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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This edition goes to Monday, November 14 as I will be attending the Third Biennial Design Science Symposium (http://www.synergeticscollaborative.org/snec.announce.meeting.2011.11.html) at RI School of Design from November 11 to 13 and may not get back in time for a Sunday deadline. I apologize.
Thanks for all the kind words and good wishes during my recent illness. I am much better and my doctor is happy. Still weak but every day I'm a little stronger. It means a lot to me that so many people were ready to help and support. I truly appreciate it.
Why I believe #Occupy Wall Street is important:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/02/1032600/-OWS:-We-Lift-Each-Other-Up
My national level proposal to slow climate change is a finalist in the Climate CoLab contest. You can learn more (and vote for it if you want to) here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/05/1033579/-DailyKos-Writers-Solve-Climate-Change
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Energy Policy Seminar
November 7, 2011
12 pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Energy Technology Innovation Policy/ Consortium for Energy Policy Research
Energy Policy Seminar Series:
Rohini Pande, Harvard Kennedy School
Lunch with be provided.
Contact Name: Louisa Lund, louisa_lund@hks.harvard.edu
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Monday, November 7
12 pm
Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Northwest Building Room 243, Cambridge
Facebook Face Recognition with Biologically-Inspired Computer Vision Systems.
Zak Stone, Harvard University
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Computational Sustainability: Computational Methods for a Sustainable Environment, Economy, and Society
Carla Gomes , Cornell Univ. and Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
When: Nov 07, 2011 | 12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Where: Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Computational sustainability is a new interdisciplinary research field with the overall goal of developing computational models, methods, and tools to help manage the balance between environmental, economic, and societal needs for sustainable development. The notion of sustainable development – development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs – was introduced in Our Common Future, the seminal report of the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, published in 1987. In this talk I will provide an overview of computational sustainability, with examples ranging from wildlife conservation and biodiversity, to poverty mitigation, to material discovery for fuel cell technology. I will highlight overarching computational challenges at the intersection of constraint reasoning and inference, optimization, machine learning, and dynamical systems. Finally I will discuss the need for a new approach that views computational sustainability problems as “natural” phenomena, amenable to a scientific methodology, in which principled experimentation, to explore problem parameter spaces and hidden problem structure, plays as prominent a role as formal analysis.
Speaker Biography:
Carla Gomes is a professor of computer science at Cornell University, with joint appointments in the Department of Computer Science, Department of Information Science, and the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Gomes is currently a fellow at the Radcliffe Advanced Study Institute at Harvard University (2011-2012). Gomes’s research has covered several themes in artificial intelligence and computer science, from the integration of constraint reasoning, operations research, and machine learning techniques for solving large-scale constraint reasoning and optimization problems, to the use of randomization techniques to improve the performance of exact search methods, algorithm portfolios, multi-agent systems, and game play. Recently, Gomes has become immersed in the establishment of computational sustainability, a new interdisciplinary field that aims to develop computational methods to help balance environmental, economic, and societal needs to support a sustainable future. Gomes has started a number of research projects in biodiversity conservation, poverty mapping, the design of “smart” controls for electric cars, and pattern identification for material discovery (e.g., for fuel cell technology). While at Radcliffe Gomes will write about computational sustainability and look for new collaborations with fellows and other Harvard researchers to address challenges in computational sustainability. Gomes obtained a PhD in computer science in the area of artificial intelligence and operations research from the University of Edinburgh. She also holds an M.Sc. in applied mathematics from the Technical University of Lisbon. Gomes is the lead principal investigator of an award from the National Science Foundation’s Expeditions in Computing program, the director of the newly established Institute for Computational Sustainability at Cornell, and a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
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Race Against the Machine: A Conversation with Andrew McAfee
Monday, November 7, 2011
3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
IBM Center for Social Software, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
Digital technologies are rapidly encroaching on skills that used to belong to humans alone. This phenomenon is both broad and deep, and has profound economic implications. Many of these implications are positive; digital innovation increases productivity, reduces prices (sometimes to zero), and grows the overall economic pie. But digital innovation has also changed how the economic pie is distributed, and here the news is not good for the median worker. As technology races ahead, it can leave many people behind. Workers whose skills have been mastered by computers have less to offer the job market, and see their wages and prospects shrink. Entrepreneurial business models, new organizational structures and different institutions are needed to ensure that the average worker is not left behind by cutting-edge machines. McAfee brings together a range of statistics, examples, and arguments to show that technological progress is accelerating, and that this trend has deep consequences for skills, wages, and jobs. He makes the case that employment prospects are grim for many today not because there's been technology has stagnated, but instead because we humans and our organizations aren't keeping up.
Register at http://andrew-mcafee.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivtefor&utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=invitefor&utm_term=readmore&invite=MTM5MjUxOC9nbW9rZUB3b3JsZC5zdGQuY29tLzA=
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Tiny Houses with Deek Diedricksen
Tiny Houses: Hacking together micro-shelters with Derek 'Deek' Diedricksen
Monday, November 07, 2011 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: MIT Media Lab, Building E14-240, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Derek 'Deek' Diedricksen
Derek 'Deek' Diedricksen, host of the web-series Tiny Yellow House, author, and all-around uber-builder, will discuss his sustainable micro-cottages and low-cost 'hacked' dwellings at the Media Lab.
Background reading at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/garden/24tiny.html?_r=3
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Monday, November 07, 2011
Practices of Encroachment, Creative Acts of Citizenship
Speaker: Teddy Cruz, Architect, Activist, Professor, University of California San Diego
Time: 4:00p–6:00p
MIT Building 7-431, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
In this lecture, architect Teddy Cruz presents a new paradigm of urbanism. While in the last years, the global city became the primary site of economic consumption and display, local neighborhoods in the margins of such centers of economic power remained sites of cultural production. These are peripheral communities and neighborhoods where new economies are emerging and new social, cultural and environmental configurations are taking place as catalysts to produce a new collective imagination, alternative urban policies and more inclusive housing paradigms.
Teddy Cruz was born in Guatemala City. He obtained a Master in Design Studies at Harvard University in 1997 and established his research-based architecture practice in San Diego, California in 2000. He has been recognized internationally for his urban research of the Tijuana-San Diego border. In 1991, he received the prestigious Rome Prize in Architecture and in 2005 he was the first recipient of the James Stirling Memorial Lecture On The City Prize. His work has been profiled in important publications including The New York Times, Domus and Harvard Design Magazine. In 2008, he represented the US in the Venice Architecture Biennial and this year his work will be included in Small Scale, Big Change exhibition at MoMA. In 2010 he was selected by the New York Times as America's top 50 up-and-coming talents.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning, School of Architecture and Planning, City Design and Development, Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
Eran Ben-Joseph
ebj@mit.edu
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Monday, November 07, 2011
CRISIS IN EUROPE
Speaker: NIcolas VERON--Bruegel and Peterson IIE--and David Singer, MIT Political Science
Time: 5:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building E-51-335, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Europe's financial crisis is threatening to undo the EU and is seriously affecting the global economy--US included. What can be expected and what should be done? A European and a US expert discuss these issues.
