Next Steps in Cambridge ~
Windsor Community Health Center, 2nd floor
119 Windsor Street, Cambridge
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 7 pm
Last winter more than 100 residents and representatives from local businesses and institutions met at City Hall on three Saturdays to discuss the climate emergency and develop proposals for response. Delegates to this congress formed the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group (CCEAG) to promote awareness, civic action and other proposals of the congress. In past months, at markets and outdoor events, awareness campaigners have talked with over a thousand residents.
Meanwhile, as evidence of accelerating climate change increases, response on the national level has been scant. Coming elections put progress at the federal and state levels into question. What should we be doing now at the local level?
Come and share your ideas to build a movement to reach beyond our borders.
---------------------
IBM Center for Social Software Speaker Series - Tiffany Shlain What Does it Mean to Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Cambridge, MA
When: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010. 3:30pm - 5:00pm; refreshments 3:30 - 4:00; talk 4:00 - 5:00.
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://ibmsocialcraigwatkins.eventbrite.com
Discounted parking at Galleria Mall, next to IBM. Bring parking ticket for validation.
What Does It Mean To Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Join us at the Center for Social Software as we welcome filmmaker and artist, Tiffany Shlain, who will lead us on an exploration into the implications of what it means to be connected in the 21st Century. Tiffany's talks are known to be entertaining, insightful, and informative. In this talk, she will incorporate clips of her award-winning films into this exploration, making it a highly visual event.
About Tiffany Shlain
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and was creative director and CEO for nearly a decade, establishing it into a global organization honoring the best of the Internet. The Webbys receive over 10,000 entries annually and are presented annually in NYC. The 14th Annual Webby Awards will be June 2011.
Her films have been selected at over 100 film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam, have won 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and translated into 8 languages. Her last film “The Tribe,” was the first documentary short to be #1 on iTunes. She is currently completing a feature documentary film, “Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence.”
A sought-after keynote speaker known for her visual presentations, she speaks worldwide on filmmaking and the Internet’s influence on society. Invitations include Harvard, MIT, Apple, and now IBM!
She recently delivered the keynote address for the commencement ceremony at her alma mater, UC Berkeley.
RSVP: http://c4sstiffanyshlain.eventbrite.com/
-----------------------------------------
Raab Associates presents:
The 119th New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
October 29th Roundtable: Impacts of Major New Environmental Regulations on New England's Electricity Future
Host: Prof. Valencia Joyner
With EPA's Gina McCarthy and Curt Spalding
Date: Friday, October 29th, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 12:15 pm
Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Please join us for our 119th New England Electric Restructuring Roundtable as we explore how the convergence of new environmental regulations from the U.S.EPA and New England states will impact the region's electricity resource mix, and how we plan and operate the electricity grid. The new U.S. EPA regulations include:
Transport Rule, which, together with existing other state and EPA actions, would reduce SO2 by 71% from 2005 levels by 2014, and NOx by 52%
New Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter
Tailoring Rule for Greenhouse Gas emissions
Plus other power sector-related multi-pollutant air and water approaches and regulations
We are very pleased to have the nation's lead air regulator, Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, U.S. EPA, to describe the various new or under-development regulations, and offer her thoughts on how these regulations, together with existing federal and state (e.g., RGGI) regulations, could impact New England. Gina will be introduced by Curt Spalding, our new EPA Regional Administrator for New England.
Gina's keynote address will be followed by a question and answer period, and then by a panel of expert discussants. Massachusetts DEP Commissioner Laurie Burt, who is also the current Chair of both the Ozone Transport Commission and the New England Governors' Environment Committee, will kick-off the panel. She will be followed by ISO New England Chief Operating Officer Vamsi Chadalavada, who will discuss how these regulations should be accounted for in the planning and operation of New England's electric grid and its various markets. Pamela Faggert, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer at Dominion, will discuss how the new regulations might impact Dominion's and other resources in New England. Finally, Paul Hibbard, now Vice President at Analysis Group, will present a study that his firm, in collaboration with M.J. Bradley & Associates, recently completed for the Clean Energy Group on the impact that the new EPA air regulations could have on the electric fleet nationally.
Webcast of September 17th Roundtable Now Online
Please note: if you missed our September 17th standing-room-only Roundtable, Renewable Energy's Future in New England and Recent Major Biomass Energy Studies, the presentations, underlying reports, and an archival video (https://admin.na6.acrobat.com/_a821448238/p93181545/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal) are available on our website (http://www.raabassociates.org/main/roundtable.asp?sel=101).
---------
Ongoing
---------
To members of the Climate CoLab community,
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest, as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.
The contest will address the question: What international climate agreements should the world community make?
The first round runs through October 31 and the final round through November 26.
In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be briefed on the winning entries.
We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of these briefings.
We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org.
We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so that members of the community can get to know each other.
And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the contest.
Editorial Comment: I played a previous version of this simulation. This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=
----------------------------
Resource
-----------
Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation
-----------------------------------------------------
Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://green.harvard.edu/events
--------------------------------------------------
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke@world.std.com
----
Monday, October 25, 2010
"LEDs and Sustainability in Labs and Architecture: Synergy or Lighting Rivals??
Time: 12:30p–2:00p
Location: 7-431
Architecture Building Technologies talk by Thomas Schielke.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
617/253-1876
kross@mit.edu
--------------
Spatially Augmented Reality for Architectural Daylighting Design
Speaker: Barbara Cutler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Computer Science Department
Date: Monday, October 25 2010
Time: 2:30PM to 3:30PM
Refreshments: 2:15PM
Location: 32-D507
Host: Fredo Durand, MIT - CSAIL - Computer Graphics Group
Contact: Britton 'Bryt' Bradley, 617-253-6583, bryt@csail.mit.edu
Relevant URL:
Abstract:
We present an application of interactive global illumination and a
table-top spatially augmented reality to architectural daylight modeling
that allows designers to explore alternative designs and new technologies
for improving the sustainability of their buildings. Images of a model in
the real world, captured by a camera above the scene, are processed to
construct a virtual 3D model. Rendered images of the global illumination
simulation are then projected on the real model by calibrated projectors
to help users study the daylighting within the design.
We have extended this system for dynamic projection on large, human-scale,
moving projection screens and demonstrate this system for immersive
visualization applications in several fields. We have designed and
implemented efficient, low-cost methods for robust tracking of projection
surfaces, and a method to provide high frame rate output for
computationally-intensive, low frame rate applications. This physically
immersive visualization environment promotes innovation and creativity in
design and analysis applications and facilitates exploration of
alternative visualization styles and modes. Our new human-scale user
interface is intuitive and novice users require essentially no instruction
to operate the visualization.
--------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Making of a Disaster: Nature vs. Nuture
Speaker: Tatyana Deryugina (MIT)
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E51-151
The Making of a Disaster: Nature vs. Nuture
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Labor/Public Finance Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Beneventon
theresa@mit.edu
--------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
John Holdren on The Energy / Climate-Change Challenge and the Role of Nuclear Energy in Meeting It
Speaker: Dr. John Holdren
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: E51-115
2010 David J. Rose Lectureship in Nuclear Technology
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/nse/events/rose-lecture.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Nuclear Science & Engineering
For more information, contact:
Kafka, Anita
617-253-7522
---------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
On the Potential and Limitations of Demand Response and Renewable Energy
Speaker: David Chassin (Pacific Northwest National Lab)
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-370
LIDS Special Seminar Series: Future Challenges in Energy Systems and Networks
http://web.mit.edu/mardavij/www/Energy_Seminars.htm
Abstract - Demand response is playing an increasingly important role in the Smart Grid today. Technologies such as Grid Friendly controls and real-time price response are making their way into our lives. But the behavior of load both affects and is affected by load control strategies that are designed to support the electric grid. This talk will explore the natural behavior of electric load, how it is affected by various load control strategies and what the implications are for concepts such as using load control to support the integration of renewable energy resources.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): LIDS
For more information, contact:
Mardavij Roozbehani
---------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
Oxy-fuel Combustion with an Integrated Ion Transport Membrane Reactor: Reduced-Order Modeling and Power Cycle Applications
Speaker: Nick Mancini, MIT, Dept. Mechanical Engineering
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
Location: 3-343
Center for Energy and Propulsion Research Seminar Series
Oxy-fuel combustion, particularly using an integrated oxygen ion transport membrane (ITM), is a thermodynamically attractive concept that seeks to mitigate the penalties associated with CO2 capture from power plants. Oxygen separation in an ITM system consists of a variety of complex electrochemical, heat and mass transfer processes that are further complicated by the presence of a reactive sweep gas in some applications. The dependence of ITM performance on power cycle operating conditions and system integration schemes must be captured in order to conduct meaningful process flow and optimization studies. A spatially-distributed, one-dimensional model is developed based on fundamental conservation equations, semi-empirical oxygen transport and simplified fuel oxidation kinetic mechanisms obtained from the literature. Aspects of reactor engineering such as geometry, flow configuration and the relationship between oxygen transport, fuel conversion and pressure drop are explored. Emphasis is placed on model flexibility, modularity and low computational expense in order to evaluate power cycle simulations quickly and accurately. Parametric studies are performed to determine the impact of changing key variables on oxygen separation and pressure drop. A Second Law assessment of certain ITM configurations is performed to evaluate the potential of ITM technology to reduce the air separation penalty, and to provide insight for effective integration into power cycle concepts.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): RGD Lab
For more information, contact:
Patrick Kirchen
---------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
US Energy Policy: Where do we go from here?
Speaker: Steve Isakowitz, CFO of the DOE
Time: 6:30p–7:30p
Location: 56-114
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series
A biweekly lecture series featuring prominent speakers from the energy field at MIT & beyond. These lectures include 20 minutes of moderated open discussion. Past speakers from MIT have included professors Jeff Tester, David Marks, and John Deutch. Speakers from the industry and policy spheres have included Greg Yurek, CEO of American Superconductor, and Rob Pratt, Director of the MA Renewable Energy Trust.
With the surge of stimulus funding ending, a difficult fiscal outlook, and a cloudy future for energy legislation, can the US government continue to shape our nation's energy future? Come hear how the Department of Energy is facing these challenges, devising solutions through R&D, demonstrations, and financial incentives, and offering exciting career opportunities.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/lecture-series/steve
-isakowitz-cfo-of-the-doe-us-energy-policy-where-do-we-go-from-he
re
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 2010
Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Sheila Kennedy
Speaker: Sheila Kennedy
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: E15-070
MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sheila Kennedy - SOFT, SMART & STEALTHY: New Paradigms for Design Practice
Sheila Kennedy will present recent research and work. Sheila Kennedy is a Principal of Kennedy & Violich Architecture Ltd. (KVA), an interdisciplinary design practice that explores the relationships between architecture, digital technology and emerging public needs. Recent projects at KVA include the IBA-Hamburg SOFT HOUSE in Germany, the Law School at University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University?s Department of Film and Video, and the East River Public Ferry Terminal at 34th Street in Manhattan. The work of KVA has been recognized by National Design Excellence Awards from the American Institute of Architecture, Progressive Architecture Awards, Industrial Design Excellence Awards, the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum, the Green Council?s National Building Innovation Award and the Public Work Award of the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a Professor of the Practice, Architectural Design at MIT.
Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street)
Web site: act.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act@mit.edu
----------------
Editorial Comment: If anybody goes to Sheila Kennedy's presentation "SOFT, SMART & STEALTHY: New Paradigms for Design Practice," a report back would be appreciated. The Editor has another commitment and is very interested in the topic.
----------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa
Speaker: Torsten Persson (Stockholm)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: at Harvard - Harvard Hall 202
Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa
Web site:http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic825457.files/Persson_Torst
en_Africa_paper100929.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Development Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
-------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Soap Box: Negotiating the Gulf Disaster
Speaker: Larry Susskind
Time: 6:00p–7:30p
Location: N52, MIT Museum
Soap Box: The Gulf Oil Spill & Its Consequences
The MIT Museum sponsors a series of salon-style, early-evening conversations with cutting-edge scientists and engineers who are making the news that really matters.
Larry Susskind, MIT?s Ford Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, and Vice Chair of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, is asking the tough questions. Should those affected by the Gulf oil spill receive compensatory payments? What?s the best way to guarantee the future safety of offshore oil and gas facilities? Add your voice to this important discussion about how public policy can help us prevent or navigate these situations in the future.
Web site: http://mit.edu/museum/programs/soapbox.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free admission
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact:
Josie Patterson
617-253-5927
museum@mit.edu
-----------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
HTC Forum "The World Solar Energy Project: Maria Telkes after the Dover Sun House"
Speaker: Daniel A. Barber, Environmental Fellow, Center for the Environment and GSD, Harvard University with a response by Arindam Dutta
Time: 6:30p–8:00p
Location: 7-431
As the landmarks of architectural history are reconfigured pursuant to the increasing pressure of environmental crises, the 'all-solar' Dover Sun House, designed by Eleanor Raymond with the engineer Maria Telkes in 1948, will likely come to assume a prominent position. Telkes' techno-cultural environmentalism was caught up in geopolitical attempts to transform global energy metabolism: solar houses, ovens, distillation units, and furnaces all became components of harnessing the sun's power to expand the economic and industrial possibilities of 'underdeveloped countries,' and were deeply embedded in the political implications such regimes of 'technical assistance' belied.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
For more information, contact:
Kate Brearley
258-8439
htc@mit.edu
------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
D-Lab Innovators Series: Dr. Sarmah of Rickshaw Bank
Speaker: Dr. Pradip Sarmah, Founder of Rickshaw Bank and Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow
Time: 7:00p–8:30p
Location: 3-133
D-Lab Innovators Series
International. Innovation. Invention. Ingenuity. Inspiration. Are you IN?
The D-Lab Innovators Series brings together inventors and social entrepreneurs from all over the world to engage in discussions about how to make an impact in the field of international development. Events are open to public and posted online at http://d-lab.mit.edu/innovators.
