Sunday, April 24, 2011

Energy (and Other) Events - April 24, 2011

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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MIT

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Latanya Sweeney (CMU): "Learning Where People Have Been Without Knowing Who They Are"
Monday, April 25, 2011 | 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: MIT Media Lab, E14-633
Speaker: Latanya Sweeney
Over the last few years, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has sought ways to learn patterns of service utilization across homeless programs, while guaranteeing the privacy of those clients who visit domestic violence homeless shelters. This talk reports on the surprises of what didn’t work and why, and then introduces PrivaMix, a real-time, multi-party computation invented as a solution to this problem. A contribution is the use of a one-way function that has a commutative property. A PrivaMix function assigns made-up identifiers such that the identifiers for the same client at different shelters are distinct, yet the identifiers can be computationally “mixed” using the PrivaMix Protocol to securely link records belonging to the same client. Real-world experiments in Des Moines, Iowa showed that PrivaMix worked flawlessly. PrivaMix is now expanding into real-world healthcare applications to link de-identified patient records across institutions. As a supplement to this talk, Sweeney will discuss the seven-year history of the Data Privacy Lab at Carnegie Mellon by briefly mentioning a summary of her work performed and lessons learned for a new future.

Biography:
Latanya Sweeney creates technology that weaves with policy to resolve real-world technology/privacy clashes. She is a distinguished career professor of computer science, technology and policy at Carnegie Mellon University, and founder and director of the Data Privacy Lab. She has received numerous awards, and testified before federal and international government bodies, and in 2009, was appointed to the Federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee.


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Monday, April 25, 2011

IDEAS + MIT Global Challenge: Come see the projects submitted this year!

Time: 6:30p–8:00p

Location: 10, Lobby 10

IDEAS Competition + MIT Global Challenge

On April 25, the many teams that have entered the IDEAS Competition and MIT Global Challenge will share their projects on MIT's campus at the annual Poster and Judging Session. It's an opportunity for student-led teams to display posters about their work, interact with judges and community members about their work, in anticipation of the final awards ceremony happening on May 2.

Come meet the teams and learn about the projects the innovative public service projects they've been working on. Everyone is welcome.

Where: MIT's Campus Lobby 10

Questions: Drop Lars and Kate a note at globalchallenge (at) mit (dot) edu.

Web site: http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/events/view/126

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Public Service Center, IDEAS Competition, MIT Global Challenge

For more information, contact:
Kate Mytty
255-5474
kmytty@mit.edu

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Democracy in the Middle East? A talk followed by a Q&A session.

Speaker: Kristin Fabbe and Alyssa Roque

Time: 7:00p–8:30p

Location: 56-154

We will have two speakers:
Kristin Fabbe, a graduate student at MIT in Course 17, Political Science, will be speaking. Her bio can be found at: http://web.mit.edu/polisci/people/gradstudents/kristin-fabbe.shtml. She will speak about her experiences at Tahir Square and provide an analysis of the ongoing events in the Middle East because she is an expert on that field. Moreover, she will speak on the issue of economic development in tandem with the necessary growth of human rights.

Alyssa Roque, an undergraduate student at MIT, will also be speaking. She was present when the Tunisian revolution took place. The Tunisian revolution sparked off the wave of revolutions in the Middle East and made those dictators quit their jobs.

Dinner will be provided.
Sponsored by MIT Amnesty International, iHouse, and UA Funding Board.

Web site: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=218104071539963#!/event.php?eid=218104071539963

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Amnesty International, iHouse and UA Funding Board

For more information, contact:
Cory Hernandez
mitai-exec@mit.edu

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MONDAY, APRIL 25

Francisco Lopez: Artist Talk and Concert
FRANCISCO LOPEZ is a sound artist whose work crosses the boundaries of experimental and industrial sounds.
The Viller's Cube, E15-001 / 8–10 PM
Organized and co-sponsored by Non-Event, ACT, The Sensory Ethnography Lab, and the Film Study Center at Harvard University. Funded in part by a grant from the Council of the Arts at MIT.
http://events.mit.edu/event.html?id=13576263&date=2011/4/25
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Talk: COORDINATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO UNPRECEDENTED LARGE-SCALE EVENTS

Speaker: Dr Graham Coates

Time: 1:30p–3:00p

Location: E62-450

This talk will describe research in the area of emergency response being conducted at Durham University, in close collaboration with Government Office, Emergency Planning Units, Police Forces, Fire and Rescue Services, and Ambulance Services. The objective of this research is to develop a solution to coping with fast changing, unprecedented events on a large-scale.

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): Center for Collective Intelligence

For more information, contact:
Mark Klein
617 253-6796
m_klein@mit.edu

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Low Power Electronic System work at Draper Laboratory

Speaker: John Lachapelle, Draper Lab

Time: 4:00p–5:00p

Location: 34-101

MTL Seminar Series

MTL hosts a series of talks each semester known as the MTL Seminar Series. Speakers for the series are selected on the basis of their knowledge and competence in the areas of microelectronics research, manufacturing, or policy. The series is held on the MIT Campus during the academic year on Tuesdays at 4:00 pm. The seminar series is open to the public. Refreshments at 3:30 p.m.


Web site: http://www-mtl.mit.edu/seminars/spring2011.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact:
Valerie Dinardo
253-9328
valeried@mit.edu

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Feed-in Tariffs and Wind Power Development

April 26, 2011 5:30p–7:00p

Speaker: Wilson Rickerson, CEO - Meister Consultants Group

Location: 4-231

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club, MIT Wind Energy Group

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact MIT Wind Energy Group

wind@mit.edu

http://www.mc-group.com/pages/about-us.php


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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Electric Vehicles and the Grid

Speaker: Morgan Carpenter and Todd Jackson, GE Direct Energy

Time: 6:00p–8:00p

Location: 32-123

MIT Energy Club Lecture Series

Come check out the GE WattStation, a charging station for electric vehicles. There will be a lecture from 6-7 PM, followed by a viewing of the WattStation from 7-8 PM. Refreshments will be provided, and there will be opportunities to ask questions about the WattStation.