Open to: the general public
Cost: none
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MISTI, MIT POLITICAL SCIENCE
For more information, contact:
ssferza
(617) 452-2693
ssferza@mit.edu
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Monday, November 07, 2011
Starr Forum: The Republican Party and American Foreign Policy
Speaker: Michael Singh, Daniel Drezner
Time: 5:30p–7:00p
MIT, Building E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker:
Michael Singh, managing director of The Washington Institute and a former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council.
Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Moderator: Steve Van Evera, Ford International Professor in the MIT Department of Political Science
Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_110711_republicanparty.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu
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Monday, November 07, 2011
International Migration, Economic Development and the City-Region: What Do We Know and What Do We Most Need to Learn?
Time: 6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building E14-633, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Reinventing the City @ MIT
During 2011-2012, the Department of Urban Studies & Planning will host a series of high-profile speakers and panels on a wide-range of topics related to the future of cities, planning, participation, economies, technology, design, and development. This series is part of a multi-year initiative in the department to raise cutting-edge questions about the field in an era of rapid change.
See http://dusp.mit.edu/p.lasso?t=7:6:0 for more in this series.
Seeking to challenge conventional wisdom, this panel explores the most important, least understood questions in the realm of transnational change and development.
Devesh Kapur, Director, Centre for Advanced Study of India and Madan Lal Sobti Professor for the Study of Contemporary India, University of Pennsylvania; Natasha Iskander, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, NYU Wagner; Peggy Levitt, Professor of Sociology, Wellesley College
The following cross-cutting questions are posed: What is the role of cities in international migration? If cities can lead rather than just react, how? Where is the attention of engaged scholars needed most? How will global migration, rapid urbanization, and more diverse urban populations affect the capacity of urban regions to offer their residents access to economic opportunity in an environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, and resilient way? And on what policy and design decisions will those effects depend most?
Reception at 6:00, presentations begin at 6:30.
Web site: http://dusp.mit.edu/p.lasso?t=7:6:0
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact:
Ezra Glenn
617-253-2024
eglenn@mit.edu
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Monday, November 7
7:00 PM
Bartos Theater at MIT, Wiesner Building (E15), Lower Level, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Stella McGregor
Ploughshares from Swords – Social Sculpture and Cultural Agency
Respondent: Gediminas Urbonas, ACT Associate Professor, MIT (USA)
How does creative activism contribute to society? How do we moderate crises through individual and collective art practice? How do we reconcile the arts, activism, and pedagogy? Stella McGregor, Founder and Director of Urbano Project, will share her experience of working with inner city youth and introduce projects such as Violence Transformed, and Pedro Reyes’ Palas por Pistolas. Stella McGregor has been an artist and a cultural worker for over 25 years, working on projects in Boston, New Orleans, Macedonia, and Taiwan. Urbano Project: http://urbanoproject.org
For more information:
http://act.mit.edu
http://visualarts.mit.edu/about/lecture.html
act@mit.edu
617-253-5229
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Tuesday, November 8
12 p.m.
"Where Is Turkey Headed? The Politics and the Media."
Speaker Series with Cüneyt Ülsever, freelance journalist, Turkey.
Harvard, Taubman 275, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
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Preventing Societal Discrimination: Accessible Web Design for People with Disabilities
Jonathan Lazar, Towson University
Tuesday, November 8, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person via http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2011/11/lazar#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast) and archived on our site shortly after.
Technical standards already exist to make web sites accessible for people with perceptual and motor disabilities, while research is underway to better understand web design for cognitive disabilities. Despite the existing resources and knowledge, many categories of web sites continue to be inaccessible for people with perceptual and motor disabilities. For instance, over 90% of federal government web sites are inaccessible for people with disabilities, denying users access to important government information. Social media tools tend to be inaccessible, cutting people with disabilities out of the chance to socialize with friends and contribute to important discussions, both interpersonal and societal. E-commerce web sites are inaccessible, often meaning that people with disabilities are denied the online-only discounts available on the web. Online employment applications are often inaccessible, denying people with disabilities the ability to apply for jobs on an equal footing. This presentation will provide an overview of web accessibility for people with disabilities, including the technical standards and laws, as well as reporting on recent research projects documenting how inaccessible web sites lead to various forms of discrimination against people with disabilities.
About Jonathan
Dr. Jonathan Lazar is a Professor of Computer and Information Sciences, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Information Systems and Director of the Universal Usability Laboratory, all at Towson University. Dr. Lazar is involved in teaching and research in the area of human-computer interaction, specifically, Web usability, Web accessibility for people with disabilities, user-centered design methods, assistive technology, and public policy in the area of human-computer interaction. He has published 5 books, including “Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction” (2010, John Wiley and Sons), “Universal Usability: Designing Computer Interfaces for Diverse User Populations” (2007, John Wiley and Sons), and “Web Usability: A User-Centered Design Approach” (2006, Addison-Wesley). He serves on the editorial boards of Interacting with Computers, Universal Access in the Information Society, and ACM Interactions Magazine, and serves on the executive board of the Friends of the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Dr. Lazar was named a winner of the 2011 University System of Maryland Regents Award for Public Service, a winner of the 2010 Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind, and a winner of the 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award in the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at Towson University. Dr. Lazar currently serves as the chair of public policy for ACM SIGCHI (Computer-Human Interaction).
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Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Energy 101 : Nuclear Fission
Speaker: Nathan Andrews
Time: 12:30p–1:30p
MIT, Building 4-145, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Energy 101 lecture series
Energy 101 presentation on nuclear fission. Topics that will be covered include the fission reaction, reactor technologies and the future of the nuclear industry.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Aziz Abdellahi
aziz_a@mit.edu
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Tuesday, November 8
2:00 pm
Webinar with Barry Estabrook on his book, Tomatoland on the human and environmental costs of the $10 billion fresh tomato industry.
Register at https://stonyfield.webex.com/stonyfield/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=663483119
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
2pm ET
Business of Innovating: Conference call
Call-in information: (760) 569-9000, Code: 160031#
Please join us by sending your RSVP to info@digin.org
Meg Crawford from the Pew Center will share their work on innovation, structured around a recently released report on "The Business of Innovating: Bringing Low Carbon Solutions to Market" featuring case studies from leading companies including HP, Johnson Controls, Alstom Power and others.
Additionally, Dave Witzel from EDF will discuss a new partnership with DELL around an online brainstorming opportunity around how the internet can drive innovation for sustainable business.You can log in via the link provided here and results will be circulated in late November.
As always, we will invite conversation, questions, and your perspectives on this vibrant topic. We look forward to your participation in this call!
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Tuesday, November 08, 2011
A Preliminary Review of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Clean Energy Package
Speaker: Joseph Aldy, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Time: 4:15p–5:30p
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
MITEI Seminar Series
A year-long series of seminars given by leaders in the energy field sponsored by the MIT Energy Initiative.