Please join us for an exciting opportunity to hear from a successful social entrepreneur and find out how you can get involved. Dr. Sarmah is an Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow who founded the Rickshaw Bank, an NGO that works with Indian rickshaw drivers. Over 90% of rickshaw drivers in India have to rent their rickshaws daily. Rickshaw Bank has made it possible for thousands of drivers to own their rickshaws through an asset-based micro-credit program. Dr. Sarmah is also involved in other types of vehicle-based businesses, such as vegetable and fish sales, ready-to-eat food vending, and hand-cycle-based postal kiosks to be used by disabled people to sell stamps and other services. Dr. Sarmah will share his work and discuss the challenges he faces in trying to scale up to reach the 8 million Indian rickshaws in service.
Joining Dr. Sarmah will be MIT Cycle Ventures Instructor Gwyn Jones, who will discuss how he has collaborated with Rickshaw Bank over the years. The talk, moderated by MIT Development Ventures Instructor Joost Bonsen, will be followed by Q&A and a informal reception with light refreshments. Please RSVP to d-lab-innovators@mit.edu.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): International Development Initiative, D-Lab Innovators
For more information, contact:
Jessica Huang
617-253-1670
d-lab-innovators@mit.edu
-----------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Nuclear Terrorism: Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and the Fragility of the Global Nuclear Order
Speaker: Graham Allison, Harvard University
Time: 12:00p–1:30p
Location: E40-496
SSP Wednesday Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program
For more information, contact:
617-253-7529
valeriet@mit.edu
-------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Materializing Urbanity
Speaker: Nader Tehrani, Department Head, Architecture, MIT
Time: 2:00p–4:00p
Location: 9-450
Urban Studies and Planning Departmental Speaker Series
Weekly Lecture Series of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Nader Tehrani is the founding Principal of Office dA, an architecture and design firm internationally recognized for its invention, precision, and advancement of new forms of knowledge. He is also a Professor and the newly appointed Head of the Department of Architecture at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Working on interdisciplinary platforms, Tehrani?s research has been focused on the transformation of the building industry, innovative material applications, and the development of new means and methods of construction-- as exemplified in his work with digital fabrication.
Tehrani received a Bachelor of Fine Art and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985 and 1986, and his Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1991. He has held previous teaching positions at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, and Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design.
As Principal of Office dA, Tehrani has been honored by the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (National Design Award in Architecture, 2007) and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (Award in Architecture, 2002). He has also received honors from the United States Artists (Target Fellowship in Architecture and Design, 2007) and the Architectural League of New York (Young Architects Award, 1997).
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, October 27, 2010
Data-driven Energy Management
Speaker: Tom Atkinson, EnerNOC
Time: 5:30p–6:30p
Location: E51-315
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series
Timely, accurate data are the lifeblood of meaningful energy
management. Without data, energy use can't be quantified, energy reduction and efficiency efforts aren't measured or verified, and decision-makers lack confidence. EnerNOC leverages data to help companies make and save money by changing the way they think about and use energy. What data do we capture? Why is it so important? What decisions do the data support? What tools do they enable? Come find out what's in store for v2.0 of data-driven energy manangement from EnerNOC.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/lecture-series/lectu
re-from-tom-atkinson-enernoc
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
--------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
MIT $100K Elevator Pitch Contest
Time: 7:00p–9:30p
Location: 32-123
MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
A series of contests meant to promote entrepreneurship and technology commercialization on campus.
The Elevator Pitch Contest is the first of three contests hosted by the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. It?s about idea generation, connecting with others who have similar interests, and learning how to present your pitch to a potential investor in a moment?s notice. The finale event will feature the top 12 contestants from the two prior days' preliminary rounds. Check out last year's finale here: http://bit.ly/bvJpbb
Web site: www.mit100k.org
Open to: the general public
Cost: 0
Sponsor(s): MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
For more information, contact:
Jarrod Phipps
info@mit100k.org
-----------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
It Pays To Do the Right Thing: Incentive Mechanisms for Societal Networks
Balaji Prabhakar, Stanford University
4:15 PM, E62-550
LIDS Colloquium
- Reception to follow.
Abstract & Biography
Abstract: Why did kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Why does glue not stick to the inside of the bottle? Why is lemonade made with artificial flavor but dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? How can I avoid traffic jams and be paid for it?
While the first three are some of life's enduring questions, the fourth is the subject of a traffic decongestion research project at Stanford University. In this talk, I will briefly describe this project and, more generally, discuss incentive mechanisms for Societal Networks---networks which are vital for a society's functioning; for example, transportation, energy, healthcare and waste management. I will talk about incentive mechanisms and experiments for reducing road congestion, pollution and energy use, and for improving "wellness" and good driving habits. Some salient themes are: using low-cost sensing technology to make societal networks much more efficient, using price as a signal to co-ordinate individual behavior, and intelligently "throwing money at problems".
Biography: Balaji Prabhakar's research interests are in computer networks; notably, in designing algorithms for the Internet and for Data Centers. Recently, he has been interested in Societal Networks: networks vital for society’s functioning, such as transportation, electricity and recycling systems. He has been involved in developing and deploying incentive mechanisms to move commuters to off-peak times so that congestion, fuel and pollution costs are reduced. He has been a Terman Fellow at Stanford and a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He has received the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, the Erlang Prize from the INFORMS Applied Probability Society, the Rollo Davidson Prize from the University of Cambridge awarded to young scientists for contributions to Probability and its applications, and delivered the Lunteren Lectures. He is a co-recipient of several best paper awards.
------------------------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Energy 101: China and Climate Change - the Role of Energy
Speaker: Hengwei LIU
Time: 6:15p–7:30p
Location: 4-370
Energy 101
The Energy 101 Lecture Series is hosted by the MIT Energy Club focusing on the basic science, technology, policy, business, and economic issues surrounding many basic energy topics. Lectures will be held once or twice and month and are delivered by students.
China's role in international negotiation on climate change is becoming increasingly prominent. Understanding the complex links between energy and climate change policy in China and the nature of the challenges facing China in the Chinese context helps to clarify China's negotiating stance and can provide insights into how the international community might best engage China to tackle climate change. This talk will focus on the challenges facing China as well as China's efforts to combat climate change. The talk will also look at ways to break the international climate negotiation deadlock.
Hengwei LIU is research associate in the Energy, Climate, and Innovation (ECI) Program at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and associate of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy (ETIP) Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. He holds appointment as guest professor at the Development Research Center, Chongqing government, China. He also serves as overseas director of the Association for International Exchange of Personnel, Qingdao government, China. Dr. Liu has been involved in a wide range of national and international initiatives and projects. He is the author or co-author of some 30 journal articles and book-length research reports ranging from energy technology to energy policy. Hengwei is a co-founder of MIT China Energy and Environment Research (MIT-CEER) Group (http://ceer.mit.edu/).
Dinner will be served. No RSVP required.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/energy-101/china-and
-climate-change-the-role-of-energy
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club, GSC Activities, MIT China Energy and Envrionment Research Group
For more information, contact:
Cristina Botero - MIT Energy Club
cbotero@mit.edu
----------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Energy Discussions: Green Energy Islands
Speaker: Stephen Connors
Time: 6:30p–7:30p
Location: 56-167
As part of the MIT-Portugal Program, the Green Islands Project aims to transform the energy system of a the Azores island chain to achieve effective zero fossil fuel dependency. The Project is a platform for energy systems planning, modeling, and design. It integrates a long-term understanding of the building stock, mobility needs, and renewable generation potential of the islands into a range of results-oriented research projects. Learn about the dynamic interactions of storage, wind, geothermal, electric vehicles, net-zero energy buildings, and the grid which ties them together. Join the Director for the MIT Energy Initiative's Analysis Group for Regional Energy Alternatives and members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of this large-scale interdisciplinary project and its wide-ranging impact.
Please prepare for the discussion by looking at the readings on the event 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 Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
-----------------------
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tour of the Mirant Canal Generating Plant
Time: 10:00a–12:00p
Location: Sandwich MA
MIT Energy Club Tour Series
Coming up next is a tour of the Mirant Canal Power Plant. The Canal plant is a 1100 megawatt power plant in Sandwich MA with dual fuel firing capability (Oil and Natural gas) and serving customers in the New England.
This tour will cover the state of the art power plant equipment in operation at the plant, from turbines to continuous emissions monitoring systems and will expose you to a broad range of technologies used in a modern plant to enhance efficient and environmentally sustainable power generation. You will also get firsthand knowledge of the challenges involved in the business of power generation in an increasingly climate conscious environment. To sign up for this tour, use the following link:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGdUSlp5elBEYUxhNERPOXFiUVRzVVE6MQ
Web site: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGdUSlp5elBEYUxhNERP
OXFiUVRzVVE6MQ
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Nwike Iloeje
nwike@mit.edu
------------------
Harvard
----------
Development, Diplomacy and Defense: The Kandahar Experience
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 25, 2010, 12 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Conference Room
Room 219, Rubenstein Building
Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
State Building and Human Rights in Afghanistan & Pakistan Program
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
SPEAKER(S)
Ben Rowswell, senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Michael Semple: SBHR Carr Center Fellow
LINK
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/sbhrap/events/2010/month10/PSS_25.php
------------------
Wyss Lecture: Bio-inspired, Smart, Multiscale Interfacial Materials
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 25, 2010, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE
Maxwell-Dworkin, Room G115, 33 Oxford Street
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Wyss Institute, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SPEAKER(S)
Lei Jiang
LINK
http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/94/wyss-invited-lecturer-lei-jiang
--------------
2010 HBS Green Fair—Tuesday, October 26!
12:00 to 1:30PM in Shad Hall, Harvard Business School
Come for the giveaways and raffle, stay for the fun, leave with a mission to GO GREEN AT HBS!
Swing by the atrium of Shad Hall from 12:00 to 1:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26to learn about sustainable options available at HBS and in the community, including:
• DVD & Book Swap—Take a few books and DVDs home from the green fair or bring a few to be donated to the swap. No textbooks please.
• Recycling at HBS—Put your knowledge of recycling at HBS to the test and win a prize. Bring your used batteries, cell phones, and eyeglasses to be recycled.
• Green Roof at Shad—Tour the 5,200 square foot “green roof” consisting of thousands of perennials installed on Shad Hall this year. Tours start at 12:30 and 1PM.
• The Green Revolution—Create renewable energy while you work out by riding Shad’s new Green Revolution stationary bikes. A complementary class begins at 12:05PM on the 26th.
• HU Office for Sustainability—Meet representatives from OFS and learn about the University’s sustainability goals and initiatives.
• Restaurant Associates—Ask RA about their Green Dining Initiative and how you can go green at Spangler.
• Charles River Conservancy—Help beautify and preserve the Charles River landscape that we are so fortunate to have in our backyard.
• HBS Green Team and Green Living Reps—Learn about sustainability initiatives at HBS from staff and students.
• Commuter Choice—Explore and learn what's new in the commuter choice world!
Visit http://intranet.hbs.edu/green/ for more information about sustainability at HBS.
-------------------------------------------
Allocation in Environmental Markets: A Field Experiment in Malawi
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE
Room L-382, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Business, Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)
Kelsey Jack, MIT
LINK
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k73011
-------------------
The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party's Revolution and the Battle over American History
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 4:30 p.m.
WHERE
Robinson Hall, Lower Library
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Charles Warren Center
SPEAKER(S)
Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard and staff writer for The New Yorker
CONTACT INFO
lkennedy@fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/fsprogramschedule.html
------------------
Bringing the Global Water Crisis Home
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Walter Lippmann House, One Francis Ave., Cambridge, MA 01238
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
SPEAKER(S)
Dennis Dimick, executive editor for the environment at National Geographic, Jon Sawyer, founding director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and John Briscoe, professor of environmental engineering at Harvard and former senior water adviser for The World Bank. Moderated by Stefanie Friedhoff, special projects manager at the Nieman Foundation.
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
Stefanie Friedhoff: 617.496.8511, stefanie_friedhoff@harvard.edu
NOTE
Join us as the Nieman Foundation kicks off its new partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. We'll discuss how news media collaborations and innovative online tools can bridge the foreign reporting gap.
LINK
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/NiemanFoundation.aspx
---------------------
Forget-Me-Not: How Memories Are Formed and Lost
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE
Armenise Amphitheatre
Harvard Medical School
200 Longwood Ave
Boston, MA 02115
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School Division of Medical Sciences
CONTACT INFO
sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE
Free weekly science seminars about today's hottest science topics.
LINK
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
----------------------
Making Friends Out of Foes: The Logic of Foreign-Imposed Regime Change
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 28, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Melissa Willard-Foster, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5317/making_friends_out_of_foes.html
----------------------
Global Water & Food Security: A New Role for the Private Sector
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 28, 2010, 6 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard Kennedy School - Starr Auditorium
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Business, Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Health Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment; Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences; Harvard Business School; Harvard School of Public Health; and the Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)
Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck
Introductions by:
Julio Frenk, dean, Harvard School of Public Health
Panelists include:
Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School
Rob Paarlberg, Harvard Kennedy School & Wellesley College
John Briscoe, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
CONTACT INFO
John Briscoe: jbriscoe@seas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Peter Brabeck joined Nestlé in 1968, and has since held leadership positions in a variety of countries across the globe. He was named CEO in 1997 and elected chairman in 2005. In 2008 he handed over the office as CEO to his successor. Under Brabeck’s leadership, Nestlé has grown into the world’s leading health, wellness and nutrition company. Brabeck leads the Water 2030 Group, a consortium of private companies working with governments to develop solutions to the world’s emerging water crisis.
-----------------
The Tea Party and the Rebirth of Republican Conservatism
WHEN
Fri., Oct. 29, 2010, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS Knafel Buildilng, Room K-262 (Bowie Vernon Room), 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Center for American Political Studies
SPEAKER(S)
Theda Skocpol, Harvard University; Vanessa Williamson, Harvard University
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
caps@gov.harvard.edu
LINK
http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k40327
-------------------
MA College of Art
--------------
Media Tech Tonic #16: Bang Wong: Visual representation of science for communication and research
Our next speaker will be Bang Wong, Creative Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He will speak about the visual representation of science for communication and research.
Event Details
Location: MassArt, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Room: Tower Building, Room 312
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. (we suggest arriving a little early to get a good seat)
RSVP: Not required for this event, free and open to the public.