This lecture will be presented by Morgan Carpenter, Sales Director of General Electric (GE) Digital Energy and by Todd Jackson, a Platform Leader of GE Digital Energy. Morgan and Todd are both engineers with extensive experience in renewable energy and assessing the impacts of green technology on the grid. Their discussion will begin with the Electric Vehicle's (EV) impact on the grid and the consumer. Following that, they will discuss ownership models, in terms of who owns and operates EV infrastructure: utilities, industries, or commercial retailers. They will conclude their lecture with the current capabilities of the EV, and what GE feels is the future of the technology.

This is a joint event between the IEEE Boston - Power and Energy Society, General Electric, and the Energy Club.

Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/lecture-series/electric-vehicles-and-the-grid
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Architecture + MIT 150 (Pecha Kucha: Architectural Installations as Practice and Genre)

Speaker: Anton Garcia with Nader Tehrani, Liam O'Brien, Sheila Kennedy, Nick Gelpi, Joel Lamere, Meejin Yoon, Skylar Tibbits, Gediminas Urbonas

Time: 7:00p–8:00p

Location: 7-431

Architecture+ MIT 150

Pecha Kucha: Architectural Installations as Practice and Genre

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture

For more information, contact:
617-253-7791

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TUESDAY, APRIL 26
WOMEN IN CONFLICT ZONES: KENYA (A FILM SCREENING)
Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Kenya

7:00-9:00 in MIT Room 4-231

Discussion with director, Alexander Smith, following the film Refreshments will be served.

Produced in 2011, "Impunity or Justice" addresses the problem of impunity for rape and other sexual violence following the 2007 election and today, through interviews with survivors, health workers, legal aid providers, and senior Kenya Police officials.

These programs are free and open to the public. For more information, please go to web.mit.edu/tac or email weinmann@mit.edu.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Food for Thought: Bridging the Gap from Humanitarian Relief to Development

Speaker: Daniele Lantagne, Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Time: 12:00p–1:30p

Location: 1-236

Join practitioners and academics for a discussion and brainstorming session on technologies to bridge the gap between humanitarian relief and development (formal discussion until 1:00pm, followed by breakout groups). Bring your own lunch - we will provide cookies and lemonade.

If you are interested in receiving future emails about D-Lab events and happenings, please add yourself to the mailing list here: http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/d-lab-announce

Web site: http://d-lab.mit.edu/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): D-Lab Innovators
For more information, contact:
Jessica Huang
617-253-1670
d-lab-innovators@mit.edu
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

International Security Implications of Energy Dependence and Vulnerability

Speaker: Charles Glaser, George Washington 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

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Architecture + MIT 150 (CASE in point: The Conference of Architects for the Study of Environment)

Speaker: Stanford Anderson, Peter Eisenman, and Kenneth Frampton with Mark Jarzombek and K. Michael Hays, Moderator

Time: 6:30p–8:00p

Location: 7-431

Architecture + MIT 150

CASE in point: The Conference of Architects for the Study of Environment

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture

For more information, contact:
617-253-7791

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WOMEN IN CONFLICT ZONES: A THREE PART SERIES: BOSTON: VIOLENCE AROUND US

Time: 7:00p–9:00p

Location: 2-105

Women in Conflict Zones: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

SECOND in a 3-Part Series: WOMEN IN CONFLICT ZONES: BOSTON: VIOLENCE AROUND US
Speakers: Carline Desire, Executive Director of the Association for Haitian Women
Our Bodies Ourselves (Speaker tba)
David Adams Ed.D., Co-Director, Emerge
7:00-9:00pm in MIT Room 2-105

Organized and Co-sponsored with CommunityWorks

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT

For more information, contact:
Patricia-Maria Weinmann
617-253-0108
weinmann@mit.edu

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

MASS Seminar - Population and Climate Change: Need for a Fully Coupled Model

Speaker: Eugenia Kalnay

Time: 2:30p–3:30p

Location: 54-915

MSEAS Seminar

Web site: http://modelseas.mit.edu/seminars/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MechE Seminar Series
For more information, contact:
Harris Crist
452-3076
bhcrist@mit.edu

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The Great East Japan Earthquake and Its Implications for Japan's Energy Policy

April 28, 2011 2:30p–4:00p

Dr. Toichi is the Senior Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of IEEJ. Since joining IEEJ in 1973, he has been engaged in Japan?s energy policy making process as an expert member of various governmental committees. He has also published widely in both Japanese and English and been an active participant in international dialogue on the evolution of global energy markets. From 1983 to 1985, Dr. Toichi was a Research Fellow here at MIT?s Energy Laboratory. Dr. Toichi received his doctorate in Geophysics from Tokyo University.

Category: lectures/conferences

Location: E51-115

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Campus Events, MIT CEEPR

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact Dr. John E. Parsons

jparsons@mit.edu


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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar: Trends in the Thermoelectric Power Factor of Semiconducting Nanowires

Speaker: Prof. Oded Rabin, University of Maryland

Time: 4:00p–5:15p

Location: 66-110

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series
Sponsored by CMSE, DMSE, and MPC. To receive announcements about this series and other events of interest to the MIT materials community, subscribe to the matseminars mailing list at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/matseminars

Current research efforts in thermoelectricity are focused on exploiting nanostructures for high efficiency conversion of waste heat into electrical energy. Theoretical predictions of enhanced thermoelectric power factor values in low dimensional structures have found limited support in experimental data. In this talk, we will present our detailed studies of thermoelectric transport models in nanostructures paying particular attention to the density of states function. Size and dimensionality effects clearly manifest themselves in modifications of the density of states function; however, these effects are not necessarily beneficial for improving the thermoelectric efficiency as previously thought. The detrimental changes to the density of states function due to confinement will be pointed out, and guidelines for identifying superior thermoelectric nanoscale systems will be outlined. Finally, a simple numerical method for estimating the thermoelectric power factor in semiconducting nanowires (circumventing the full solution of the Boltzmann transport equation) will be presented.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for Materials Science & Engineering, Materials Processing Center, Materials@MIT, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