The Recovery Act invested more than $90 billion in clean energy and leveraged more than $100 billion in private capital for investments in manufacturing, power generation, and the residential and commercial building sectors to advance the deployment of energy efficiency, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, low-carbon fossil fuel, and other technologies. This talk will review the rationale, design, and implementation of the act's clean energy package, including a survey of policy principles for clean energy stimulus, a description of the process of crafting this package during the 2008-2009 Presidential transition, and identifying the key elements of the package. Aldy will also discuss the initial employment, economic activity, and energy outcomes associated with these energy investments and focus on the Recovery Act's support for renewable power through grants and loan guarantees.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitei/news/seminars/aldy.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
For more information, contact:
Jameson Twomey
617-324-2408
jtwomey@mit.edu
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Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Cellular Materials in Nature, Engineering, and Medicine
Speaker: Prof. Lorna J. Gibson
Time: 4:30p–5:30p
MIT Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Engineering honeycombs and foams, wood, plant stems and leaves, trabecular bone (a porous type of bone), and tissue engineering scaffolds all have a cellular structure that gives rise to unique properties that are exploited in engineering and in medicine. Nature, too, uses cellular materials to provide structural support as well as to conduct fluids. This talk illustrates the wide range of cellular materials and describes how they are used in engineering, nature, medicine.
The Wulff Lecture is an introductory, general-audience, entertaining lecture which serves to educate, inspire, and encourage MIT undergraduates to take up study in the field of materials science and engineering and related fields. The entire MIT community, particularly freshmen, is invited to attend. The Wulff Lecture honors the late Professor John Wulff, a skilled, provocative, and entertaining teacher who inaugurated a new approach to teaching the popular freshman subject: 3.091 Introduction to Solid State Chemistry.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
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Environmental Resources Management Content Presentation
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
5:00pm - 6:00pm
Aldrich 208, Harvard Business School, 35 Harvard Way, Allston
Environmental Resources Management Content Presentation: "Elements to a Successful Sustainability Strategy"
Gregg Demers, Partner, and Rob Howe, Senior Sustainability Consultant will walk through a diagnostic tool ERM has developed for assessing a company's sustainability program - with the goal of identifying key opportunities and risks. They’ll also provide an overview of ERM and their efforts to be the world's leading sustainability consultancy.
Contact Name: Jessica Sobel, jsobel@mba2012.hbs.edu
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European Revolutions, Arab Spring and Mediterranean Future
WHEN Tue., Nov. 8, 2011, 5 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE Cabot Room, Busch Hall, 27 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Middle East Initiative at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
SPEAKER(S) Jean-Pierre Filiu, associate professor of history, Sciences-Po
COST Free
CONTACT INFO Trisha Craig: pcraig@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE
Chaired by Jonathan Laurence, associate professor of political science, Boston College
LINK http://ces.fas.harvard.edu/events/20111108_french_event.html
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Tuesday, November 8, 5:30-7 p.m.
"Israeli Spring: The Unanswered Jewish Question."
Lecture with Roger Cohen, International Herald Tribune/New York Timescolumnist, and Fisher Family Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project. Co-sponsored by the Belfer Center.
Harvard, Wiener Auditorium, 5 Eliot Street, Cambridge
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WALL STREET IN CONTEXT: Strategies for Restoring the Dignity of the 99%
Tuesday, November 8
7:00pm
MIT Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speakers: Pete Cannon, Occupy Boston, Medical Coordinator
Marisa Egerstrom, Occupy Boston, Organizer, Protest Chaplains
Professor Mel King, Occupy Boston, Protester and Professor Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
Professor Thomas Kochan, Sloan School of Management, Co-Director, Institute for Work and Employment Research
Professor Michael Piore, Professor of Political Economy, MIT
Contact http://web.mit.edu/tac
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Green Communities Act progress report
Wednesday, November 9
10 am and 1 pm or 4 pm to 5:30 pm
Gardner Auditorium, MA State House, Boston
Want to find out how the Commonwealth is proceeding on implementation of the Green Commuinities Act -- and what's next for major climate-related legislation? Join BostonCAN and Green Justice Coalition at an all-day hearing at the State House on the Green Communities Act. Our Green Justice bill (filed this year) to open up the green economy is part of this hearing. We want to send the legislature a message about the kind of access and job creation we want to see and, or course, urge them to pass our bill. Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action and Darlene Lombos here at CLU will be testifying.
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Energy Features of MIT's Sloan & Koch Building
November 09, 2011 11:30a–1:00p
MIT Building E62, 100 Main Street, Cambridge and MIT Building 76, 500 Main Street, Cambridge
The award-winning new Sloan (E62) and the Koch Institute (76) buildings have cutting-edge energy saving features you would never guess! Peter Cooper, Manager of Sustainability Engineering and Utility Planning of MIT Facilities, will talk about efficiency technologies installed in these two buildings. The talk will be followed by a guided tour of the new Sloan Building. Those interested in integrated construction planning or in the energy footprint of labs at MIT are also strongly encouraged to join.
Category: MIT events/clubs: interest clubs/groups
Speaker: Peter Cooper, Manager of Sustainability Engineering and Utility Planning of MIT Facilities
MIT, Building E62-250
Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club
Admission: Open to the public
For more information:Contact MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
Editorial Comment: The Koch Building was donated by one of THOSE Koch Brothers. They do believe in some kinds of science after all.
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Global Imbalances and World Growth: Where Do We Stand?
WHEN Wed., Nov. 9, 2011, 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE Fainsod Room, 3rd Floor Littauer Building, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government (M-RCBG)
SPEAKER(S) Jean-Pierre Landau, second deputy governor of The Banque De France
CONTACT INFO mrcbg@ksg.harvard.edu
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Harvard Environmental Law Society Lecture
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Hauser 104, 1575 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
Harvard Environmental Law Society & Harvard Environmental Law Review present:
John Echeverria, takings expert & Vermont Law School Prof, and Chelsea Miller, VLS Research Fellow, on Property Rights in Water
Professor Echeverria, Professor of Law at Vermont Law School, and Chelsea Lane Miller, a research fellow at Vermont Law School, will be discussing the ongoing judicial debate over property rights in water, and in particular whether the California public trust doctrine limits private rights in water and what standard should govern claims of alleged takings of private water rights based on regulatory restrictions protecting endangered fish. They also will be describing the history of the long-running political battle in California over the nature and scope of public rights in water.
Pizza and cookies provided!
Contact Name: Sachin Desai, sdesai@jd13.law.harvard.edu
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Science Impact Collaborative Luncheon
Speaker: Leah Stokes, PHD Candidate, DUSP
Time: 12:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building 9-554, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Science Impact Collaborative Luncheon
The Mercury Simulation: Understanding the Uses of Science in International Environmental Treaty Negotiations
Despite decades of work on environmental problems including ozone depletion, climate change, and toxic chemicals, communicating scientific uncertainty effectively remains a major challenge in all global environmental treaty negotiations. The Mercury Game is a negotiation simulation designed to teach scientists, in particular, about ways of balancing science and politics in multiparty negotiations.