Abstract
Researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard generate a staggering amount of data each day. The challenge is to benefit from this data deluge without being overwhelmed. Visually representing data offers insights that can lead to new understanding, wether the purpose is communication or data analysis. No other approach conveys as much information. This presentation will draw on examples from Broad’s Data Visualization Initiative, aimed at establishing processes for creating informative visualization models. It will also highlight the DNAtrium, an exhibition space that relies on large-scale media wall and multi-touch smart tables to enable people to explore the human genome.
Speaker Biography
Bang Wong’s work focuses on the visual expression of scientific concepts. He is currently the creative director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 2001, Bang founded ClearScience, a design firm that concentrates on the visual communication of science. At the Broad, he led the effort to design and build the DNAtrium, a museum space dedicated to the exploration of the human genome. Through unique exhibits and content, the museum showcases how genomic science is propelling progress in biology and medicine. Working with researchers, Bang is looking for ways to enable discovery by visually representing large-scale data sets. He established the Data Visualization Initiative at the Broad to create processes for informative visualization models, provide functional prototypes, and build a community of people who apply visuals in their research. As a contributing writer to Nature Methods, he writes a monthly column on applying principles of art and design to scientific figures and data visualization. Bang received a Masters degree in Immunology and a Masters degree in Medical and Scientific Illustrations both from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He blogs http://atbang.clearscience.info.
----------------------
BU
--------------
From Copenhagen to Cancun:
Interpreting Development, Sovereignty & Global Environmental Governance
Four qualified experts, scholars and international negotiators will address
the opportunities and challenges contained in the UN discussions on Climate
Change as they debate on questions such as: What are the visions and
differences between the North and the South in such discussions? Is economic
development compatible with environmental justice? How can national
sovereignty issues be addressed in the context of an international
environmental governance system? Join this panel of dynamic experts as they
shed light in these crucial issues.
October 25th , 2010 6-9pm
at Lyons Dining Hall, Boston College (140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut
Hill, MA 02467)
Maps, Directions, Parking, Public Transportation:
*http://www.bc.edu/about/maps/s-approach.html*
Free admission, dinner will be served
Featuring:
Claudia Salerno Caldera, Special Envoy on Climate Change for the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela
Pablo Solón, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State
of Bolivia to the UN
Julio Escalona, Adjunct Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN
Charles Derber, Scholar, writer, and former Director of Social Economy and
Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College
About the Panelists:
Claudia Salerno Caldera is the Special Envoy on Climate Change for the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Director of International Institutions
at the Multilateral and Integration Affairs Office for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. A renown environmentalist, Ms. Salerno holds degrees in
International Relations and a Doctorate in International Environmental Law.
She represented the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
(ALBA), a regional cooperation bloc between eight Latin American and
Caribbean countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Tianjin, China.
Ms. Salerno interview at Tianjin: *
http://www.oneclimate.net/2010/10/06/claudia-salerno-special-envoy-for-climate-change-for-venzuela-in-tianjin-china/
*
Pablo Solón Romero is the Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
to the United Nations, and principal negotiator on climate change policy.
Mr. Solón was one of the designers of the World People's Conference on
Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which
took place last April, 2010. Formerly Bolivia's Ambassador for issues
concerning Integration and Trade, he also served as Secretary to the Union
of South American Nations (2006-08) and as President Evo Morales' delegate
to the Strategic Reflection Committee for South American Integration (2006).
An activist as well as a diplomat, Solón has worked for many years with
different social organizations, indigenous movements, workers unions,
student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia.
Mr. Solón interview at Democracy Now:
*http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/bolivian_un_ambassador_pablo_solon_on
*
Julio Escalona is the Adjunct Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela to the United Nations. He holds degrees in Economics, Geopolitics
and Environmental Issues. He is the former Director of the School of
Economics and former head of the Department of Human Development at Central
University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas. Escalona is also Professor of
Economics, General Economic History, Economic Education in Latin America,
Contemporary Marxism and Contemporary Social Problems. He has coordinated
research seminars on economic integration, local economies, local
development, alternative technologies, and has been a participant and guest
lecturer at seminars, forums and academic institutions in Peru, Brazil,
Japan, Paris, Mexico and the US.
Some articles by Escalona about Climate Change, globalization and
international issues:
*http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=91134
*
*
http://www.pr-inside.com/democracy-as-a-problem-sovereignty-integration-r2107734.htm
*
Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology and former Director of Social
Economy and Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College. Derber is a
prolific writer, offering not only sociological critiques but alternative
visions for development. His recent books focus on climate change,
capitalism, globalization, terrorism, the culture of hegemony, and the power
of multinational corporations. His op-eds, essays, and interviews have
appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Business Week, Time, Newsday, and
other magazines. He frequently makes appearances on television and talk
radio, including National Public Radio. His works include ?Greed to Green:
Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy? (2010).
Derber speaks on connections between climate change, militarism and the
economy:
*
http://www.wcatv.org/vod/viewvideo/367/voices-near-a-far/voices-near-and-far
*
Charles Derber Speaks at IDEAS Boston 2009
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Fsz156r-Y*
These are comments on his new book, From Greed to Green:
"Charles Derber's urgent call to action on climate change connects to
realistically upbeat ways to help resolve our energy, peace, and employment
challenges. To read this book is to react with personal and social action."
Ralph Nader
"There's no way to solve climate change without also shifting, in profound
ways, our idea of what constitutes success and growth and progress. This is
the right book at the right and crucial moment."
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and creator of the student-based
"Step It Up" campaign
Event sponsored by The Majority Agenda Project and the Consulate General of
Venezuela in Boston
Co-sponsored by the Sociology Department - Boston College
--------------------------------
Thursday, October 28, 2010
3:30 pm – 4:45 pm
Nathan S. Lewis
George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry
California Institute of Technology
“Where in the World Will Our Energy Come From?”
Photonics Building
8 St. Mary’s Street, Boston, MA
Seating is limited. Please Register: http://www.bu.edu/energy/events/pres-lectures/registration-lewis/
---------------
Cambridge Climate Emergency Forum
~ An Open Conversation about Next Steps in Cambridge ~
Windsor Community Health Center, 2nd floor
119 Windsor Street, Cambridge
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 7 pm
Last winter more than 100 residents and representatives from local businesses and institutions met at City Hall on three Saturdays to discuss the climate emergency and develop proposals for response. Delegates to this congress formed the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group (CCEAG) to promote awareness, civic action and other proposals of the congress. In past months, at markets and outdoor events, awareness campaigners have talked with over a thousand residents.
Meanwhile, as evidence of accelerating climate change increases, response on the national level has been scant. Coming elections put progress at the federal and state levels into question. What should we be doing now at the local level?
Come and share your ideas to build a movement to reach beyond our borders.
---------------------
IBM Center for Social Software Speaker Series - Tiffany Shlain What Does it Mean to Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Cambridge, MA
When: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010. 3:30pm - 5:00pm; refreshments 3:30 - 4:00; talk 4:00 - 5:00.
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://ibmsocialcraigwatkins.eventbrite.com
Discounted parking at Galleria Mall, next to IBM. Bring parking ticket for validation.
What Does It Mean To Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Join us at the Center for Social Software as we welcome filmmaker and artist, Tiffany Shlain, who will lead us on an exploration into the implications of what it means to be connected in the 21st Century. Tiffany's talks are known to be entertaining, insightful, and informative. In this talk, she will incorporate clips of her award-winning films into this exploration, making it a highly visual event.
About Tiffany Shlain
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and was creative director and CEO for nearly a decade, establishing it into a global organization honoring the best of the Internet. The Webbys receive over 10,000 entries annually and are presented annually in NYC. The 14th Annual Webby Awards will be June 2011.
Her films have been selected at over 100 film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam, have won 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and translated into 8 languages. Her last film “The Tribe,” was the first documentary short to be #1 on iTunes. She is currently completing a feature documentary film, “Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence.”
A sought-after keynote speaker known for her visual presentations, she speaks worldwide on filmmaking and the Internet’s influence on society. Invitations include Harvard, MIT, Apple, and now IBM!
She recently delivered the keynote address for the commencement ceremony at her alma mater, UC Berkeley.
RSVP: http://c4sstiffanyshlain.eventbrite.com/
-----------------------------------------
Raab Associates presents:
The 119th New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
October 29th Roundtable: Impacts of Major New Environmental Regulations on New England's Electricity Future
Host: Prof. Valencia Joyner
With EPA's Gina McCarthy and Curt Spalding
Date: Friday, October 29th, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 12:15 pm
Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Please join us for our 119th New England Electric Restructuring Roundtable as we explore how the convergence of new environmental regulations from the U.S.EPA and New England states will impact the region's electricity resource mix, and how we plan and operate the electricity grid. The new U.S. EPA regulations include:
Transport Rule, which, together with existing other state and EPA actions, would reduce SO2 by 71% from 2005 levels by 2014, and NOx by 52%
New Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter
Tailoring Rule for Greenhouse Gas emissions
Plus other power sector-related multi-pollutant air and water approaches and regulations
We are very pleased to have the nation's lead air regulator, Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, U.S. EPA, to describe the various new or under-development regulations, and offer her thoughts on how these regulations, together with existing federal and state (e.g., RGGI) regulations, could impact New England. Gina will be introduced by Curt Spalding, our new EPA Regional Administrator for New England.
Gina's keynote address will be followed by a question and answer period, and then by a panel of expert discussants. Massachusetts DEP Commissioner Laurie Burt, who is also the current Chair of both the Ozone Transport Commission and the New England Governors' Environment Committee, will kick-off the panel. She will be followed by ISO New England Chief Operating Officer Vamsi Chadalavada, who will discuss how these regulations should be accounted for in the planning and operation of New England's electric grid and its various markets. Pamela Faggert, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer at Dominion, will discuss how the new regulations might impact Dominion's and other resources in New England. Finally, Paul Hibbard, now Vice President at Analysis Group, will present a study that his firm, in collaboration with M.J. Bradley & Associates, recently completed for the Clean Energy Group on the impact that the new EPA air regulations could have on the electric fleet nationally.
Webcast of September 17th Roundtable Now Online
Please note: if you missed our September 17th standing-room-only Roundtable, Renewable Energy's Future in New England and Recent Major Biomass Energy Studies, the presentations, underlying reports, and an archival video (https://admin.na6.acrobat.com/_a821448238/p93181545/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal) are available on our website (http://www.raabassociates.org/main/roundtable.asp?sel=101).
---------
Ongoing
---------
To members of the Climate CoLab community,
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest, as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.
The contest will address the question: What international climate agreements should the world community make?
The first round runs through October 31 and the final round through November 26.
In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be briefed on the winning entries.
We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of these briefings.
We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org.
We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so that members of the community can get to know each other.
And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the contest.
Editorial Comment: I played a previous version of this simulation. This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=
----------------------------
Resource
-----------
Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation
-----------------------------------------------------
Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://green.harvard.edu/events
--------------------------------------------------
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke@world.std.com
Monday, October 18, 2010
Energy (and Other) Events - October 17, 2010
MIT
-----
Monday, October 18, 2010
Ownership Consolidation and Product Quality: A Study of the US Daily Newspaper Market
Speaker: Ying Fan (Michigan)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: E62-650
Ownership Consolidation and Product Quality: A Study of the US Daily Newspaper Market
Web site: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~yingfan/DailyNewspaper_Fan.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop (Sponsored by Analysis Group)
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
---------------------
Monday, October 18, 2010
Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Dava Newman
Speaker: Dava Newman
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: E15-070
MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
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This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?
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Dava Newman - Second Skin Bio-Suit
The BioSuit was developed to provide "second skin" capability for astronaut performance (developed with the support of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts and Trotti & Assoc. Inc., Cambridge, Mass.). The current iteration uses nylon, spandex and urethane layers along with electronics. The helmet uses materials with "smart textile" capabilities for comfort, communications and spatial orientation. This research can also lead to improvements in our quality of life through advances in orthotics.
Dava J. Newman is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT. She assisted NASA in developing the Bio-Suit.
Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street)
Web site: act.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act@mit.edu
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Engineers without Borders Energy Team Meeting
Time: 8:00p–9:30p
Location: 26-310
Web site: http://ewb.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
This event occurs on Tuesdays through December 10, 2010.
Sponsor(s): Engineers Without Borders
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Heywood
rheywood@mit.edu
-------------------------
Evolution of cooperation
Speaker: Prof. Martin Nowak, Director of Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Time: 4:00pm
Location: 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, Bldg 46, off of 3rd floor atrium
Abstract:
Cooperation means that one individual pays a cost for another to receive a benefit. Cost and benefit are measured in terms of reproductive success. Cooperation is required for construction in evolution: genomes, cells, multi-cellular organisms, animal and human societies are consequences of cooperation. Cooperative behavior is at variance with natural selection. Why should we help competitors? I present five mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation: kin selection, direct reciprocity, indirect reciprocity, spatial selection and group selection. Direct reciprocity means there are repeated interactions between the same two individuals and my behavior towards you depends on what you have done to me. Indirect reciprocity means there are repeated interactions within a group and my behavior towards you also depends on what you have done to others. Indirect reciprocity is the key mechanism for understanding pro-social behavior among humans and has provided the right selection pressure for the evolution of social intelligence and human language.
Further reading:
Nowak MA (2006) Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University Press
Nowak MA (2006). Five rules for the evolution of cooperation. Science 314: 1560-1563
Nowak MA, Tarnita CE, Wilson EO (2010) The evolution of eusociality, Nature 466: 1057-1062
Speaker bio: Martin A. Nowak is Professor of Biology and of Mathematics at Harvard University and Director of Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Dr Nowak works on the mathematical description of evolutionary processes including the evolution of cooperation and human language, the dynamics of virus infections and human cancer. At the moment Dr Nowak is working on 'prelife', which is a formal approach to study the origin of evolution.