The End of the Virtual: Digital Methods

Speaker: Richard Rogers

Time: 4:00p–6:00p

Location: 2-105

CMS Colloquium Series

What kind of Internet research may be performed with methods that have been digitized (such as online surveys and directories) vis-?-vis those that are natively digital (such as recommendation systems and folksonomy)? Second, he will propose propose that Internet research may be put to new uses, given an emphasis on natively digital methods as opposed to the digitized. Rogers will strive to shift the attention from the opportunities afforded by transforming ink into bits, and instead inquire into how research with the Internet may move beyond the study of online culture only. How to capture and analyze hyperlinks, tags, search engine results, archived Websites, and other digital objects? How may one learn from how online devices (e.g., engines and recommendation systems) make use of the objects, and how may such uses be repurposed for social and cultural research? Ultimately, he proposes a research practice that grounds claims about cultural change and societal conditions in online dynamics, introducing the term "online groundedness." The overall aim is to rework method for Internet research, developing a novel strand of study, digital methods.

Prof. Dr. Richard Rogers holds the Chair and is full University Professor in New Media & Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam. He is Director of Govcom.org, the group responsible for the Issue Crawler and other info-political tools, and the Digital Methods Initiative, reworking method for Internet research.

Web site: http://cms.mit.edu/events/talks.php#042811
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies
For more information, contact:
Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cms@mit.edu

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Energy Discussions: The Clean Energy Standard

April 28, 2011 6:00p–7:00p

In his state of the Union address, President Obama set a goal of generating 80 percent of US electricity from "clean energy sources" by 2035. President Obama was using a very inclusive definition of "clean energy sources", leaving coal without carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology as the big loser. Obama provided no details of how the country could achieve this goal but left it to Congress to work it out. Join members of the MIT Energy Club to discuss the proposed Clean Energy Standard, what it might look like, what legislative and regulatory tools might be involved, and how it might affect the US energy on a national and regional level.

Please prepare for the discussion by reading the documents provided on the club website.

A light dinner will be provided. RSVP is appreciated but not required.

Category: MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups

Speaker: Ari Peskoe

Location: 56-167

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact Rebecca Dell

rwdell (at) mit (dot) edu

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series/energy-discussions-the-clean-energy-standard


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THURSDAY, APRIL 28
Dinner Discussion
WOMEN IN CONFLICT ZONES: CULTURAL IMPERIALISM IN THE GLOBAL FEMINIST DISCOURSE
Speaker: Dr. Abha Sur, MIT School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

7:00-9:00pm
14E-304
Join us for a dinner discussion about gendered violence, paternalism and cultural imperialism in feminist conversations, and power structures. This dinner discussion, led by Dr. Sur, will bring together themes introduced in the programs on Tuesday and Wednesday. and the Boston panel.

These programs are free and open to the public. For more information, please go to web.mit.edu/tac or email weinmann@mit.edu.

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Friday, April 29, 2011

Community Innovations in Energy Efficiency Symposium

Speaker: Harvey Michaels with presenters from Tufts and MIT (CoLab, DUSP, ESD, Sloan, & TPP)

Time: 12:00p–3:00p

Location: 34-101

The strategic focus on community-based efficiency innovations continues to build this semester, with fifteen DUSP, ESD, Sloan, and Tufts students actively collaborating on theses, dissertations or funded research on this topic.

You are invited to join these students, who will discuss their work with several outside leaders in the field in our Community Energy Innovations Symposium (lunch provided).

Students will present and lead discussion on:
- Community-based strategies to increase retrofit rates, while maximizing workforce and social benefits
- Community-enabled commercial program models, including Envision Charlotte
- Energy benchmarking and information-feedback systems that improve efficiency programs.
- Ordinances that promote building upgrades, such as Massachusetts Green Communities.

Please mark your calendars and plan to come!

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Energy Efficiency Strategy Project

For more information, contact:
Amy Stitely
617-253-7139
astitely@mit.edu

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Fraunhofer CSE Facility Tour

April 29, 2011 2:00p–3:30p

Join the MIT energy club on a tour of Fraunhofer CSE's Research Center in Cambridge, MA.

The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) is a non-profit applied research and development laboratory dedicated to the commercialization of clean energy technologies. CSE engages in collaborative research and development with private companies, government entities, and academic institutions, performing research that broadly benefits firms, industries, and society. These partnerships take a wide variety of forms, including confidential co-development programs, third-party technology validation, and joint applications for grant programs.

Founded in 2008 and supported by the Massachusetts state government, the CSE is part of an international research network spearheaded by Germany's Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest contract R&D organization. In Germany, the Fraunhofer CSE is closely partnered with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) in Stuttgart.

The CSE has three main areas of focus: Photovoltaic (PV) Modules, Building Energy Efficiency, and the TechBridge commercialization program.

To sign up for this tour, use the link below:
https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en&hl=en&formkey=dFRmT1VlZlJFMEkxVERnNU1WZ25HMmc6MA#gid=0

Category: MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups

Location: Cambridge, MA

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact Daniel Apo

djapo@mit.edu

http://cse.fraunhofer.org/


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Friday, April 29, 2011

Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural History

Speaker: Paul Sabin, Yale University

Time: 2:30p–4:30p

Location: E51-095

Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural HIstory

"Betting the Future: Population Growth and Resource Scarcity Debates in the 1970s"

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/history/www/nande/modTimes.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): History Office
For more information, contact:
Margo Collett
253-4965
history-info@mit.edu

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Friday, April 29, 2011

Warren K. Lewis Lecture: Engineering Products and Processes for a Sustainable World

Speaker: Gary S. Calabrese, Senior Vice President and Director, Photovoltaic Glass Technologies, Corning, Inc.