Web site: http://mercurygame.scripts.mit.edu/game/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): EPP, DUSP
For more information, contact:
Nina Tamburello
617.253.1509
ninat@mit.edu
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Dilemmas of Nonproliferation Statecraft
Speaker: Etel Solingen, University of California, Irvine
Time: 12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building 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, November 9
12-1pm EST
Yale Center for Business and the Environment webinar series: Blueprint for Efficiency
"The Tools and Business Case for Energy Efficiency and On-Site Power Generation at Diversey"
Featuring Jeramy LeMieux, Senior Auditor, GEHS and Climate Savers Lead at Diversey
Register now at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/156940198
In this presentation, Jeramy Lemieux will explore a number of reasons why energy efficiency and renewable power projects often fail to be consistently implemented in a corporation. In particular, he will discuss common efficiency pitfalls and impediments and how to address them.
By understanding these challenges and where they naturally occur, a business can better navigate around them or leverage them into a competitive advantage that can serve as the backbone of a corporate energy strategy.
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Wednesday, Nov 9, 2011
4:00 PM
100 Main Street , MIT Building E62, Room 450, 100 Main Street, Cambridge
Andreea Gorbatai - Harvard University
ALIGNING COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION WITH DEMAND: EVIDENCE FROM WIKIPEDIA
ABSTRACT: Economic markets align supply and demand through prices. However, many social phenomena lack pricing to inform producers about consumer demand. This can lead to the over- or under-production of certain goods and services.
In this paper, I propose a social mechanism that aligns collective production with demand. I argue that this will occur as long as three conditions are met: first, that consumers attempt to become occasional producers; second, that these attempts are observed by producers who interpret them as signs of unmet demand; and lastly, that producers are willing and able to provide these goods. I test this theory using a large dataset of English-language Wikipedia articles, created by merging information from 185 million records of article contributions with data on article views, quality, and knowledge type. The results are consistent with my theory, suggesting that this social mechanism can take the role of prices in certain markets.
This study has implications for the sociology of markets, as it highlights a largely ignored collective action-demand alignment mechanism, and for collective production in organizational and non- organizational settings such as collective creativity, scientific collaboration, and community production of collective goods, as it identifies an unexpected benefit from consumer contributions.
BIO: Andreea Gorbatai is a Ph.D. Candidate in the joint-degree program in Organizational Behavior and Sociology at Harvard University. Her research examines the consequences of social structures for the success of collective production projects. Recently, she identified social mechanisms which improve on three potential problems with Wikipedia article production: the lack of direct, aggregate demand information; disrespect for collaboration norms; and high turnover stemming from role conflicts and low embeddedness of participants in the peer network. Andreea is currently expanding this research into other collective production settings.
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Seminar in Environmental Economics and Policy: Goal Setting and Energy Efficiency
WHEN Wed., Nov. 9, 2011, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School Room Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Environmental Sciences
SPEAKER(S) Matthew Harding
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k82245&pageid=icb.page443881
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Wednesday, November 9
5 pm
"How We Think Together: the role of networks in collective problem solving."
David Lazer. Brandeis: Abelson 333, Waltham
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The Great Disruption: Will Climate Change the Way We Do Business?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
5:00pm - 7:30pm
Harvard Innovation Lab, 125 Western Avenue, Allston
Harvard Business School, the Harvard Innovation Lab, and Earthwatch are proud to co-sponsor
The Great Disruption: Will Climate Change the Way We Do Business?
A Conversation with Paul Gilding
Please visit http://earthwatchhbspaulgilding.eventbrite.com to register.
This event is open to the Boston community. Parking is available in the Harvard Business School lot for a nominal fee. A reception to follow.
Paul Gilding is an international advisor and advocate for action on climate change and sustainability. He has served as head of Greenpeace International, and is currently a faculty member for Cambridge University's Program for Sustainability Leadership. In his new book The Great Disruption, Paul Gilding argues we are in a global ecological and economic crisis that will lead to a period of major transformation, as well as enormous opportunity to build a new approach to economic and social development for humanity.
About the Co-Sponsors:
Since 1971, Earthwatch has empowered people of all ages and walks of life to contribute to more than a thousand crucial, hands-on environmental research projects around the globe. These programs directly engage a global community of researchers, volunteers, students, NGO’s and businesses, who transfer these learning experiences back to their communities.
The Harvard Innovation Lab is a new University initiative that will foster team-based and entrepreneurial activities and deepen interactions among students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and members of the Allston and Greater Boston community.
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LivableStreets Networking Night
co-sponsored by local planning, public health, social change, and transportation groups
Wednesday, November 9, 5:30-7:30pm
@ Lir Irish Pub & Restaurant, 903 Bolyston St, Boston
Free and open to the public.
Interested Boston's urban planning and design scene? Love thinking about how cities are shaped? Applying to graduate schools or looking to get involved in advocacy, government, engineering or consulting firms? Come meet people in the field and learn what's happening in your backyard and how to get involved.
A unique networking opportunity. Schmooze with people from five different groups and fellow community members. Take advantage of this event to expand your social and professional network. Become part of a growing community of people who want to make the Boston region a better place to live, work and play.
Convened by LivableStreets Alliance with Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT), Planners Network Boston (PN), The Interdisciplinary Consortium on Urban Planning and Public Health (ICUPPH) & New England Insititute of Transportation Engineers (NEITE).
For more information: http://www.livablestreets.info/617.621.1746/kara@livablestreets.info
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Sustainability and Resource Productivity: Discontinuities and Opportunities
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Sever Hall, Room 113 Harvard Yard, Cambridge
"Sustainability and Resource Productivity: Discontinuities and Opportunities"
A Discussion with McKinsey & Company
How does McKinsey see the energy industry changing in the next 20, 50, and 100 years? Can clean energy firms be profitable or will they always be dependent upon government subsidies? What does the growth of emerging markets like India, China and Brazil imply for the global energy industry?
Please register here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDF1dlo5b0dfaGozaVNTcW8tUUl2aFE6MQ
Pizza and Refreshments will be served
Brought to you by the Harvard Global Energy Initiative and the Harvard College Consulting Group
Contact Name: Sophia Wen, swen@fas.harvard.edu
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Life in the Universe: In the Beginning
Speaker: Roger Summons, Jack Szostak
Time: 6:00p–7:30p
MIT, Building N51, MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Life in the Universe
Are We Alone? That question has perplexed humanity for centuries. Perhaps scientists are getting closer to the answer; come find out during four evenings of discussion as biologists, astronomers, geologists, chemists, and anthropologists talk and share their insights with you as they explain some of their latest research about life on other planets, as well as on our own.
Part 2 of 4: In the Beginning
In the beginning, life was different. Join Jack Szostak, Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and Roger Summons, Professor of Geobiology at MIT, for an interdisciplinary conversation about the origins and evolution of complex life on Earth. What does it take for life to appear, and how does it develop over time?
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/museum/programs/calendar.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT Museum
For more information, contact:
Josie Patterson
617-253-5927
museuminfo@mit.edu
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How Much Can Trees and Forests Slow the Global Warming Increase?