------------------------------
Cape Wind Developments: Conservation, Monitoring, and Outreach
Speaker: Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations, Mass Audubon
Time: Wednesday Oct. 20, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Place: 4-145
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Nanoengineered Surfaces for Efficiency Enhancements in Energy and Water
Speaker: Prof. Kripa Varanasi, Mechanical Engineering, MIT
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: 66-110
Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series
The Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series is sponsored by Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Processing Center. To receive notice of the events, join the matseminars mailing list, matseminars@mit.edu at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/matseminars
This talk will discuss how surface and interfaces can be engineered to fundamentally alter thermal-fluid-surface interactions for dramatic enhancements in efficiency of various energy and water systems.
The concepts of wetting energetics and wetting hysteresis of droplets as a function of surface texture and surface energy will be discussed, as well as the extension of these concepts to dynamic wetting and establishment of optimal design space for droplet shedding and impact resistance. The behavior of surfaces under phase change, such as condensation, and freezing using an environmental SEM, will also be presented; surfaces can be engineered to promote dropwise condensation but result in a mixture of wetting states. Further optimization of the surface by considering nucleation-level phenomena leads to hybrid wetting architectures similar to the one found on a Namib beetle.
The last portion of the talk will focus on ice and hydrate formation. Applications of nanoengineered surfaces to power turbines, engines, power and desalination plants, oil and gas and electronic cooling will be highlighted.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Materials Processing Center, Materials@MIT, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Materials Science & Engineering
--------------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sloan Automotive Laboratory FALL 2010 SEMINAR SERIES
Speaker: Don MacKenzie
Time: 4:15p–5:30p
Location: 37-212
Topic: Quenching Our Thirst for Power: Is there an end in sight to 25 years of automotive performance increases?
Sloan Automotive Laboratory FALL 2010 SEMINAR SERIES
Seminar on topics related to engines, fuels, vehicle behavior, broader transportation energy questions presented by graduate students, faculty, researchers, and special guest speakers of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering Dept.
For more information, contact:
Janet Maslow
253-4529
jsabio@mit.edu
----------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Reconciling Peace-Making: A Transformative Ethic
Speaker: Robert V. Taylor
Time: 7:00p–8:00p
Location: W79-MPR, Simmons Hall, MPR
Robert V. Taylor is Chair of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation in New York. Born and raised in South Africa, Robert saw firsthand the potential for peace making when oppressed people find the courage to be who they are through discovering their voices and trusting their imagination. In 1980 his mentor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent Robert to the United States to avoid imprisonment for his anti-apartheid activity. A graduate of Rhodes University in South and Union Theological Seminary in New York he eventually became the highest ranking openly gay clergy person in the Episcopal Church at the time. He lectures nationally on compassion, peace-making and reconciliation engaging audience across the United States in realizing their full human potential and impact in the world.
His lecture will address the way in which reconciling peacemaking is a grounding transformative ethic in our personal lives and in society reorienting how we perceive ourselves and others. He will explore the ways in which technology and social media offer ground breaking opportunities for creating a new normalcy to local and global peace-making and reconciliation, and how this expands our understanding of the inter-connectedness of all people with implications for reframing the landscape of power dynamics among diverse peoples. He will draw on his own involvement in creating an open source peace platform with its potential for a transformative ethic of human engagement.
Web site: http://thecenter.mit.edu/events/upcoming/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values
For more information, contact:
Tenzin Priyadarshi
4-6030
DalaiLamaCenter@mit.edu
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Energy Discussions: Climate, Energy, and National Security
Speaker: Jon Gensler
Time: 7:00p–8:00p
Location: 56-167
Climate, Energy, and National Security: What are the threats, and how is our nation's military meeting them?
The US Department of Defense is the largest purchaser of liquid fuels in the world, but it costs them up to $400 per gallon to get the fuel to where it is actually used. Moreover, the United States has lost over 1000 servicemen in attacks on
convoys, most frequently carrying liquid fuel.
This discussion will focus on understanding how climate change and our nation's current energy posture are hurting our national security, with a focus on non-traditional security topics such as battlefield logistics and liquid fossil fuels dependence. We will take a look at what the different services are doing to mitigate these threats, and talk about how energy entrepreneurs can take advantage of this important market to get new technologies scaled up and commercialized.
Please prepare for the discussion by reading the articles posted on the event 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 Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
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Friday, October 22, 2010
MIT-Haiti Symposium Open House
Time: 3:15p–5:00p
Location: Marriott Cambridge
The MIT-Haitian "Best Practices for Reconstruction" Symposium is hosting a community open house to discuss potential collaborative projects between MIT faculty and Haitian universities on Friday Oct 22, between 3:15 and 5:00 pm.
Please join us to hear a summary of the symposium and some of the collaborations that have been formed. The focus will be on possibilities of using open educational resources and technology-enabled education.
Hosted by OEIT, with the supportive partnership of OCW, BLOSSOMS, TEAL, Hyperstudio, STAR, and iLabs.
To RSVP to the open house, please visit the MIT-Haiti event website.
Web site: http://haiti.mit.edu/open-house/
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Tickets: RSVP on MIT-Haiti symposium website
Sponsor(s): Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education
For more information, contact:
Crosby, Nancy Murphy
253-6057
due-special-projects@mit.edu
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Friday, October 22, 2010
A Talk on 'Gandhian Engineering' Michael Mazgaonkar, Mozda Collective, India
Speaker: Michael Mazgaonkar
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 4-231
In these talks, Michael will describe the multidimensional aspects of his work among the poorest of the poor in rural India, particularly the promotion of sustainable technology, social and environmental activism. These include,
* Making and installing solar photovoltaic lights in remote areas, parabolic solar cookers, LED lights, wind electric generators
* Helping the natives (Adivasis) get land rights under the new Forest Rights Act, training people to use the Right to Information Act, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
* Helping farmers fighting corporate misappropriation of property
* Advocacy in mainstream policy making
In addition, Michael is extremely interested in speaking to students and engineers at MIT interested in collaborating on ideas and projects in Rural Technology.
Web site:http://www.aidboston.org/events/MichaelBostonTalk2010/index.htm
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Association for India's Development - MIT, MIT India Program, Engineers Without Borders
For more information, contact:
Karthik Shekhar
217 979 9852
kshekhar@mit.edu
----------------------
Harvard
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New Independent Documentaries from China: Continuous screening of "Crude Oil" (2008), directed by Wang Bing
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 18, 2010, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
WHERE
CGIS Building, Room S030, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Film, Humanities, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies - Emergent Visions: New Independent Documentaries from China
CONTACT INFO
qian@fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~fairbank/events/EMERGENT%20VISIONS/EV_Crude_oil.html
Wang Bing is an incredible visual stylist and documentary filmmaker working with a radical realism and poetic sense. The Harvard Film Archive will be showing Wang Bing's work between October 17 and 25. Please see http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2010octdec/wang.html for details.
In collaboration with Harvard Film Archive, the Fairbank Center will house Wang Bing's 14-hour video installation following the long working day of crude oil extractors in China's remote eastern Qinghai Province. Crude Oil realizes Cesare Zavattini's often cited dream of an uncut, unvarnished film about a worker's daily life. To intensify the sounds, textures, and experience of the oil workers, Wang chooses not to subtitle the film's minimal dialogue and conceives of Crude Oil as an installation piece to be shown in gallery or museum settings.
------------------
Cultural Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability in the UAE
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 18, 2010, 4 – 5:45 p.m.
WHERE
Thompson Room of the Barker Center
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Religion
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Islamic Legal Studies Program
SPEAKER(S)
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi
CONTACT INFO
smilack@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi is a member of the ruling family of the Emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and is currently serving as environmental adviser to the Ajman Government and the CEO of Al Ihsan Charity Centre, where he is also Chairman of the International Steering Committee for the Global Initiative Towards a Sustainable Iraq (GITSI), UAE.
LINK
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/2142
--------------------------------
"Biological Networks and the Scaling of Plant Form, Function, Diversity, and Ecology," a talk by Brian J. Enquist, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona and The Santa Fe Institute. This lecture is part of the Harvard University Center for the Environment and Bank of America series on Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change.
• Monday, October 18
• 5:00pm
• Biolabs Lecture Hall
• Harvard University
• 16 Divinity Ave
• Cambridge, MA
Ecology needs a predictive theoretical framework to understand and integrate how plants and ecosystems respond in changing world. However, is it possible to predict attributes of plant function, diversity, or even ecosystem performance from more general first principles? I will discuss new insights from Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST). MST is based on how the geometry of vascular networks underlies individual-level scaling relations for how plants use resources, fill space, and grow. The theory invokes a few key principles – space-filling, biomechanics, and minimization of resource transport costs within hierarchical vascular networks. MST postulates that these principles have primarily shaped the evolution of plant form, function, diversity, and ecology. Recent applications include linking how key functional traits interact to regulate variation in relative growth rates, leaf functioning, and how functional traits covary with each other. These then scale up to determine emergent properties in ecology and the functional trade-off axes that help define plant diversity. Lastly, this talk will also show how functional diversity in plants can then be ‘scaled up’ to predict emergent scaling behavior across diverse forests, including size–frequency distributions, spacing relations, canopy configurations, mortality rates, population dynamics, successional dynamics, and resource flux rates. The theory uniquely makes quantitative predictions for both leaf-level and forest-level scaling exponents and normalizations. A major strength of the theory is that it endeavors to explain a lot with a little. MST is based on a small number of principles and parameters but it makes many quantitative predictions and unifies diverse features of (i) the structure and function of plants; and (ii) plant ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem dynamics.
The Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change lecture series is sponsored by the Harvard University Center for the Environment with generous support from Bank of America. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
---------------------------
Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia
Joseph Reagle, Berkman Center Fellow
Tuesday, October 19, 12:30 pm
Pound Hall Room 335, Harvard Law School
**Please note new location for this week only**
RSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.
Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy.
About Joseph
Joseph Reagle is a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, where he studies collaborative cultures. He received his Ph.D., and was an adjunct faculty member, at NYU's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. As a Research Engineer at MIT's Lab for Computer Science and Working Group Chair and Author within IETFand W3C, he contributed to several specifications on digital security and privacy. He also helped develop and maintain W3C'sprivacy and intellectual rights policies (i.e., copyright/trademark licenses and patent analysis). Dr. Reagle has degrees inComputer Science (UMBC), Technology Policy (MIT), and Media, Culture, and Communication (NYU). He served as a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, has been consulted on new-media related projects, and has been profiled, interviewed, and quoted in national media including Technology Review, The Economist, The New York Times and Americanand New Zealand Public Radio. A book, based on his dissertation, about Wikipedia history and collaboration will be available in 2010 from The MIT Press.
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Special Seminar: “Sea Level Rise” with Stefan Rahmstorf
WHEN
Tue., Oct. 19, 2010, 3 p.m.
WHERE
Haller Hall - Geo Museum 102
24 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)
Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth system analysis at the Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and professor of physics of the oceans, Potsdam University
NOTE
Rahmstorf is a member of the Academia Europaea and of the German Advisory Council on Global Change. His most recent book, "The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change," is a “concise and accessible overview of what we know about ongoing climate change and its impacts, and what we can do to confront the climate crisis. Rahmstorf is one of the lead authors of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and also the co-founder and regular contributor to the website realclimate.org.
LINK
http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/2010-10-19/sea-level-rise
----------------------
Wyss Lecture: New Concepts in Termite-Inspired Design
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 20, 2010, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard SEAS Campus
Maxwell-Dworkin, G-135
33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
SPEAKER(S)
Jeffrey S. Turner
NOTE
Abstract: Social insects are renowned for the remarkable structures they build. Architects and designers have long looked to social insects as models for inspiration for innovative or imaginative designs. In this lecture, Jeffrey S. Turner will explore one such model: the mounds built by fungus-growing termites of the genus Macrotermes. These structures have long been thought to be devices for managing the environment of the underground nest, and the principles of their operation are being incorporated into many building designs for wind-driven climate control. New findings show that the actual function of termite mounds is much different and far more complex than previously thought, and this opens the window on a new generation of termite-inspired devices for capturing wind and using it to manage the internal climate of buildings. These findings also point the way to realizing dynamic architecture that self-regulates its function and adapts it to the changing needs of the building's inhabitants.
LINK
http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/87/wyss-seminar-jeff-s-turner
--------------------------------
Rx Democracy: Innovations at the Intersection of Health Care, Democracy, and Civic Engagement
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 20, 2010, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE
Suite 200-North, Room 226, 124 Mount Auburn, Cambridge MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Classes/Workshops, Health Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
SPEAKER(S)
Rishi Manchanda, founder & chair, Rx Democracy
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
Bruce Jackan: 617.495.7548, bruce_jackan@hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
Health is essential to full participation in democracy and health care represents roughly one-sixth of the U.S. economy. Manchanda's upcoming seminar is based on experience exploring and building the relationship between participatory democracy and health, including his work as the founder of a national nonpartisan network of health care providers called Rx Democracy, which advances civic engagement and registered over 26,000 voters in doctors' offices and clinics in 2008. During the seminar, we will discuss challenges and innovations at the intersection of health care and democratic governance and consider next steps for research, practice, and policy.
LINK
http://ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Events/Rx-Democracy
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Compellence and Accommodation in Counterinsurgency Warfare: A Challenge to the Hearts-and-Minds Narrative of Counterinsurgent Success
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 21, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Littauer 369, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Jacqueline L. Hazelton, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5309/compellence_and_accommodation_in_counterinsurgency_warfare.html
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Does Freedom of Speech Protect Net Neutrality?
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 21, 2010, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE
26 Trowbridge Street (conference room)
Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Real Colegio Complutense
SPEAKER(S)
Luis Fernando RodrÃguez GarcÃa, UNED
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
rcc_info@harvard.edu
NOTE
In English
LINK
www.realcolegiocomplutense.harvard.edu
--------------------------
Climate Change and Korea's Growth Paradigm Shift
WHEN
Fri., Oct. 22, 2010, 12:15 – 1:45 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS South Building
1730 Cambridge St.
Seminar Room S153
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Asia Center, Modern Asia Seminar, Ezra F. Vogel Distinguished Visitor Program, co-sponsored with the Korean Institute
SPEAKER(S)
Han Seung-soo, former prime minister, Republic of Korea, former Korean ambassador to the U.S., chairman, Board of Directors, Global Green Growth Institute
CONTACT INFO
617.496.6273
-----------------------
Tufts
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Sustainable Development? Rising incomes in developing countries and the acquisition of energy-using household appliances
October 18, 2010 12:30p–1:45p
Catherine Wolfram is an associate professor of business administration at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and co-director of the Energy Institute at Haas. She is also a researcher at the UC Energy Institute, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and an affiliated faculty member in the Agriculture and Resource Economics department and the Energy and Resources Group at Berkeley. Before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley, she was an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University. She holds a PhD in economics from MIT and an AB from Harvard.
