Sunday, May 08, 2011

Energy (and Other) Events - May 8, 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

Editorial Comment: I'm experimenting with a different format, organizing the events by day and time rather than by MIT, Harvard, other colleges and universities, and community groups as I had previously. My hope is that this will make the list more useful.

I have published my comments on "Hubbert's Peak, The Coal Question, and Climate Change" talk by David Rutledge at MIT at
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/04/972017/-The-Business-Case-Against-Coal
If others wish to share their notes on the events they may attend which are included in this list, please let me know. It could be as simple as writing a comment a the hubevents.blogspot website.

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Monday, May 09, 2011
Perspectives in Development Economics
Speaker: Daron Acemoglu, Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Robert Townsend
Time: 4:15p–5:45p
Location: E52-244

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Economics Special Workshops/Seminars
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
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Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Power
WHEN Mon., May 9, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Allston Education Portal, 175 North Harvard St., Allston. Free parking is available at 219 Western Avenue, Allston.
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Allston Education Portal
SPEAKER(S) Professor John H. Shaw, chair, Harvard University Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology
COST Free
CONTACT INFO 617.496.5022, allston_edportal@harvard.edu
NOTE Professor Shaw teaches two courses in Harvard's General Education curriculum, one on natural hazards and the other on energy resources. On March 11, 2011, these two subject areas collided with the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck western Japan and disabled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Professor Shaw will describe the nature of earthquakes and tsunamis - how, why, and where they occur, and what specific types of hazards they present. He will then explore how these natural disasters threaten nuclear power plants and other critical facilities, and what we can do to reduce our exposure to these inevitable natural phenomena.
LINK http://edportal.harvard.edu/adult-programs/faculty-speaker-series
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Solomon McCown Presents:

How To Build Community In A Networked Economy

We all know real estate and urban development play integral parts in creating a community -- and community dictates what is built and when. But in an increasingly networked economy, with most people behind computer screens for long hours every day, what does "community" even look like anymore? And why is it all the more important in an innovation district?

Join us on May 10th at the Microsoft NERD Centerfor Solomon McCown's 15th SM& Presents panel on how places that leverage community to spur innovation are the way of the future.

Featuring:

• Thomas Andrews, Executive Vice President and Regional Market Director, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
• Travis McCready, Executive Director, Kendall Square Association
• Diane Paulus, Artistic Director, American Repertory Theater
• Brent D. Ryan, Assistant Professor in Urban Design & Public Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Sara Spalding, Senior Director, Microsoft New England R&D Center
• And moderator Tina Cassidy, Vice President, Solomon McCown & Company
Tuesday, May 10 from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. at the Microsoft NERD Center at One Memorial Drive in Cambridge

Email rsvp@solomonmccown.com to RSVP or call 617-933-5278

To follow discussion on Twitter during the panel, use #SMCPR

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Culturomics: Quantitative Analysis of Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books
Erez Lieberman Aiden, Harvard Society of Fellows & Jean-Baptiste Michel, FQEB Fellow at Harvard (and both Visiting Faculty at Google)
Tuesday, May 10, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person to Amar Ashar (ashar@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast and archived on our site shortly after.

From Erez & JB:

We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of ‘culturomics,’ focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. Culturomics extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities.

About Erez
Erez Lieberman Aiden is a fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and Visiting Faculty at Google. His research spans many disciplines and has won numerous awards, including recognition for one of the top 20 "Biotech Breakthroughs that will Change Medicine", by Popular Mechanics; the Lemelson-MIT prize for the best student inventor at MIT; the American Physical Society's Award for the Best Doctoral Dissertation in Biological Physics; and membership in Technology Review's 2009 TR35, recognizing the top 35 innovators under 35. His last three papers - two with JB Michel - have all appeared on the cover of Nature and Science.

About Jean-Baptiste
Jean-Baptiste Michel is FQEB Fellow at Harvard and Visiting Faculty at Google. With Erez Lieberman Aiden, he founded the Cultural Observatory at Harvard, where their team develops quantitative approaches to the humanities and social sciences. Jean-Baptiste is an Engineer of Ecole Polytechnique, and received an MS in Applied Math and a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard.