WHEN Wed., Nov. 9, 2011, 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St. Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Museum of Natural History
SPEAKER(S) Steven Wofsy and Andrew Richardson
COST Free and open to the public.
CONTACT INFO 617.495.3045, hmnh@oeb.harvard.edu
NOTE Much research and debate in the scientific community is devoted to the question the impact forests have on in the capture or sequestration of carbon dioxide, the primary gas that causes the climate-warming “greenhouse effect.” Are more forests the key to slowing the rate of rising global temperatures or is it too optimistic to think they can capture enough of the world’s CO2 emissions to solve the problem? Hear two of Harvard’s most active climate researchers tackle this question from different perspectives, atmospheric chemist Steven Wofsy and forest ecologist Andrew Richardson. Part of the Challenges and Choices lecture series.
LINK http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php
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Reinventing Discovery
WHEN Wed., Nov. 9, 2011, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
WHERE First Parish in Cambridge, 3 Church Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Cambridge Forum
SPEAKER(S) Michael Nielsen, quantum computing pioneer
COST Free
CONTACT INFO director@cambridgeforum.org, 617.495.2727
LINK http://www.cambridgeforum.org
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Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Robert Wilson Visiting Artist Lecture
Speaker: Robert Wilson
Time: 7:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
MIT Visiting Artist Program
The MIT Visiting Artists Program invites MIT departments, labs, centers, and museums to nominate artists to engage in MIT???s creative community in ways that are mutually enlightening for the artist and faculty, students, and research staff at the Institute.
Robert Wilson, an American avant-garde stage director and playwright, delivers a lecture about his diverse career. Wilson has worked as a choreographer, performer, painter, sculptor, video artist, and sound and light designer. He is perhaps best known for his inspired collaborations with artists like Allen Ginsberg, David Byrne, and Philip Glass. With Glass, he created the monumental opera Einstein on the Beach (1976), which earned worldwide acclaim and altered conventional notions of form.
Wilson's MIT residency will articulate dialogues around sight and blindness in the context of the stage, using metaphors and means of emerging technologies. During a four-day workshop he will work with MIT students to develop new scenes for My New Friend SU: The Moon's Other Side, a theatrical piece that explores the symbiosis between humans and robots.
There will be books available for purchase preceding the lecture and a brief book signing directly after.
Robert Wilson's residency is made possible by the Arts at MIT Visiting Artist Program in collaboration with the MIT Museum, MIT's Department of Music and Theater Arts, MIT's Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT), and artist Elizabeth Goldring, ACT affiliate.
Web site: http://arts.mit.edu/va/artist/wilson/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free // Ticket Required
Tickets: http://arts.mit.edu/va/artist/wilson/
Sponsor(s): Arts at MIT
For more information, contact:
Meg Rotzel
617.253.2372
mrotzel@mit.edu
------------------------------
November 10th
11AM EST to 1PM EST
Attend this complimentary webinar to learn about the energy impact of new vehicle technologies and transportation projects. U.S. DOE representatives will review the Clean Cities Program and specific transportation projects underway. Michael Noblett will discuss the energy impact ofConnected Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation Systems.
Clean Cities: Driving Transportation Projects through Private/Public Partnerships
The Energy Impact of Connected Vehicles
Wendy Dafoe
US Department of Energy
Clean Cities Task Leader
Michael Noblett
IBM Global Business Services
Associate Partner and Business Solutions Professional
Register at http://virtualenergyforum.com/
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Interweaving Strategy, Leadership, Web Entrepreneurship and Social Sector Impact
John Williams, The Bridgespan Group
Thursday, November 10, 12:00PM
Hauser 104, Hauser Hall, Harvard Law School, 1575 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP requested for those attending in person via http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/2011/11/williams#RSVP
Non-pizza lunch will be served
Co-sponsored by the Cyberlaw Clinic, Dean's Office at Harvard Law School, Office of Career Services, and Office of Public Interest Advising
As an established entrepreneur and social innovator, John Williams offers a number of lessons learned over the course of his 32+ year career. How do organizations – both for-profit and not-for-profit -- achieve strategic clarity, and why does it matter? How does one go about re-positioning an iconic product or organization when the market changes? What did it take to launch the first Webby Award-winning online travel business? How do the most sophisticated not-for-profits and philanthropists think about how to maximize their impact on society? John will share his personal career explorations since graduating from Harvard with the JD and MBA in 1979, and offer insight into his most valuable experiences.
About John
John Williams is a partner in the Boston office of the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit firm that works with mission-driven organizations and philanthropists to scale their impact, enhance their effectiveness, and help strengthen their leadership. Previously, he has been a strategy consultant at Bain & Co., a software marketer, a senior executive at American Express, an early dot-com entrepreneur and CEO of both Web 2.0 and private jet ventures. Since 1984, he has served on the Amherst College board of trustees (where he is a Life Trustee). He is private pilot with over 2,200 flight hours and was the founding president of the Massachusetts Business Aviation Association. He performs regularly with the Mastersingers (a choral group) and has traveled extensively to over 40 countries. His interests include the Web, consumer marketing, higher education, aviation, jazz, choral music, cosmology, military history, motorcycles, baseball, and tennis.
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Countdown to Rio+20
Thursday, November 10, 2011
12:30pm - 2:00pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Countdown to Rio+20
Join EEPIC and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government’s Regulatory Policy Program, the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program, the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs for a multi-stakeholder conversation on the challenges and opportunities presented by the agenda of Rio+20. What will a transition to the green economy look like? What are the building blocks necessary for a revived global governance system supportive of sustainable development?
Speakers include:
John Matuszak, Division Chief for Sustainable Development and Multilateral Affairs, U.S. State Department;
Jorge Laguna Celis, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations;
and Felix Dodds, Executive Director, Stakeholder Forum.
Moderated by Joseph Aldy, Chair, Regulatory Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School.
Lunch provided
Sponsored by:
The Energy & Environment PIC
Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government
Regulatory Policy Program
Belfer Center Environment and Natural Resources Program
Harvard Environmental Economics Program
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Harvard University Center for the Environment
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
A Theory of Strategic Voting in Runoff Elections
Speaker: Laurent Bouton (BU)
Time: 4:00p–5:30p
Harvard, Littauer M16, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
A Theory of Strategic Voting in Runoff Elections
Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/7249
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT/Harvard Theory Workshop
For more information, contact:
Theresa Benevento
theresa@mit.edu
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Nov 10, 2011
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Maxwell Dworkin G125, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Crowdsourcing Using Mechanical Turk: Quality Management and Scalability
Panagiotis Ipeirotis , Associate Professor at the Stern School of Business, New York University
I will discuss the acquisition of "labels" for data items when the labeling is imperfect. Labels are values provided by humans for specified variables on data items, such as "PG-13" for "Adult Content Rating on this Web Page." With the increasing popularity of micro-outsourcing systems, such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk, it often is possible to obtain less-than-expert labeling at low cost. I will present strategies of managing quality in a crowdsourcing environment, showing in parallel how to integrate data acquisition with the process of learning machine learning models. I illustrate the results using real-life applications from on-line advertising: leveraging Mechanical Turk to help classify web pages as being objectionable to advertisers. Time permitting, I will also discuss our latest results showing that mice and Mechanical Turk workers are not that different after all.