In her most recent paper Wolfram and her co-authors explore the implications of rising incomes amongst the world?s poor for energy use, focusing on the accumulation of energy-using assets (household appliances). Using data from Oportunidades, the Mexican conditional cash transfer program that began in 1998, the paper shows that households are more likely to give up consumption of non-durables, such as food, in order to acquire durables, such as refrigerators, when cash transfers are lumpy or income growth is fast. They show that the main driver of increased energy use among poor Mexicans has been the accumulation of energy-using household appliances. The results have implications for evaluating the effects of the timing of cash transfers and for considering the effects of income growth on energy use.
Light refreshments provided
Category: lectures/conferences
Location: Tisch Library, Room 304, Tufts University
Sponsored by: MIT Energy Campus Events, Tufts Department of Economics, Tufts Institute of the Environment, and Fletcher?s Center for International Environment and Resource Policy
Admission: Open to the public
For more information: Contact Jacqueline M Deelstra
Jacqueline.Deelstra@tufts.edu
--------------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Halligan 111-A
Nanowire-based Solar Cells
Speaker: Dr. Marcie Black, CTO and Founder, Bandgap Engineering
If you would like to receive email notifications of upcoming colloquia, please sent email to
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Northeastern
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Wed 20 October 2010
2:30 PM
Physics Nobel Seminar: The Carbon New Age
Professor Antonio H. Castro Neto, Department of Physics, Boston University
Curry Student Center 342
Graphene has been considered by many as a revolutionary material with electronic and structural properties that surpass conventional semiconductors and metals. Due to its superlative qualities, graphene is being considered as the reference material for a post-CMOS technology. Furthermore, graphene is also quite unusual electronically since its electric carriers behave as if they were massless and relativistic, the so-called Dirac particles. Because of its exotic electronic properties, theorists are being forced to revisit the conceptual basis for the theory of metals. Hence, graphene seems to be unveiling a new era in science and technology with still unseen consequences.
-----------------
Other
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Climate Change, Arts and the Media: A Transatlantic Symposium
Monday, October 18, 2010, 6–8 PM
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 9 AM–1:30 PM
School for Management, Boston University, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
In English
Admission free - RSVP requested
RSVP/Info: program2@boston.goethe.org
http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/bos/ges/umw/en6413732v.htm
The perception of climate change is strongly influenced by the media as well as the work of filmmakers, artists, etc. While the majority of Europe’s population and governments identifies human-made climate change as one of the fiercest challenges of our time, the issue of global warming remains disputed within American public. We aim to examine the perceptions of climate change within Europe and the United States, and ask: what is the role and indeed the responsibility of the media and the arts in shaping this perception and enabling an appropriate response to climate change?
------------------------------------------------
Clay Shirky
Leading voice on new media and the Internet, and author of best seller, Cognitive Surplus
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Monitor Group
Two Canal Park, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Reception immediately following
RSVP to Erin McDonough at:erin_mcdonough@monitor.com
At this event, Clay forecasts the thrilling changes we will enjoy as new digital technology puts our untapped resources of talent and goodwill to use.
Today, for the first time since the postwar boom, we are embracing new media that allows us to pool our surfeit of intellect, energy, and time—what Clay calls a "cognitive surplus"—at vanishingly low costs. He will enlighten the group with the results of this aggregated effort which range from mind expanding—reference tools like Wikipedia—to lifesaving—like Ushahidi.com, which has allowed citizens around the world to report on conflict and crisis in real-time.
-----------------------------
The Internet: Its Past and Possible Futures
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Simmons College, Main Campus Building
Faculty & Staff Dining Hall
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
Please join the New England Chapter (in formation) of the Internet Society in an engaging presentation about the underlying assumptions of the Internet and how they got us to where we are today. Scott Bradner, University Technology Security Officer of Harvard University, will also discuss the technical and regulatory conflicts broadly collected under the umbrella of net neutrality and the possible futures of this transforming technology that reaches and impacts the lives of more than 1 billion people today.
AGENDA
5:30-6:30 Registration and Networking
6:30-6:45 Introductory Remarks from Chapter founders and Sally Wentworth, North American Chapter Bureau Head at the Internet Society
6:45-7:30 Scott Bradner, Harvard University
7:30-8:00 Q&A and Additional Networking
We plan to have a telephone line for those who wish to join remotely. Please contact info@sisutek.com if you would like details.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Scott Bradner has been involved in the design, operation and use of data networks at Harvard University since the early days of the ARPANET. He was involved in the design of the original Harvard data networks, the Longwood Medical Area network (LMAnet) and New England Academic and Research Network (NEARnet). He was founding chair of the technical committees of LMAnet, NEARnet and the Corporation for Research and Enterprise Network (CoREN). Mr. Bradner served in a number of roles in the IETF, was a member of the IESG (1993-2003), and was an elected trustee of the Internet Society (1993-1999), where he currently serves as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Scott is also a trustee of the American Registry of Internet Numbers (ARIN). A frequent speaker at technical conferences, he is also a weekly columnist for Network World.
RSVP: http://isocne.eventbrite.com/
--------------------------
Guess who's coming to Boston!! Annie Leonard at the Jamaica Plain Forum, in her only Boston appearance!!
When: Friday October 22 @ 7:00 PM
Where: First Church in Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
Speaker: Annie Leonard
Society's consumption of the earth?s resources are at an all time high. Globally renowned filmmaker and author of "The Story of Stuff," Annie Leonard will join us for her insights on creating a more sustainable and just world.
About Annie Leonard:
Annie Leonard is the author and host of our very own The Story of Stuff. She is author of The Story of Stuff, the book, published by Free Press of Simon and Schuster on March 9, 2010. Annie has spent nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues. She has traveled to 40 countries, visiting literally hundreds of factories where our stuff is made and dumps where our stuff is dumped. Witnessing first hand the horrendous impacts of both over- and under- consumption around the world, Annie is fiercely dedicated to reclaiming and transforming our industrial and economic systems so they serve, rather than undermine, ecological sustainability and social equity.
For more information, please visit www.jamaicaplainforum.org
Elizabeth Wambui
Institute for Policy Studies-Northeast Office
Office Manager and Jamaica Plain Forum Coordinator
E-Mail: LizW@Ips-dc.org
Program on Inequality and Common Good
www.extremeinequality.org
www.jamaicaplainforum.org
-------------------------
Passivhaus, LEED, and the City of Boston
A Green Housing Symposium
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Cascieri Hall, Boston Architectural College
320 Newbury Street,
Boston, MA
This timely gathering aims to answer one simple question: Within Boston's urban reality, what indicates a successful green home design and how is it best achieved? Framed with a keynote presentation by Wolfgang Feist and Katrin Klingenberg, and explored in snapshot presentations of local examples, the answer will ultimately be found in a panel discussion that examines the real-world relationship between Passivhaus, LEED, and the CIty of Boston's new Energy Plus housing program.
Hosted bt the Boston Architectural College, this event is free and open to the public.
Please RSVP to keefe@placetailor.com if you plan to attend.
-----------------------------------
2010 MCAN Climate Action Conference
"Act Locally, or Sink Globally"
Sunday, October 24th, 2010, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Clark University, Main Street, Worcester, MA
http://massclimateaction.net/conference/2010-conference.html
----------------------------------
Upcoming
---------------
From Copenhagen to Cancun:
Interpreting Development, Sovereignty & Global Environmental Governance
Four qualified experts, scholars and international negotiators will address
the opportunities and challenges contained in the UN discussions on Climate
Change as they debate on questions such as: What are the visions and
differences between the North and the South in such discussions? Is economic
development compatible with environmental justice? How can national
sovereignty issues be addressed in the context of an international
environmental governance system? Join this panel of dynamic experts as they
shed light in these crucial issues.
October 25th , 2010 6-9pm
at Lyons Dining Hall, Boston College (140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut
Hill, MA 02467)
Maps, Directions, Parking, Public Transportation:
*http://www.bc.edu/about/maps/s-approach.html*
Free admission, dinner will be served
Featuring:
Claudia Salerno Caldera, Special Envoy on Climate Change for the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela
Pablo Solón, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State
of Bolivia to the UN
Julio Escalona, Adjunct Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN
Charles Derber, Scholar, writer, and former Director of Social Economy and
Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College
About the Panelists:
Claudia Salerno Caldera is the Special Envoy on Climate Change for the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Director of International Institutions
at the Multilateral and Integration Affairs Office for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. A renown environmentalist, Ms. Salerno holds degrees in
International Relations and a Doctorate in International Environmental Law.
She represented the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
(ALBA), a regional cooperation bloc between eight Latin American and
Caribbean countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Tianjin, China.
Ms. Salerno interview at Tianjin: *
http://www.oneclimate.net/2010/10/06/claudia-salerno-special-envoy-for-climate-change-for-venzuela-in-tianjin-china/
*
Pablo Solón Romero is the Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
to the United Nations, and principal negotiator on climate change policy.
Mr. Solón was one of the designers of the World People's Conference on
Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which
took place last April, 2010. Formerly Bolivia's Ambassador for issues
concerning Integration and Trade, he also served as Secretary to the Union
of South American Nations (2006-08) and as President Evo Morales' delegate
to the Strategic Reflection Committee for South American Integration (2006).
An activist as well as a diplomat, Solón has worked for many years with
different social organizations, indigenous movements, workers unions,
student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia.
Mr. Solón interview at Democracy Now:
*http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/bolivian_un_ambassador_pablo_solon_on
*
Julio Escalona is the Adjunct Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela to the United Nations. He holds degrees in Economics, Geopolitics
and Environmental Issues. He is the former Director of the School of
Economics and former head of the Department of Human Development at Central
University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas. Escalona is also Professor of
Economics, General Economic History, Economic Education in Latin America,
Contemporary Marxism and Contemporary Social Problems. He has coordinated
research seminars on economic integration, local economies, local
development, alternative technologies, and has been a participant and guest
lecturer at seminars, forums and academic institutions in Peru, Brazil,
Japan, Paris, Mexico and the US.
Some articles by Escalona about Climate Change, globalization and
international issues:
*http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=91134
*
*
http://www.pr-inside.com/democracy-as-a-problem-sovereignty-integration-r2107734.htm
*
Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology and former Director of Social
Economy and Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College. Derber is a
prolific writer, offering not only sociological critiques but alternative
visions for development. His recent books focus on climate change,
capitalism, globalization, terrorism, the culture of hegemony, and the power
of multinational corporations. His op-eds, essays, and interviews have
appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Business Week, Time, Newsday, and
other magazines. He frequently makes appearances on television and talk
radio, including National Public Radio. His works include ?Greed to Green:
Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy? (2010).
Derber speaks on connections between climate change, militarism and the
economy:
*
http://www.wcatv.org/vod/viewvideo/367/voices-near-a-far/voices-near-and-far
*
Charles Derber Speaks at IDEAS Boston 2009
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Fsz156r-Y*
These are comments on his new book, From Greed to Green:
"Charles Derber's urgent call to action on climate change connects to
realistically upbeat ways to help resolve our energy, peace, and employment
challenges. To read this book is to react with personal and social action."
Ralph Nader
"There's no way to solve climate change without also shifting, in profound
ways, our idea of what constitutes success and growth and progress. This is
the right book at the right and crucial moment."
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and creator of the student-based
"Step It Up" campaign
Event sponsored by The Majority Agenda Project and the Consulate General of
Venezuela in Boston
Co-sponsored by the Sociology Department - Boston College
--------------------------------
2010 HBS Green Fair—Tuesday, October 26!
12:00 to 1:30PM in Shad Hall
Come for the giveaways and raffle, stay for the fun, leave with a mission to GO GREEN AT HBS!
Swing by the atrium of Shad Hall from 12:00 to 1:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26to learn about sustainable options available at HBS and in the community, including:
• DVD & Book Swap—Take a few books and DVDs home from the green fair or bring a few to be donated to the swap. No textbooks please.
• Recycling at HBS—Put your knowledge of recycling at HBS to the test and win a prize. Bring your used batteries, cell phones, and eyeglasses to be recycled.
• Green Roof at Shad—Tour the 5,200 square foot “green roof” consisting of thousands of perennials installed on Shad Hall this year. Tours start at 12:30 and 1PM.
• The Green Revolution—Create renewable energy while you work out by riding Shad’s new Green Revolution stationary bikes. A complementary class begins at 12:05PM on the 26th.
• HU Office for Sustainability—Meet representatives from OFS and learn about the University’s sustainability goals and initiatives.
• Restaurant Associates—Ask RA about their Green Dining Initiative and how you can go green at Spangler.
• Charles River Conservancy—Help beautify and preserve the Charles River landscape that we are so fortunate to have in our backyard.
• HBS Green Team and Green Living Reps—Learn about sustainability initiatives at HBS from staff and students.
• Commuter Choice—Explore and learn what's new in the commuter choice world!
Visit http://intranet.hbs.edu/green/ for more information about sustainability at HBS.
-------------------------------------------
IBM Center for Social Software Speaker Series - Tiffany Shlain What Does it Mean to Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Cambridge, MA
When: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010. 3:30pm - 5:00pm; refreshments 3:30 - 4:00; talk 4:00 - 5:00.
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://ibmsocialcraigwatkins.eventbrite.com
Discounted parking at Galleria Mall, next to IBM. Bring parking ticket for validation.
What Does It Mean To Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Join us at the Center for Social Software as we welcome filmmaker and artist, Tiffany Shlain, who will lead us on an exploration into the implications of what it means to be connected in the 21st Century. Tiffany's talks are known to be entertaining, insightful, and informative. In this talk, she will incorporate clips of her award-winning films into this exploration, making it a highly visual event.