Time: 3:00p–4:00p

Location: 66-110

Warren K. Lewis Lectureship

Gary Calabrese joined Corning in 2008 as vice president of science & technology and is currently senior vice president and director of Photovoltaic Glass Technologies. Previously Gary worked at Polaroid, Allied-Signal, and Rohm and Haas where he headed their corporate research laboratory and later became vice president and chief technology officer. Gary holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Lehigh, and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from MIT. A past advisor to Chemical and Engineering News and co-chair of the National Academies? Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, he currently serves as an advisory board member of the Council for Chemical Research, the American Chemical Society, and Lehigh University?s Department of Chemical Engineering. Gary is an inventor on 11 patents and has authored over two dozen technical publications. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/lewis/lewis-2011.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department
For more information, contact:
Melanie Miller
617-253-6500
melmils@mit.edu

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Friday, April 29, 2011

CIS Starr Forum: Egypt's Revolution

Speaker: Ahmed Maher, Waleed Rashed and Jason Pontin

Time: 5:00p–6:30p

Location: E14-674

A conversation with the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement, Ahmed Maher and Waleed Rashed

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Ahmed Maher, co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, is a civil engineer and a prominent participant in the anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Egypt in 2011. Maher is now one of Egypt's best known youth activists, leading politically mobilized young Egyptians to develop their political consciousness through the skillful deployment of new technologies and social networking platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter.

Waleed Rashed, co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, has a degree in commerce and is continuing his studies in political science. He is the spokesperson for the April 6 Movement and the organizer of the April 6, 2008, Youth Movement protest in Alexandria where he and 14 members of the movement were arrested. He has traveled to Algeria, UAE, Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon as a member of the Kafaya movement, aka the Egyptian Movement for Change.

Moderating the event is Jason Pontin.Pontin is editor in chief of the award-winning magazine, Technology Review and TechnologyReview.com, published by MIT.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Technology Review

For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu

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Harvard

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12:00pm - 1:30pm
Energy Technology Innovation Policy/Consortium for Energy Policy Research Energy Policy Seminar Series
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS 79 JFK St Cambridge, MA
"When Technology Meets Reality: Macondo and Managing Technological Complexity." Richard Sears, MIT Visiting Scientist & Senior Science and Engineering Advisor to the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
Contact Name: Louisa Lund louisa_lund@harvard.edu

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Islamic Capital Market: A Challenge of Fundamental Rules in the Modern Era
WHEN Mon., Apr. 25, 2011, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE Pound Hall 335, Harvard Law School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Law, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Islamic Legal Studies Program
SPEAKER(S) Maliheh Zare, Ph.D. candidate, University of Tehran, and ILSP Visiting Fellow
CONTACT INFO ilsp@law.harvard.edu
NOTE Lecture and discussion, followed by a reception.
LINK http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/ilsp/events/

Editorial Comment: Islamic finance does not allow interest. It is considered usury and outlawed under Shari'a law. Islamic finance has been growing over the part few years, in part because of anti-terrorist funding laws in the Western world and in part because of the collapse of Western finance

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Challenges and Opportunities in International Humanitarian Relief Work
WHEN Mon., Apr. 25, 2011, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Larsen 106, Harvard Graduate School of Education (Appian Way)
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HGSE for Haiti and HGSE Pakistan Student Group
SPEAKER(S) Ethan Casey, author and humanitarian
Todd Shea, musician and humanitarian
NOTE Renowned author, Ethan Casey, and Todd Shea, a musician and a humanitarian, will lead this interactive discussion on disaster relief-work.
*Refreshment and snacks will be served.
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Free Lecture: Fred Kirschenmann on Sustainable Agriculture
WHEN Mon., Apr. 25, 2011, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE Sever Hall 113
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School
SPEAKER(S) Fred Kirschenmann
COST Free
NOTE Join farmer, agrarian philosopher, author, and sustainable food advocate Fred Kirschenmann for a lecture and discussion about the future of sustainable agriculture.
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Chernobyl: 25 Years Later
Date: Tuesday 4/26/2011
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Organizer: Davis Center Staff ( Davis Center Staff )
9:00—9:30 AM
Welcome and Introductions
Cris Martin, Davis Center

9:30—11:00 AM
Lecture: History of the Chernobyl Disaster
Igor Lukes, Professor of International Relations and History, Boston University

11:00—11:15 AM
Break

11:15—12:45 PM
Lecture: Ecological Consequences of Chernobyl Disaster
Paul Josephson, Professor of History and Chair, Colby College

12:45—1:30 PM
Lunch Break

1:30—2:30 PM
Lecture: Chernobyl’s Impact on Local Life and Politics
Tammy Lynch, Independent Researcher

2:30—4:00 PM
Lecture & Discussion: Nuclear Power in the 21st Century
Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government

5:00—7:00 PM
Opening Reception: Photo Exhibit, “…the day the Ferris wheel stood still…”
Tania D’Avignon, Photographer
The exhibit, sponsored by Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute, will be held in Fischer Commons in the Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA.

Location: CGIS South, Room S450, 12 Holyoke St.
Phone: 617-495-4037
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Film screening of World Peace and other 4th Grade Achievements
WHEN Tue., Apr. 26, 2011, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE 13 Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Film, Panel, Question & Answer Session
BUILDING/ROOM Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME Amber Haskins
CONTACT EMAIL askwith_forums@gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE 617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED No
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
NOTE Welcome by: Dean Kathleen McCartney
Moderator:
Andrew J. Rotherham, co-founder and partner, Bellwether Education Partners
Panelists:
Chris Farina, director, Rosalia Films
John Hunter, teacher and creator of “The World Peace Game”
Winner of The Audience Award at the Bergen International Film Festival, the one-hour film, World Peace and other 4th Grade Achievements portrays public school educator John Hunter and his 4th-Grade students’ participation in an educational exercise that Hunter developed called “The World Peace Game.” The film follows his nine- and ten-year-old students over an eight-week period as they assume roles as world leaders responding to an ongoing series of military, economic, and environmental crises. This interactive experience triggers a transformation in his students from children of a neighborhood public school to citizens of the world. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A.