Speaker Biography:
Panos Ipeirotis is an Associate Professor at the Department of Information, Operations, and Management Sciences at the Stern School of Business of New York University. His recent research interests focus on crowdsourcing and on mining user-generated content on the Internet. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University in 2004, with distinction. He has received three "Best Paper" awards (IEEE ICDE 2005, ACM SIGMOD 2006, WWW 2011), two "Best Paper Runner Up" awards (JCDL 2002, ACM KDD 2008), and is also a recipient of a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. He also maintains the blog "A Computer Scientist in a Business School" where he blogs about crowdsourcing, user-generated content, and other random facts, and his blogging activity seems to generate more interest and recognition than any of the other activities mentioned in this bio.
Host: Yiling Chen
Contact: Gioia Sweetland, gioia@seas.harvard.edu 617-495-2919
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Swimming bacteria power microscopic machines
Speaker: Andrey Sokolov, Argonne National Lab
Time: 4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 48-316, 35 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Environmental Fluid Mechanics/Hydrology
Join us for a weekly series of efm/hydrology topics by MIT faculty and students, as well as guest lecturers from around the globe.
We describe a class of systems in which aerobic bacteria Bacillus subtilis moving randomly in a fluid film power submillimeter gears and primitive systems of gears decorated with asymmetric teeth. The directional rotation is observed only in the regime of collective bacterial swimming and the gears? angular velocities depend on and can be controlled by the amount of oxygen available to the bacteria. In addition, we measure the shear viscosity in suspensions of swimming bacteria and demonstrated that the viscosity can decrease by up to a factor of 7 compared to the viscosity of the same liquid without bacteria or with nonmotile bacteria.
Web site: http://cee.mit.edu/events/60
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact:
Roberta Pizzinato
robertap@mit.edu
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
4:15p–5:30p
MIT, Building 37-212, Vassar Street, Cambridge
Topic: The Gap Between Realistic Expectations and Our Transportation GHG Emissions Targets
Speaker: Prof. John Heywood
Sloan Automotive Laboratory FALL 2011 SEMINAR SERIES
Seminars on topics related to engines, fuels, vehicle behavior, broader transportation energy questions presented by graduate students, faculty, researchers, and special guest speakers of Sloan Automotive Laboratory.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering Dept.
For more information, contact:
Janet Maslow
3-4529
jsabio@mit.edu
------------------------------
Thursday, November 10, 2011
MIT Communications Forum: Cities and the Future of Entertainment
Speaker: Eduardo Paes, Mayor, Rio de Janeiro; Parmesh Shahani, Godrej India Culture Club; Ernest James Wilson III, USC; Mauricio Mota, Alchemists Transmedia Storytelling Co. (moderator)
Time: 5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Buidling E15-070, Bartos Theater, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
As a prologue to the CMS conference on the future of entertainment, this Forum will focus on the emergence of powerful new production cultures in such cities as Mumbai, Shanghai, and Rio de Janeiro. What do these developments portend for the international flow of media content? How does the nature of these cities shape the entertainment industries they are fostering? At the same time, new means of media production and circulation now permit individuals to produce content from suburban or rural areas. How do these apparently opposed trends co-exist? What is their likely impact on audiences and on the international media landscape? Speakers include Eduardo Paes, the Mayor of Rio de Janeiro; Parmesh Shahani, Godrej India Culture Club; Ernest James Wilson III, Walter Annenberg Chair in Communication and chair of the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at USC; and Mauricio Mota, a co-founder and Chief Storytelling Officer of the Alchemists Transmedia Storytelling Co. Shahani is a 2005 graduate of MIT Comparative Media Studies.
This forum kicks off the Futures of Entertainment conference to be held Nov. 11-12 at MIT.
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): CMS, Communications Forum, Convergence Culture Consortium
For more information, contact:
Brad Seawell
617-253-3521
seawell@mit.edu
----------------------------
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Energy Discussions: Desalination
Speaker: David Cohen-Tanugi
Time: 6:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 4-153, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Join members of the MIT Energy Club for a discussion of desalination and its implications for water and energy policy.
A light dinner will be served.
Web site: http://www.mitenergyclub.org/events-and-programs/discussion-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club
For more information, contact:
Rebecca Dell
rwdell(at)mit(dot)edu
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Thursday, November 10
6:30 p.m.
Screening of the documentary Miss Representation. Sponsored by the Shorenstein Center, KSSG and the Women and Public Policy Program.
Harvard, Kennedy School of Government, Belfer Building, Land Auditorium, 4th floor, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
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Harvard-MIT-Yale Cyberscholar Working Group at Harvard
Thursday, November 10, 6:30PM
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St. 2nd Floor
RSVP via http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/cyberscholars/2011/11/harvard#RSVP
The "Harvard-MIT-Yale Cyberscholar Working Group" is a forum for fellows and affiliates of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT, Yale Law School Information Society Project, and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University to discuss their ongoing research.
This month's presenters will include:
Empower Public Sphere with ICTs--A Chinese Perspective
The Internet and digital technology have provided NGOs with unprecedented opportunities to reach more people than ever. In China, NGOs are becoming more and more apt to use ICT to disseminate information and organize activities. At the same time, government is under greater exposure to the public in dealing with public events. In my talk, I will use my own NGO experiences as well as images, videos and social media sources to illustrate the dynamic interaction between the government and NGOs as well as the civil society in China.
Jia Wang, Berkman Research Fellow. She has been a Department Director of the Open Constitution Initiative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Constitution_Initiative), one of the most influential legal NGOs in China. As a Berkman fellow, she will conduct research on the development of the public sphere in cyberspace and the influence of the Internet as well as various social media on the political ecology in China.
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Web Conference: "Developing Energy-Efficient Communities"
Friday, November 11, 2011
4:00pm EST and 1:00pm PST
Online conference: http://www.esource.com/members/CEC-WC-11-11-ChulaVista/Web_Conference
E Source and the California Energy Commission (CEC) will be hosting a web conference to discuss how significant reductions in energy consumption and air emissions can be achieved through the integrated use of advanced building technologies and urban design features.
The web conference, “Developing Energy-Efficient Communities,” will be held on Friday, November 11, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. PST (4:00 p.m. EST). It’s being funded by the CEC’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program and hosted by E Source, an energy industry research and advisory company. Registration is free and the archive will be available online after the event as part of the funding from PIER. Get more information and register online at www.esource.com/members/CEC-WC-11-11-ChulaVista/Web_Conference.
Public and private development stakeholders and members of an expert research team will present findings from a 30-month research project intended to determine the extent to which efficient, renewable, distributed generation and solar energy technologies can reduce aggregate energy consumption, peak demand, and emissions of large-scale development projects. Web conference attendees will be introduced to the tools used to model performance of the design alternatives examined in the project as well as a set of valuable technical design and policy innovation guidelines for energy-efficient community development.