About Tiffany Shlain
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and was creative director and CEO for nearly a decade, establishing it into a global organization honoring the best of the Internet. The Webbys receive over 10,000 entries annually and are presented annually in NYC. The 14th Annual Webby Awards will be June 2011.
Her films have been selected at over 100 film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam, have won 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and translated into 8 languages. Her last film “The Tribe,” was the first documentary short to be #1 on iTunes. She is currently completing a feature documentary film, “Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence.”
A sought-after keynote speaker known for her visual presentations, she speaks worldwide on filmmaking and the Internet’s influence on society. Invitations include Harvard, MIT, Apple, and now IBM!
She recently delivered the keynote address for the commencement ceremony at her alma mater, UC Berkeley.
RSVP: http://c4sstiffanyshlain.eventbrite.com/
-----------------------------------------
Raab Associates presents:
The 119th New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
October 29th Roundtable: Impacts of Major New Environmental Regulations on New England's Electricity Future
Host: Prof. Valencia Joyner
With EPA's Gina McCarthy and Curt Spalding
Date: Friday, October 29th, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 12:15 pm
Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Please join us for our 119th New England Electric Restructuring Roundtable as we explore how the convergence of new environmental regulations from the U.S.EPA and New England states will impact the region's electricity resource mix, and how we plan and operate the electricity grid. The new U.S. EPA regulations include:
Transport Rule, which, together with existing other state and EPA actions, would reduce SO2 by 71% from 2005 levels by 2014, and NOx by 52%
New Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter
Tailoring Rule for Greenhouse Gas emissions
Plus other power sector-related multi-pollutant air and water approaches and regulations
We are very pleased to have the nation's lead air regulator, Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, U.S. EPA, to describe the various new or under-development regulations, and offer her thoughts on how these regulations, together with existing federal and state (e.g., RGGI) regulations, could impact New England. Gina will be introduced by Curt Spalding, our new EPA Regional Administrator for New England.
Gina's keynote address will be followed by a question and answer period, and then by a panel of expert discussants. Massachusetts DEP Commissioner Laurie Burt, who is also the current Chair of both the Ozone Transport Commission and the New England Governors' Environment Committee, will kick-off the panel. She will be followed by ISO New England Chief Operating Officer Vamsi Chadalavada, who will discuss how these regulations should be accounted for in the planning and operation of New England's electric grid and its various markets. Pamela Faggert, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer at Dominion, will discuss how the new regulations might impact Dominion's and other resources in New England. Finally, Paul Hibbard, now Vice President at Analysis Group, will present a study that his firm, in collaboration with M.J. Bradley & Associates, recently completed for the Clean Energy Group on the impact that the new EPA air regulations could have on the electric fleet nationally.
Webcast of September 17th Roundtable Now Online
Please note: if you missed our September 17th standing-room-only Roundtable, Renewable Energy's Future in New England and Recent Major Biomass Energy Studies, the presentations, underlying reports, and an archival video (https://admin.na6.acrobat.com/_a821448238/p93181545/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal) are available on our website (http://www.raabassociates.org/main/roundtable.asp?sel=101).
----------------------------
Cambridge Climate Emergency Forum
~ An Open Conversation about Next Steps in Cambridge ~
Windsor Community Health Center, 2nd floor
119 Windsor Street, Cambridge
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 7 pm
Last winter more than 100 residents and representatives from local businesses and institutions met at City Hall on three Saturdays to discuss the climate emergency and develop proposals for response. Delegates to this congress formed the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group (CCEAG) to promote awareness, civic action and other proposals of the congress. In past months, at markets and outdoor events, awareness campaigners have talked with over a thousand residents.
Meanwhile, as evidence of accelerating climate change increases, response on the national level has been scant. Coming elections put progress at the federal and state levels into question. What should we be doing now at the local level?
Come and share your ideas to build a movement to reach beyond our borders.
---------
Ongoing
---------
To members of the Climate CoLab community,
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest, as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.
The contest will address the question: What international climate agreements should the world community make?
The first round runs through October 31 and the final round through November 26.
In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be briefed on the winning entries.
We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of these briefings.
We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org.
We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so that members of the community can get to know each other.
And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the contest.
Editorial Comment: I played a previous version of this simulation. This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=
----------------------------
Resource
-----------
Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation
-----------------------------------------------------
Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://green.harvard.edu/events
--------------------------------------------------
Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke@world.std.com
-----
Monday, October 18, 2010
Ownership Consolidation and Product Quality: A Study of the US Daily Newspaper Market
Speaker: Ying Fan (Michigan)
Time: 2:30p–4:00p
Location: E62-650
Ownership Consolidation and Product Quality: A Study of the US Daily Newspaper Market
Web site: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~yingfan/DailyNewspaper_Fan.pdf
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop (Sponsored by Analysis Group)
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
---------------------
Monday, October 18, 2010
Give Me Shelter Lecture Series: Dava Newman
Speaker: Dava Newman
Time: 7:00p–9:00p
Location: E15-070
MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology presents its Monday night lecture series, Give Me Shelter: Second Skin for Extreme Environments?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This series draws together speakers from different disciplines to discuss questions such as: How can bodywear function as an extension of the human body and support it under unusual conditions such as hot and cold climates? How can we expand our thinking about the boundary between body and environment? What kind of second skin would be required to survive walking through a volcano, or for living under water or visiting outer space? When does clothing become a contested cultural arena for endangered peoples and their environment?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dava Newman - Second Skin Bio-Suit
The BioSuit was developed to provide "second skin" capability for astronaut performance (developed with the support of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts and Trotti & Assoc. Inc., Cambridge, Mass.). The current iteration uses nylon, spandex and urethane layers along with electronics. The helmet uses materials with "smart textile" capabilities for comfort, communications and spatial orientation. This research can also lead to improvements in our quality of life through advances in orthotics.
Dava J. Newman is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at MIT. She assisted NASA in developing the Bio-Suit.
Held at the MIT Bartos Theater (Lower Level of the Wiesner Building at 20 Ames Street)
Web site: act.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology
For more information, contact:
Lisa Hickler
617-253-5229
act@mit.edu
----------------
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Engineers without Borders Energy Team Meeting
Time: 8:00p–9:30p
Location: 26-310
Web site: http://ewb.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
This event occurs on Tuesdays through December 10, 2010.
Sponsor(s): Engineers Without Borders
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Heywood
rheywood@mit.edu
-------------------------
Evolution of cooperation
Speaker: Prof. Martin Nowak, Director of Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Time: 4:00pm
Location: 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, Bldg 46, off of 3rd floor atrium
Abstract:
Cooperation means that one individual pays a cost for another to receive a benefit. Cost and benefit are measured in terms of reproductive success. Cooperation is required for construction in evolution: genomes, cells, multi-cellular organisms, animal and human societies are consequences of cooperation. Cooperative behavior is at variance with natural selection. Why should we help competitors? I present five mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation: kin selection, direct reciprocity, indirect reciprocity, spatial selection and group selection. Direct reciprocity means there are repeated interactions between the same two individuals and my behavior towards you depends on what you have done to me. Indirect reciprocity means there are repeated interactions within a group and my behavior towards you also depends on what you have done to others. Indirect reciprocity is the key mechanism for understanding pro-social behavior among humans and has provided the right selection pressure for the evolution of social intelligence and human language.
Further reading:
Nowak MA (2006) Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University Press
Nowak MA (2006). Five rules for the evolution of cooperation. Science 314: 1560-1563
Nowak MA, Tarnita CE, Wilson EO (2010) The evolution of eusociality, Nature 466: 1057-1062
Speaker bio: Martin A. Nowak is Professor of Biology and of Mathematics at Harvard University and Director of Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Dr Nowak works on the mathematical description of evolutionary processes including the evolution of cooperation and human language, the dynamics of virus infections and human cancer. At the moment Dr Nowak is working on 'prelife', which is a formal approach to study the origin of evolution.
------------------------------
Cape Wind Developments: Conservation, Monitoring, and Outreach
Speaker: Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations, Mass Audubon
Time: Wednesday Oct. 20, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Place: 4-145
---------------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Nanoengineered Surfaces for Efficiency Enhancements in Energy and Water
Speaker: Prof. Kripa Varanasi, Mechanical Engineering, MIT
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Location: 66-110
Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series
The Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series is sponsored by Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Processing Center. To receive notice of the events, join the matseminars mailing list, matseminars@mit.edu at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/matseminars
This talk will discuss how surface and interfaces can be engineered to fundamentally alter thermal-fluid-surface interactions for dramatic enhancements in efficiency of various energy and water systems.
The concepts of wetting energetics and wetting hysteresis of droplets as a function of surface texture and surface energy will be discussed, as well as the extension of these concepts to dynamic wetting and establishment of optimal design space for droplet shedding and impact resistance. The behavior of surfaces under phase change, such as condensation, and freezing using an environmental SEM, will also be presented; surfaces can be engineered to promote dropwise condensation but result in a mixture of wetting states. Further optimization of the surface by considering nucleation-level phenomena leads to hybrid wetting architectures similar to the one found on a Namib beetle.
The last portion of the talk will focus on ice and hydrate formation. Applications of nanoengineered surfaces to power turbines, engines, power and desalination plants, oil and gas and electronic cooling will be highlighted.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Materials Processing Center, Materials@MIT, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Materials Science & Engineering
--------------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sloan Automotive Laboratory FALL 2010 SEMINAR SERIES
Speaker: Don MacKenzie
Time: 4:15p–5:30p
Location: 37-212
Topic: Quenching Our Thirst for Power: Is there an end in sight to 25 years of automotive performance increases?
Sloan Automotive Laboratory FALL 2010 SEMINAR SERIES
Seminar on topics related to engines, fuels, vehicle behavior, broader transportation energy questions presented by graduate students, faculty, researchers, and special guest speakers of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering Dept.
For more information, contact:
Janet Maslow
253-4529
jsabio@mit.edu
----------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Reconciling Peace-Making: A Transformative Ethic
Speaker: Robert V. Taylor
Time: 7:00p–8:00p
Location: W79-MPR, Simmons Hall, MPR
Robert V. Taylor is Chair of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation in New York. Born and raised in South Africa, Robert saw firsthand the potential for peace making when oppressed people find the courage to be who they are through discovering their voices and trusting their imagination. In 1980 his mentor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent Robert to the United States to avoid imprisonment for his anti-apartheid activity. A graduate of Rhodes University in South and Union Theological Seminary in New York he eventually became the highest ranking openly gay clergy person in the Episcopal Church at the time. He lectures nationally on compassion, peace-making and reconciliation engaging audience across the United States in realizing their full human potential and impact in the world.
His lecture will address the way in which reconciling peacemaking is a grounding transformative ethic in our personal lives and in society reorienting how we perceive ourselves and others. He will explore the ways in which technology and social media offer ground breaking opportunities for creating a new normalcy to local and global peace-making and reconciliation, and how this expands our understanding of the inter-connectedness of all people with implications for reframing the landscape of power dynamics among diverse peoples. He will draw on his own involvement in creating an open source peace platform with its potential for a transformative ethic of human engagement.
Web site: http://thecenter.mit.edu/events/upcoming/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values
For more information, contact:
Tenzin Priyadarshi
4-6030
DalaiLamaCenter@mit.edu
-----------------------------
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Energy Discussions: Climate, Energy, and National Security
Speaker: Jon Gensler
Time: 7:00p–8:00p
Location: 56-167
Climate, Energy, and National Security: What are the threats, and how is our nation's military meeting them?
The US Department of Defense is the largest purchaser of liquid fuels in the world, but it costs them up to $400 per gallon to get the fuel to where it is actually used. Moreover, the United States has lost over 1000 servicemen in attacks on
convoys, most frequently carrying liquid fuel.
This discussion will focus on understanding how climate change and our nation's current energy posture are hurting our national security, with a focus on non-traditional security topics such as battlefield logistics and liquid fossil fuels dependence. We will take a look at what the different services are doing to mitigate these threats, and talk about how energy entrepreneurs can take advantage of this important market to get new technologies scaled up and commercialized.
Please prepare for the discussion by reading the articles posted on the event 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 Dell
rwdell(at)mit.edu
---------------------
Friday, October 22, 2010
MIT-Haiti Symposium Open House
Time: 3:15p–5:00p
Location: Marriott Cambridge
The MIT-Haitian "Best Practices for Reconstruction" Symposium is hosting a community open house to discuss potential collaborative projects between MIT faculty and Haitian universities on Friday Oct 22, between 3:15 and 5:00 pm.
Please join us to hear a summary of the symposium and some of the collaborations that have been formed. The focus will be on possibilities of using open educational resources and technology-enabled education.
Hosted by OEIT, with the supportive partnership of OCW, BLOSSOMS, TEAL, Hyperstudio, STAR, and iLabs.
To RSVP to the open house, please visit the MIT-Haiti event website.
Web site: http://haiti.mit.edu/open-house/
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Tickets: RSVP on MIT-Haiti symposium website
Sponsor(s): Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education
For more information, contact:
Crosby, Nancy Murphy
253-6057
due-special-projects@mit.edu
------------------------------------
Friday, October 22, 2010
A Talk on 'Gandhian Engineering' Michael Mazgaonkar, Mozda Collective, India
Speaker: Michael Mazgaonkar
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: 4-231
In these talks, Michael will describe the multidimensional aspects of his work among the poorest of the poor in rural India, particularly the promotion of sustainable technology, social and environmental activism. These include,
* Making and installing solar photovoltaic lights in remote areas, parabolic solar cookers, LED lights, wind electric generators
* Helping the natives (Adivasis) get land rights under the new Forest Rights Act, training people to use the Right to Information Act, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
* Helping farmers fighting corporate misappropriation of property
* Advocacy in mainstream policy making
In addition, Michael is extremely interested in speaking to students and engineers at MIT interested in collaborating on ideas and projects in Rural Technology.