John Hunter has created and refined the World Peace Game during his 34-year career as a method of teaching children global perspectives, collaborative learning, and problem solving. As a child, he was raised in the still segregated African-American schools of rural Virginia where his mother was his own 4th-Grade teacher. He then was part of the first group of seven students to integrate his area’s previously all-white middle school. As a young man he traveled extensively through China, Japan, and India while studying the Eastern religions that provide the philosophical underpinnings of the World Peace Game. Upon becoming an educator Hunter brought his depth of interest and understanding of other cultures to his students. In particular, Gandhi’s principle of nonviolence led him to wonder how his profession could in some way contribute to world peace. The World Peace Game and World Peace Game Foundation is his response.
John Hunter’s talk at the TED conference: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game.html

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Tuesday, April 26 @ 6:30 pm:
Professor *Mark Schuller *from CUNY will screen his documentary film, "Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy"
Starr Auditorium, Belfer Bldg, Harvard Kennedy School - 79 JFK St.,
Cambridge, MA.

Joining the filmmaker for discussion :
*Brian Concannon,* Director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti
*Manolia Charlotin*, Editor of the Boston Haitian Reporter

*open to the public - please join us!* On facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3001420#!/event.php?eid=107517502665605

dpanchang@gmail.com for more information.

Told through compelling lives of five courageous Haitian women workers, Poto Mitan gives the global economy a human face. Each woman?s personal story explains neoliberal globalization, how it is gendered, and how it impacts Haiti. And while Poto Mitan offers in-depth understanding of Haiti, its focus on women?s subjugation, worker exploitation, poverty, and resistance demonstrates these are global struggles. Finally, through their collective activism, these women demonstrate that despite monumental obstacles,
collective action makes change possible. Discussion will focus on these issues as well as how they manifest in the post-earthquake situation. Film
website: www.potomitan.net

Refreshments provided! $5 suggested donation, towards grassroots groups featured in the film.

Co-sponsored by: Healthroots, UnityAyiti, Physicians for Haiti, Women Gender Health at HSPH, the Haiti Caucus at HKS

http://www.unityayiti.org

-------------------------------------------------
Waves of Democracy Compared: Europe 1989 and the Arab World in 2011
WHEN Wed., Apr. 27, 2011, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE 124 Mount Auburn, Suite 200-North
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Jacques Rupnik, Sciences Po (Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris)
COST Free
CONTACT INFO Bruce Jackan: 617.495.7548, bruce_jackan@hks.harvard.edu
NOTE
Jacques Rupnik is director of research at CERI at Sciences-Po, Paris, and professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. His recent work focuses on democratization and European integration of East-Central Europe and nationalism and post-conflict reconciliation in the Balkans. He is currently completing a work on the “great transformation” of Central and Eastern Europe (1989–2009) and plans to start a new project on the borders in (and of) Europe.
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/ash/Home/News-Events/Events2/Waves-of-Democracy-Compared-Europe-in-1989-and-the-Arab-World-in-2011

------------------------------------------------

Ancient Grains for Modern Meals- Cookbook Talk
WHEN Wed., Apr. 27, 2011, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Emerson 210
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Education, Special Events, Wellness/Work Life
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Food Literacy Project
SPEAKER(S) Maria Speck
COST Free
CONTACT INFO dara_olmsted@harvard.edu
NOTE Food writer Maria Speck’s passion for propelling Old World staples such as farro, barley, polenta, and wheat berries to the forefront of new American cooking is beautifully presented in "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals." In this inspired and highly personal book, Maria Speck draws on food traditions from across the Mediterranean and northern Europe to reveal how versatile, satisfying, flavorful, and sophisticated whole grains can be. Free and open to the public.
LINK http://www.dining.harvard.edu/flp/calendar.html

-------------------------------------------------

Is an Equitable Resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli Water Conflict Feasible? The "Geneva Initiative" Approach
WHEN Thu., Apr. 28, 2011, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Bowie-Vernon Conference Room (K-262), WCFIA, CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
SPEAKER(S) Hillel Shuval, adviser to the Geneva Initiative on Water Issues; professor emeritus of environmental sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
CONTACT INFO Elizabeth Lawler: elawler@wcfia.harvard.edu
NOTE This is a session of the Middle East Seminar.

--------------------------------------------------

The Sustainability of Urbanism Landscape
WHEN Thu., Apr. 28, 2011, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE RCC, 26 Trowbridge St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Environmental Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Real Colegio Complutense
SPEAKER(S) Daniel IbaƱez
COST Free, open to the public
CONTACT INFO rcc_info@harvard.edu
NOTE in English
LINK http://www.realcolegiocomplutense.harvard.edu

--------------------------------------------------

7:30pm Movie Screening: The Economics of Happiness
Emerson Hall 210 Harvard Yard Cambridge, MA
The Economics of Happiness restores our faith in humanity and challenges us to believe that it is possible to build a better world.
Harvard Screening on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125840954159194

-------------------------------------------------

Energy and Environment Nanomaterials
WHEN Fri., Apr. 29, 2011, 12 p.m.
WHERE Maxwell Dworkin G115, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard University Center for the Environment
SPEAKER(S) Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering, Stanford University
CONTACT INFO Brenda Hugot: bhugot@fas.harvard.edu
LINK http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2011-04-29/energy-materials-harvard-energy-and-environment-nanomaterials