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Fundamental studies of catalytic electron transfer reactions for energy conversion and sustainable chemistry

May 10, 2011 4:15p–5:30p

Electrocatalysis is the field of catalysis concerned with catalytic conversions involving electron transfer, typically taking place at metal-electrolyte of oxide-electrolyte interfaces. Such catalytic electron transfer reactions are crucially important for fuel cells, the production of "solar fuels", and the catalytic treatment of contaminated water. In this talk, I will show that by a combination of well-defined electrode surfaces, in situ spectroscopy, and first-principles density functional theory calculations, one can obtain insight into the mechanism of these reactions, both in terms of activity and selectivity. Examples that I will discuss include the oxidation of carbon monoxide, the oxidation of small alcohols, the reduction of carbon dioxide, and the reduction of nitric oxide, on metal electrodes such as platinum, gold and copper.

About the speaker
Marc Koper (1967) studied chemistry at Utrecht University, and obtained his PhD (cum laude) with Prof. J.H.Sluyters from Utrecht University in 1994 on "Far-from-equilibrium phenomena in electrochemical systems: instabilities, oscillations and chaos". In 2005, he was appointed full professor in fundamental surface science at Leiden University. His interests are in electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, (electrochemical) surface science, and theoretical and computational (electro-)chemistry.

Category: lectures/conferences

Speaker: Marc Koper, Professor of Fundamental Surface Science, Leiden University

Location: 66-110

Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club, MIT Energy Initiative

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: http://web.mit.edu/mitei/news/seminars/

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Legatum Lecture: Experiences in the Emerging Profession of Technology-Based Entrepreneurship

Speaker: Noubar Afeyan

Time: 5:00p–6:00p

Location: E62-233, Sloan School

Dr. Afeyan is an inventor, entrepreneur, scholar and venture capitalist. He has founded and helped build over twenty life science, technology and energy start-ups. His cogent lessons and insights into entrepreneurship and innovation both inform and inspire.


Web site: http://legatum.mit.edu/afeyanlecture
Open to: the general public
Cost: none
Sponsor(s): Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship
For more information, contact:
Agnes Hunsicker
617-324-2768
agnesh@mit.edu

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Tech Tuesday - Featuring Robotics!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (ET)

Event Details
Where? Microsoft's NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive Cambridge overlooking the Boston skyline. Easily reached on the T at Kendall (Red Line), there is also parking in the building.
What? Join your fellow geeks, tech savvy professionals, DIY-ers, press, and other industry luminaries for this informal gathering. Bring your robots, laptops, OLPC XO's, Amazon Kindles, new cell phones, gadgets, and other new-fangled devices.
Also, office hours will be available with:
- Linda Thayer, Partner, Finnegan
Linda Thayer specializes in high tech patent and trade secret litigation, patent interferences, patent opinions, due diligence investigations in connection with investments, mergers and acquisitions, and worldwide patent portfolio development and management.
- Ben Flaumenhaft, VP Operations, Harvest Automation
Ben is an expert in applying technology to complex material-handling operations. As a systems architect, consultant, and engineering and business manager, Ben has automated processes for banking, pharmaceuticals, government and construction. Most recently he was Vice President of Bear River Associates.
- Peter Hunter, Mananging Director, Axia Capital and Artemis Capital Partners
Peter has over 23 years of experience as a well-respected operating executive. Most recently, Peter was CEO of Innovative Microplate, Inc., where he grew the firm’s revenue by 100% and, led the sale of the company.
- Tom Ryden, COO and Founder, vGo Communications
Prior to starting VGo, Mr. Ryden was Director of Government & Industrial Sales & Marketing iRobot Corporation from 2003 until 2007. Under his leadership annual revenue from its government and industrial products increased from $8M to +$80M, helping position the iRobot to go public in 2005.
- Roger Walton, Partner, Castile Ventures-
Invested in vGo Communications
The short sessions with well known industry connectors will provide premier access for Entrepreneurs in search of advice on how to move their idea and or company forward. Office hours are reserved time slots and you must sign up in advance to reserve your spot.
Please contact Heather Johnson heather@masstlc.org if you are intersted in office hours.
Before Tech Tuesday come hear a panel of Robotics Executives talk about how their technologies have shaped their business and are transforming the way we think of robotics companies,http://businessofrobotics.eventbrite.com

Register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1526841825

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Tuesday, May 10
7:30p.
Dorkbot on "Adjad." Adjad is experimental music composition software
Trevor Baca
Sprout, 339R Summer St, Somerville.