The six speakers include Doug Newman, president of SCD Consultants and director of the National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities; Marek Czachorski, independent consultant and former lead building modeler at the Gas Technology Institute; Denny Stone, independent consultant and former chief economic development officer for the city of Chula Vista, California; Ken Snyder, president of PlaceMatters; Doug Walker, president of Placeways; and Nick Lee, chief development officer at SCD Consultants and former project manager at McMillin Development.
Contact Name: Jenny Field, jenny_field@esource.com
----------------------
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology: Reception and Viewing of the Student's Research Projects
Speaker: The Siemens Foundation takes great pleasure in inviting the students, faculty, and staff of MIT to this reception and student project viewing.
Time: 5:00p–6:15p
MIT, Building W20, Twenty Chimneys, Stratton Student Center, Building W20, 3rd Floor, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
The Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology is the nation's premiere math and science research competition for high school students. The Siemens Foundation provides nearly $2 million in college scholarships and awards each year for talented high school students in the United States. By supporting outstanding students today, and recognizing the teachers and schools that inspire their excellence, the Foundation helps nurture tomorrow's scientists and engineers.
Refreshments will be served.
Web site: http://www.siemens-foundation.org
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Information Center
For more information, contact:
Joe Coen
617-253-5734
jcoen@mit.edu
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Soil Carbon Challenge Presentation and Discussion
With: Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition & the Soil Carbon Challenge
Where: Planet-TECH Associates Office, 240 Elm Street, Suite B1 (basement), Davis Square, Somerville, MA
When: Friday, November 11, 2011
Time: 7 - 9 PM
OR (same program)
a location in Woburn, MA
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Time: 7:15 - 9:15 PM
Germane topics: climate change mitigation, soil health and restoration, reversal of desertification, urban gardening, grassroots & land-based activism, earth stewardship, the future
Description
Our future depends on putting atmospheric carbon into the soil, which can not only accept it, but also can use it to help us help ourselves. At the forefront of this challenge is Peter Donovan of the Soil Carbon Coalition, who is also co-founder of the Soil Carbon Challenge.
Planet-TECH Associates to honored to bring Peter Donovan to the Boston area to discuss the Soil Carbon Challenge and his work helping property owners to improve soils by sequestering carbon.
Additional Info Soil Carbon Coalition http://soilcarboncoalition.org/
Video: Soil Carbon Challenge - Vermont Kickoff Event - 10/22/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjG9JJ1FlA8
Please RSVP to seth@planet-tech.com (for Friday) or 781-721-2881 (for Saturday) so we may better anticipate turnout. Possible alternate meeting location Friday if needed for a large turnout.
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Environmental Careers Symposium
Saturday, November 12, 2011
9:45am - 2:30pm
Harvard CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Learn what you'll need to begin or enhance your career in sustainability from experts in industry, both private and non-profit! In the morning, there will be a series of exciting skills workshops. A sustainably catered networking lunch will follow. Come meet and talk to our speakers and industry leaders, as well as alumni and fellow Harvard Extension School classmates. Tickets to the lunch with admission to the Symposium can be purchased for $5 + small processing fee at https://www.wepay.com/tickets/getgreen
After lunch, there will be a jobs panel with green career experts who will discuss career tracks and prospects, as well as answer questions from the audience.
General admission to the Symposium is free, but we recommend attending the subsidized networking lunch.
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MA Climate Action Network Annual Conference: Act Locally - Climate Change Is Here!
November 13, 2011 -- 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
(Registration and checkin start at 8:30 am)
Location: Stata Center, MIT, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Register at https://app.etapestry.com/cart/MassachusettsClimateActionN/default/category.php?ref=807.0.63518779
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Energy Policy Seminar
Monday, November 14, 2011
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Fainsod Room, Room 324, Littauer Building, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Energy Technology Innovation Policy/ Consortium for Energy Policy Research
Energy Policy Seminar Series:
Jason Bordoff, Associate Director for Energy and Climate Change, Council on Environmental Quality, and Senior Advisor for Energy and Environmental Policy, National Economic Council
Lunch will be provided.
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
louisa_lund@hks.harvard.edu
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November 14, 2011
12pm-1pm
MIT, Building 54-915
Title: Hurricanes in other climates: changes to the thermodynamic environment and genesis potential across geologic time.
Rob Korty (Texas A&M)
Abstract: Analyses of simulations for the next century have revealed that large-scale changes to the environment that spawns tropical cyclones can have some intriguing effects on the characteristics of tropical cyclone frequency and intensity. Yet Earth has passed through far more extreme variations over the course of its long history--from periods with deep ice sheets covering middle and high latitudes to other times that were quite hot with weak meridional temperature gradients. And superimposed on these various backgrounds are other variations--for example irregular volcanic eruptions or more periodic features such as the perihelion progressing around the calendar. There are a wealth of paleoclimate simulations conducted for various past climates by modeling centers around the world, and our group has been working on understanding how these large-scale climate deviations affect the thermodynamic properties most crucial to tropical cyclone genesis and development. This talk will give a brief tour through some of the more interesting periods, focusing on results from the Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene epoch.
Speaker's website: http://atmo.tamu.edu/profile/RKorty
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Monday, November 14, 2011
12:30pm - 1:45pm
The Fletcher School, Tufts University, 160 Packard Avenue, Medford
The Energy and Climate Policy Research Seminar Series presents:
"Renewable Energy and Climate Change: The IPCC Report"
with Professor William Moomaw, Lead Author, IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (2011), and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy
William Moomaw is Professor of International Environmental Policy and Director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School. He has worked on stratospheric ozone, climate, energy, forests, water and sustainable development issues for over 20 years. He has served as a lead author for five Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports addressing mitigation options in the context of development, including this latest report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change released earlier this year. He has co-authored a report on nitrogen pollution for the EPA Science Advisory Board and a report on Financing Forests for the UN, written reports for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and is co-author of an upcoming book on International Forest Diplomacy. He was also a member of the Technical Steering Committee that published new forest management recommendations for Massachusetts that have since been adopted. He has led training sessions for climate, environment and resource negotiators, and facilitated international environmental negotiations. He has advised corporations, governments, UN agencies and The World Bank on climate, sustainable energy and forest issues. He serves on the board of directors of several climate organizations and the Consensus Building institute. He lives with his wife, Margot, in a zero net energy home in Massachusetts that is powered by grid connected solar energy, and heated by a ground source heat pump.
A light lunch will be served (no RSVPs - first come first served)
Contact Name: Miranda Fasulo
Miranda.Fasulo@tufts.edu
---------------------------------
November 14, 2011
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
"Unlocking Energy Innovation" by Prof. Richard Lester
Prof. Richard Lester, Head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, will discuss key ideas from his forthcoming book titled "Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System," co-authored by Prof. David M. Hart of George Mason University.
Energy innovation offers the best chance to solve the three urgent and interrelated problems of climate change, worldwide insecurity over energy supplies, and rapidly growing energy demand. But if we are to achieve a timely transition to reliable, low-cost, low-carbon energy, the U.S. energy innovation system must be radically overhauled. Lester and Hart map three waves of energy innovation to show how we can speed up the introduction of new technologies and business models and accelerate their deployment on a massive scale.
