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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
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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?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
------------------------------------
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.
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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 Rodríguez García, 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.
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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
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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
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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
-----------------------------------------------------
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
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