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
World into Globe: History for the 21st Century
Time: 1:00p–5:30p
Location: E51-095
A Symposium in Honor of Bruce Mazlish

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/history/www/index.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): History Office
For more information, contact:
Margo Collett
617-253-4965
history-info@mit.edu

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
UNDERGRADUATE ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION - How Financial Engineering Can Cure Cancer, Solve the Energy Crisis, and Stop Global Warming
Speaker: Andrew Lo (MIT/Sloan)
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
Location: E51-372
Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Economics Special Workshops/Seminars

For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu

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Future of the Web and Search: An Evening with Microsoft Online Services Division President Qi Lu
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 6:15 PM (ET)

Event Details
No one doubts that we have only scratched the surface of what is possible with the Web. The day is coming fast where the Web will become almost a virtual mind reader. Your intent, interests, and needs will be instantly perceived and the information you really want will be delivered—whether you asked for it directly or not—based on a deep understanding of the meanings of words in your query, knowledge of your patterns and preferences, what others have done before you, your location, and more.
Microsoft is one of the world’s major players in creating the future of the Web—and growing fast in influence behind its Bing search engine and decades of research into data mining, semantic search, information retrieval, and human-computer interfaces. Please join us for an evening with Microsoft’s online services division president Qi Lu, the chief force behind Bing, online advertising, and other Internet initiatives, and the shepherd of the company’s “quest to enable people everywhere to gain knowledge and creativity from the Web by computationally understanding user intent and matching that with published content, advertising offerings, and software services.”
Where is the Web heading, and how will Microsoft help shape it? How will search itself be transformed to align to this new Web? In this rare appearance, Dr. Lu will lay out some specifics behind Microsoft’s vision to “empower people with knowledge.” He will then sit down with Xconomy Boston’s Editor Greg Huang (himself a Ph.D. in computer science) and field questions from you—the users and shapers of the future of the Web.

Schedule: Doors open/registration: 5:30
Event: 6:15-7:15 pm, with reception to follow
About Qi Lu
As president of Microsoft's Online Services Division (OSD), Dr. Qi Lu leads Microsoft’s online advertising efforts, across search (Bing), portal (MSN), mobile, and the broader advertising platforms and services. In addition, he oversees the Global Foundation Services organization, which is Microsoft’s global infrastructure, networking, and data center operations.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Dr. Lu spent 10 years as a Yahoo! senior executive for the company's Search and Advertising Technology Group. Before joining Yahoo!, Dr. Lu worked as a research staff member at IBM's Almaden Research Center and Carnegie Mellon University and was a faculty member at Fudan University in China.
He received his bachelor of science and master of science in computer science from Fudan University and his Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Lu holds 20 U.S. patents.
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Countering Terrorism Multilaterally: A New Global Governance for Homeland Security?
WHEN Thu., May 12, 2011, 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) Carlotta Minnella, research fellow, International Security Program
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5533/countering_terrorism_multilaterally.html

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May 12, 2011 - 3:30pm
Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
"Carbon Markets in China: Experience and Prospects"

Prof. WANG Yao, Visiting Scholar, China Project, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Visiting Fellow, Department of Economics, Harvard; Associate Professor, Research Institute of Finance and Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics

Sponsored by the China Project, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

http://www.chinaproject.harvard.edu/

Contact Name: Chris Nielsen

nielsen2@fas.harvard.edu
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Thursday, May 12, 2011

When Does More Information-gathering Lead to More Production? The Case of the Newsvendor

Speaker: George Shanthikumar

Time: 4:15p–5:15p

Location: E62-550

ORC Seminar Series
The OR Center organizes a seminar series each year in which prominent OR professionals from around the world are invited to present topics in operations research. We have been privileged to have speakers from business and industry as well as from academia throughout the years. For a list of past distinguished speakers and their seminar topics, please visit our Seminar Archives.