-------------------------------------------------

Green Paradoxes: Literature and Environmental Crises in China and Japan
WHEN Fri., Apr. 29, 2011, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Kang Room S050, Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse, CGIS South Bldg., 1730 Cambridge St.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard
SPEAKER(S) Karen Thornber, assistant professor of comparative literature, Harvard University

-------------------------------------------------

The Promise and Challenge of Water Sensitivity
WHEN Fri., Apr. 29, 2011, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Tsai Auditorium
CGIS, 1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Center for Middle Eastern Studies
SPEAKER(S) Herbert Dreiseitl, landscape architect, Atelier Dreiseitl; Loeb Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Design
CONTACT INFO Liz Flanagan: elizabethflanagan@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE This event is open to the public.
LINK http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/2506

---

BU

---

Monday, April 25
Noon.
"Acclimation and Adaptation in Soil Microbial Communities: implications for ecosystem carbon dynamics."
Mark Bradford.
Biological Research Bldg 113, 5 Cummington St., Boston

-------------------------------------

Monday, April 25
3:30p.
"Can Technology Improve Learning? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Niger."
Jenny Aker.
Background reading: http://www.bu.edu/econ/files/2011/04/aker.pdf
Room 315, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston

----------------------

Northeastern

----------------

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
315 Behrakis Building
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

"Nanotechnology and The Challenges of The New Decade: Energy, Health, and The Environment"
Bilal M. El-Zahab, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA


ABSTRACT
Since the 1959 lecture titled "there's plenty of room at the bottom" by Richard Feynman, nanotechnology has become part of many aspects of our daily life that a decade ago
were science fiction. This fast growing field has applications ranging from electronics to medicine. The application of nanotechnology in biotechnology is often referred to as
nanobiotechnology; similarly, the application of nanotechnology in medicine, is referred to as "nanomedicine".

In this talk, I will describe the behavior of biological molecules such as enzymes in nano-confinement and how to exploit new properties exhibited by these enzymes. By
entrapping multi-enzyme systems inside nanoporous materials, complex reactions were catalyzed, bringing us a step closer to task-specific artificial bacteria. I will also describe
the use of traditional and new nanosized materials for detection of molecular anomalies in biological systems in vitro.

The findings suggest a great marriage between nanotechnology and biology in which chemical engineers are key players. Biologically-skilled chemical engineers will advance the field by utilizing unique skills that combine modeling, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and their understanding of events at the molecular level.

Refreshments will be served

------

Tufts

-------


Tackling Global Challenges Through International Law

April 29, 2011 1:00p–6:30p

The panelists include:
* Prof. Kelly Gallagher (moderator)
* Alison Taylor (Vice President, Sustainability-Americas, Siemens Corporation)
* April Rinne (Director of WaterCredit, Water.org)
* William Sleath (Office of the Secretary-General, The European Commission)

Environment and Energy
The Forum's proposals take a three-pronged approach to ensuring environmentally sustainable growth and energy access: progress through the UN; cooperation between like-minded actors; and partnerships with the private sector and civil society. Many argue that, because pursuing these changes necessarily comes at an economic cost (at least initially), efforts must be binding and multinational. The next step would be to assess the available instruments for forging the agreements required in each prong or at each level between states, as universal or multilateral agreements, and those involving national and transnational corporations and NGOs.

This workshop will consider the success and failure of various instruments for generating both hard and soft law in this area. It will assess the relative merits of UN Conventions, protocol systems, bilateral investment treaties, MEAs, G20 agreements and rule-making within regional organizations.

The Fletcher School - 160 Packard Ave, Medford, MA

Admission: Open to the public

Tickets available from Please register at the website: http://worldeconomicforumatfletcher.eventbrite.com

For more information:

Contact yuan wang
rose.wang@tufts.edu
http://worldeconomicforumatfletcher.eventbrite.com


----------------------------

Colleges of the Fenway

---------------------------

Colleges of the Fenway Annual Muddy River Symposium

When: April 28, 2011, 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Where: Wheelock College, Brookline Campus, 43 Hawes Street
Co-sponsored by
The Colleges of the Fenway Center for Sustainability and the Environment
and
The Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee (MMOC)
of the Muddy River Restoration Project

For information contact Michael Berger: 617.290.5984 or michael.berger@simmons.edu

-------

Other

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*Dorchester Common Security Club*
Intro Session Monday, April 25
First Parish Church in Dorchester
Intro Session Facilitated by Chuck Collins and Andrea Nagel

*Open to the entire community, not just UUs! Join us to learn more and sign up!*
Click here for more info, or email Sarah@CommonSecurityClub.org

The Great Recession has reminded us of our vulnerabilities. Debt. Foreclosure. Unemployment and Anxious Employment. Evaporating Savings. Rising Costs. In response, communities are forming "Common Security Clubs" to build resilience and strengthen community ties.

*Common Security Clubs are small groups where individuals find connection, information, and avenues to a new kind of security ? one based on mutual aid and support.*

Sometimes called "Resilience Circles," clubs meet for six initial sessions to learn, support each other, and take action in order to create a new economy that serves everyone in harmony with the planet. Many clubs continue to meet.

Sarah Byrnes
Common Security Clubs Organizer
IPS New England
617.477.8630 x307
http://commonsecurityclub.org

-----------------------------------------------

Hello community garden managers and greenspace stewards,

Do you organize volunteer days to steward an open space or take care of a community garden? Do you sometimes struggle with scheduling, turnout or logistics? Christine Poff of the Franklin Park Coalition and Nataka Crayton of United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury will talk about pla nning volunteer stewardship projects, coordinating with agencies, finding support from neighborhood businesses, finding sources of volunteer labor (e.g. Boston Cares), and doing effective publicity and outreach. There will also be a chance to share your knowledge and experiences with other open space advocates.