Web site:http://www.aidboston.org/events/MichaelBostonTalk2010/index.htm
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Association for India's Development - MIT, MIT India Program, Engineers Without Borders
For more information, contact:
Karthik Shekhar
217 979 9852
kshekhar@mit.edu
----------------------
Harvard
----------
New Independent Documentaries from China: Continuous screening of "Crude Oil" (2008), directed by Wang Bing
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 18, 2010, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
WHERE
CGIS Building, Room S030, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Film, Humanities, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies - Emergent Visions: New Independent Documentaries from China
CONTACT INFO
qian@fas.harvard.edu
LINK
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~fairbank/events/EMERGENT%20VISIONS/EV_Crude_oil.html
Wang Bing is an incredible visual stylist and documentary filmmaker working with a radical realism and poetic sense. The Harvard Film Archive will be showing Wang Bing's work between October 17 and 25. Please see http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2010octdec/wang.html for details.
In collaboration with Harvard Film Archive, the Fairbank Center will house Wang Bing's 14-hour video installation following the long working day of crude oil extractors in China's remote eastern Qinghai Province. Crude Oil realizes Cesare Zavattini's often cited dream of an uncut, unvarnished film about a worker's daily life. To intensify the sounds, textures, and experience of the oil workers, Wang chooses not to subtitle the film's minimal dialogue and conceives of Crude Oil as an installation piece to be shown in gallery or museum settings.
------------------
Cultural Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability in the UAE
WHEN
Mon., Oct. 18, 2010, 4 – 5:45 p.m.
WHERE
Thompson Room of the Barker Center
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Religion
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Islamic Legal Studies Program
SPEAKER(S)
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi
CONTACT INFO
smilack@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi is a member of the ruling family of the Emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates and is currently serving as environmental adviser to the Ajman Government and the CEO of Al Ihsan Charity Centre, where he is also Chairman of the International Steering Committee for the Global Initiative Towards a Sustainable Iraq (GITSI), UAE.
LINK
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/2142
--------------------------------
"Biological Networks and the Scaling of Plant Form, Function, Diversity, and Ecology," a talk by Brian J. Enquist, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona and The Santa Fe Institute. This lecture is part of the Harvard University Center for the Environment and Bank of America series on Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change.
• Monday, October 18
• 5:00pm
• Biolabs Lecture Hall
• Harvard University
• 16 Divinity Ave
• Cambridge, MA
Ecology needs a predictive theoretical framework to understand and integrate how plants and ecosystems respond in changing world. However, is it possible to predict attributes of plant function, diversity, or even ecosystem performance from more general first principles? I will discuss new insights from Metabolic Scaling Theory (MST). MST is based on how the geometry of vascular networks underlies individual-level scaling relations for how plants use resources, fill space, and grow. The theory invokes a few key principles – space-filling, biomechanics, and minimization of resource transport costs within hierarchical vascular networks. MST postulates that these principles have primarily shaped the evolution of plant form, function, diversity, and ecology. Recent applications include linking how key functional traits interact to regulate variation in relative growth rates, leaf functioning, and how functional traits covary with each other. These then scale up to determine emergent properties in ecology and the functional trade-off axes that help define plant diversity. Lastly, this talk will also show how functional diversity in plants can then be ‘scaled up’ to predict emergent scaling behavior across diverse forests, including size–frequency distributions, spacing relations, canopy configurations, mortality rates, population dynamics, successional dynamics, and resource flux rates. The theory uniquely makes quantitative predictions for both leaf-level and forest-level scaling exponents and normalizations. A major strength of the theory is that it endeavors to explain a lot with a little. MST is based on a small number of principles and parameters but it makes many quantitative predictions and unifies diverse features of (i) the structure and function of plants; and (ii) plant ecology, community ecology, and ecosystem dynamics.
The Biodiversity, Ecology, and Global Change lecture series is sponsored by the Harvard University Center for the Environment with generous support from Bank of America. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
---------------------------
Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia
Joseph Reagle, Berkman Center Fellow
Tuesday, October 19, 12:30 pm
Pound Hall Room 335, Harvard Law School
**Please note new location for this week only**
RSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.
Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy.
About Joseph
Joseph Reagle is a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, where he studies collaborative cultures. He received his Ph.D., and was an adjunct faculty member, at NYU's Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. As a Research Engineer at MIT's Lab for Computer Science and Working Group Chair and Author within IETFand W3C, he contributed to several specifications on digital security and privacy. He also helped develop and maintain W3C'sprivacy and intellectual rights policies (i.e., copyright/trademark licenses and patent analysis). Dr. Reagle has degrees inComputer Science (UMBC), Technology Policy (MIT), and Media, Culture, and Communication (NYU). He served as a fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, has been consulted on new-media related projects, and has been profiled, interviewed, and quoted in national media including Technology Review, The Economist, The New York Times and Americanand New Zealand Public Radio. A book, based on his dissertation, about Wikipedia history and collaboration will be available in 2010 from The MIT Press.
--------------------------------------
Special Seminar: “Sea Level Rise” with Stefan Rahmstorf
WHEN
Tue., Oct. 19, 2010, 3 p.m.
WHERE
Haller Hall - Geo Museum 102
24 Oxford St.
Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S)
Stefan Rahmstorf, head of Earth system analysis at the Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and professor of physics of the oceans, Potsdam University
NOTE
Rahmstorf is a member of the Academia Europaea and of the German Advisory Council on Global Change. His most recent book, "The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change," is a “concise and accessible overview of what we know about ongoing climate change and its impacts, and what we can do to confront the climate crisis. Rahmstorf is one of the lead authors of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and also the co-founder and regular contributor to the website realclimate.org.
LINK
http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/2010-10-19/sea-level-rise
----------------------
Wyss Lecture: New Concepts in Termite-Inspired Design
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 20, 2010, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE
Harvard SEAS Campus
Maxwell-Dworkin, G-135
33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Education, Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
SPEAKER(S)
Jeffrey S. Turner
NOTE
Abstract: Social insects are renowned for the remarkable structures they build. Architects and designers have long looked to social insects as models for inspiration for innovative or imaginative designs. In this lecture, Jeffrey S. Turner will explore one such model: the mounds built by fungus-growing termites of the genus Macrotermes. These structures have long been thought to be devices for managing the environment of the underground nest, and the principles of their operation are being incorporated into many building designs for wind-driven climate control. New findings show that the actual function of termite mounds is much different and far more complex than previously thought, and this opens the window on a new generation of termite-inspired devices for capturing wind and using it to manage the internal climate of buildings. These findings also point the way to realizing dynamic architecture that self-regulates its function and adapts it to the changing needs of the building's inhabitants.
LINK
http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewevent/87/wyss-seminar-jeff-s-turner
--------------------------------
Rx Democracy: Innovations at the Intersection of Health Care, Democracy, and Civic Engagement
WHEN
Wed., Oct. 20, 2010, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE
Suite 200-North, Room 226, 124 Mount Auburn, Cambridge MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Classes/Workshops, Health Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
SPEAKER(S)
Rishi Manchanda, founder & chair, Rx Democracy
COST
Free
CONTACT INFO
Bruce Jackan: 617.495.7548, bruce_jackan@hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
Health is essential to full participation in democracy and health care represents roughly one-sixth of the U.S. economy. Manchanda's upcoming seminar is based on experience exploring and building the relationship between participatory democracy and health, including his work as the founder of a national nonpartisan network of health care providers called Rx Democracy, which advances civic engagement and registered over 26,000 voters in doctors' offices and clinics in 2008. During the seminar, we will discuss challenges and innovations at the intersection of health care and democratic governance and consider next steps for research, practice, and policy.
LINK
http://ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Events/Rx-Democracy
-----------------------------
Compellence and Accommodation in Counterinsurgency Warfare: A Challenge to the Hearts-and-Minds Narrative of Counterinsurgent Success
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 21, 2010, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE
Belfer Center Library, Littauer 369, Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)
Jacqueline L. Hazelton, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO
susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5309/compellence_and_accommodation_in_counterinsurgency_warfare.html
-----------------------------
Does Freedom of Speech Protect Net Neutrality?
WHEN
Thu., Oct. 21, 2010, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE
26 Trowbridge Street (conference room)
Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Ethics, Humanities, Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Real Colegio Complutense
SPEAKER(S)
Luis Fernando RodrÃguez GarcÃa, UNED
COST
Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO
rcc_info@harvard.edu
NOTE
In English
LINK
www.realcolegiocomplutense.harvard.edu
--------------------------
Climate Change and Korea's Growth Paradigm Shift
WHEN
Fri., Oct. 22, 2010, 12:15 – 1:45 p.m.
WHERE
CGIS South Building
1730 Cambridge St.
Seminar Room S153
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION
Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR
Harvard University Asia Center, Modern Asia Seminar, Ezra F. Vogel Distinguished Visitor Program, co-sponsored with the Korean Institute
SPEAKER(S)
Han Seung-soo, former prime minister, Republic of Korea, former Korean ambassador to the U.S., chairman, Board of Directors, Global Green Growth Institute
CONTACT INFO
617.496.6273
-----------------------
Tufts
---------
Sustainable Development? Rising incomes in developing countries and the acquisition of energy-using household appliances
October 18, 2010 12:30p–1:45p
Catherine Wolfram is an associate professor of business administration at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and co-director of the Energy Institute at Haas. She is also a researcher at the UC Energy Institute, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and an affiliated faculty member in the Agriculture and Resource Economics department and the Energy and Resources Group at Berkeley. Before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley, she was an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University. She holds a PhD in economics from MIT and an AB from Harvard.
In her most recent paper Wolfram and her co-authors explore the implications of rising incomes amongst the world?s poor for energy use, focusing on the accumulation of energy-using assets (household appliances). Using data from Oportunidades, the Mexican conditional cash transfer program that began in 1998, the paper shows that households are more likely to give up consumption of non-durables, such as food, in order to acquire durables, such as refrigerators, when cash transfers are lumpy or income growth is fast. They show that the main driver of increased energy use among poor Mexicans has been the accumulation of energy-using household appliances. The results have implications for evaluating the effects of the timing of cash transfers and for considering the effects of income growth on energy use.
Light refreshments provided
Category: lectures/conferences
Location: Tisch Library, Room 304, Tufts University
Sponsored by: MIT Energy Campus Events, Tufts Department of Economics, Tufts Institute of the Environment, and Fletcher?s Center for International Environment and Resource Policy
Admission: Open to the public
For more information: Contact Jacqueline M Deelstra
Jacqueline.Deelstra@tufts.edu
--------------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Halligan 111-A
Nanowire-based Solar Cells
Speaker: Dr. Marcie Black, CTO and Founder, Bandgap Engineering
If you would like to receive email notifications of upcoming colloquia, please sent email to
-----------
Northeastern
--------------
Wed 20 October 2010
2:30 PM
Physics Nobel Seminar: The Carbon New Age
Professor Antonio H. Castro Neto, Department of Physics, Boston University
Curry Student Center 342
Graphene has been considered by many as a revolutionary material with electronic and structural properties that surpass conventional semiconductors and metals. Due to its superlative qualities, graphene is being considered as the reference material for a post-CMOS technology. Furthermore, graphene is also quite unusual electronically since its electric carriers behave as if they were massless and relativistic, the so-called Dirac particles. Because of its exotic electronic properties, theorists are being forced to revisit the conceptual basis for the theory of metals. Hence, graphene seems to be unveiling a new era in science and technology with still unseen consequences.
-----------------
Other
----------
Climate Change, Arts and the Media: A Transatlantic Symposium
Monday, October 18, 2010, 6–8 PM
Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 9 AM–1:30 PM
School for Management, Boston University, 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
In English
Admission free - RSVP requested
RSVP/Info: program2@boston.goethe.org
http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/bos/ges/umw/en6413732v.htm
The perception of climate change is strongly influenced by the media as well as the work of filmmakers, artists, etc. While the majority of Europe’s population and governments identifies human-made climate change as one of the fiercest challenges of our time, the issue of global warming remains disputed within American public. We aim to examine the perceptions of climate change within Europe and the United States, and ask: what is the role and indeed the responsibility of the media and the arts in shaping this perception and enabling an appropriate response to climate change?
------------------------------------------------
Clay Shirky
Leading voice on new media and the Internet, and author of best seller, Cognitive Surplus
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Monitor Group
Two Canal Park, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Reception immediately following
RSVP to Erin McDonough at:erin_mcdonough@monitor.com
At this event, Clay forecasts the thrilling changes we will enjoy as new digital technology puts our untapped resources of talent and goodwill to use.
Today, for the first time since the postwar boom, we are embracing new media that allows us to pool our surfeit of intellect, energy, and time—what Clay calls a "cognitive surplus"—at vanishingly low costs. He will enlighten the group with the results of this aggregated effort which range from mind expanding—reference tools like Wikipedia—to lifesaving—like Ushahidi.com, which has allowed citizens around the world to report on conflict and crisis in real-time.
-----------------------------
The Internet: Its Past and Possible Futures
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Simmons College, Main Campus Building
Faculty & Staff Dining Hall
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
Please join the New England Chapter (in formation) of the Internet Society in an engaging presentation about the underlying assumptions of the Internet and how they got us to where we are today. Scott Bradner, University Technology Security Officer of Harvard University, will also discuss the technical and regulatory conflicts broadly collected under the umbrella of net neutrality and the possible futures of this transforming technology that reaches and impacts the lives of more than 1 billion people today.
AGENDA
5:30-6:30 Registration and Networking
6:30-6:45 Introductory Remarks from Chapter founders and Sally Wentworth, North American Chapter Bureau Head at the Internet Society
6:45-7:30 Scott Bradner, Harvard University
7:30-8:00 Q&A and Additional Networking
We plan to have a telephone line for those who wish to join remotely. Please contact info@sisutek.com if you would like details.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Scott Bradner has been involved in the design, operation and use of data networks at Harvard University since the early days of the ARPANET. He was involved in the design of the original Harvard data networks, the Longwood Medical Area network (LMAnet) and New England Academic and Research Network (NEARnet). He was founding chair of the technical committees of LMAnet, NEARnet and the Corporation for Research and Enterprise Network (CoREN). Mr. Bradner served in a number of roles in the IETF, was a member of the IESG (1993-2003), and was an elected trustee of the Internet Society (1993-1999), where he currently serves as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees. Scott is also a trustee of the American Registry of Internet Numbers (ARIN). A frequent speaker at technical conferences, he is also a weekly columnist for Network World.