ORC Spring Seminar Series
Seminar reception immediately following the talk.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/orc/www/seminars/seminars.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Operations Research Center
For more information, contact:
Chaithanya Bandi, Michael Frankovich, or Anna Teytelman
617-253-6185
cbandi@mit.edu, mfrankov@mit.edu, or teytanna@mit.edu

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Thursday, May 12
7:30pm
Forum and Book Signing: The Renewable Revolution
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist; 3 Church Street, Harvard Square Cambridge, MA

Dr. Sajed Kamal, long-time BASEA member and board member, will discuss his most recent book: The Renewable Revolution: How We Can Fight Climate Change, Prevent Energy Wars, Revitalize the Economy and Transition to a Sustainable Future.
http://www.basea.org/

Editorial Comment: Sajed Kamal has been doing solar energy development around the world and at home in the Fenway neighborhood for thirty years. He knows deeply whereof he speaks and is very well worth listening to. His new book, The Renewable Revolution, is one of the best introduction to the wide range of renewable technologies available.

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Friday, May 13, 2011
Genetic insights into the peopling of the world

Speaker: Dr. Rene Herrera, Florida International University

Time: 10:00a–11:00a

Location: Whitehead McGovern Auditorium

Special HHMI Seminar

Refreshments at 9:50am

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Biology

For more information, contact:
Mandana Sassanfar

Mandana@mit.edu

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Propulsion 101
When: Friday, May 13, 12pm-1pm
Where: E40-298

Speakers: Kevin Cedrone and Radu Gogoana

This Energy and Transportation 101 talk will present the basic technical concepts of propulsion for both internal combustion engines and electric vehicles.

Kevin Cedrone is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He studies automotive combustion for reduced emissions and increased efficiency.
Radu Gogoana is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering and Team Leader of the MIT Electric Vehicle Team.

Lunch will be served.
RSVPs are encouraged.

Category: MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups

Speaker: Kevin Cedrone and Radu Gogoana

Location: E40-298

Sponsored by: GSC Funding Board, MIT Energy Club, Transportation Club

Admission: Open to the public

For more information: Contact Regina Clewlow

rclewlow@mit.edu

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/energy-101/energy-101-propulsion

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Friday, May 13, 2011
MiT7 Public Forum: Unstable Platforms

Speaker: Joshua Benton, Nieman Journalism Lab, Harvard; Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Pomona College; Mark Leccese, Emerson College; Klaus Peter Muller, Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany; David Thorburn, MIT (moderator)

Time: 1:00p–3:30p

Location: E51, Wong Auditorium

For this seventh Media in Transition conference, we focus directly on our core topic -- the experience of transition.

Has the digital age confirmed and exponentially increased the cultural instability and creative destruction that are often said to define advanced capitalism? Does living in a digital age mean we may live and die in what the novelist Thomas Pynchon has called "a ceaseless spectacle of transition"? The nearly limitless range of design options and communication choices available now and in the future is both exhilarating and challenging, inciting innovation and creativity but also false starts, incompatible systems, planned obsolescence. How are we coping with the instability of platforms?

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/index.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: limited seating; preference given to registrants
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies, Communications Forum, The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Literature Section, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies
For more information, contact:
Brad Seawell
617-253-3521
seawell@mit.edu
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Climate Change: Is Green Consumption A Solution?
WHEN Fri., May 13, 2011, 7:30 – 9 p.m.
WHERE First Parish in Cambridge
Mass Ave & Church Street
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Cambridge Forum
SPEAKER(S) Heather Rogers, author
Tim Weiskel, moderator
COST Free
CONTACT INFO Cambridge Forum: 617.495.2727
LINK http://www.cambridgeforum.org/wordpress/

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Saturday, May 14, 2011
mit7 unstable platforms: the promise and peril of transition
Speaker: TBA
Time: 8:00a–8:00p
Location: E51
Media in Transition conference series

For this seventh Media in Transition conference we want to focus directly on our core topic-- the experience of transition. Our first conference in 1999 considered this subject, of course. But that was before Facebook, iPhones, BitTorrent, IPTV and many other changes.