How to Have a Great Volunteer Day
Hosted by Boston Park Advocates
Date: Tuesday, April 26
Time: 5:30 pm Pizza and Networking
6:00 pm-8:00 pm Workshop
Location: Boston Natural Areas Network, 62 Summer St.
(enter through the side entrance on Otis St., under the Conservation Law Foundation sign)
Cost: Free
RSVP: Fill out this form or email nina@bostonparks.org

-----------------------------------------------

April 27 – “How to Organize a Common Security Club” Informational Webinar

Please join us for an interactive online webinar about Common Security Clubs, an approach to building individual and community resilience during difficult economic times.

We’ll talk about how to start a club for your community or congregation, including:

• finding an organizing partner
• how to share the idea of a club with others
• how to find a facilitator (if it’s not you)
• some notes on the curriculum
Wednesday, April 27 at 7 PM EDT (4 PM Pacific)Register for the free webinar here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/976173790
You will receive a confirmation email after registering with information about how to join the webinar.

Before the webinar, please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the Common Security Club six-session curriculum, which can be downloaded in Word or PDF format at these links:

http://commonsecurityclub.org/files/CSCGuide2011.doc
http://commonsecurityclub.org/files/CSCGuide2011.pdf

-------------------------------------------------------

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011, 6 – 8 P.M.
Personal information and the Internet

Staff from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office will present information regarding personal, publicly available, and public record information posted online by information clearing houses, and discuss the various Opt-out procedures that a consumer can try in order to have his own information removed from internet searches.

Boston Public Central Library
700 Boylston Street
Mezzanine Conference Room
----------------------------------------------------------

Boston Security Meetup
Cyberterrorism and the Security of the National Drinking Water Infrastructure
Thursday, April 28, 2011
6:00 PM

Jobspring
545 Boylston ST Boston, MA

The national drinking water infrastructure is vitally important to protection of public health and safety and also supports business, industry, and the national economy. While steps have been taken since 9/11 to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities the drinking water infrastructure, serious vulnerabilities remain.

In this talk, John will discuss and review the challenges of physical and cyber security for the national public drinking water infrastructure and provide his observations, based on 13 years running a local water department and 5 years in IT, on the existing security gaps and what should be done about them.

Part of this talk will be based on a talk he gave at the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Security Congress in April, 2009 in Washington, DC about a strategic weakness of the national infrastructure. He will also review the state of cyber insecurity of the drinking water infrastructure, the threats currently known to their SCADA systems, and the potential threats and countermeasures that should be considered.

John is an IT Pro from Cohasset. He is currently researching the security of the national drinking water infrastructure. He was an elected Water Commissioner for 13 years. He has presented on this topic at Defcon 18 and Shmoocon 2011

http://www.meetup.com/boston-security-meetup/events/17373946/

------------------------------------------------


Come to a free showing of INSIDE JOB at Wellesley College

Thursday, April 28, 7 pm, in Collins Cinema, and a discussion led by 3 Wellesley econ profs, including Julie Matthaei. If you haven't yet had a chance to see it, INSIDE JOB a FABULOUS documentary about the Wall Street crimes that led to the Great Recession (see some reviews below). There's plenty of free parking in the Davis Parking garage, right off the Rte. 135 entrance to Wellesley; the showing is a 3-miute walk from there (http://web.wellesley.edu/web/AboutWellesley/VisitUs/mapsanddirections.psml)

And if you like to sing and/or dance in public, email Julie A. Matthaei and you can be part of a short "action" during the screening promoting the Yes We Can Make Wall Street Pay Petition (You can read more and sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/yes-we-can-make-wall-street-pay -- we have over 1500 signatures so far!)

Some reviews of INSIDE JOB::
"INSIDE JOB is the first film to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research and extensive interviews with key
financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, the film traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia. It was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China." -- Rotten Tomatoes http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inside_job_2010/

"Do see it if you can; it will make your blood boil, and in a good
way." -- Paul Krugman http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/inside-job/

"A crime story like no other in history. Ferguson spells out with remarkable clarity complicated financial matters at the heart of the meltdown." -- Dave Germain, Associated Press

"INSIDE JOB deserves to be considered an authoritative primer on the financial collapse." -- Ann Harnaday, Washington Post

Winner of 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary
#1 on New York Times list of top films in 2010

----------------------------------------------------

Friday, April 29, 6-10 PM
International Gala for Haiti
at First Parish Church, Cambridge, 3 Church St., Harvard Square

Diverse artists, live music, food and dancing, fun and raffles, silent auction, singing and poetry. The Gala will support our trip to Haiti in July to build a school for 250 orphans. $20 per ticket. For more information, go to http://www.haitian-coalition.org
Sponsor: The Haitian Coalition of Somerville
Co-sponsor: Arlington Street Church Social Action Committee and First Parish Church, Cambridge

----------------------------------------------------

FOURTH ANNUAL EVENING OF EDUCATION & HOPE
CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT
THE MATƈNWA COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
LAGONAV, HAITI
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011
Atrium School
69 Grove Street, Watertown
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker
EDWIDGE DANTICAT
Author of Create Dangerously and Eight Days
Caribbean Hors d’oeuvres, Discussion and Dessert
Evening Ticket $60 each
For more information, visit the website www. matenwaclc.org
Your gift supports education and hope in MatĆØnwa, a model of rural empowerment.
Your tax deductible check is payable to our fiscal agent: Beyond Borders/MCLC
Mail to: Friends of MatĆØnwa, Box 494, Lincoln, MA 01773

--------------------------------------------------------

Cambridge Science Festival
Lots of events happening every day from April 30 to May 8
http://cambridgesciencefestival.org/2011Festival/2011ScheduleOfEvents.aspx

-------------------------------------------------

Greetings Green Friends,

The Green Neighbors and the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc.

Mayday Spring Planting

May 1, from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Jamaica Pond, meet us by the Boathouse and Bandstand.