RSVP: http://isocne.eventbrite.com/
--------------------------
Guess who's coming to Boston!! Annie Leonard at the Jamaica Plain Forum, in her only Boston appearance!!
When: Friday October 22 @ 7:00 PM
Where: First Church in Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
Speaker: Annie Leonard
Society's consumption of the earth?s resources are at an all time high. Globally renowned filmmaker and author of "The Story of Stuff," Annie Leonard will join us for her insights on creating a more sustainable and just world.
About Annie Leonard:
Annie Leonard is the author and host of our very own The Story of Stuff. She is author of The Story of Stuff, the book, published by Free Press of Simon and Schuster on March 9, 2010. Annie has spent nearly two decades investigating and organizing on environmental health and justice issues. She has traveled to 40 countries, visiting literally hundreds of factories where our stuff is made and dumps where our stuff is dumped. Witnessing first hand the horrendous impacts of both over- and under- consumption around the world, Annie is fiercely dedicated to reclaiming and transforming our industrial and economic systems so they serve, rather than undermine, ecological sustainability and social equity.
For more information, please visit www.jamaicaplainforum.org
Elizabeth Wambui
Institute for Policy Studies-Northeast Office
Office Manager and Jamaica Plain Forum Coordinator
E-Mail: LizW@Ips-dc.org
Program on Inequality and Common Good
www.extremeinequality.org
www.jamaicaplainforum.org
-------------------------
Passivhaus, LEED, and the City of Boston
A Green Housing Symposium
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Cascieri Hall, Boston Architectural College
320 Newbury Street,
Boston, MA
This timely gathering aims to answer one simple question: Within Boston's urban reality, what indicates a successful green home design and how is it best achieved? Framed with a keynote presentation by Wolfgang Feist and Katrin Klingenberg, and explored in snapshot presentations of local examples, the answer will ultimately be found in a panel discussion that examines the real-world relationship between Passivhaus, LEED, and the CIty of Boston's new Energy Plus housing program.
Hosted bt the Boston Architectural College, this event is free and open to the public.
Please RSVP to keefe@placetailor.com if you plan to attend.
-----------------------------------
2010 MCAN Climate Action Conference
"Act Locally, or Sink Globally"
Sunday, October 24th, 2010, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Clark University, Main Street, Worcester, MA
http://massclimateaction.net/conference/2010-conference.html
----------------------------------
Upcoming
---------------
From Copenhagen to Cancun:
Interpreting Development, Sovereignty & Global Environmental Governance
Four qualified experts, scholars and international negotiators will address
the opportunities and challenges contained in the UN discussions on Climate
Change as they debate on questions such as: What are the visions and
differences between the North and the South in such discussions? Is economic
development compatible with environmental justice? How can national
sovereignty issues be addressed in the context of an international
environmental governance system? Join this panel of dynamic experts as they
shed light in these crucial issues.
October 25th , 2010 6-9pm
at Lyons Dining Hall, Boston College (140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut
Hill, MA 02467)
Maps, Directions, Parking, Public Transportation:
*http://www.bc.edu/about/maps/s-approach.html*
Free admission, dinner will be served
Featuring:
Claudia Salerno Caldera, Special Envoy on Climate Change for the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela
Pablo Solón, Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State
of Bolivia to the UN
Julio Escalona, Adjunct Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the UN
Charles Derber, Scholar, writer, and former Director of Social Economy and
Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College
About the Panelists:
Claudia Salerno Caldera is the Special Envoy on Climate Change for the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Director of International Institutions
at the Multilateral and Integration Affairs Office for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. A renown environmentalist, Ms. Salerno holds degrees in
International Relations and a Doctorate in International Environmental Law.
She represented the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
(ALBA), a regional cooperation bloc between eight Latin American and
Caribbean countries at the UN Climate Change Conference in Tianjin, China.
Ms. Salerno interview at Tianjin: *
http://www.oneclimate.net/2010/10/06/claudia-salerno-special-envoy-for-climate-change-for-venzuela-in-tianjin-china/
*
Pablo Solón Romero is the Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
to the United Nations, and principal negotiator on climate change policy.
Mr. Solón was one of the designers of the World People's Conference on
Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia, which
took place last April, 2010. Formerly Bolivia's Ambassador for issues
concerning Integration and Trade, he also served as Secretary to the Union
of South American Nations (2006-08) and as President Evo Morales' delegate
to the Strategic Reflection Committee for South American Integration (2006).
An activist as well as a diplomat, Solón has worked for many years with
different social organizations, indigenous movements, workers unions,
student associations, human rights and cultural organizations in Bolivia.
Mr. Solón interview at Democracy Now:
*http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/19/bolivian_un_ambassador_pablo_solon_on
*
Julio Escalona is the Adjunct Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela to the United Nations. He holds degrees in Economics, Geopolitics
and Environmental Issues. He is the former Director of the School of
Economics and former head of the Department of Human Development at Central
University of Venezuela (UCV) in Caracas. Escalona is also Professor of
Economics, General Economic History, Economic Education in Latin America,
Contemporary Marxism and Contemporary Social Problems. He has coordinated
research seminars on economic integration, local economies, local
development, alternative technologies, and has been a participant and guest
lecturer at seminars, forums and academic institutions in Peru, Brazil,
Japan, Paris, Mexico and the US.
Some articles by Escalona about Climate Change, globalization and
international issues:
*http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=91134
*
*
http://www.pr-inside.com/democracy-as-a-problem-sovereignty-integration-r2107734.htm
*
Charles Derber is a Professor of Sociology and former Director of Social
Economy and Social Justice Graduate Programs at Boston College. Derber is a
prolific writer, offering not only sociological critiques but alternative
visions for development. His recent books focus on climate change,
capitalism, globalization, terrorism, the culture of hegemony, and the power
of multinational corporations. His op-eds, essays, and interviews have
appeared in The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Business Week, Time, Newsday, and
other magazines. He frequently makes appearances on television and talk
radio, including National Public Radio. His works include ?Greed to Green:
Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy? (2010).
Derber speaks on connections between climate change, militarism and the
economy:
*
http://www.wcatv.org/vod/viewvideo/367/voices-near-a-far/voices-near-and-far
*
Charles Derber Speaks at IDEAS Boston 2009
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Fsz156r-Y*
These are comments on his new book, From Greed to Green:
"Charles Derber's urgent call to action on climate change connects to
realistically upbeat ways to help resolve our energy, peace, and employment
challenges. To read this book is to react with personal and social action."
Ralph Nader
"There's no way to solve climate change without also shifting, in profound
ways, our idea of what constitutes success and growth and progress. This is
the right book at the right and crucial moment."
Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and creator of the student-based
"Step It Up" campaign
Event sponsored by The Majority Agenda Project and the Consulate General of
Venezuela in Boston
Co-sponsored by the Sociology Department - Boston College
--------------------------------
2010 HBS Green Fair—Tuesday, October 26!
12:00 to 1:30PM in Shad Hall
Come for the giveaways and raffle, stay for the fun, leave with a mission to GO GREEN AT HBS!
Swing by the atrium of Shad Hall from 12:00 to 1:30 PM on Tuesday, October 26to learn about sustainable options available at HBS and in the community, including:
• DVD & Book Swap—Take a few books and DVDs home from the green fair or bring a few to be donated to the swap. No textbooks please.
• Recycling at HBS—Put your knowledge of recycling at HBS to the test and win a prize. Bring your used batteries, cell phones, and eyeglasses to be recycled.
• Green Roof at Shad—Tour the 5,200 square foot “green roof” consisting of thousands of perennials installed on Shad Hall this year. Tours start at 12:30 and 1PM.
• The Green Revolution—Create renewable energy while you work out by riding Shad’s new Green Revolution stationary bikes. A complementary class begins at 12:05PM on the 26th.
• HU Office for Sustainability—Meet representatives from OFS and learn about the University’s sustainability goals and initiatives.
• Restaurant Associates—Ask RA about their Green Dining Initiative and how you can go green at Spangler.
• Charles River Conservancy—Help beautify and preserve the Charles River landscape that we are so fortunate to have in our backyard.
• HBS Green Team and Green Living Reps—Learn about sustainability initiatives at HBS from staff and students.
• Commuter Choice—Explore and learn what's new in the commuter choice world!
Visit http://intranet.hbs.edu/green/ for more information about sustainability at HBS.
-------------------------------------------
IBM Center for Social Software Speaker Series - Tiffany Shlain What Does it Mean to Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Cambridge, MA
When: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010. 3:30pm - 5:00pm; refreshments 3:30 - 4:00; talk 4:00 - 5:00.
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://ibmsocialcraigwatkins.eventbrite.com
Discounted parking at Galleria Mall, next to IBM. Bring parking ticket for validation.
What Does It Mean To Be Connected in the 21st Century?
Join us at the Center for Social Software as we welcome filmmaker and artist, Tiffany Shlain, who will lead us on an exploration into the implications of what it means to be connected in the 21st Century. Tiffany's talks are known to be entertaining, insightful, and informative. In this talk, she will incorporate clips of her award-winning films into this exploration, making it a highly visual event.
About Tiffany Shlain
Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany Shlain is a filmmaker, artist, founder of The Webby Awards, and co-founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Tiffany founded The Webby Awards in 1996 and was creative director and CEO for nearly a decade, establishing it into a global organization honoring the best of the Internet. The Webbys receive over 10,000 entries annually and are presented annually in NYC. The 14th Annual Webby Awards will be June 2011.
Her films have been selected at over 100 film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Rotterdam, have won 20 awards including Audience and Grand Jury Prizes and translated into 8 languages. Her last film “The Tribe,” was the first documentary short to be #1 on iTunes. She is currently completing a feature documentary film, “Connected: A Declaration of Interdependence.”
A sought-after keynote speaker known for her visual presentations, she speaks worldwide on filmmaking and the Internet’s influence on society. Invitations include Harvard, MIT, Apple, and now IBM!
She recently delivered the keynote address for the commencement ceremony at her alma mater, UC Berkeley.
RSVP: http://c4sstiffanyshlain.eventbrite.com/
-----------------------------------------
Raab Associates presents:
The 119th New England Electricity Restructuring Roundtable
October 29th Roundtable: Impacts of Major New Environmental Regulations on New England's Electricity Future
Host: Prof. Valencia Joyner
With EPA's Gina McCarthy and Curt Spalding
Date: Friday, October 29th, 2010
Time: 9:00 am to 12:15 pm
Foley Hoag LLP
155 Seaport Boulevard, 13th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Please join us for our 119th New England Electric Restructuring Roundtable as we explore how the convergence of new environmental regulations from the U.S.EPA and New England states will impact the region's electricity resource mix, and how we plan and operate the electricity grid. The new U.S. EPA regulations include:
Transport Rule, which, together with existing other state and EPA actions, would reduce SO2 by 71% from 2005 levels by 2014, and NOx by 52%
New Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter
Tailoring Rule for Greenhouse Gas emissions
Plus other power sector-related multi-pollutant air and water approaches and regulations
We are very pleased to have the nation's lead air regulator, Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, U.S. EPA, to describe the various new or under-development regulations, and offer her thoughts on how these regulations, together with existing federal and state (e.g., RGGI) regulations, could impact New England. Gina will be introduced by Curt Spalding, our new EPA Regional Administrator for New England.
Gina's keynote address will be followed by a question and answer period, and then by a panel of expert discussants. Massachusetts DEP Commissioner Laurie Burt, who is also the current Chair of both the Ozone Transport Commission and the New England Governors' Environment Committee, will kick-off the panel. She will be followed by ISO New England Chief Operating Officer Vamsi Chadalavada, who will discuss how these regulations should be accounted for in the planning and operation of New England's electric grid and its various markets. Pamela Faggert, Vice President and Chief Environmental Officer at Dominion, will discuss how the new regulations might impact Dominion's and other resources in New England. Finally, Paul Hibbard, now Vice President at Analysis Group, will present a study that his firm, in collaboration with M.J. Bradley & Associates, recently completed for the Clean Energy Group on the impact that the new EPA air regulations could have on the electric fleet nationally.
Webcast of September 17th Roundtable Now Online
Please note: if you missed our September 17th standing-room-only Roundtable, Renewable Energy's Future in New England and Recent Major Biomass Energy Studies, the presentations, underlying reports, and an archival video (https://admin.na6.acrobat.com/_a821448238/p93181545/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal) are available on our website (http://www.raabassociates.org/main/roundtable.asp?sel=101).
----------------------------
Cambridge Climate Emergency Forum
~ An Open Conversation about Next Steps in Cambridge ~
Windsor Community Health Center, 2nd floor
119 Windsor Street, Cambridge
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 at 7 pm
Last winter more than 100 residents and representatives from local businesses and institutions met at City Hall on three Saturdays to discuss the climate emergency and develop proposals for response. Delegates to this congress formed the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group (CCEAG) to promote awareness, civic action and other proposals of the congress. In past months, at markets and outdoor events, awareness campaigners have talked with over a thousand residents.
Meanwhile, as evidence of accelerating climate change increases, response on the national level has been scant. Coming elections put progress at the federal and state levels into question. What should we be doing now at the local level?
Come and share your ideas to build a movement to reach beyond our borders.
---------
Ongoing
---------
To members of the Climate CoLab community,
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Climate CoLab contest, as well as a major upgrade of our software platform.
The contest will address the question: What international climate agreements should the world community make?
The first round runs through October 31 and the final round through November 26.
In early December, the United Nations and U.S. Congress will be briefed on the winning entries.
We are raising funds in the hope of being able to pay travel expenses for one representative from each winning team to attend one or both of these briefings.
We invite you to form teams and enter the contest--learn more at http://climatecolab.org.
We also encourage you to fill out your profiles and add a picture, so that members of the community can get to know each other.
And please inform anyone you believe might be interested about the contest.
Editorial Comment: I played a previous version of this simulation. This time around, I like the 350 plan which is as close to zero emissions as the exercise will get.
http://climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans#plans=
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Resource
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Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/
Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios
Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation
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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com
Thanks to
Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html
Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/
http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template
http://green.harvard.edu/events
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Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.
Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.
If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke@world.std.com
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