How are we coping with the instability of platforms? How are the classroom, the newsroom, the corporate office exploiting digital systems and responding to the imperative for constant upgrades. Our libraries and archives? Our public entertainments? Are new technologies changing the experience of reading? The experience of watching movies or television programs? How stable, how durable are current or emerging systems? How relevant are earlier periods of media change to our current experience of ongoing instability and transformation?

We'll convene May 13-15 to explore these and related questions.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/index.html

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Tickets: register on website

Sponsor(s): CMS, Communications Forum, The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Literature Section, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies

For more information, contact:
Brad Seawell
617-253-3521
seawell@mit.edu

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

MiT7 Public Forum: Archives and Cultural Memory

Speaker: Frank Marchese, Pace Digital Gallery; Julia Noordegraaf, University of Amsterdam; Jason Rhody, Office of Digital Humanities, NEH; Nick Monfort, MIT (moderator)

Time: 11:00a–12:30p

Location: E51, Wong Auditorium

For this seventh Media in Transition conference, we focus directly on our core topic ? the experience of transition.

Has the digital age confirmed and exponentially increased the cultural instability and creative destruction that are often said to define advanced capitalism? Does living in a digital age mean we may live and die in what the novelist Thomas Pynchon has called ?a ceaseless spectacle of transition?? The nearly limitless range of design options and communication choices available now and in the future is both exhilarating and challenging, inciting innovation and creativity but also false starts, incompatible systems, planned obsolescence. How are we coping with the instability of platforms?

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/index.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: limited seating; preference given to registrants
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies, Communications Forum, The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Literature Section, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies
For more information, contact:
Brad Seawell
617-253-3521
seawell@mit.edu
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“Healing In Haiti: The Agape Global Health Team” by Roy Crystal, Class of 1971
Saturday, May 14, 4PM - 5:30PM (we can all go out to dinner afterwards!)
Dudley House, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA

Roy Crystal, Antioch College 1971, a photographer and environmental planner, will present his series of photographs entitled “Healing in Haiti: the Agape Global Health Team”. The photographs were taken in July and August 2010 and document Roy’s trip to Haiti with the Agape Global Health Team, which set up temporary medical clinics on the island of La Gonave, an island about the size of Martha’s Vineyard, and in Leogane, near the earthquake epicenter. Roy’s work included photographically documenting the medical work of the team; taking portraits of and interviewing Haitians who attended the clinic; and working with a local community development organization to develop a plan for sustainable economic development and environmental protection of La Gonave. Through his striking photographs of La Gonave, Port au Prince, and Leogane, accompanied by his observations and the actual words of patients and community members, he will make real for us the daily challenges now faced by the Haitian people. The team is now working to develop a permanent medical clinic on La Gonave to address the medical and needs of this island with limited medical facilities whose population swelled from 100,000 to 150,000 in a few months after the earthquake. Roy will also discuss his recommendations for sustainable development based on the ecological opportunities and constraints of the Haitian ecosystem, and how interested Antiochians can help with the ongoing recovery effort.

Roy Crystal works for the regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, where he specializes in providing assistance to businesses on environmental compliance and pollution prevention. He has a B.A. from Antioch College in Art and a Master of Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. He has completed numerous photographic projects, and widely exhibited his landscape and documentary photographs. For over 30 years he has nurtured his passion for both photography and the environment.

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Sunday, May 15, 2011
mit7 unstable platforms: the promise and peril of transition
Speaker: TBA
Time: 8:00a–2:00p
Location: E51
Media in Transition conference series

For this seventh Media in Transition conference we want to focus directly on our core topic-- the experience of transition. Our first conference in 1999 considered this subject, of course. But that was before Facebook, iPhones, BitTorrent, IPTV and many other changes.