Come learn how you can prepare for the world food crisis by learning how to grow food at your house in the yard, on the porch and indoors.

Find out about Raised Bed Gardening from the Food Project

Get tips on Container Gardening from some BNAN volunteers

Check out more information from other friends

At the same time, join us to welcome springtime by trying Maypole dancing and watching the Maypole Dance Contest.

Enjoy the music

Make flags for Boston GreenFest 2011

Take walking tours of the area

The Food Project will have a workshop - A Garden of one's Own: a practical how-to about growing food.

The purpose of this workshop is to help aspiring gardeners successfully grow food in a small space. We'll talk about how to build a raised bed or use containers, as well as how to how to evaluate a site, what grows well in a small space, timing and spacing.

You must register in advance for this class by sending email to the address below.

For more information

To sign up for the Maypole dance Contest

To register for the Food Project workshop

Or to volunteer

Contact Owen Toney at: Otoney@comcast.net
(617) 427-6293

Saturday, May 21, 2011, join the Green Neighbors and the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. for a Green Entrepreneur Small Business Forum at the Second Church in Dorchester, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Stay tuned In¡
Owen Toney

Green Neighbors Education Committee

--------------------------------------------

Save the date: 150th Barnraising!
Sunday, May 1, 9:30 am - 2 pm
Boston Community Boathouse

Technically it is in Boston, but you can see it from our side of the river! Our next event will be at the Boston Community Boathouse. Check out the beautiful view from its dock, and help this nonprofit that offers so much to the Boston and Cambridge communities.

This will be our 150th building that we have worked on (either on our own or with another barnraising group). Come sign up to volunteer at

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE4wOGdoWS10QkdDUzNpY3BzZXZXNkE6MQ


Save some money? Spare some money?Have you put the skills learned at a HEET event to good use? Have you saved money by doing so? It would be great if you could help “pay it forward” with even a small gift to HEET at http://newgenerationenergy.org/node/130

Matching Grant:
Right now we have a matching grant - for every one dollar you donate, we’ll make another from a generous donor. The deadline for the matching grant is fast approaching (the end of April), so please take a few moments to donate today!

Matching Donations:
Many corporations and businesses have a matching grants program and will give grants to
organizations their employees support or volunteer for. Please help us to sustain our work by asking your employer if they have a similar program!

-----------

Upcoming

-----------

Collective Intelligence: What is it? How can we measure it? And how can we increase it?

Monday, May 02, 2011 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://tom-malone.eventbrite.com
Discounted parking at Galleria Mall, next to IBM. Bring parking ticket for validation.
Join us at the IBM Center for Social Software for a talk with
Tom Malone
founder of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence

- A Cambridge Science Festival Event (http://cambridgesciencefestival.org/Home.aspx) -
Collective Intelligence: What is it? How can we measure it? And how can we increase it?
Tom’s talk will describe how the statistical techniques used to measure individual intelligence can be used to measure the "collective intelligence" of groups. Just as with individuals, a single statistical factor can predict the performance of a group on a wide range of different tasks. Although this factor is weakly correlated with the individual intelligence of group members, it is strongly correlated with the social perceptiveness, conversational behavior, and gender of group members.

Tom will also discuss other work being done to increase collective intelligence by: (a) combining predictions from humans and computers, (b) mapping the "genome" of collective intelligence, and (c) harnessing ideas from thousands of people around the world for dealing with global climate change.

Thomas W. Malone is the Patrick J. McGovern Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the founding director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence. He was also the founding director of the MIT Center for Coordination Science and one of the two founding co-directors of the MIT Initiative on "Inventing the Organizations of the 21st Century". Professor Malone teaches classes on leadership and information technology, and his research focuses on how new organizations can be designed to take advantage of the possibilities provided by information technology.

---------------------------------------------

May 5, 2011, Ralph Nader at Cambridge Forum
http://www.cambridgeforum.org

Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. **(unless otherwise noted)
First Parish in Cambridge
3 Church Street
Harvard Square
Cambridge, MA 02138

-------------------------------------------------

Rally at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, MA on May 7, 2011 from 10am-12pm.

This is not a political rally; rather we are rallying for the purposes of exposing significant safety threats at Pilgrim that have been underscored by recent nuclear power events and which affect the surrounding communities. This event is cosponsored by the Massachusetts Sierra Club.

The details of the specific location/entrance at the plant are being hammered out with the state and local police, so event details will be posted on our website:http://www.tinyurl.com/pilmust

Contact Anna Baker, Event Co-Leader, for more information:
Pilgrim MUST (Pilgrim: Make Us Safe Today)
617-868-3003

---------------------------------------------------


Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP

The Spring 2011 Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP will be on
Saturday May 7 NOON to 2 pm

Rain date—in case of DOWNPOUR—is Sunday, May 8, 12-2
at Fayette Park (near the corner of Broadway and Fayette St., across from former Longfellow School)

Bring anything that's growing in too much abundance in your garden. Elegant packaging not required, but please do write down the names of plants. We expect to have perennials, biennial seedlings, seeds, indoor plants, catalogs, pots, and lots of "whatever." Feel free to just come, chat with neighbors, talk gardening.

Contact: Helen Snively
hmsnively@aol.com

-----------

Resource

-----------

The presentations from the recent Affordable Comfort National Home Performance Conference are available online at
http://2011.acinational.org/downloadable_resources

Lots of good information from what some call the best energy conference in the USA on Deep Energy Retrofits to Community Energy Challenges with details on insulation, heat flow, energy metering, ducting, hot water, and many, many other topics. If you are a practical energy wonk, this should make your eyes light up.

--------------------------------------------------

Free Monthly Energy Analysis

CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.

https://www.carbonsalon.com/

---------------------------------------

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, contact jmatthaei@wellesley.edu

-----------------------------------------------------

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://sustainability.mit.edu/

http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/

http://green.harvard.edu/events

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

http://pechakuchaboston.org/blog/

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/

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