Category: lectures/conferences
Sponsored by: MIT Energy Club
Admission: Open to the public
For more information: Contact MIT Energy Club
energyclub@mit.edu
-----------------------------------
GreenPort Forum to view documentary "Downstream"; updates on Tar Sands Action
November 15, 2011 07:00PM to 09:00PM
Cambridgeport Baptist Church, 459 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge
GreenPort's monthly forum: "Campaign to Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline". Screening and discussion of "Downstream" -- a documentary on the Aboriginal community of Fort Chipewyan located downstream from one of the most polluting operations in the world -- the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, where crude oil is extracted for export to refineries in Canada and the US. Obama has the power to approve or deny the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline from the tar sands to the Gulf. Also, arrestees from last August's Tar Sands Action of civil-disobedience at the White House will lead a discussion about the campaign to stop the pipeline. We will also have a report back from Tar Sands Action's November 6th encirclement of the White House.
Please read website to learn how you can join this campaign to stand up to big oil:
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/
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Upcoming
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Asian Community Development Corporation - Community Room at the Metropolitan
38 Oak Street, Boston, MA, 02111
(near the Tufts Medical Center Orange Line station, head west down Washington to Oak Street)
Book Release Event: Cultivating Food Justice
Cultivating Food Justice highlights the ways race and class inequalities permeate the food system, from production to distribution to consumption. By bringing together insights from studies of environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, critical race theory, and food studies, these diverse accounts of the relationships among food, environmentalism, justice, race, and identity will help guide efforts to achieve a just and sustainable food system.
The event is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP by Friday, November 11 at http://cultivatingfoodjustice.eventbrite.com/
Refreshments provided.
The book will be available for purchase at the event.
Visit the book website: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12695
“Race, class, and history aren’t foodie strong points. Yet to turn the food movement into one that fully embraces justice, some difficult discussions lie ahead. The chapters in this splendid and rigorously researched book will help those conversations be better informed, and their outcomes wiser.”
Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved and The Value of Nothing
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MIT Transportation Showcase
November 17, 2011, 6:00pm-9:30pm
MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA
The MIT Transportation Showcase will connect students, faculty, alumni, and employers through an evening featuring:
Cutting-edge research posters;
Employer recruitment booths;
Networking over food and drinks.
For more information visit http://transportclub.scripts.mit.edu/showcase or contact transportation.showcase@mit.edu
--------------------------------
Thursday, November 17
7 pm
Keys Community Room at the Milton Public Library, 476 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA
Brookwood Community Farm will present Toward Food Security for All: Building a Local and Just Food System on
At a time of rising levels of hunger, food insecurity, and nutrition-related health problems such as obesity and diabetes, many leaders are pointing to the benefits of eating fresh and locally produced food. But not all communities have good access to fresh food, and many low-income families cannot afford to buy fresh and organically grown food. Toward Food Security For All brings together a panel of experts – farmers, nutritionists, food policy advocates and activists – to highlight some of the urgent food security challenges in our community and creative and effective ways to address them.
Panelists:
Judy Lieberman & Simca Horwitz, Brookwood Community Farm
Vivien Morris, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
Ellen Parker, Project Bread
Jim Buckle, Allandale Farm
Ashley Stanley, Lovin’ Spoonfuls
Moderator: Louisa Kasdon, Food Editor of Stuff@Night & Founder, Lets Talk About Food, a collaboration with Museum of Science Boston
A simple meal of homemade soup, bread and cider will be served at 6:30pm prior to panel discussion. Suggested donation $5. This program is co-sponsored by The Friends of the Milton Public Library.
Contact http://www.brookwoodcommunityfarm.org or call 617-967-4578
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TEDxCambridge Presents: Thrive
November 19, 2011, Harvard University
You have to apply to attend at http://www.tedxcambridge.com/thrive/
Editorial Comment: They are now taking names for the waiting list.
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“Winning the Clean Energy Race”: Dr. Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Wednesday, November 30, 12:00-1:00pm
Morss Hall, Walker Memorial
Registration: www.mitenergyclub.org
Lunch will be served following Secretary Chu's remarks.
The MIT Energy Club and MIT Energy Initiative are pleased to welcome U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to MIT who will be giving an address on November 30, 2011 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm EST on "Winning the Clean Energy Race."
Registration is now open at www.mitenergyclub.org and we highly encourage you register as soon as possible to guarantee a spot. The event is open to all MIT personnel, student and faculty from other neighboring universities, professionals, and other members of the community.
Speaker Biography
As United States Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu is charged with helping implement President Obama's ambitious agenda to invest in clean energy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, address the global climate crisis, and create millions of new jobs.
Dr. Chu is a distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997). He has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy challenges and stopping global climate change - a mission he continues with even greater urgency as Secretary of Energy.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Chu was the Director of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, where he led the lab in pursuit of alternative and renewable energy technologies. He also taught at the University of California as a Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. Previously, he held positions at Stanford University and AT&T Bell Laboratories.
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Opportunity
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Free Solar Panels for Houses of Worship
From a recent Mass Interfaith Power & Light (http://mipandl.org/) email
"We've recently been talking with DCS Energy (http://www.dcsenergy.com/) who has an unbeatable offer: if your site qualifies, they design and install the panels at no cost, don't charge you for any electricity, and donate the system to your house of worship after five years. Your only costs will be for a building permit, possibly a structural engineer to verify that your roof can support their weight, and any preparatory work such as roof work or tree removal. If solar panels are so expensive how can anyone give them away for free? First, there is a federal grant program that is only available until November that pays for 30% of the cost of the system. Then there is an accelerated depreciation option that gives certain kinds of investors another tax advantage. Finally, the state awards a special allowance called a "Solar Renewal Energy Credit" (SRECs) to owners of solar electricity systems which are sold at auctions to utilities who buy them to meet their requirements under the Massachusetts' renewable portfolio standard. DCS is betting that the price of these SRECs will remain high. Jim Nail, president of MA IP&L, has talked to DCS Energy and is currently having them prepare a proposal for his church, St. Dunstan's Episcopal in Dover. Jim says, "The references I've talked to have been quite positive about the program and the company has been very responsive. "If you think your site might qualify, contact Peter Carli, pete@dcsenergy.com, with the address of your house of worship and your contact information. He'll take a preliminary look at your site and advise you if it meets their criteria."
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Young World Inventors Success!
Young World Inventors (http://yinventors.wordpress.com/) finished their Kickstarter campaign (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1036325713/youngworldinventorscom) to fund insider web stories of African and American innovators in collaboration successfully.
New contributions, however, will be accepted.
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Resource
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Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it as being at least partially caused by human pollution. Only 42% of the state’s residents say global warming will have very serious consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused by humans compared to the 60+ age group. African-American (56%) and Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left unaddressed. The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge: What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent-challenge.aspx), contains many other findings.
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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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Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
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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://www.BostonScienceLectures.com
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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