How are we coping with the instability of platforms? How are the classroom, the newsroom, the corporate office exploiting digital systems and responding to the imperative for constant upgrades. Our libraries and archives? Our public entertainments? Are new technologies changing the experience of reading? The experience of watching movies or television programs? How stable, how durable are current or emerging systems? How relevant are earlier periods of media change to our current experience of ongoing instability and transformation?

We'll convene May 13-15 to explore these and related questions.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit7/index.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Tickets: register on website
Sponsor(s): Communications Forum, CMS, The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT, Literature Section, Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies
For more information, contact:
Brad Seawell
617-253-3521
seawell@mit.edu

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Richard Heinberg: The End of Growth - Peak Oil and the Economy of the Future
at the JP Forum May 15 at 3pm; FREE
6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain

In conjunction with the JP Forum and JP New Economy Transition we are honored to host Richard Heinberg, of the Post Carbon Institute. Heinberg is one of the foremost thinkers and writers on Peak Oil and the post-carbon future.

This important talk is part of the JP New Economy Transition series. On May 19 and May 26 there will be community events--open to all--at which we will discuss and plan for the post-carbon future! We'll keep you informed--or go to JP New Economy Transition for details.

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Upcoming

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Genevieve Bell - Divining a Digital Future

When: Monday, May 16, 2011
3:30pm - 5:00pm; refreshments served
Where: IBM Research, 1 Rogers St, Cambridge MA 02142
Free and open to the public with RSVP at http://genevieve-bell.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
Genevieve Bell
Intel Fellow, Intel Labs
Director, Interaction & Experience Research

Genevieve Bell joined Intel in 1998 as a researcher in Corporate Technology Group's People and Practices Research team — Intel's first social science oriented research team. She helped drive the company's first non-U.S. field studies to inform business group strategy and products and conducted groundbreaking work in urban Asia in the early 2000s. Bell has been the driving force behind Intel's emerging user-experience focus: over the last decade, she has fundamentally changed how Intel envisions, plans, and develops its platforms.

Bell currently leads an R&D team of social scientists, interaction designers, human factors engineers, and a range of technology researchers to create the next generation of compelling user experiences across a range of internet-connected devices, platforms, and services. She will drive user-centered experience and design across the compute continuum.

Prior to joining Intel, Bell was a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. She has written more than 25 journal articles and book chapters on a range of subjects focused on the intersection of technology and society. Her book, "Divining the Digital Future," co-authored with Prof. Paul Dourish, will be released by MIT Press in spring 2011.

Raised in Australia, Bell received her bachelor's degree in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College in 1990. She received her master's and doctorate degrees in anthropology from Stanford University in 1993 and 1998, respectively.

Register at http://genevieve-bell.eventbrite.com/

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May 17, 2011

6:00pm - 8:30pm Smarter Living Expo
Cambridge Public Library 449 Broadway Cambridge, MA
A unique and fascinating discussion among Swiss and US building experts to address the challenges of sustainable buildings.RSVP requested.
http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1075391-9PneY8RRIR
sabine@swissnexboston.org

7:00pm - 9:00pm "Witnesses of Climate Change"
The Laboratory at Harvard University, 52 Oxford St, Cambridge MA
Eyewitness accounts of how changing climate and extreme weather events are already impacting people and agriculture, from Kenya and Argentina to the U.S. Midwest.
http://cceag.org/node/13
Contact Name: John Pitkin 617 388 4448

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May 18, 2011

1:15pm Webcast: Carbon Tax vs. Carbon Trading
Online
Professor Sampford outlines a number of arguments for the superiority of carbon taxes over carbon trading schemes and outlines a proposal for a carbon added tax.
http://carbonwebcast.eventbrite.com/
Contact Name: Portia Gama unuony@unu.edu

May 23, 2011

12:30pm Environmental Health Colloquium
Building 1, Room 1302 Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA
“Human health impacts of anthropogenic changes to Earth’s natural systems: Why destroying Nature may be bad for us." Dr. Samuel Myers, Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Contact Name: Alissa Wilcox AWILCOX@hsph.harvard.edu

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*Cambridge Climate Change Week
May 13 - 21, 2011

*/A week of awareness and action addressing the most critical challenge we face/**

*Friday, May 13, 7:30pm*/**/*Kickoff Event * *Climate Change: Is Green Consumption a Solution? *With *Heather Rogers,* author of /*Green Gone Wrong*.
A////Cambridge Forum event//, introduced by Tim Weiskel. /*First Parish Church, 1446 Mass. Ave.**, Cambridge (Harvard Square)
*map *

*Kickoff immediately preceded by*6pm *showing of film *'The Water Front'* on water rights in Michigan, by the First Parish Church Climate Justice Task Force. Discussion led by Patricia Jones, UUSC Program Manager for Environmental Justice.*At First Parish Church, 3 Church St. entrance*

*Saturday, May 14:* National Give Your Stuff Away Day. Time and location to be confirmed.

*Sunday, May 15, 10am - noon*:**Watershed Walk for Climate and Adaptation by Friends of Alewife . Alewife Reservation, Cambridge, MA
map

*Sunday, May 15, 11am - 3pm*: Green Homes Bike Tour organized by the Cambridge Energy Alliance. Starting location to be announced.

*Throughout the week*: Smarter Living Expo at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway.
map *

Tuesday, May 17, 6:00 - 8:30pm*: Smarter Living Expo Experts Evening. Meet local experts to answer your questions and learn more about sustainable living.
Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway.
map

*Thursday, May 19, afternoon*: City Sprouts Open Garden at an elementary school to be announced.
. *

**Thursday, May 19, 5:00 - 7:00pm*: TROMP Traffic Tutorial at *Central Square intersection* by Travel Responsibility Mentoring and Outreach Project. The "tutorial" aims to instruct travelers about the LAWS of the road and how ignoring them endangers others and themselves.

*Thursday, May 19, 7:00 - 9:00pm*: HEET Vampire Hunt and Efficiency Ware Party. Conducted by the Home Energy Efficiency Team.
First Church Congregational, 11 Garden St, Cambridge.
map *

Friday, May 20, 7:30pm*: Fred Small concert at First Parish in Cambridge UU, 1446 Mass. Ave. Many of his songs have an environmental theme.
map
http://www.firstparishcambridge.org/ *

Saturday, May 21, 10:00 - 11:30am*:**Urban Gardening Seminar, sponsored by City of Cambridge Options for urban home gardening: in yards, containers, roofs, wherever! Cambridge Main Library conference room, 449 Broadway.
map *

Saturday, May 21, Noon - 3:30pm*: *Climate Week Finale: ActionFest*. Action oriented booths, speakers, commitments project, food. Celebrate our community's efforts and commit to specific actions you will take to fight climate change.
*Cambridge College, 1000 Mass Ave.
*map *

Editorial Comment: Your editor will be doing a Solar IS Civil Defense demo at the ActionFest.

*Watch for updates with event locations and any additional events.

/Community groups are encouraged to organize their own events during Climate Change Week.

/*Volunteers needed! *If you would like to help in any way with organizing Climate Change Week, please contact us at *cccweek2011@gmail.com* *

*Cambridge Climate Change Week is being organized by the Cambridge Climate Emergency Action Group (CCEAG) and was proclaimed by the Cambridge City Council. You can find us on the web at www.cceag.org or find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ *

*The following organizations are participating in Cambridge Climate Change Week:
* Green Decade/Cambridge (sponsor)
* Cambridge Community Foundation (sponsor)
* First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Cambridge Climate Justice Task Force (sponsor)
* GreenPort
* HEET
* Cambridge Energy Alliance
* TROMP
* SwissNex Boston
* and more...

/*"Climate is nearing dangerous tipping points....Time is running out."*/ --Dr. James Hansen, NASA climate expert.

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Resource

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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.

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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/

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Boston Food System

"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."

The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.

Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.

It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

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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

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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com

Thanks to

Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html

Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

http://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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